Tip for the World Traveler

It’s easier to get to the beautiful Maldives

Planning a Far East vacation? There’s a new travel option on the horizon: direct flights four days a week from Hong Kong to the Maldive Islands, an enchanting tropical archipelago tourists didn’t discover till a few decades ago. Located in the Indian Ocean about 250 miles southwest of India’s southern tip, the Maldives are nearly 1,200 islands, only about 190 of which are inhabited. There are modern resorts to welcome you along with creamy white sands, iridescent sunsets and breathtakingly clear water for swimming and diving. The new air service, which debuts October 27, 2013, is on Cathay Pacific Airways (cathaypacific.com).