As we approach the holiday season, are you planning to travel for the holidays? A few years ago, my now-husband and I departed for a European river cruise the day after Christmas, celebrating the New Year in Vienna, Austria, and we returned with lifelong memories. Do you prefer to stay closer to home for the holidays, or do you use the break to see a new place?

Tell us. Email us at letters@globaltravelerusa.com

In the Aug. 30 issue of eFlyer, we told readers how Chattanooga, Tennessee, met a major milestone of record-breaking hospitality jobs. We asked: What do you like most about Chattanooga? One reader wrote in:

As an outdoorsy traveler, I loved experiencing Chattanooga’s natural sites, from its trails to lakes to scenic overlooks. Some of my favorite places I visited in and around Chattanooga include Rock City Gardens, Ruby Falls and white-water rafting down the Ocoee River. I was thrilled to hear Chattanooga is bouncing back after the pandemic and hope to return to the area soon.

We had a delightful two weeks on the Queen Mary 2 in May/June (trans-Atlantic and Norwegian fjords), followed by a week in Helsinki and Germany. … I called it our visit to the great symphony spaces in Helsinki, Berlin and Hamburg. The new Elbe Philharmonic is particularly spectacular, and it’s revitalizing Hamburg.

We were pleasantly delighted with our first big-ship cruise, and we’re now booked on the new Queen Anne’s Caribbean itinerary in February 2024.

We followed the cruise with a week in Singapore in September, then a grand trip to Spain/Morocco in late October/early November. We will cap off 2022 with a week in New York City mid-December.

In the Sept. 7 issue of eFlyer, we told readers about Etihad Airways making history with the United Arab Emirates’ first female Emirati captain in commercial aviation. We asked: Is an airline’s support of gender diversity important to you when selecting an airline? One reader wrote in:

I heard this news about Capt. Aisha Al Mansoori and felt so empowered seeing her photo, wearing her uniform. It definitely makes me happy to see some progress being made, but at the same time, I feel disheartened. It’s 2022 and Al Mansoori is only now the first female Emirati captain in commercial aviation. I hope she proves to other women this is possible and we begin to see more and more women enter the field, feeling confident and capable of anything their male counterparts can do.

A big congratulations to Capt. Al Mansoori; I will be following her to see what she accomplishes next