"Anita and Herb" AnitaJRT's Profile

My husband and I try to get away for a couple of weeks each February, always looking for those places a 'little less traveled' and off season.

Amongst our adventures, we've backpacked through Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Costa Rica. Loved Greece, spent two wonderful weeks on Malta, tried a freighter cruise through the Carribean, trekking in the Azores, last year was a big adventure including South Africa/Botswana/Zambia/Namibia/Zimbabwe.

We are so fortunate that we chose Peru for our big trip this year. The hotel where we staid in near Ballestra is now gone. Our hearts bleed for those that have lost so much in this beautiful country.

Pack light . . . the same for a weekend or month!

Read up on the countries you plan to visit, the welcome will be warmer if you take an interest and speak even a few words of the local language

Think small when booking a holiday, for example bed and breakfasts, village houses and locally owned accommodation benefit local families

Travel like Gandhi - with simple clothes, open eyes and an uncluttered mind (Rick Stevens)

Ask to see your tour operator's responsible travel policy

Help the local economy of developing countries by buying local produce in preference to imported goods

If bargaining to buy an item, bear in mind that a small amount to you could be extremely important to the seller

Realize that often the people in the country you are visiting have different time concepts and thought patterns from your own, this does not make them inferior, only different

Tipping big in some cultures is a seen as bragging about one's wealth. Check with your hotel's management to see what local customs are.

Instead of the western practice of knowing all the answers, cultivate the habit of asking questions and discover the enrichment of seeing a different way of life through others eyes

Use public transport, hire a bike or walk where convenient, you'll meet local people and get to know the place

Remember that man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it (Moore 1916)

Use water sparingly. It is precious in many countries and the local people may not have sufficient clean water

Find out where the locals go when they have time off. Visit the main sites but get off the tourist trail too

Don't discard litter, take it home with you. Waste disposal is a major expense in poorer countries

Respect for local cultures, traditions and holy places earns you respect. For example, ask permission before you photograph local people in some countries it can cause offence

Spend time reflecting on your daily experience in an attempt to deepen your understanding. It has been said that what enriches you may rob and violate others

Do not buy products made from endangered species, hard woods, and shells from beach traders, or ancient artifacts (which have probably been stolen)

Pack small gifts from home as gifts for your hosts - ask your tour operator to ask the local community what would be of most use to them

If you really want your experience to be a 'home away from home' it is foolish to waste money on traveling.

Gap Trip -- Costa Rica, Tortuguera Airport REALLY!

We've had really good luck with the Frommer's travel site looking for destinations and recommended travel agents. In fact, we have found our last couple of trips on this site.

We have used the following tour operators and would gladly use any one of these again.

We have traveled Gap Adventures out of Canada, three times in Central and South America and always check their available trips first. They endorse 'low impact' travel with group maximums of 12 people; this makes a huge difference since it is so easy to get around with a group of this size. Many times my husband and I have different interests, so there is always someone with whom he can do want he wants to do -- and then I can go off with someone else or alone. This is especially true at meal time since I usually don't like to eat dinner and he rarely misses a meal!!!! We have met many wonderful people with our Gap trips who we continue to stay in contact with. Generally our travel mates have been in their 20's, but on every trip we've taken with Gap we-ve also had a couple of people in their 50's and 60's -- the one thing we all share is a desire to travel and experience the country -- not 'vacation? and be pampered. Gap

'When we visited Greece we booked through Homeric Tours who we also found on Frommers. Excellent travel agent! In fact, we found that we had paid hundreds of dollars less for our trip which was 3 days longer and included more items than another large group of US teachers that we met on the road. What appealed to us about the Homeric trip was that we had many days on our own, but then a couple of overnight excursions with small groups. Homeric Tours

If you're looking to see the Azores -- then Abreu Tours is the agent to use . . . lot's of local offices in Portugal, the cheapest rates. We loved their 15 day fly/drive option but felt like we had someone to get in touch with in case of problems on each of the 6 islands that we visited. Abreu Tours

For Malta -- Academic Tours is the resource. Again we found our trip was much cheaper than what some other travelers from the US had paid. In fact, I was almost embarrassed to tell these folks what we had spent compared to what they had paid. Academic Tours

Cusco, Peru -- watch out for altitude sickness

We ventured to Peru this year during February and have to say that the shear beauty of this wonderful country caught us totally by surprise.

The people . . . the food . . . the deserts, ocean, mountains, rain forest -- who knew?????

Make the journey to this wonderful destination soon!

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

We are lucky enough to live in a rural area that is only about an hour outside of downtown Philadelphia . . . that is . . . on a good traffic day it's only about an hour west of Philly.

Our home is also only a couple of miles from Lancaster County, home of the Pennsylvania Amish community; in fact, my grandfather was Amish and left the order when he was a teenager.

Lancaster County is now very "tourist oriented" but if you break away from the main roads that are crowded with cars, "all you can eat" buffets and shopping outlets you can get a true feel for this gorgeous countryside. We have a lovely state with tons to offer.