The Republic of Moldova is a place I long wanted to visit, as it’s near my usual destination of Romania. On a solo trip, May 3-15, 2016, I began in Bucharest, Romania, where I had the pleasure of staying at the Grand Boutique Hotel (Negustori 1B, Bucharest 2, Romania; phone +40 31 425 62 30, http://grandboutique hotel.ro), located behind the National Theatre Bucharest on a lovely residential street.

The hotel, a restored private villa, hadn’t been open long. It had 19...

From the Editor of ITN — Peter Schuetz of Shelby, North Carolina, wrote to ITN about a tour of western Canada and the Rocky Mountains, originally scheduled for June 27-July 5, 2015, that he took with his fiancée and a group of seniors.

Advertised and operated by the tour company Cosmos (5301 S. Federal Circle, Littleton, CO 80123), the 9-day/8-night tour was booked through the travel agency White Star Tours (26 E. Lancaster Ave., Reading, PA 19607) by a group leader, “Ms....

I wanted to visit Nicaragua but found it difficult to find any tours that went there. I finally discovered an 8-day tour, “Wonders of Nicaragua,” through the travel department of the American Automobile Association, or AAA (travel.aaa.com). It was run by Alexander+Roberts (Keene, NH; 800/221-2216, www.alexanderroberts.com).

The cost for a single was $3,099 ($2,699 per person, double). Airfare and insurance cost extra. The tour included breakfasts, five lunches and, if air...