Collecting a Globe-Full of Destinations

Collette Tours, a company that gears its tours for the senior traveler, is offering more than 100 destinations for 1997, including Australia and New Zealand, Hawaii, Central and South America, and the Orient. All tours are escorted and include many meals, lodgings that reflect the culture of each place, and sightseeing with free admission to most museums, castles, parks and historical sights. Prices quoted do not include air fares to and from destinations and are based on double occupancy. Note that rates may fluctuate with the season.

Optional extensions are available for most destinations. A sampling of choices from 1997 tours:

* Argentina and Chile plus Patagonia--17 days. Includes 14 breakfasts, one lunch and 10 dinners. Tourists see the natural beauty of Argentina and Chile including Iguazu Falls, Tierra del Fuego, Buenos Aires and glaciers and national parks. From $2,599.

* Costa Rica--nine days. Includes eight breakfasts and six dinners. Guests visit Costa Rica’s capital city of San Jose, the Poas and Arenal volcanoes, a wildlife refuge, the Monteverde Cloud Forest, coffee and banana plantations, a butterfly farm and Puntarenas. From $999.

* Peru and Ecuador--12 days. Includes 11 breakfasts, one lunch and six dinners. The tour visits Lima, Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Guayaquil and Quito. The year-round price is $2,299.

* Australia and New Zealand--20 days. Includes 11 breakfasts, two lunches and 11 dinners. Guests overnight en route in Fiji, then to New Zealand, which includes Auckland, Rotorua and its thermal reserve, a Maori village, Mt. Cook National Park, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Franz Josef Glacier and Christchurch. Participants fly from New Zealand to Melbourne, Australia, for a full additional week Down Under, including Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, and Cairns with a variety of excursions and sightseeing opportunities along the way. From $2,499.

* The Orient Circle and Bali--20 days. Includes 18 full breakfasts and 12 dinners. The tour begins in Hong Kong and includes Bangkok, Penang Island, Kuala Lumpur, Malaca, Bali and Singapore. The trip provides an overview of some of Asia’s cosmopolitan areas with excursions to exotic neighborhoods and local scenic and cultural activities. From $2,699.

* Hawaii--13 days. Includes four breakfasts and eight dinners. Enjoy the “Aloha Spirit” with oceanfront hotels on four Hawaiian Islands--Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii. Tours on Oahu to Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Cultural Center, Iolani Palace and Punchbowl National Memorial. On Kauai, guests take a cruise on the Wailea River to Fern Grotto. Next is the Big Island of Hawaii to see Volcanoes National Park, the town of Kona and the Place of Refuge. From $1,069

Brochures for Collette Tours are available through travel agents, or call (800) 752-2655.

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Vantage Deluxe World Travel is offering a free booklet titled “99 Travel Tips for Mature Travelers.” It includes advice on what to do before you go, tips for cruise travelers, well-being and fitness, travel documents, packing, medical advice and insurance. For a free copy, call (800) 260-8542.