Today we’re featuring two tours which are best viewed before your trip. They depart from our usual format of turn-by-turn walking directions, and instead give you a valuable overview of the destinations so that you can plan ahead and make the most of every minute of your travel time.

For those seeking comfort be sure to check out Best of Baja and Luxury Resort Spas by Paul F. Foster. “Looking for sparkling beaches, the best spas, and the greatest seaside vacation ever? Los Cabos, Mexico’s premiere resort at the tip of Baja, offers all of this, complete with water sports, trophy sport fishing, and golf. Explore the charming towns of San Jose and San Lucas, with affordable–to very luxurious–hotels and eateries. Experience the treatments, services, and cuisine at world-class spas. A scenic one-hour flight from Los Angeles will bring you to the best of Baja!”

And for the extreme opposite, if you’re looking for adventure, check out Julie Hatfield’s new tour of “The Sea of Cortez”. Julie has been a staff writer for The Boston Globe for 22 years, and is now a freelance travel writer. “Just 100 miles from the southwestern border of the United States, Las Animas Wilderness Retreat is on the shores of the Sea of Cortez. ‘Mexico’s Galapagos’ is so remote you must take a small plane and then a boat just to reach it.  World-class fishing (some say the best in the world), snorkeling, whales, dolphins, birds, yurt-living, margaritas and sunset over a beach without electricity or hotels is worth the trouble. Only 20 guests at a time enjoy the magic of a place John Steinbeck called ‘miraculous.’ Ever swim with a 16-foot whale shark? Here, it’s a piece of cake.”