Head Games in Bulgaria

Over the past year, several airlines--Delta, Air New Zealand, Aer Lingus, and Chile-based LAN Airlines, in particular--made news by "simplifying" the way they price flights. It sure sounded good: One of the most annoying things about flying is the nagging sensation that the passenger next to you paid hundreds less. Bigger airlines have taken note of how JetBlue and other upstarts gathered loyal customers--who like that they're not gouged, even if purchasing at the last minute. In some ways, the new simplified fares are indeed simpler. Particularly for one-way tickets: In the past, a one-way could be more expensive than a round trip, but now it's usually around half the price of a return. A one-way from Boston to Shannon, Ireland, in autumn on Aer Lingus cost $838 before the changes, $284 after. In many cases, Saturday-night-stay rules are gone, as are weekend surcharges and minimum-stay requirements. As a result, lots of itineraries that used to cost a fortune are now feasible. But in other ways, airfares are as confusing as ever. Delta flights used to come in more than 20 different fare classes, based on advance purchase, change rules, and other restrictions. Now there are around eight categories for domestic flights, but that's still several classes too many. When searching for flights at delta.com, you're given a choice between discounted and deeply discounted coach tickets, and it's difficult to tell how they're different. Why would anyone choose merely discounted seats when a deeper discount was offered? (Adding to the confusion, after Delta entered bankruptcy it started requiring Saturday stays again for some fares.) Air New Zealand announces official annual flight prices, but they're often undercut by competitors' sales--as well as by discounts from Air New Zealand itself. The bottom line is there's still no way of predicting what you'll pay for a given flight. The people who most stand to benefit from the new fares are business travelers and anyone buying last-minute. A walk-up coach seat on Delta from Burbank, Calif., to Boston dropped overnight from $1,253 to $499. The end of price-gouging is to be celebrated--but it's not the same thing as a true discount. For travelers who fly standard round trips and buy their tickets well in advance, there's rarely a noticeable price difference.

The World Cup happens every four years, and the next one, in 2006, is expected to draw 5 million spectators to host country Germany. The soccer tournament takes place from June 9 to July 9, with teams from 32 countries competing in 12 German cities, including Munich, Frankfurt, and Cologne. The finals will be held at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, where Jesse Owens won four gold medals during the 1936 Games. The application process Tickets are sold in five sessions. Two already took place; the next one is December 12-January 15; and the last two are February 15-April 15 and May 1-July 9. Tickets are awarded by lottery at the end of each session, so there's no benefit in being the first to apply; your chances diminish with each session, however. To enter the lottery, submit your passport number, e-mail address, ticket request, and other info at fifaworldcup.com. Winners for the next session are notified in late January, at which point they can pay with a MasterCard--the only credit card accepted--or by bank transfer. Tickets are mailed out six to eight weeks before the tournament. Ticket options During earlier sessions it was possible to purchase Team Specific Tickets (TSTs), in which applicants signed on for a series of games played by a chosen team. All of the TSTs are now sold out, so the only option is to enter the lottery for individual seats to any of the tournament's 64 matches. You can apply for a maximum of four tickets per match per household, for up to seven different matches; each household (meaning people with the same surname and address) may submit a request only once per session. Applying for more than one game scheduled on the same day is not allowed. Tickets come in four categories: Category 1 is the most expensive, located along the sideline with the best view of the game (from $120). Category 2 seats are at the corners of the field (from $73), and Category 3 and 4 tickets are behind the goal (from $54 and $43 respectively). Winging it Heading over to Germany during the tournament without tickets may sound fun, but hotels will be charging top dollar--if you can find anything available. And think twice before buying tickets from a scalper, either in person or online. Transferring or reselling tickets--even for face value--is prohibited unless World Cup officials give explicit approval. No refunds or cancellations are allowed either. In addition to an embedded computer chip to prevent counterfeiting, each ticket comes with the purchaser's name printed on it. Random checks will be held at arena gates, and if the name doesn't match your ID, you can expect to be turned away. If you really want tickets While scalping is strictly prohibited, certain vendors are able to legally sell tickets. If you want to be guaranteed seats and don't mind paying through the nose, services such as ticketsnow.com and onlineseats.com charge anywhere from $700 to several thousand dollars per ticket. Razorgator, a California-based company, has packages that include three nights' hotel and one Category 3 or 4 ticket for an early-round game featuring the U.S. or a team of your choice starting at $1,500 (800/591-9198, razorgator.com). The World Cup is a huge event, and there will be scams, so put the onus on the ticket vendor to prove it's legitimate before paying for anything.

During a recent summer break from college, Katie Lorah worked as an elevator operator at Seattle's iconic Space Needle. On the job One hundred and fifty times daily, I made the 500-foot journey up to the Needle's observation deck and slowly revolving restaurant. (My ears stopped popping after the first week.) I wore a sparkly space-themed vest, a giant Space Needle button, and a big grin. Every time the glass-fronted elevator rose, I zipped through a well-rehearsed, 41-second spiel. Tourists from near and far huddled near the glass to take in the view and snap pictures. They shrieked in delight, and occasionally listened. It was chaos, and, some of the time, fun. Facts and fictions Before starting the job, I learned all sorts of facts that I will be able to spew forth well into old age. I was trained to answer most any question tossed my way--from how much the structure was designed to sway in a heavy wind (20 inches at the top) to what kinds of animals live in Puget Sound (the world's largest octopus, the Giant Pacific, measuring up to 30 feet). When I didn't know the answer, I would shamelessly make something up: "That weird scraping sound? Oh, that's just normal elevator noise." Heads would nod appreciatively. Actors and lifers Most of my coworkers were actors, artists, and students. Needless to say, this was not many people's dream job. We learned to meet lame-brained questions ("Is the oxygen thinner up there?"), clumsy come-ons from middle-aged creeps ("I didn't know they had blondes in space"), and temper tantrums (both juvenile and adult) with chipper indifference. You could practically watch employees remove their happy masks as they came into the break room. A few kept their masks on all the time: the lifers who felt that this was their calling. One woman had run her elevator for over two decades; the summer I was there, she had calculated the approximate date of her millionth trip up the Needle. She baked a cake to celebrate. Taking it personally As a native Seattleite, I felt responsible for everyone's enjoyment of the Space Needle, and by extension, the city. I apologized if it was cloudy. I winked at kids and told them where to stand for the best views ("Psst! In the front, near the glass. You're not scared of heights, are you?") and asked people where they came from ("Minnesota? Lotta lakes there, I hear"). When the weather was clear, you could see the Mariners playing at Safeco Field, and I offered prizes to anyone who could read the name on the pitcher's jersey. I told nice couples to come back at dusk--the sunset over Puget Sound is instant romance. More than a few times I pointed out where my parents' house sits, three miles away. Good times For one of the first times in my life, I was an authority figure and the all-knowing center of attention. It was addictive. And I was surprised at how often feigning a good mood would actually put me in one. The tourists in my charge had probably saved up money and planned their trip months beforehand. Most of the people made my job easy because they were absolutely determined to have fun, to make their vacation a success. That's the only explanation for how I got laughs--actual guffaws--every time someone asked how I was doing. "Oh, you know," I'd reply, "this job has its ups and downs."

Blogging is so last year. Podcasts, which are alternately fun, oddball, and amateurish, can be downloaded onto computers and MP3 players for free. Apple's iTunes lists tons of podcasts; these four are among the 100-plus travel-related options. 1. San Francisco: sparkletack.com Host: Richard Miller, born and raised in Northern California and a San Francisco resident for 15 years. A graphic designer by trade, Miller is an amateur historian especially fascinated with the gold-rush era. He discusses new topics weekly: the origins of city street names, burrito etiquette, men being shanghaied onto ships along the Barbary Coast in the 19th century, the trials and tribulations of Patty Hearst. Why he does it: "I'm fascinated by history, especially the story of this beautiful and romantic city. History is entertaining to listen to, and important in understanding who we are and where we have come from." Listen in: Describing the Wave Organ, PVC tubes that play a kind of symphony along the waterfront: "The sounds are created by the impact of the waves against the tubes . . . It's guaranteed to give you a little space to contemplate, to calm your mind and ease the background roar of 21st-century static." 2. Kyoto: kyotopodcast.jp Host: Tim Burgess, born in Melbourne; his family moved to Indonesia two weeks later, and shifted to a new country every few years. (His father was a diplomat.) During a recent stint studying Japanese in Kyoto, Burgess began producing weekly podcasts that, if you're listening at a computer screen or on a photo-capable iPod, include embedded images of the temples and other sites discussed. Why he does it: "I am most interested in Kyoto's traditional architecture, especially in the context of the associated history. We try to overcome the language issue for non-Japanese speakers. We have no commercial sponsors, so it's purely a labor of love." Listen in: Frequent guest Donald "the Nut," who specializes in tasting unusual local delicacies, describing natto (fermented soybeans): "Some people compare it to the taste of dirty socks. But I don't think it's like that. People say that about cheese, don't they? Well, I love smelly cheese and I love smelly natto." 3. Spain: notesfromspain.com Host: Ben Curtis, born in Oxford, England. Seven years ago he agreed to teach English in Madrid for a few months, and has lived in the city ever since. He's now married to a Spaniard, and works as a translator, web designer, writer, and part-time English teacher. His wife, Marina, sometimes posts blog messages and helps host podcasts, which discuss Spanish culture--late dinner hours, hometown loyalties, flamenco bars, local markets. Why he does it: "People complain that Spain is too monocultural--same food in every restaurant, too proud, closed to outside influences--but therein lies my fascination. I've always loved radio, and now I can broadcast independently." Listen in: On the women who visit the Balearic island of Formentera: "They are all rather model-like, and spend most of their days... topless and G-string wearing, which is terribly hard for the poor innocent men who come here on holiday.... They have to deal with all this awful visual distraction." 4. London definitivelondon.com Host: Ed Thomas, born in the north of England. His family moved to Brussels soon after, then to London when he was 10; he has lived there on and off ever since. Thomas holds a law degree, is pursuing a master's in advertising, and records weekly podcasts aimed at giving visitors an honest, definitive picture of London. He's particularly drawn to museums, restaurants, and nightlife. Why he does it: "I'm a major tourist, and I know what details I've found useful upon arrival in a new city, and I draw on that. But then, of course, I try to go beyond day-to-day practical information and give an insider's view of what's hot and new." Listen in: Eighteen is the legal age for drinking in the U.K. However, if you're 14, with your parent or guardian, and having a sit-down meal, then you are entitled to order from the drinks menu. If you're 16...and you're having a meal, then you can also order alcoholic drinks."