On a visit to Helsinki, Finland, in 2006, at noon on July 26 I bought a 24-hour Helsinki Card* for €29 (near $39). I flashed the card as I took a train to the ferry dock, where I boarded the boat for a quick sail to the Helsinki Zoo (€8, or $11). (All prices listed are what entry would have cost without the card.) The bear cubs were delightful and easily the highlight of my visit. I took a tram home (€2.20 per trip).

On the 27th, I again rode the tram to another dock (Helsinki has many...

My husband, Uwe, and I flew into Chengdu, China, on June 17, 2007, intending to board the train to Lhasa the next day.

We had booked a package with Pineapple Tours (Währinger Straße 135, A-1180 Wien; phone +43 1 403 98 83 0, fax 98 83 3, www.pineapple-tours.de), an Austrian company that supplies German-speaking trips. It was for 14 days door to door, June 15-28, but we would be 10 days in Tibet, traveling about 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles).

The cost was €2,100 (near $2,826)...

We spent a week in Reykjavik, Iceland, in July ’06. Reykjavik was a most pleasant adventure and surprise. We walked up and down and all over the town — lots of steep hills!

Iceland is VERY expensive for U.S. citizens. We learned that their economy is excellent and people are paid well.

English is spoken there (similar to all other Scandinavian countries), and people were very friendly and welcoming.

I also met several Spanish-only speaking folks. They turned out to be...