Welcome to the Travel with a Challenge cruise and train travel theme page. Click on the images or titles to enter each richly illustrated feature story. This website offers exciting articles on cultures and countries, nature and wildlife holidays, and active adventure vacations worldwide. Use the site navigation menu above to explore other travel themes and destinations suitable for mature travelers.

Also be sure to visit Travel with a Challenge's creative selection of small-scale, educational cruise and barge vacation operators showcased in the magazine's popular Advertiser Lynx Directory.

Explore the Scottish Highlands from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea on a one-week barge cruise through the Caledonian Canal, Loch Ness and other lakes [lochs] of the deeply-chiseled Great Glen. There will be heather-clad hills and clan castles that reflect this ancient land’s colorful history, and the famous Scotch whiskey is guaranteed to be on the educational agenda too!

Born and raised in India before settling in Canada 30 years ago, Margaret Deefholts shares her lingering passion for her birth country with a ride into the mountains aboard an historic miniature railway chosen by the United Nations in 1999 as a cultural World Heritage Site.

Sail the South Pacific on a 16-day adventure with travel writer, Margie Goldsmith, as she boards a very modern freighter delivering cargo to the remote Marquesas Islands year round while introducing up to 200 passengers per trip to the best of traditional Polynesian culture and heritage, 900 miles from its home base in Tahiti.

Both novice and veteran sailing enthusiasts will be inspired by our thoughtful spotlight on worldwide Sail Training adventures for the older traveler where historic, multi-masted Tall Ships offer satisfying physical challenges and the immeasurable camaraderie of team work.

Leave the cruise ship masses behind and sail deeper into the unscheduled, unexpected wilderness areas of Alaska's Inside Passage where wildlife, dramatic landscapes and glaciers up close and magnificent are essential ingredients of small-ship explorations.

NEW CONTENT AND IMAGES FOR ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR FEATURE ARTICLES EVER! Explore Europe's diverse cultures, cuisines, countrysides and historic towns from the unique perspective of a water-based vacation. Ranging from all-inclusive luxury hotel barges to self-skippered canal boats and barges, meet operators who deliver memorable experiences in style.

All aboard for a three-part exploration of Mexico's fabled Copper Canyon, including a spotlight on a unique rail journey, the canyon system's natural history and geology, and perfect places to stay and explore along the way.

 
Helena Zukowski whisks readers from Singapore through Malaysia to Thailand while sampling the luxurious trappings and gastronomic delights of Eastern & Orient's restored rail car service.