Q: One of my favourite books is Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. As I don't like looking on the Internet for information on tours, I would welcome any suggestions you might have for touring this part of France.

-- B. Tindell, Toronto

A: Your travel agent will have a host of brochures on travelling to France. Some of the tour companies that provide trips to France include Transat Holidays (transatholidays.com), Insight Vacations (insightvacations.com), Butterfield and Robinson (butterfield.com) and Randonnee Tours (randonneetours.com).

For an inside look at all things Provence, travel writers Rich Steck and Judy Janofsky, publishers of wheretogonext.com, are hosting a one-week Provence Escapes trip in the spring. Stops will be made in some of Provence's most endearing places, including Arles, where Vincent Van Gogh lived and painted, St. Remy and its Roman ruins, the famous antique market town of L'Isle sur la Sorgue, and Chateau la Canorgue, a family-run winery featured in A Good Year.

"We've been travelling and writing about Provence for the last 15 years," Janofsky says. "We're excited about showing people our favourite places and introducing them to some incredible regional foods."

The Provence Escapes Tour package costs $2,675 US per person based on double occupancy and includes seven nights' accommodations, transfers from and to the Avignon TGV train station, local ground transportation, daily meals, wine tastings, escorted tours and cooking classes. For more details, visit provenceescapes.com.

Q: I have saved enough money to take a trip overseas and I am looking at either South America or South-East Asia. One of the things making it hard for me to decide is getting over a sense of culture shock. How do you cope when you visit a new country that is so unfamiliar to you?

-- R. Mullen, Toronto

A: Try keeping an open mind on the destination you are going to visit. Remember what we might find unacceptable here might be suitable in that part of the world. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada has a handy chapter entitled Coping with Culture Shock that you can download at voyage.gc.ca/main/living/culture_shock-en.asp. Check out the Coping Strategies section. Some of the helpful tips include avoid idealizing life back home and do try to get involved in some aspect of the other culture.

Q: As a daughter who admits I don't spend enough time with my mom, I went ahead and booked a cruise for the two of us in December. It's our first trip together in many years. What tips could you provide that will make sure our trip is smooth sailing?

-- W. Cohen, Thornhill

A: First off, enjoy the simple pleasures of spending time together. Cruise ships offer some fabulous daily itineraries and have some excellent entertainment on board. Expect to find contests, movies, dances and auctions along with a food at every turn.

Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months and be prepared to hand it over to ship authorities. This is in accordance with administrative regulations. Keep a photocopy of your passport's identification page. Leave a copy of your itinerary and passport identification page with family or friends in Canada. Remember to bring a spare pair of eyeglasses in case of loss. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada has also published a Cruise Ship Travel Tips sheet you can download from voyage.gc.ca/main/pubs/cruise_ship_travel-en.asp. Bon voyage!