If you have any questions about these tours, please call Travel Designs directly
at 607-587-8324, or e-mail: info@travel-designs.com

Romantic Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand
January 21–February 5, 2010   
These beautiful lands, bound together by the great Mekong River, welcome visitors to take pleasure in a glorious past, and everywhere we go, we’ll find a friendly welcome. Bangkok , the first stop on our itinerary, is another word for joie de vivre , with a wealth of sights ranging from innumerable wats and palaces to its "Sky Train" elevated system. Traces of the colonial past have been beautifully restored in the capitals of Laos and Cambodia– Vientiane and Phnom Penh , respectively. Meanwhile, there is calm serenity in Luang Prabang , the old royal capital of Laos, the "Land of the Million Elephants", and an eerie timelessness about Angkor , the center of the ancient Khmer Empire that embraces the lands of this romantic sojourn.

Lovely hotels await us, starting with the incomparable Oriental in Bangkok, a nd going on to a former princely villa in Luang Prabang, a splendid villa right out of the 1930s in Vientiane, history and mystery in a superbly restored colonial era hotel in Phnom Penh, and the charming luxury of the Grand Hotel d’Angkor, a stately foyer to the magnificent architectural achievements of the Khmer Empire. All in all, the itinerary has been planned to engage us with one of the world’s great heritages while enjoying the pleasures–sun, warmth, and relaxation by a gorgeous pool–of a luxurious mid-winter vacation.

We’ll begin in Bangkok , where the legendary Oriental hotel–its grand terrace overlooking the city’s main street, the Chao Phraya River–will give us a royal welcome, and we’ll spend a leisurely day visiting the Grand Palace and the dazzling Wat Phra Kaeo , which houses the deeply venerated Emerald Buddha.

We’ll then fly to Laos, landing in Luang Prabang , the most beautiful and best-preserved traditional town in Southeast Asia, set at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers, where over three days–thanks to the superb location of our hotel in the heart of the UNESCO district–we’ll enjoy some of its impressive wats , the old royal palace, the lively and colorful morning market, and the relaxed rural ambience that surrounds this old town. We’ll also take the time to explore the nearby countryside, including a cascading waterfall in the midst of the jungle. Further south, in Vientiane , along the Mekong, we’ll take in a fine collection of Lao art and antiquities. We’ll also enjoy a special visit to a world-renowned weaving studio and learn about the rich Lao tradition of hand woven textiles.

Another flight will bring us to Cambodia, where Phnom Penh will offer us the luxurious Hotel Le Royal , from which we’ll visit the stunning Royal Palace and gardens and the National Museum of Fine Arts, whose collection will introduce us to Angkor –the jewel in the crown of legendary places that comprise this tour. The complex of temples and other monuments, including Angkor Wat and many others, is vast. The grandeur of it all can be enjoyed, however, by focusing on the most stunning temples– Angkor Wat, the grouping known as Angkor Thom, Preah Khan , and several others–and planning a series of visits to them over four days that will enable us to appreciate the creativity of the ancient Khmers without exhausting ourselves in the process.

The tour will end in Bangkok , where we’ll pause again for two nights at The Oriental and celebrate our sojourn with a day of leisure and a delectable Farewell dinner at riverside.

Note: The tour will begin at The Oriental in Bangkok on January 21, 2010. The tour will end at The Oriental and there will be individual departures from the hotel on February 5, 2010. To enable tour participants to use their mileage points, inter-continental airfare is not included in the tour arrangements made by Travel Designs. Flights within Southeast Asia will be included in the cost of the trip, and Travel Designs will make all arrangements for them.

Treasures of Sicily 
April 13–25, 2010
Discover the great natural beauty and magnificent cultural heritage of this legendary island—the crossroads of the Mediterranean—at its loveliest, in spring, under a mantle of colorful flowers. With at least two nights in superbly located hotels in Palermo, Agrigento, Siracusa and Taormina, enjoy dazzling, unrushed sightseeing with top local guides, including some of Europe’s finest Greek, Roman, Byzantine and medieval treasures, and evocative off-the-beaten-path places not included in other tours. Our "insider’s journey" will be enhanced by great food, Sicily’s recent explosion of fine wines, a special evening in a private, aristocratic 15th C Sicilian home, and a thrilling excursion on Mt. Etna. If you enjoy active travel and spectacular destinations steeped in history, Sicily should be at the top of your list!

TURKEY: Where Europe Meets Asia
May 26–June 8, 2010
A unique, unrushed itinerary that includes Istanbul, Cappadocia, and a private cruise along the "Turquoise Coast". Our sojourn begins and ends in exotic Istanbul, under the familiar skyline of soaring minarets and domed mosques. Our deluxe hotel is located in Sultanahmet, the historic center of Istanbul, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, amidst the Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar.

We’ll then venture into the mystery of Cappadocia, with its painted cave sanctuaries and subterranean cities burrowed into eons of lava and tufa on the Anatolian plateau. We’ll also take in Ephesus, the Roman "mother city" of Asia, its gleaming marble a testimony to its importance as a once-prosperous seaport and center of Christendom under the leadership of St. John the Evangelist.And we’ll sail the Mediterranean Sea for four days aboard our exclusive private gulet– a ketch-rigged traditional Turkish yacht–along the Turquoise Coast, where conventional cruise boats cannot go. We’ll discover the ruins of ancient cities strewn along the coastal plain, Lycian tombs with temple-like façades hewn into rocky cliffs, and pre-Christian remains lurking eerily just below the surface of the sea. Note: The group will be limited to 14 persons!

If you have any questions about these tours, please call Travel Designs directly
at 607-587-8324, or e-mail: info@travel-designs.com