Only after my wife, Paula, and I booked our May 2018 Moroccan trip did I discover that most of our trip would occur during the holy month of Ramadan.

The timing of Ramadan varies each year, since the Islamic Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar. In 2018, Ramadan ran from May 16 to June 14 (it will be 10 days earlier in 2019); we were in Morocco May 12-21. The schedule for Ramadan can be a day earlier in the US.

During Ramadan, almost all Muslims are expected to fast from before...

After taking the "Cities of Light" cruise-tour from Prague to Paris with Viking River Cruises, on Oct. 16, 2017, I flew from Paris to Montreal, continuing home to Los Angeles. Viking had arranged my flights, routing me on Air Canada (888/247-2262, www.aircanada.com), which I had not flown before.

On the flight out of Paris, I found the plane comfortable (I had an aisle seat two rows behind business class), and the meal, with wine, was adequate.

An hour after eating...

My husband, Jack, and I took a vacation to Russia, June 26-July 7, 2018, traveling on a 12-day river cruise offered by Value World Tours (Fountain Valley, CA; 800/795-1633, valueworldcruises.com). We had a fabulous experience both on and off the ship.

As for the cabins on the M/S Sergei Yesenin, only six suites were available on the sun deck, but they were brand new and well appointed. The pricing was great compared to that of other companies. We paid about $5,500 for two in an...