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    Elissa Richard

    Elissa Richard

  • Cuenca, Ecuador attracting visitors who don’t want to leave

    A colonial jewel of Ecuador, spilling over with cobblestoned streets, well-preserved churches and attractive leafy plazas—all tucked into a verdant Andean valley traversed by four winding rivers—Cuenca wins out as the country’s most idyllic urban locale. From the Inca to the Spanish to the most recent wave of foreign settlers—this time, in the form of [...]

  • Scenic rail-and-sail vacations that combine trains and cruise ships

    Double the adventure, double the fun: Pack two top trips into a single dream getaway, courtesy of these bundled “rail-and-sail” vacations. Read on for 10 seamless journeys that combine cruising with leisure train travel, and be put on the fast track to an unforgettable escape. 1. Alaska & the Canadian Rockies Rocky Mountaineer’s new partnership [...]

  • Christmas in July: book now for holiday cruise deals

    With the heat wave that’s been sweeping much of the nation, thinking ahead to the winter holidays might seem a bit counterintuitive. But there’s good reason to be contemplating Christmas in July, now that numerous cruise lines have announced early-booking discounts geared toward holidays on the high seas. This year, leave the holiday hassles back [...]