We loved our earlier visits to Punta Cana but we were enchanted by Puerto Plata and the opportunity to enjoy its excellent wide, sandy beaches (among the best in the Caribbean) and wonderful mountain views, but also the many attractions beyond our Iberostar resort.

The Al Capone lecture was the perfect introduction to our tour the next day of Chicago neighbourhoods that were notorious in the 20s and 30s for illegal activities and major crimes.

Labrador has a sparse population but spectacular scenery. Few landscapes on earth are as dramatic as those in Torngat Mountains National Park at the northeast corner of Labrador

The biggest superstar at the Basketball Hall of Fame is James Naismith himself , the Ontario-born teacher who invented and introduced the game in 1891 at the Springfield YMCA as an alternate winter indoor sport.

It’s a huge, wonderfully landscaped property (including a practice soccer field for the Jamaican national team), secluded from other resorts, with a series of charming two- and three-story colonial buildings spread along the beachfront.

We’ve always enjoyed the food in Mexico and Excellence Riviera Cancun sets a very high standard. Even the buffet restaurant, Barcelona, has white linen and flowers on the tables and often live music to accompany its Mexican and international cuisine.

Along 75 kilometres of pristine beachfront from Boca Raton in the south to Jupiter in the north, Palm Beach County consists of 38 distinct cities and towns, most built along a sandy, barrier island.

Our last evening with Tauck was a highlight. The company arranged for all 200 of us to board a private charter ferry for a visit to Ellis Island, the disembarkation point for so many immigrants to the United States.