Eric Anderson, MD

There are different benefits and disadvantages to taking a cruise vs. taking a land tour. So how can you tell which is right for you?

The little island of Elba lies about seven miles off the west coast of Italy, and it was once the prison of Napoleon, who escaped after less than a year.

The state of Missouri is marking the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War with a magnificent exhibition in the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis.

At the end of the Andersons' cruise on Le Boréal the final stop is Montreal. With its Place Royale that goes back to 1676, all its historic buildings and its cuisine, Montreal is the perfect end to the cruise through French Canada.

The perfect vacation takes a lot of planning. Vacationers should know before they even book exactly what they hope to get out of their trip: relaxation, culture, adventure, etc. Here are some tips to make the process easier.

Old towns and ports in ancient cities are compact, made for walkers. But in Quebec, you should take the almost obligatory carriage ride through the upper town.

The Saguenay is the only fjord in North America, and its residents are proud of the city's beauty and the activities the environment provides.

The Le Boreal is the first cruise ship to discover the small town of Tadoussac, which is home to the older surviving wooden church in North America and a 70-year-old Victorian hotel that was rebuilt after it burned down.

The Mingan Archipelago is made up of 30 limestone islands with natural monuments carved by the sea and the passage of time.

The town of Perce is named after the rock with a hole in it. Although it weighs 5 million tons this year, it will weigh less next year after losing a few hundred tons to erosion.

The French towns along the St. Lawrence River all smack of the past, but they're all incredibly unique from one another too.

The town of Louisbourg was partially reconstructed in the 1960s using the original stonework. Today, docents in costume march the streets recreating garrison days and occupy the homes that have been restored.

Everything about Halifax smacks of the sea, but most especially its marine museum with the largest collection of wooden artifacts from the SS Titanic.

Bar Harbor was initially an island only of interest to outdoorsmen and artists. The town came to mean money when wealthy art patrons from New York, Boston and Philadelphia began building "cottages."

The Andersons find it hard not to rhapsodize about their favorite vacation place. Even the fact that things don't change much on Cape Cod is appealing.

It's a fallacy that when you retire your annual expenses shrink; instead, the contrary is true. You may have the mortgage paid off, but travel, dining out and recreation costs increase

The 11-day cruise up the St. Lawrence River to Montreal offers all passengers a chance to see the autumn foliage and an opportunity to visit the history of French Canada.

Sweden's capital is a tourist's delight with plenty of cultural and historical sights.

San Antonio is particularly fascinating because it has the Mexican warm heart, the Texan pioneer spirit and the Deep South courtesy.

As expensive as Copenhagen can be, some of its beautiful attractions can be enjoyed for free just walking through the streets and taking in the statues and houses.

If driving in Europe makes you nervous, you might want to consider traveling by train. But be warned: you should pack light!

Helsinki was never part of the Grand Tours of Europe in the 1920s for which today's visitors may be grateful. Busy though the city may be in summer, you can breathe here without the suffocating hordes of tourists who, guide books in hand, are "discovering" other places.

A cruise through Northern Europe brought the Andersons closer to medical museums than they thought possible.

An upscale cruise through Europe offers enriching lectures, beautiful shore excursions and a little comic relief.

There are two things almost every Mexican port in the Sea of Cortes has: a Catholic church and its own museum.

Putting down the travel guide can sometimes lead to pleasant surprises and discoveries on vacation.

Catalina Island is a delight for people desperate to get away from the atrocious traffic along America's West Coast, and a haven for visitors who descend on the island for privacy, excitement and romance.

A reader and his spouse would like to tour Europe by car this summer and asks our travel columnist for suggestions. Here are his tips for proceeding on a fun and sometimes challenging trip.

The little island of Molokai is not the Hawaii of glitz and glamor -- and that is the way the locals like it. The island is worth a visit because it is one of the few places left where you can still see what life was like in Old Hawaii.

Newport Beach, Calif., is as wealthy and aristocratic as its namesake, Newport, R.I., and as entertaining and homespun as what used to be Coney Island, N.Y. You get both here: The people who have it all and love it, and others who have so little and may well be more content.