Ecotourisn, Europe highlight Cross Culture trips

Cross-Culture Journeys, an Amherst, Massachusetts based travel company offering escorted tours and small-ship cruises for over 20 years, has announced its roster of over 40 travel programs for 2008-09. Tours include cultural and family journeys, small ship ocean and river cruises throughout the world. Traditional destinations from Paris to Tokyo, as well as non-traditional destinations, like Indonesia, The Sinai Peninsula, and North and South India are included. New European tours Among the new European tour offerings from Cross-Culture Journeys are: "The Markets and Countryside of Provence" (France), 11-days in Nice, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, and the Cacassonne (with an optional extension in Barcelona); "Family Friendly Italy," a nine-day journey to Rome, Florence and Venice especially paced for parents travelling with children; "Turkey and the Turqoise Coast", a 19-day trip to Istanbul, Turkish cities along the Mediterranean, and the Turkish "Riviera". Eco-tourism on land, sea Eco-tourists will have the opportunity to participate in Cross-Culture's fully-escorted itineraries to Iceland, Kenya and Tanzania. Cross-Culture Journeys also continues its popular small ship eco-cruises on the MS National Geographic Islander to the Galapagos Islands (10 days with a stopover in Ecuador); on the Spirit of Oceanus along Alaska's Inside Passage (13 days) through Prince William Sound, Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage to British Columbia; and Island Sancutaries, 13 days (also on The Spirit of Oceanus) to Tahiti, the Marquesas and the Society Islands. River, ocean cruises Cross-Culture has different European river cruise itineraries from Amsterdam to Paris, France's Champagne region, the Baltic Capitals and St. Petersburg, and the Mediterranean Islands. Cross-Culture also offers extensive programs to South Africa, India, and Asia. A new itinerary of note is Cross-Culture's 14-day cruise to the "Monasteries of the Desert" in Egypt, the Sinai, and Jordan along the Red Sea beginning in Dec., 2008. The region is fast becoming a major tourism destination, due to its spectacular natural beauty, rich coral reefs and its Biblical history. The tour begins in Cairo, and visits the monasteries of St. Anthony and St. Paul; the great temples of Luxor, Egypt (Thebes); St. Catherine's Monastery (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Monastery of the Seven Sisters in the Sinai and the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm el Sheikh; and Jordan's ancient city of Petra, and the modern capital, Amman. About Cross-Cultural Journeys All Cross-Culture Journeys itineraries are designed for small groups (24 people maximum), and are accompanied by expert guides. Many travel programs feature cross-cultural experiences from meetings with locals to "behind-the-scenes" tours of local performing arts and cultural organizations. All itineraries include superior accommodations, many meals featuring regional cuisines and locally-grown products, and the opportunity to extend a stay abroad. Cross-Culture Journeys has expanded its travel programs for groups. One tour highlight for 2008 is 16-day fully-escorted deluxe early autumn river cruise on Europe's Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers from Budapest to Amsterdam on September 16, 2008 through October 1, 2008. Nationally renowned NPR host Diane Rehm will host the the trip, which has been developed for public radio station WAMU in Washington, DC. For a free copy of the Cross-Culture Journeys catalogue, email ajain@ccjourneys.com or call call 800-491-1148 or 413-256-6303. Summaries of Cross-Culture Journeys tours are posted at www.ccjourneys.com..