Distinctive Destinations

Travel through the Mediterranean is made even more enticing onboard an elegant cruise ship. The region offers a nearly overwhelming array of choices. But when you leave your travel planning to the experts, all you have to do is relax and enjoy. Among the best options for understated yet indulgent cruise vacations are Swan Hellenic cruises. In addition to spring and summer journeys along the coastline of Turkey and throughout the Greek islands, Swan Hellenic offers a midsummer round-Britain cruise. As the first Millennium year draws to a close, Swan Hellenic will host special tours of the ancient world, around the Red Sea and beyond, visiting tombs and temples along the Nile and onwards to the Gulf to enjoy Arabian days and nights in Oman, Dubai, and Fujairah. Christmas itineraries include a sun-filled cruise along the west coast of India from Mumbai (Bombay) to Kochi (Cochin) and Sri Lanka.

With Swan Hellenic, you can design your own vacation, choosing from among "Cruise & Stay," "Cruise & Beach," and "Cruise &, Tour" package options.

This year, why not take a trip to the truly wild side? International Wildlife Adventures, a Washington-based tour company invites intrepid nature enthusiasts to experience one of the world's most engaging wildlife events. Each year in the fall along the western shore of Canada's Hudson Bay, scores of polar bears gather around the bay near Churchill, Manitoba to await the moment when the water freezes so they can venture out to hunt seals. To make closer viewing of this natural phenomenon possible, the company is utilizing innovative Tundra Buggies,[R] giant, soft-tire vehicles that take explorers into the polar bears' domain. For those wanting an even more in-depth experience of the bears' world, there is a specially-designed Tundra Camp, a modular lodge on wheels set right on the shores of the Hudson Bay, serving as an excellent base for observation and photography.