Middle East
Jordan
Horses of Arabia (Local Traditions, Philanthropy, Sports)
Tour the royal stables in Hummar—not open to the public—where Princess Alia and her staff preserve the lineage and purity of the Arabian horse, prized for its unusual speed and strength as well as its good nature. The manager will discuss the breeding and care of his 150 charges, and you'll also see the princess's collection of saddles from different eras and regions. Cost: $400, including a donation to the Jordan River Foundation. Source: Carrie McDougall, Cultural Crossroads, Barre Vermont (802-479-7040; carrie@culturalcrossroads.com; culturalcrossroads.com).

The Art of the Dream

Dreams are not always attainable. When we began compiling our second annual list of special-access experiences, several editors decided to put us to the test with a wish list of people and places they'd been dying to visit. Was anything possible, given the right contacts? To our surprise, the answer was no. Want to take over New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art for a pajama party, à la Jamie and Claudia in From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler? Or drop anchor at N'ihau, a totally private and completely wild Hawaiian island? Try as we might, we couldn't make either happen. Call it our learning curve, proving just how difficult it is to craft exceptional travel. The upside is that in the course of our efforts we acquired some indispensable tips on how to realize your dream:

* Explain exactly what interests you about a certain experience. The specifics we've listed here can often be adjusted to suit your particular tastes. When I spent a day working alongside Balinese rice farmers, my guide learned that I wanted to know how people lived in the countryside. He took me to his family's home, where I met his wife, daughter, and extended family, who happened to have gathered to celebrate one of the island's numerous holidays.

* In most cases, expect to book your entire trip through the specialist listed for the experience you want to arrange. Essentially, the agent will be calling in a favor to get you access to places where you wouldn't normally be allowed, so it's reasonable to put all of your travel arrangements in his or her hands in return.

* Research before you go. Make the most of your time—and money—by reading up in advance and perhaps even preparing a list of questions that you'd like to get answered, since you'll have an expert at your service.

* Be flexible with your schedule. I was lucky to have unseasonably warm, sunny days during my time in Sydney: The torrential rainstorms a week after I left would have kept me grounded. If possible, cushion your itinerary with extra days so that you can be more flexible with your time. Even if the original activity has to be scrapped, all is not necessarily lost. The guides who lead these special-access excursions tend to be the best and most experienced in the business: Yours may well be able to open another door that you didn't even know existed.

* Embrace spontaneity. Since hundreds of tourists haven't come before you, events may not unfold in exactly the manner in which they are detailed on your itinerary—but remember that this is part of what makes such experiences so special. While Wendy Perrin's guide was busy preparing for her to witness an Eskimo subsistence whale hunt in Alaska last year, she took the initiative to walk into the community center, where she happened upon a women's sealskin sewing class that gave her great insight into the community.

* Establish a connection. Knowing that the Balinese workers I'd meet would not speak English, I brought some peanut butter (a familiar taste) and strawberry jelly (a foreign one) for our lunchtime picnic. They had graciously put aside their work so that I could fumble with their tools, and I wanted to make at least a small gesture of appreciation. Judging from their reaction, I'm pretty sure Smucker's isn't missing a potentially lucrative market, but we did exchange meaningful smiles while spreading the American concoctions on Indonesian rice cakes.
–Brook Wilkinson