【推荐1】I was privileged to be on vacation for the last two weeks with my husband and two of our children. We stayed in two different hotels and had two very different experiences.

In the first hotel, the staff went about their duties in a perfunctory (敷衍的) fashion; they did exactly what they had to, no more and no less. They weren’t rude but neither were they friendly. When asked about good walking trails (小路) in the area, they immediately said they didn’t know. Yet it turned out that following the main road from the hotel’s front driveway took us straight onto a very popular and beautiful trail!

Our second experience could not have been more different. The staff not only offered advice about best sites, best means of transportation and even where to get gas, but behaved very friendly as well. We were greeted like long-lost friends when we walked back in at the end of a long day. I felt the obvious difference that concern could make, especially when we were away from home in unfamiliar surroundings. The first made us feel alienated, the second comfortable.

We can be like the staff in the first hotel—doing what’s necessary to get by, doing things without sincerity and fulfilling our responsibilities. We’ll still get rewarded but we will be missing goodness. If we can be like the staff in the second hotel, we will get the pleasure of performing kindness, and that joy will deepen our relationship with the others who recognize our genuine care and concern. Putting in the effort of doing our best, we get a much greater experience in this world.

It was a wonderful vacation. Each location offered different opportunities for appreciating the beauty of nature. We enjoyed the lakes, mountains and historic cities. But we learned something beyond dates, facts and figures. We witnessed first-hand the difference between doing the bare minimum and investing your all in everything you do. It helped shape our perspective and our actions for the upcoming year.

【推荐2】Highlights of Iceland

Our representative will meet you at the airport and a bus will bring you to your hotel in the capital, Reykjavik. After checking in, your guide will lead you to visit some of the city's highlights.

We tour Iceland Golden Circle, taking in Thingvellir National Park and gullfoss Waterfall and see Trokkur, which spouts (喷射) a 100-foot jet of water into the air every 3-5 minutes.

Day 3 is left free so that you can try out our optional tours. Explore the Thorsmork Valley on a jeep ride. Another option is to drive out onto the glaciers (冰川) and take a snowmobile tour. Whale-watching boat trips are also available from Reykjavik harbour.

The tour ends at the city airport.

☆ The local currency is the Icelandic Krona (ISK). The optional tours on day 3 cost extra, and a minimum of 4 people is required for both the jeep and snowmobiling tours.

Current costs: Thorsmork Jeep tour: 27,000 ISK; snowmobile tour: 34,200 ISK; whale-watching (summer only) 9,000 ISK.

☆ Tipping is voluntary, but is expected in this part of the world for workers in the tourism industry.

☆ You must have travel insurance to travel on our tours. You can arrange for this yourself, or buy it through our company.

☆ You can either book a flight with us or arrange your own flight. If you choose the latter, you will have to make your own way to the hotel, details of which will be sent to you in advance.