For years, my husband, Bob, and I had been listening to stories about the thrills of travel in New Zealand from people who'd been there. Everyone raved about how beautiful the country is, and how everywhere you turn, there's another picture-postcard view. And so, since this was the first winter we haven't had a dog, we felt free to get away and really see New Zealand. We decided to indulge and be gone for three full weeks, because there's just so much to do and so much variety from the north to the south: cliffs, beaches, rain forest, mountains, and glaciers.

Believe it or not, the flight over was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Air New Zealand is a delight to fly—nothing like U.S. airlines. They treat you so well, and the seats were wonderful and the food was great. I could play games and watch TV or movies—it's really a fun way to travel. I actually looked forward to the flight home!

Bob and I both turn 65 this year, and we like to stay active, so I planned a pretty ambitious schedule of tours and excursions broken up by the occasional free day. I basically knew what I wanted to do, and (Hideaways Travel Consultant) Katia was great in helping me put it all together. The poor woman talked to me on the phone forever—she was so patient!