Where Else Will You Learn About a Bathroom With a Solid-Gold Toilet?

The product SideStep, a "meta" search engine that scours all kinds of Internet sites for airline, hotel, or car rental rates, has become the first online company to compare air/hotel packages--which, as readers of our 40 Best section know, are often cheaper than booking flights and lodging separately. Currently in the beta (or trial) stage, SideStep's package-search tool covers an impressive 230 destinations, but only displays results from Orbitz, Pleasant Holidays, and National Leisure Group. Even though these are huge players in the package market, there's no way to know if you're getting the best price by shopping three sources. (SideStep says it expects to add more in the coming months.) We put SideStep's new tool to the test looking for vacations in August. Trial One Four nights in Vegas, leaving from New York's JFK airport. SideStep listed 15 options, all from NLG's Vacation Outlet and all with a dreadful red-eye return via Chicago. The lowest price was the downtown Lady Luck Casino Hotel for $323 (all rates listed are per person based on double occupancy, with taxes included); the highest, $870 for The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. SideStep didn't pull any offers from Orbitz, even though when we checked Orbitz directly we got dozens of possibilities, including ones with nonstop flights. And when we looked at America West Vacations, we found 48 options, from the off-Strip Fitzgeralds Casino Hotel ($338) to the Bellagio ($1,731). Even SideStep's Sponsored Links--advertisers on the right-hand side of the site's results page--offered more choices: TravelWorm found 69 packages; TripReservations.com dug up 77. Trial Two Seven nights in Honolulu departing from L.A. There were 35 options, the least expensive of which was Orbitz's Castle Island Colony for $773. (Castle Resorts and Hotels' own website, it's worth noting, featured the same package for $767.) For some reason, the flight times on SideStep were left blank. We had to click on "Customize" and were sent over to Orbitz to view the particulars. Trial Three Six nights in London flying out of Washington, D.C. The only London airport SideStep allowed us to search for was Gatwick, and there were no direct flights. For our first few sets of dates, in fact, SideStep wasn't able to retrieve any packages; strange, considering we quickly found dozens of options--for the same dates, many with nonstop flights--directly through Orbitz and Vacation Outlet. Finally, SideStep pulled up 20 trips from Orbitz in late August. The lowest price was $1,212, with a stay at the four-star Hilton London Euston--better than the cheapest package ($1,519) we located at Go-today, but $80 more than a deal that came with three-star accommodations from Virgin Vacations. The Verdict It's one thing to offer packages from three companies, but where SideStep proves most frustrating is that it doesn't even display their best packages. Also, SideStep presents each one with a single flight option, and if you don't like it you must click through to Orbitz or Pleasant Holidays to view alternatives. (Why not just go to these sites directly, we often wondered while shopping.) One feature we do like: A filter lets you narrow the options based on price and hotel star rating, distance from the airport, and amenities such as complimentary breakfast, pool, and fitness room. But for now, when it comes to packages, SideStep is a middleman that you should probably hurdle over.

Valerie Schneider has worked in the travel industry since 1995 as a travel agent, marketing manager, and corporate travel consultant. Opening up The best agents ask a lot of questions. You, in turn, need to answer honestly concerning your personality and interests. If you're not into museums, say so. If you live for adventure, speak up! We're not mind readers, and there's nothing worse than a client who expects us to coordinate the perfect getaway without any input as to what, in his thinking, constitutes perfection. Airline tickets Most airlines don't pay commissions, so agents have little incentive to issue tickets unless it's part of a package or tour. Besides--let's be honest--if you're flying a simple round trip, you'll do just as well booking online. But if you're going off the beaten path or are booking a complicated itinerary, it's smart to use an agent. You'll usually pay a service fee (anywhere from $15 to $40), but that's money well spent. Remember, we have access to international consolidator airfares that aren't available online. Agents' self-interest Agencies sometimes pay staffers incentives of $5 or $10 for each booking made with preferred companies (ones that give the biggest commissions). Cash rewards work as a motivator--but do they serve the customer well? Not if the client winds up booking a more expensive, less convenient, and less enjoyable trip. So, if an agent recommends a cruise or tour, ask why it's right for you. If the response is just "Because this is a good company," take your business elsewhere. On the other hand, agencies receiving above-average commission percentages from certain suppliers are sometimes willing to give special discounts to customers. An agency receiving a 20 percent payout from a cruise line--12 or 13 percent is more typical--might hand a portion of that right back to you. Many cruise lines have cracked down on rebates--as these backdoor discounts are called--but agencies can always find some way to reward your business, including onboard credits, free transfers, free champagne, and cabin upgrades. Miss Know-It-All I don't know everything. No agent does. Even an agent who specializes in a destination can't be an expert on every resort, hotel, restaurant, pub, tour guide, and beach. We try to stay abreast of travel trends around the world, and many of my colleagues study for certifications such as Destination Specialist, but these are no substitutes for firsthand knowledge. Feel free to ask your agent if he or she's ever visited your desired destination, and how recently. As inconceivable as it seems, I know agents who rarely ever travel at all.

Traditions and Tartans A traditional Scottish kilt is made with eight yards of material--always 100 percent wool. It should sit high on the waist (a couple inches higher than a pants belt), with the bottom edge at the center of the knee. It'll cost $400 to $700. Eight-yard kilts weigh a heavy six pounds and swing rhythmically when marching or dancing. Four-yard, or casual, kilts use half the material and cost less, but they can look and feel flimsy. Even so, casual and traditional kilts are generally acceptable at both formal and informal events. The kilt's color and design are known as the tartan. It can represent a family name, sports team, university, or regional group known as a clan. You can search through more than 3,000 patterns at tartans.scotland.net. It's customary for people of Scottish ancestry to wear a related tartan; some families have several to choose from. Another option is to wear one of the many universal tartans, such as Brown Watch or the Great Scot. For that matter, it's OK for anyone to wear just about any tartan. No one will be offended if you're not a member of the clan. Whatever kilt you choose, be sure that the pattern of the tartan matches up perfectly across the pleats (always worn in the back). Accessories Kilts don't have pockets, so the sporran--a small bag that hangs at the waist in front of the groin--is used for keys, money, and often a flask. Leather sporrans are most common; prices start at $75. Any sporran goes with any tartan. Next up in importance are hose, which come up to three fingers below the kneecap; ribbons around the top of the hose known as garter flashes; and decorative daggers called sgian dubh (skee-in dooh). Traditional shirts, jackets, and shoes--expected only at formal events--can be rented, so think before buying. At black-tie galas, the choices are a tuxedo shirt, worn with a bow tie, jacket, and vest, or a fluffy shirt with a cravat (à la Austin Powers) that's also worn with a jacket. Ghillie brogues, the tongueless shoes that go with the outfit, have laces that wrap around the ankle and tie in front. At casual events, put on wool socks, hiking boots, and a rugby shirt, T-shirt, or sweater. To dress up a little, try a Jacobite shirt with baggy sleeves and tight cuffs. Kilt Makers For around $450, you can buy top-notch kilts from seamstresses who run stores, such as Rhoda Fraser (in Dingwall, near Inverness), or make kilts in their homes, like Pat Duffy (south of Edinburgh, in Peebles). Stores in Edinburgh sell packages: $875 and up buys a kilt, jacket, vest, sgian dubh, sporran, hose, and flashes.   Rhoda Fraser 5 Tulloch St., Dingwall, 011-44/134-986-4188   Pat Duffy Hayfield Pl., Cross Road, Peebles, 011-44/172-172-1506