An Historic Maine Windjammer Cruise

Need help planning a trip? Have a question about your next vacation? The editors of Budget Travel magazine answered your travel questions Tuesday, March 8, at 12pm EST. _______________________ Moderator: Welcome to our first Budget Travel Trip Coach live chat! Our chatters this week include Senior Editor Online Adrien Glover, Associate Editor Brad Tuttle, Associate Editor Laurie Kuntz, and Editorial Assistant David La Huta. We're all ready to answer your travel questions! _______________________ University Place, WA: The article on no-frill airlines in Europe reminded budget travelers to "do the math" in order to find out whether the airfare savings is worth landing in a secondary airport that may be some distance from your actual destination. My daughter & I have tickets on SWA to NYC (arriving at 10:30pm). The budget fare involves flying into Islip (McArthur Airport) on Long Island. I have been unable to find any transfers from the airport to Manhattan that are less expensive than a private town car ($120 - $160 each way). Am I missing something? The airfare from Seattle to Islip is only $99.00! Thank you. Budget Travel Editors: New Yorkers love to complain about the hassle and expense of getting to and from area airports. And, on occasion, round-trip airfare does cost less than it does to get to LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark. (You can always take the A train to JFK for $2 but it takes hours.) The Islip Airport is a little different. The common way to get to/from NYC is to take a taxi or shuttle bus to Islip (bus is $5) and the Long Island Rail Road Train to Penn Station from Ronkonkoma (about $12). Including a tip, the whole thing should cost you about $20. Here's a link to the LIRR's fares and schedules: mta.nyc.ny.us/lirr/ _______________________ Washington, DC: My sister and I are planning a trip to the South Pacific. We want to visit Sydney, Australia; Wellington, New Zealand; Suva, Fiji; and Papeete, Tahiti from late Apr 05 to early May 05. Would it be best to use a travel agency or book the trip ourselves? If we should use a travel agency, do you have one you'd recommend? Thank you. Budget Travel Editors: Unless you don't have time, we recommend you do the research on your own rather than going through a travel agency. There are lots of tools for comparing prices - and you can book directly. _______________________ Denver, CO: I am planning a trip to Buenos Aires and either Punta del Este or Rio de Janiero at New Year's. Can you recommend any planning tools or packages? Budget Travel Editors: Right now, there aren't many New Year's packages, it's too early. We would check Marnella Tours, GoToday, or Traveland in the summer. You can take a ferry to Montevideo and then a bus to Punta del Este. _______________________ Portland, OR: There have not been any airfare sales from the US to Europe for the late spring/early summer season (e.g. June) yet. When should we expect to see them (if at all)? Getting nervous, Brad Budget Travel Editors: In general, the sales will start coming fast & furious closer to your travel date. Rather than checking every website out there, we recommend you sign up for every email blast list from every airline, and hope for the best. _______________________ Stillwater, ME: We will be traveling to Dublin in June for two U2 concerts. Can you recomend some airfare/accomodation packages? We would enjoy being right in the city or in a neighborhood within walking distance. We plan on staying 7-8 nights and would also like to plan some day trips while we are there. Thanks! Budget Travel Editors: Check Ireland.com, Celtic Tours, C.I.E. and Brian Moore International Tours. Also check Aer Lingus - they often have airfare sales. _______________________ Raleigh, NC: We are looking at going to Greece this summer, and would like to find an affordable package that would include both boating around the Greek Isles as well as a little time to spend in Athens to see some of the main sights there. It's 2 adults and an 11 year old boy, so we need to be active to keep our son interested. We are looking for something in the 8-10 day range. Thanks for any advice you can offer. Budget Travel Editors: If you're willing to travel just before or after summer--it's peak season in most of Europe--you'll save a bundle on air and land packages from Gate 1 Travel (800/682-3333, gate1travel.com) and Homeric Tours (800/223-5570, homerictours.com). Currently Gate 1 has Greece on sale with its 10-day Greek Islander package. Starting from $1,069, it includes roundtrip flights from New York City, eight nights hotel accommodation in Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens, flights or ferries between the islands, and breakfast daily. Homeric Tours sells a 9-day package from $1,329 including roundtrip airfare from New York, three nights accommodation in Athens with breakfast daily, 4-day cruise to the Greek islands and Turkey with all meals and entertainment, plus an Athens sightseeing tour, hotel taxes and service charges. _______________________ Blacksburg, VA: My husband and I are taking a safari this may. I have two questions. We were told we could get our visas at the airport in Kenya and Tanzania. Is this true? Also we were told we should not wear any bright colors or blue jeans, as these would annoy animals. Any sense in that? Budget Travel Editors: It's always advisable to get them beforehand. Never wear bright shirts or loud colored prints. No need to buy the 'great white hunter' outfit, but don't pack the Hawaiian shirts. There's a reason why people wear khaki! _______________________ S. Palm Beach, Florida: I have read about train transportation in Europe and Italy. If you purchase a Eurail Pass which allows travel two or more countries, are you able to travel on all trains in Italy without charge? (including over night trains with sleeping quarters, private trains, ferries to Murano) How do you know the difference in train systems? Also, I do not speak Italian. Is this going to create difficulty in my ability to use the train system. Is their a good rescource to purchase to assist with our planning of our trip in Italy and France. Is driving difficult in southern France? Budget Travel Editors: No, buying a Eurail Pass won't allow you to travel on all local trains - you will need to pay extra. The pass will allow you to travel on major routes. Check out the Rail Europe website. You can also upgrade your pass if you want additional routes. Not speaking Italian shouldn't be a problem. _______________________ New York, NY: I am trying to plan a surprise trip for my husband's 54th birthday. He loves to scuba dive and the two of us desperately need a relaxing trip away. We will be in LA around April 18, 2005 for a meeting. I thought since we were already that far west we might as well continue and travel to our dream destination of Tahiti. I have researched your ideas re: places to stay and thought a mix of a few nights in Papeete then a ferry to Moorea would be the best! I am having trouble finding REASONABLE airfare and accomodations. Budget Travel Editors: Sounds like a great plan. Tahiti Legends (800/200-1213, tahitilegends.com/) is offering Air France flights from L.A. to Papeete, an interisland ferry to Moorea, and seven nights at the Club Bali Hai, starting at $1,239 in April and May (Monday, Thursday, and Saturday departures). A $1,669 package to Bora-Bora includes Air Tahiti Nui flights from L.A., one night in Papeete at the Tahiti Continental Resort, interisland flights, and five nights in an ocean-view room at Le Maitai Polynesia on Bora-Bora. Pleasant Holidays (800/448-3333, pleasantholidays.com/) and Sunspots International (sunspotsintl.com/) offer similar deals. Air Tahiti Nui will begin offering direct flights from New York to Tahiti in July. The packages are pricey -- it's high season in the islands -- but rates should come down later in the year. So if you end up liking Tahiti, you won't have to wait until another California trip to head back that way! _______________________ Westbury, NY: We will be on a cruise (Oct. 22-29), starting in Barcelona including Marseille, Nice, Florence, Rome and Naples.I would like to surprise my wife and her girlfriends with my knowledge of the places for them to shop for jewelry, handbags, shoes and leather coats. Thank you. Budget Travel Editors: Paseo de Gracia is like the Fifth Avenue of Barcelona. Parallel to Paseo de Gracia is Rambla de Catelona, also good shopping. If you're looking for funky boutiques, go to the Borne district. _______________________ West Bloomfield, MI: I am planning a girls-only getaway. We are 30 something, fun, bar-going kind of girls. We like Key West or South Padre Island. Which would you suggest or is there another we have overlooked? Thanks Budget Travel Editors: Miami Beach wins hands down if you're looking for hot beaches and even hotter nightlife. As luck would have it, Leisure Link International (888/801-8808, eleisurelink.com/) just sent us some amazing air-inclusive offers beginning mid-April. You'll get Spirit Airlines flights from Detroit to Ft. Lauderdale and three nights in Miami Beach starting at $299, $338, $468, or $497. These are midweek prices, and they'll depend on which hotel you choose: Howard Johnson Dezerland, Howard Johnson Caribbean, Greenview South Beach, Ocean Surf ($299); Beach House in Bal Harbour, Albion, Riande Continental South Beach ($338); Shore Club, Loews South Beach, Royal Palm Crowne Plaza ($468); Ritz-Carlton South Beach ($497). _______________________ Bettendorf, IA: Next year I will be going to Copenhagen, all expenses paid for 6 days. After that I would like to meet a girlfriend in London and if possible, spend a little time in Paris. I will only have 8 more days after Copenhagen. Is this trying to rush it too much? Should we just stay in London and not try to squeeze in Paris on this trip? Either or both ways, please tell me the least expensive way to get to one or both of these places. My flight home will be paid because of my round trip to Copenhagen. Budget Travel Editors: Eight days is certainly doable for both London and Paris (and we'd love to know how you scored the paid trip to Copenhagen; good job!). There are many options for getting from Copenhagen down to London or Paris, and between London and Paris. What would make the most sense is if you ask whoever is paying for your trip to Denmark if it is possible to book your airfare into Copenhagen and then out of either London or Paris (which is known as an open jaw ticket). This shouldn't be a problem, since the flight should cost less than a return to Copenhagen'and if you're allowed to do it, it will save you at least a few hours by eliminating having to go back to Scandinavia before heading home. It's your call as to whether you fly to London or Paris from Copenhagen. Either is possible, the price shouldn't be all that different. Go to a site such as whichbudget.com or skyscanner.net to research low-fare carriers' routes. If you time it right, the flight could cost less than $75 with taxes and charges. You could also fly between London and Paris, but from the sound of things it might be smarter to take the Eurostar through the Channel (book ahead and look for specials at raileurope.com and eurostar.com). You probably want to spend most of your time in the city centers of Paris and London (where the trains depart and arrive), rather than hopping trains or buses to the outskirts (where low-cost airlines typically fly to and from). This way, you'll maximize your time in London and Paris, and four days in each sounds nice. _______________________ Washington, DC: I'm thinking of taking a trip to Vietnam soon. Unfortunately, the prices I've found for airfare are extremely high. Where is the best place to look for cheap fares to Southeast Asia? Budget Travel Editors: Sidestep.com is your best bet _______________________ Dallas, TX: My uncle just took a job in Prague, Czech Republic so I have a free place to stay if I go visit. I would like to go over there in June when school is out (I'm a teacher) and I'm trying to figure out how to see as many things as possible in Europe for as little money as possible. I'm single so I'll be taking my best friend and I'd like to be able to go to Germany, Amsterdam, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. How do I go about doing this without breaking the bank? How many places can I realistically see and when can I get the cheapest airfare? My dates are flexible (anytime during June or July) but my pocketbook isn't. Budget Travel Editors: Get a Eurail Pass and an International Teacher identity card. This card will get you discounts similar to a student ID card. Also consider becoming a member of Hostel International. Pick up a Rough Guide or Let's Go Guide. Good luck! _______________________ Farmington, CT: We are planning a family-type vacation to the Bahamas. We will be looking for a "package"; what is a good resource for the research? Which part or parts of the Bahamas were damaged by last year's hurricane and how is the recovery work going? Is May/June relatively inexpensive time of the year? Thanks. Budget Travel Editors: Now that JetBlue and Song are flying directly to Nassau, you might do better booking your airfare separately and taking local flights to other islands. The Bahamas website also will give you a good feel for each one of the islands. If you're desparate for packages, Gate1 Travel is offering some Nassau specials _______________________ Los Angeles, CA: My wife and I have been thinking of traveling in Europe for a long time but never made it since we both busy with our career in retail. I wanted to surprise her on our anniversary, with a trip through Europe with stops in Amsterdam with possible stops in Florence, Paris. I want to know if there are any possibility of traveling by train that will accomodate these cities within 7 days. Thank you for your assistance. Budget Travel Editors: What a nice gesture! Our advice is to not spoil it by trying to do too much. And yes, riding the train to Amsterdam, Paris, and Florence in 7 days is way too much. Unless you're OK seeing things in a blur and getting into arguments from all the stress of traveling (get the point?), you should cut one of those cities from the equation. We acknowledge the pull to try and see everything in one trip (and we're often guilty of doing just that), but do you and your wife a favor by doing less. We guarantee you'll relax and enjoy yourselves more. If you drop Florence, then sure, you could take the train and see Paris and Amsterdam (research time tables at raileurope.com). If you really want Florence and one of the other cities, fly between them. Scout out possible flights at sites such as whichbudget.com, wegolo.com, applefares.com, or openjet.com. _______________________ Sonora, CA: Can you give me the name of a traver agent who specializes in Bora Bora and or Moorea? Thank you. Budget Travel Editors: Try Tahiti Legends travel agency - they're offering 5-nights in an ocean-view room Le Maitai Polynesia on Bora Bora for $1389 until the end of March, with flights from LA _______________________ Plant City, Fl: Suggestions for a driving two week vacaton to Hershey, Pa. as the most northerly point. One child, age 15. Amusement parks on the way? Scenic drives to past the time. Thanks. Budget Travel Editors: We suggest avoiding I-95 - take Blue Ridge Parkway, which connects to Skyline Drive in Shenendoah National Park. However, if you decide to take I-95, you could swing by South of the Border - a totally kitchy tourist trap in Dillon, South Carolina. _______________________ Brooklyn, NY: My friends & I are turning 40 this summer. We would like to go away for the weekend to a spa (girls only). Can you recommend any in the NY, NJ, PA area worth looking into??? Thank you Budget Travel Editors: How about New Age Health Spa in Neversink, New York or Kripalu Center in Lenox, MA? Kriplau's on an old estate - huge with a massive selection of services and special weekend packages. Check out spafinder.com for more recommendations. _______________________ Chicago, IL: We are planning a trip to East Africa in May - Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar (based off of one of your previous Budget Travel recommendations. Thank you!) While we understand the risks in general, in researching the trip, we noticed that the State Department has issued warnings for Kenya. Now we are a little apprehensive about spending time in Nairobi and on then Zanzibar. Should we be? What advice can you give us for traveling in these areas. Budget Travel Editors: While there's a travel warning, we recommend you don't travel around on your own, but if you're booked as part of a tour, there's less risk because you'll have local guides. _______________________ Kenosha, WI: My question is a basic one. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a package vs. putting the pieces together yourself?Are packages more cost effective or does it depend on the package? What factors should be considered to help decide whether to do a package or piece it together? Budget Travel Editors: One of the big advantages of going with a package is that you don't have to do all that much work or thinking. Some people love to spend hours on the Internet, scouting out hotels, train schedules, tours, and whatnot. Other folks, not so much, and understandably so' who wants to do either when what you really want is a vacation? There are all kinds of different packages, however. Some come with a set list of components (airfare, hotel, tour, etc), but most packages give at least a limited amount of flexibility, letting you extend your trip, pick departure times and preferred airlines, and select a certain quality of hotel. A good travel company will have an agent hold your hand and help you make decisions that best fit your needs (it's more likely that an agent will try to talk you into buying travel insurance, upgrading your room, and purchasing other items that you may or may not want). And yes, in general, buying with a package is more cost effective than putting pieces together, but not always'our magazine has a regular column called Deal Breaker that points out when booking things separately costs less than the package. In today's age, when most airlines and hotels guarantee that they have the absolute lowest prices for their product, packages allow them to sell off merchandise on the cheap without breaking their guarantee (because it's impossible to break down what costs what with a package). On the other hand, packages are certainly not right for everyone. As mentioned, they're not always the best value, so you're always got to do the math if you want to make sure you're getting the most for your money. But more important is the point that packages are not the best value if what you're getting is not what you want. Even the biggest travel operators don't offer every option possible, so by going with a packager you are limiting yourself. For most people, that's fine. They're content staying in one of the hotels that works with the packager, as long as they're getting somewhat of a deal and the headaches of reservations and searching possibilities disappears. Unfortunately, there's' no cut and dry answer to whether booking a package or reserving everything yourself is better. It depends on the package and the person booking. If there's a match and the price is right, great. More often things fall into a gray area. Here are some things to making the decision to go with the package (or not): Hotel location: Those fantastic deals you see advertised in newspapers and on the Web almost always come with hotels off the beach or outside the city center. Service fees: Most tour operators tag on fees, and they're often hidden in the fine print or they pop up just before booking. You need to tally up the grand total before figuring out whether the package is truly the better deal. Flexibility: How much do you want? And how much does the tour operator offer? Overall experience: Travel companies obviously cater to tourists, and their packages are put together to make the average tourist happy. That means that more often than not if you go with a package you'll be walking the tried but true tourist paths that's perfect for you, but it's not as authentic as following the locals' leads. If you don't want to run into Carl from Tacoma at every stop of your trip, consider going off the playbook offered by packagers (and by the guidebooks). _______________________ San Francisco, CA: I love going to New York City for a long weekend. If I do not have time to plan my trip a month or two in advance, how can I find great hotel deals in Manhattan? Budget Travel Editors: Finding an affordable hotel room in New York City is difficult (but not impossible) considering the average cost of a hotel room is $250, and then you have to add a hotel tax of 13 percent on top of that! Fortunately, at Budget Travel we keep a running tab on hotels that have rates of $150/night or under, and that have personality to boot--no vanilla box chain properties! Not surprisingly, many of these spots are not listed with the big booking engines like Hotels.com. Here's a list of current BT favorites: East Village: Second Home on Second Avenue (secondhome.citysearch.com) $105/night Chelsea: Chelsea Lodge (chelsealodge.com/) From $95/night Midtown: Ameritania (nychotels.com/) From $125/night Midtown: Hotel QT (hotelqt.com/) From $125/night Upper West Side: Country Inn the City (countryinnthecity.com/) $150/night _______________________ Columbia, MO: My in-laws want to plan a group family vacation for this summer to 'someplace tropical', i.e. the Carribean, Mexico, etc. There will be about 20-25 of us with about half kids and half adults. We don't need anything too fancy, just fun and not too expensive. All-inclusive would be nice but not a necessity. Any suggestions? Budget Travel Editors: It's never easy planning a trip for large groups, so it's best to stick to an all-inclusive resort where you and your family can essentially pay one price and feel well taken care of for the duration of your vacation. And the all-inclusive resorts on Mexico's Riviera Maya'it's just south of Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula'should have everything your looking for: swim up bars, tons of activities, white sand, warm water, and best of all, great value. Five resorts to consider: Gala Beach Resort Playacar (877/888-4252, galaresorts.com.mx); Hotel Riu Playacar (888/666-8816, riu.com); Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar (888/923-2722, iberostar.com); Sunscape Tulum (866/786-7227, sunscaperesorts.com); and Barcelo Maya (800/227-2356, barcelo.com). And keep your eye out for our April feature story on Riviera Maya's all-inclusive resorts. _______________________ Chicago, IL: I'd love to go to Portugal this fall. I'm considering an escorted tour (great price & value) vs. splitting a week in Lisbon-Algarve. Where can I find a budget fare for the air portion of my trip? Budget Travel Editors: If you're looking for airfare now, you're going to end up paying a lot more than you should. No one at BT recommends booking flights this far out unless they're part of a package where the tour operator can negotiate a lower price on your behalf. A quick search of Sidestep (http://www.sidestep.com/air/) shows that, at the moment, the least expensive flights from Chicago to Lisbon in September cost $735. For comparison's sake, Go-today.com (800/227-3235, go-today.com/) is currently offering a fly/drive package (includes air from Chicago and a seven-day Hertz car rental) starting at $759 in September. Our advice: If you're going to book airfare alone, wait until at least July to start looking. If you can stand to wait even longer, you may find an even better deal as part of a last-minute sale. For the land portion of your trip, try Abreu Tours, a Portugal specialist. For example, their "Portugal Fling" starts at $940 (land only, per person/double occupancy) in September. The package includes seven nights--first class hotel (four in Lisbon and three on the Algarve) and local sightseeing. It can be customized any way you like -- adding more cities, tours, a rental car, etc. -- for an additional cost. _______________________ Temecula, CA: A girlfriend and I are planning a trip within a 6 hour drive of LA. We've done the "usual" drive up the coast and are sick of Vegas. Any great suggestions for some outdoor spots that won't be overrun with spring break tourists would be appreciated! We were thinking Sedona but are worried that it has become a bit commercialized. Help please! Budget Travel Editors: About 130 miles due east of Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park is vast and varied'its northern half has lunar-looking rock formations and spindly Joshua trees, while the southern half boasts cacti patches and the open vistas of the Colorado Desert'and the best part is, it should only take you a little over two hours to get there (760/367-5500, nps.gov/jotr). Enter the park from its western entrance in the town of Joshua Tree, by far the most scenic part of the park (stop in the Crossroads Café for a picnic lunch to go, crossroadscafeandtavern.com, 760/366-5414). At the park entrance, you'll pay $10 good for seven days of unrestricted access. Once inside explore at your leisure, but don't miss the rock climbers at Hidden Valley, the panoramic photo-op at Keys View, and a picnic stop at the benches in Jumbo Rocks. Heading south, you'll want to see the cholla cactus garden (look but don't touch!) and the ocotillo patch on Pinto Basin road. For dinner, exit the park at Twentynine Palms and head to the Twentynine Palms Inn (760/367-3505, 29palmsinn.com) A favorite among locals for both its art and its food, you'll find a great meal at a great price. _______________________ Brantford, Ontario, Canada: I am looking for a last-minute deal, I want to get away for at least a few days and not spend a fortune, any suggestions? I am having no luck finding a website that will tell me where I can go from an airport without knowing the destination airport, scrolling through the list and trying each airport is frustrating. Are there any web sites that suggest where you could fly by giving only the originating airport? Budget Travel Editors: Site59.com has last-minute deals where you can plug in the originating airport _______________________ Laguna Beach, CA: We need to visit our son at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. Been there, done that... want good price but decent accomodations. Nothing fancy, no view required, condo preferred. Travel dates: can leave anytime after 6:00 pm Wed. 5/18/05 and need to return sometime on 5/23/05. Want to fly in and out of SNA or LAX. Thank you!!! Budget Travel Editors: Pleasant Holidays travel agency flies from L.A. They have the best deals. _______________________ Fairbanks, AK: I am single, female, 48, and would like to take a vacation. Everyone I know is either busy or broke when I can afford one or vice versa. I am somewhat of an old hippie, friendly but not "social bee", never get dressed up (hate it, like jeans, shorts, t-shirts, sundresses). I want to take a vacation where it will be easy to meet folks to do things with (i.e. a tour group), but don't want to end up with a stuffy cruise or tour that expects me to wear an evening gown to dinner - any suggestions? Budget Travel Editors: We'd suggest Adventure Center, G.A.P Adventures, or Intrepid Travel. All of these companies avoid the single supplement-- by pairing you with a same-sex traveler. All of these are very adventurous companies, so there's no way you'll end up in a ballgown! _______________________ Columbus, OH: I am looking to fly to Ft. Myers, FL at the end of April from Columbus, Ohio. Prices are decent right now and I need a direct flight so looking at Delta. They are at $229.40 roundtrip right now. Do you think that is best I can do or if I wait a little longer, with flying to Florida in the summer, prices may come down some? I am also concerned about the forecasted "higher gas prices for this summer." Does that mean most likely the prices will go up instead of down? I am looking for someone to tell me to pull the trigger now or can do better if I wait. Thank you in advance for your response. Budget Travel Editors: $229 is not a bad price for round-trip airfare from Columbus to Ft. Myers, in fact it's a little better than average, according to our quick bit of research. Although we're coming out of Florida's high season and as things really heat up in the Sunshine State--i.e. all-around prices will come down, I don't expect them to drop so much that you'll lose a great deal of money. Of course, there's always the chance a terrific sale will crop up, but waiting for one is a risk. I say buy the $229 ticket. As for the rising cost of gas (and it was reported yesterday that prices will rise to a record $60/barrel), it has and most certainly will continue to affect travel and the airline biz. Even though the major airlines recently raised fares by up to $20 round-trip, experts think that the increase won'' begin to cover the added costs in fuel prices. Some airlines have already cut back on routes, and the ones in Chapter 11 are really hurting with the rising fuel costs (they might best be avoided). Airlines, like Southwest, which hedged the cost of fuel will most likely come out on top, and set the pricing. If road trips are in your plans, look into spending your vacation closer to home. There's probably a lot in your backyard that you've never discovered! _______________________ Indianapolis, IN: My wife and I will be taking our second trip to Europe this fall. We are flying to Barcelona and 12 days later, flying home from Milan. Can you give us some direction of what to see, how long to stay in each city and the best way to travel from Spain to Italy? (plane or train?) We are considering 3 nights in Barcelona, 3 nights in Florence, 1 or 2 nights in Venice, possibly the Lake Como area and then to Milan. Thank you for any advice. Budget Travel Editors: Fall is a great time to visit Europe! In reading your post, my first recommendation would be to slow down and savor a few places rather than try to see everything. Besides, this approach is much more in keeping with the more relaxed European approach to vacations (when in Rome&.), and it allows you to not only experience and learn more about where you're visiting, but you'll end your vacation feeling more relaxed, instead of feeling like you survived a whirlwind tour. Quality not quantity! As for how to get from Spain to Italy, I would recommend renting a car or looking into a short-term car lease (The latter is quite possibly the more affordable way to go, and spending a few nights in the south of France in between. Usually leases require a two-week minimum, so you've in the range.) Be sure to rent BEFORE you depart, otherwise you'll pay an arm and a leg. AutoEurope.com is an excellent choice of agencies. A car will enable you to explore out of the way villages and the beautiful countryside in a way that the train can't. If you don't care about France, then by all means, fly from Barcelona to Milan (check out Iberia, Alitalia, Easy Jet, Ryan Air). That said, Barcelona is a terrific place to begin your European adventure. Aside from just getting lost in the enchanting Gothic Quarter of the city, Barcelona these days is all about innovation in art and food. It celebrates its design heritage like no place else --Picasso, Gaudi, Dali, Miro &.seeing the artists's museums and buildings is a must. Eat at Comerc 24 and Ot, and have tapas at Cal Pep and Ciudad Condal, have a hot chocolate at Dulcinea. Check out the happening Born district, go to La Paloma dance hall, stroll the Ramblas. If you do rent a car, here are some ideas: drive up the stunning Costa Brava coast, stop in Figueras to go to the Dali Museum, head to Provence through the marshy Camarge, spend a night or two in St. Remy in the heart of Provence at L'Hotel Sous Les Figiers--House Under the Fig Trees, check out Arles, skip Avignon and Aix (save them for when you have time), for fun drive the Riviera, stop and gamble at a Monaco casino, go through beautiful Piedmont, Italy (home of truffles and the finest Italian wines) to either A) The Lake District or B) Venice. Florence, which is in the middle of Italy, is also best left for another trip-- I'd take you 12 days minimum to take in all the art and history there. Keep the latter part of your trip in the north of Italy, and don't take a lot more than two nights/three days in Venice. It's'over-run with tourists these days and very commercialized. While it's still a European "must-see", nearby Verona or a river cruise to see the great Palladian villas (master architectural works) is sure to be just as satisfying. Buon viaggio! _______________________ Alameda, CA: My husband and I will be flying from Budapest into Dubrovnik, Croatia. We plan to spend a week ferrying up the coast to ultimately leave back home (SFO) from Zagreb. We know it's not a lot of time so wanted to know if you had any itinerary suggestions. My idea was to enjoy some water and sun since we will have been in Eastern Europe the week prior. Thanks. Budget Travel Editors: You can go north from Dubrovnik and take a ferry to the island of Hvar. Then skip further north to Split, a city on the Adriatic. Even further north, in Istria, near the Italian border are Rovinj. Websites: visitsplit.com, hvar.hr and istra.com _______________________ Tega Cay, SC: When is the right time to start planning a trip during the Christmas and New Year's holidays? Budget Travel Editors: Now. No, really. You're not the only one out there who wants to visit Uncle Donald and Aunt Diane on Christmas, so your best bet is to make your plans as soon as possible and to be flexible. The lowest prices will be on flights very early or late in the day, and morning routes are best for avoiding delays. Plus flying on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Day usually costs far less then on busy days before or after the holidays themselves. As for connections, if at all possible, avoid them altogether especially in northern hubs where weather could be a problem. If you must connect, however, try to book your flight through a southern city like Dallas, Phoenix, or Charlotte'you'll lower your chances of getting held up by a storm. _______________________ Budget Travel Editors: That's all the time we have today. Join us next week as we answer more of your travel questions! _______________________

Franklin Roosevelt did it in his youth, gliding for weeks along the country roads of Switzerland and Germany in the course of an enchanted summer. John F. Kennedy, Jr., did it many years ago, on vacation from prep school. And so have many more from other wealthy, or at least moderately well-off, families. On the lanes and roads of rural France, on the always-level pavements of cycle-loving Holland, over the softly rolling hills of Vermont, in Oregon, and even in Hawaii, increasing numbers of Americans--of ever-increasing age--are flocking to the group bicycle tour. But why is this activity is often so expensive--$350 and more a day? Why are bicycle tours more costly, on occasion, than tours by escorted motor coach? After all, it is you and your two legs that provide the transportation, eliminating a costly vehicle. Or is that the case? What most of us fail to consider, in scanning the bicycle brochures, is that a vehicle almost always does accompany the group, to carry luggage. Unless you've opted for the most rugged form of tour, carrying nothing but your cycling costume, a van or truck and a paid driver follow the bicycling tour at a discreet distance. Because that group is usually limited to 20 or so people the cost of the vehicle and driver is also divided among fewer people, than on a 45-seat motor coach trip. Thus bicycle tours, except in a handful of instances (see below), will continue to cost an average of $250/day--a sum that's justified by advantages aplenty: the best sort of exercise in the open air, the closeness to nature and contact with rural people, the scenery, and the relief from urban pressures. But there are pitfalls. They mainly stem from the ease with which underfinanced or inexperienced people can schedule a bicycle tour. Because so many shaky operators flood the mails each year with ill-conceived programs destined to cause trouble, we've sought to ferret out the firms that have made a substantial, long-term commitment to this travel sport. We'll also warn you about the $350 per day companies, whose prices have no justified basis in reality. Unless otherwise stated, all tours accept members of any age, provide a supply van, and will rent you a bike (for an extra charge) if you haven't brought your own. We've split our company descriptions into two groups. First up are the bargain operations in "Budget Biking" (and sub-sections--North America, Around the Globe, and Especially for Students), followed by the more deluxe outfits in "Splurge Cycling." Budget biking in North AmericaThe National Bicycle Tour Directors Association is a network of bike organizations, many of which are non-profit and run by bike enthusiasts, not entrepreneurs looking to make a buck. Consequently, many of the tours are super-cheap, and beloved by diehards and occasional riders alike. The NBDTA Web site (www.nbtda.com) allows users to search for where and when they'' like to ride, and how much they''e are willing to spend. They can pick a specific area of North America, or just plug in a price and time range and see what comes up. Most tours limit the number of riders, so it is a good idea to reserve early. In most cases, you bring your own camping gear and other supplies, but vans or buses will transport everything but you and your bike for you. Here is a sampling of what we found on a recent search, priced around $400 per person: A six-day, 330-mile tour of Maine, priced at $420; a seven-day cycle called the Legacy Annual Great Bicycle Ride across Utah for $300; a three-day 85-mile ride across North Carolina for only $85. Look up more bicycle tours at nbtda.com/. Another inexpensive biking operation is "Bike The Whites" a self-guided bike tour company that specializes in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Participants travel inn to inn, choosing their itinerary each morning and traveling solo, or if they desire, with a group of their own choosing. Itineraries are customized to each cyclists needs and desires--they can be tailored to the go-getter who's eager to grind out 50 miles a day, as well as more laid back types interested in seeing waterfalls and lazing by with just 20 miles a day. By emphasizing this self-guided structure, BTW keeps their costs low and passes that savings on to the consumer (they have no group leaders or sag wagon drivers to pay). Tour packages start from $279 in May to $329-$379 from June to September. That price covers a hearty breakfast and three-course dinner each day, your lodgings (at some of the loveliest inns in New Hampshire), customized itineraries and transport of luggage inn to inn. Emergency service is also provided in the event that you or your bike needs first aid. Contact Bike The Whites, 800/447-4345 or Web site: bikethewhites.com/. An operation similar to Bike the Whites, offered in a similar region of the country, is Country Inns Along the Trail (also known as Inn to Inn), a Vermont-based bike, hike, and ski touring company. Inn to Inn takes care of accommodations at lovely inns and B&B's in the Green Mountain State (with dinner and breakfast usually included), and maps out an itinerary for you. It also provides some limited pickup and drop-off services if inns are spread farther than your legs can carry. Prices vary depending on what kind of accommodations is selected and the time of year, but expect to pay between $135 and $165 per person per night. Inns tend to be family run operations, and meals are usually delicious, many times featuring home-grown vegetables and homemade bread and pastries. For more information, contact Inn to Inn at P.O. Box 59, Montgomery, VT 05470, phone: 800/838-3301 or 802/326-2072, e-mail office@inntoinn.com. Find more details on the Web at http://www.inntoinn.com/. Bike and the Like, a small pedaling outfit run by Suzie and Roger Knable, offers a handful of tours each year along the East Coast. Rides feature accommodations in inns and inexpensive hotels and motels, and usually average well around $70/day. Suzie and Roger test out each route before offering it to clients, and come up with interesting itineraries (usually away from busy roads) in places such as Cape Cod, Cape May, and Lancaster, PA. Bike and the Like's Cape Cod trip, usually offered in early June, is one of its most popular. The trip costs $740 per person with two people sharing a room, and that price includes seven nights' lodging, all your breakfasts and five dinners, luggage transport (so you don't have to pedal with all your gear and clothes), and, of course, guides to lead you around the Cape. Accommodations for this inexpensive adventure are hostels and simple hotels and motels. On most days you'll bike between 30 and 40 miles, but the scenery is lovely and roads are reasonably flat. Ferry rides to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket are included in the package price. Another popular trip is a three-day, two-night tour that usually takes place in mid-April, priced from $220/person in past years. Two breakfasts, a welcome party on Friday night, and a Saturday night dinner are included. The riding is nearly perfectly flat too. If big groups scare you off, take into account that weekend Bike and the Like trips tend to be a bit larger (40 to 60) than typical weeklong tours (around 40). Check in with the Bike and the Like Web site, http://www.bikeandthelike.com/, or call 410/960-6572 or toll-free 877/776-6572 to get the inside scoop. Tour Baja is a California-based outdoor adventure tour company that offers biking, hiking, sailing, and kayaking trips in the famous peninsula south of the Mexico-California border. Owner Trudi Angell has lived in the laid-back Baja region since the mid-1970s, and started offering kayak tours of coastline in the early 1980s. Now there are a variety of tours to choose from: kayaking, bicycling, horseback riding, hiking, sailing, and whale-watching cruises. Most of the guides are transplants like Trudi or natives to the region, all of who know the area and culture very well. Prices are usually decent, $995 for seven- to nine-day trips. A nine-day mountain bike tour, with accommodations in simple hotels and no meals, was priced from just $995 in 2005. In some instances, bike tours can be combined with kayak trips or whale-watching cruises for an additional cost. For bicycle trips in the Baja, contact Pedaling South (Tour Baja's bicycle division), P.O. Box 827, Calistoga, CA 94515, call 800 398-6200, or e-mail info@tourbaja.com. Find Tour Baja on the Web at http://www.tourbaja.com/. Budget biking around the globeCyclevents of Hilo, Hawaii (formerly located in Jackson, WY): The most important reason you'll sit up and take notice of this company is its attitude--it strives to put together the best trips at the lowest cost. Mostly, it keeps its prices down to $150 per night or less (some under $100 a night if you camp). For example, its 14-day ride through the Swiss, Austrian and Italian Alps, called "Tour of the Alps" starts at a lean $1,250 if you camp along the way (opt for hotels and pay-as-you-go per night: prices vary, but expect to pay between $50 and $80 a night). Cyclevents also organizes groups for annual event rides such as a five-night "Spuds: Cycling Around Idaho" trip at the end of August, which starts at a cost of only $400 for camping accommodations. For many of Cyclevents tours, if you stay in hotels, prices hardly qualify as budget. Toughing it out by camping will save you a lot of money. While some of Cyclevents' rides can be handled by a relative novice (albeit a novice who is in very good shape), inquire about all the details before you sign up. Beware that this organization's "easier" trips typically log in over 30 miles per day. For more details, phone Cyclevents at 888/733-9615, or see the Web si¨¾ÐÂÊà)õ\t http://www.cyclevents.com/. For the Benelux countries turn to 4Winds Specialty Tours (formerly known as Bon Voyage Specialty Tours). Why is 4Winds a "specialty" tour operator? Well, instead of coughing up copious amounts of cash for nightly accommodations in hotels or B&Bs, participants sleep on the 4Winds barge. Double cabins with private bath spare the bikers the annoyance of packing and re-packing each night; the barge winds along the many rivers of the region, so bikers have their rooms follow them. Eight days in the famed Loire Valley runs for only $1095 (double occupancy and private bath) between May and mid-September. Many trips start at around $100 per day. Some hotel-based bike tours are also available. Check out the Web site www.4windstours.com or write to 4Winds Specialty Tours, 4500 Victoria Court, West Richland, WA 99353. Call 509/967-3448; fax 509-967-3392; or e-mail st4winds@earthlink.net.Forum Travel International, of Pleasant Hill, California: In business for 40 years, it claims to be one of the oldest and largest of America's bicycle and hiking operators. It achieves that status, in part, by offering -- in addition to the standard forms of group bicycle touring--a non-group method of cycling (self-guided tours) in some of the countries it tours. How does that work? Every morning, you're given a highly detailed map to your next destination, are told when dinner will be served, and then have the entire day to pedal as fast or slowly as you may wish, stopping to sightsee or slumber at the side of the road. When you eventually arrive at your hotel, your luggage awaits, having been delivered there by a van that morning. In this manner, the bicycling tour operator does not need two escorts per group (one to accompany the group, one to drive the van), but only one--the van driver. Non-group tours of this sort average only $70 to $120 a night per person (plus airfare) for breakfast and fine lodgings, and are offered in France, Bavaria, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Ireland, Scotland, the Czech Republic, and Italy. Tours in Europe and other parts of the globe are also offered with escorts in the standard group fashion, and tend to cost more. Contact Forum Travel International, 91 Gregory Lane, Suite 21, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 (phone 800/252-4475 or 925/671-2900, e-mail fti@foruminternational.com, or visit the Web site at http://www.foruminternational.com/). The International Bicycle Fund, of Washington State: For a very special type of traveler, full of adventure and insight, this organization offers two-week-bicycle tours to two, main destinations (Africa and Cuba), and a handful of other spots around the world. The Bicycle Africa program visits countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo, Senegal, Malawi, South Africa, Mali, Tunisia or Benin throughout the year. Because no traveling van is used, and accommodations are spartan, costs start $1690 for a trip to Guyana. Including airfare to Africa (which can easily cost around $1,100 round-trip to West Africa, $1,500 to southern Africa). "We journey through culture, history, landscapes, cuisines, and lifestyles, close enough to touch them, " says a spokesperson from the IBF. "We enjoy this fascinating and diverse continent on a personal level not usually attainable by tourists." A recent participant adds, "the trip, a month long, is worth four years of college anthropology courses; it was the greatest experience of my life." The IBF's Cuba People-to-People Program, operated in tandem with the "Atenas de Cuba Cycling Club", offers 14-day bike tours starting at $990. A handful of bike tours are offered in other parts of the globe, such as Korea, Ecuador, and North America's Pacific Northwest. Payment for all tours must be with either check or money order (no credit cards accepted). For detailed information and brochures, contact the International Bicycle Fund, 4887 Columbia Drive South, Seattle, WA 98108-1919 (or phone 206/767-0848, e-mail ibike@ibike.org). Or view the Web site at www.ibike.org/ibike. Active Journeys is not exactly a company aimed at the budget traveler, but its set of active and adventurous itineraries are priced reasonably considering the competition. Some of its self-guided biking tours seem to be especially good values. A 17-day ride through Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, for example, is priced from $2,350. Included in the price are all hotels and all breakfasts, seven lunches, a support vehicle, and a bike rental for the trip duration (airfare is extra). Another decent offer is an 11-day ride through Denmark and Sweden, offered from June to mid-August. Prices start at $1,160, and include bike rental, all breakfasts, five dinners, luggage transfers, and ferry transportation around the Baltic Sea. Some Active Journey bike tours are on the expensive side, however. Find out more at the Active Journeys Web site (http://www.activejourneys.com/), by e-mailing info@activejourneys.com, uDPÊàor calling 800/597-5594.

You find yourself at an outdoor café in Marseille noshing on niçoise salad when the garçon asks how your meal is. You flash him the "OK" sign. He looks puzzled, you keep eating, he storms off. Faux pas! Now you're sitting there with your mouth full of greens, feeling like an oaf. What just happened? Well, our "OK" may be the best-known (non-vulgar) hand gesture in the United States, but in the south of France it means "worthless" or "zero." Same thing goes for China. If you were in Germany, the "OK" hand signal is such an insult that you might end up wearing that salad. In Mexico, it means "sex," and you'll only get more confusion in Japan, where it means "money"--because the circle formed by your thumb and index finger resembles a coin. Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Tunisia, Russia, Paraguay, Malta, Singapore, Spain, and Greece are other spots where it's not a good idea to flash the "OK" (usually because it refers to certain body parts and constitutes an insult). So "OK" is not OK everywhere, OK? If that's too confusing, just take a tip from the waiter, and leave the "OK" gesture at home.

If ever a city had a peculiar relationship with its past, it's Las Vegas. In the last 15 years alone, almost five centuries' worth of buildings--and it-could-only-happen-here history--have been bulldozed or imploded (in several cases, on national TV). As a result, Vegas can't celebrate its centennial the way most cities would--that is, by reliving historical moments at the carefully curated scenes of their occurrence. The Desert Inn suite where the reclusive Howard Hughes lived for years? Gone. The wedding chapel at the original Aladdin where Elvis Presley married Priscilla? Gone. Even the Moulin Rouge, the city's first interracial casino resort--it was on the National Register of Historic Places--is gone, having succumbed to arson in 2003. Las Vegas isn't concerned with what we were yesterday or with what we are today," says Hal Rothman, chair of the history department at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. "It's tomorrow that entices us." And the makeover madness that has swept the city for the past decade shows no signs of abating. Vegas being what it is, the city will celebrate its 100th birthday with a certain amount of schlock: The festivities, which will start and end on consecutive New Year's Eves with extravagant bashes on the Strip, will feature stunts like the world's largest birthday cake and a contest in which 100 winning couples will get married. In one nod to the past, the neoclassical post office downtown will reopen during May for docent-guided tours. The sensational Kefauver organized-crime hearings occurred at the 72-year-old structure back when it also served as a federal courthouse. But if you want more Old Vegas, you're on your own. The best place to start looking is the Neon Museum. It's not a pretty sight: two junkyard-style lots--known as the Boneyard--crammed with more than 100 pieces of nonoperative (but still fabulous) signage. Among the mountains of metal and broken bulbs are the letters from the old Stardust sign and the 20-foot high-heeled shoe that once revolved atop the Silver Slipper's marquee. Museum folks hope to have a proper site in coming years, but for now, appointment-only group tours of the Boneyard are available. Also, 11 of the classic signs are restored and functioning on the public plaza of the Fremont Street Experience, and the Lied Discovery Children's Museum has borrowed 30 unrestored pieces from the Boneyard for an exhibit called "Neon Unplugged," which is running through July. Not every old building has been blown up. The El Cortez casino (a block east of the Fremont Street casino cluster) still has the same low-rise brown-brick gambling hall and neon lights from when it opened in 1941, albeit with a newer, high-rise tower. This is a no-frills Vegas of viscous air, dingy carpeting, and low minimum bets (25¢ roulette tables--after a $5 buy-in--and $1 craps). A few blocks west is the city's oldest hotel, the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino. Built in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada and renamed in 1955, it was advertised as the definition of turn-of-the-20th-century luxury: electric lighting, "large" rooms of 100 square feet, and the city's first telephone. The facade has changed over the years, but many of the wood fixtures date back to the beginning. And it still sells the 99¢ shrimp cocktail, a Vegas cliché that the Golden Gate originated. About a mile east of the Fremont Street area is the Gambler's Book Shop, founded by the late (and appropriately named) John and Edna Luckman. John realized in the '60s that there were fewer than 20 books about gambling in print, so he set up a ramshackle little store that went on to publish over 100 titles. A charming anachronism in the age of Barnes & Noble, it's a privately owned shop with $1 million in annual sales and a proprietor--the longtime manager, Howard Schwartz--who has read most everything he sells. Ask about the gamblers who pop in and out, blaming or thanking the books for their luck. Even parts of the Strip have survived. At the foot of the Strip is the Little Church of the West, a quaint, 62-year-old miniature of an Old West mining-town chapel built of cedar that was moved from its original site, outside of what's now the Frontier Hotel. Dozens of stars have been married inside, both in real life (Betty Grable, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Richard Gere) and in the movies (Elvis and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas). The oldest standing piece of a Strip hotel that maintains its authentic look is the Stardust's 49-year-old villas, smallish two-room suites in two-story white-brick buildings that surround the original nine-foot-deep pool. Only very old pools like it and the fantastic one at the 47-year-old Tropicana Hotel & Casino--which also has a swim-up blackjack table!--are that deep. Pools today are usually more shallow; blame the lawyers. Up the block at Circus Circus is the bizarre Horse Around Bar, lampooned by author Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. On the second floor, overlooking the hourly trapeze and circus acts, is a circular, open-air, revolving bar that resembles a carousel: The perimeter is ringed with horses and poles, but behind each horse is a black cocktail table. In the center of the room is a round bar. A few restaurants of historic import remain, most notably the thatched-roof Peppermill, a 24-hour diner with swooping, rainbow-colored booths. The bar lost a bit of its onetime Rat Pack panache when plasma TVs were added. Piero's is another iconic haunt, serving outstanding Italian food that was once a favorite of major mob figures. Some of their progeny still swing by. And over at the Four Queens is one of the oldest and swankiest of the gourmet rooms, Hugo's Cellar, where an expensive dinner ($29 to $58 per person) is presented with great pomp: Every woman receives a red rose. Believe it or not, the Strip's longest-running show isn't Wayne Newton's--though he still packs the Stardust's theater nightly--but the 45-year-old Folies Bergere at the Tropicana. It's the quintessence of Vegas showgirl extravaganzas; make of that what you will. At the Flamingo, the 45-year-old Bottoms Up revue, with its goofball comedy and topless dancing, passed its 16,000th-performance mark in 2003 and then closed in October. Creator Breck Wall hopes to find a new home for it. Finally, check out the karaoke sessions at the 55-year-old Bootlegger Bistro, which late on Monday nights routinely draws the likes of Newton, Gladys Knight, Sheena Easton, and Clint Holmes. Young hopefuls try to impress the established stars or simply chat them up for advice. Despite Las Vegas's vast changes, this is still the same old town--where the neon glow somehow makes impossible dreams seem within reach. Las Vegas Lodging Golden Gate Hotel and Casino 1 Fremont St., 702/385-1906, goldengatecasino.net, from $39 El Cortez Casino 600 E. Fremont St., 800/634-6703, elcortezhotelcasino.com, from $25 Stardust Resort and Casino 3000 Las Vegas Blvd., 702/732-6111, stardustlv.com, from $50 Tropicana Hotel & Casino 3801 Las Vegas Blvd., 888/826-8767, ropicanalv.com, from $39 Circus Circus Las Vegas Hotel Resort and Casino 880 Las Vegas Blvd., 877/224-7287, circuscircus.com, from $32 Four Queens Hotel and Casino 202 Fremont St., 800/634-6045, fourqueens.com, from $39 Food Peppermill Restaurant and Lounge 985 S. Las Vegas Blvd., 702/735-4177, pastrami and fries $9.50 Piero's Restaurant 55 Convention Center, 702/369-2305, $21-$45 Hugo's Cellar Four Queens, 202 Fremont St., 800/634-6045 The Bootlegger Bistro 7700 S. Las Vegas Blvd., 702/736-4939, $10-$29 Attractions Historic Downtown Post Office 301 Stewart Ave., 702/229-6710 Neon Museum 702/229-5366, neonmuseum.org, $5 per person for guided tours of 10 or more, $50 total for smaller groups Lied Discovery Children's Museum 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., 702/382-3445, ldcm.org, $7, kids $6 Little Church of the West 4617 S. Las Vegas Blvd., 702/739-7971, littlechurchlv.com, wedding packages from $199 Shopping Gambler's Book Shop 630 S. 11th St., 702/382-7555, gamblersbook.com