The 11-night trips, which leave May 30 or June 12, focus on Alaska's natural and cultural history.
The 92-foot-long, 14-passenger Maple Leaf stops at Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka and visits estuaries popular with grizzly bears and dolphins, Harlequin ducks, ancient murrelets and seals. Participants go ashore on undeveloped beaches and venture into pristine forests.
The trip focuses on highlights of southeastern Alaska, said Maureen Gordon of Maple Leaf Adventures. The group goes by inflatable boat into Tracy Arm fiord, where participants may see bald eagles, seals and sea lions and humpback whales. In and among the glaciers, the seals are having pups.
Cost: $3,800 per person, including accommodations, meals and shore excursions. Airfare to Prince Rupert, British Columbia (for the May 30 departure), or Juneau (the June 12 departure), is not included.
Contact: Maple Leaf Adventures, Victoria, Canada; (888) 599-5323, http://www.mapleleafadventures.com .
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JAPAN
Wright's art appreciation
STUDY the influence of Japanese aesthetics on the work of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright on a 10-night tour of Japan.
The trip, which begins March 22, is sponsored by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. Wright credited Japanese art, particularly Japanese prints, as a strong influence on his architectural work.
Participants will tour three structures that Wright designed in Japan: the Jiyu Gakuen (Freedom) School in Tokyo, the Imperial Hotel near Nagoya and the Yamamura House in Hyogo. The group also will visit museums, including the Miho Museum, designed by I.M. Pei, in Shigaraki, Shiga.
Travelers will visit gardens and spend a night in a traditional ryokan.
Cost: $5,695 per person, double occupancy for nonmembers; $5,195 for members. Single surcharge is $1,250. Included are hotels, most meals, internal transportation, transfers and baggage handling. International airfare is not included.
Contact: Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, Oak Park, Ill.; (708) 848-1976, Ext. 234, http://www.wrightplus.org .
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CZECH REPUBLIC & HUNGARY
Discuss Kafka and Kundera— or not
TAKE a literary tour of Prague, Czech Republic, and Budapest, Hungary.
California
Mexico
Las Vegas
Hawaii
Europe
