After visiting our new granddaughter in London in October ’09, my wife, Kay, and I traveled through Scotland and England’s Lake District via train. We obtained our Senior Railcards at a local train station for £26 (near $42) each, but it would have cost only £23.40 if purchased online at www.senior-railcard.co.uk. They are also available (at full price) from all London airports except Heathrow.

By using the passes, we saved £166 ($286) on the total rail fares during our 9-day...

My husband, Randall, and I enjoyed a two-week visit to Iceland in late June ’09. The first eight days we traveled around the country with a birding tour company, then we picked up a rental car from Hertz Iceland at Keflavik Airport for six days of touring on our own.

We had reserved a compact car at a cost of ISK19,782 (about $160) per day, before taxes, etc. At the Hertz counter, we were asked if we wanted collision damage waiver protection. There were two levels of CDW coverage:...

I chose the “Silk Road plus Shangri-La” tour, May 26-June 11, 2009, from China Plus (Irving, TX; 888/868-8811) because, after a day in Beijing, it went to the furthermost province in the west of China, Xinjiang. The cost, with air from the West Coast, was $4,298.

I never expected to see such contrasts, even in the landscape — from desert to mountain peaks. I enjoyed seeing Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi. What a surprise to see skyscrapers and fancy shop windows in this 2,000-year-old city...