Hurricane Season Just Became a Safer Bet

Parents with young kids would love to get away, but traveling often doesn't sound worth the trouble. To make travel as easy as possible, alleviate parents' fears, and build business connections, some hotels and resorts are partnering with established non-travel brands. Select Loews hotels offer guests loaner Fisher-Price toys and play sessions with storytelling, music, snacks, and drinks at $10 per child. Atlantis, the megaresort on the Bahamas' Paradise Island, has teamed with Johnson's to give families a kit with baby creams, washcloths, a night-light, and a lullaby CD. The resort also created a hotline for parents to order baby bathtubs, bottle warmers, strollers, and babysitters. "Juggling the kids and planning the trip is hard enough," says Dr. Jennifer Trachtenberg, a pediatrician and mother of three who provided a list of travel tips included in the Atlantis kit. "This takes away a lot of the headaches." Even some hotels that don't advertise baby-friendly policies may help parents out. Diapers, formula, and even baby-proofed rooms can be waiting when you arrive.

Travel agents argue that upselling can in fact be good for their clients. "If we put customers in the absolute cheapest room at a hotel in the Caribbean, they're going to come back annoyed with us because they got the worst room at the resort," says William Caldwell, president of Caldwell Travel in Nashville, Tenn. "If we get them to spend a little more on a great room with a view, they'll come back happy." Certainly, travelers want to know what the various options are, and what they cost. What you may not know is how the incentives work--and how they affect the pitch you'll hear. Earlier this year, to give just one example, Marriott registered the 100,000th member of an online training program that teaches agents how to talk clients into buying spa treatments and other extras. Agents who complete the course see their commissions raised from 8 percent to 10 percent. You can't really blame a company for trying to get its customers to spend more. But some agent programs involve underhanded price manipulations, and all the spin in the world won't make them look like good news for the consumer. Last fall, Enterprise Rent-A-Car began registering agents for a special program in which client cars can be reserved at a discounted price and a 5 percent commission, or at a higher price and a commission of up to 15 percent. About 4,000 agencies have signed on, and there's no requirement to clue customers in. With US Airways Vacations' Commission Choice program, agents can likewise receive larger commissions for packages sold at inflated rates. In the Travel Agents section of the company's website, a hypothetical Las Vegas booking demonstrates how, at a standard $300 price, the agent receives an 8 percent commission, or $24. By opting for Commission Choice and charging the customer $330, however, the agent receives 15 percent, or $49.50. The website even acknowledges that there's something to be ashamed of: "Commission Choice was built so that the increase in price does not appear on either your customer's itinerary or their credit card. Your customer will only see one final package price."

Planning a trip with multiple flights can eat up your time, money, and patience. That's why flight passes seem so attractive: You buy several flights at the same time for a set price that's often cheaper than booking piecemeal. Cathay Pacific's All Asia Pass, for instance, includes airfare to Hong Kong from New York, L.A., San Francisco, Toronto, or Vancouver, as well as connecting flights to 18 Asian cities over the course of 21 days--all for $1,499. But air passes aren't as simple as they sound. Taxes might add hundreds to the advertised fare, and the booking process can be so difficult that you won't mind paying a travel agent to take over. (Cathay Pacific's passes are actually sold only via agents.) To figure out if one is right for you, consider the following. Idiosyncrasies Some passes, like Cathay Pacific's, include long-haul international flights in the purchase. Other passes strictly cover flights within a specified region. The Discover India Pass from Indian Airlines, for example, is good for unlimited flights within India for 7, 15, or 21 days, for $400, $630, and $895 respectively--but as for your flight from the U.S. to India, you're on your own. Prices, restrictions, and parameters for passes vary greatly. The Caribbean Air Pass from BWIA West Indies Airways (from $450) includes flights to eight Caribbean destinations over a span of 30 days, but prohibits backtracking--i.e., you're allowed to fly into each airport only once. Aerolineas Argentinas's South America Pass includes as many as 10 flights between Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, but pass prices are based on total mileage. One itinerary, hitting Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santiago, and Rio de Janeiro, starts at just $550. The details on various flight passes can be found at bestfares.com (search "international air passes"); staralliance.com, which offers 11 passes around the world; and oneworld.com, which sells six passes. Low-fare competition With the African Airpass from Star Alliance, all flights are routed through Johannesburg. Nonstop flights on low-fare carriers such as Nationwide Airlines may be more convenient and cheaper. Because discount-carrier routes are so plentiful in Europe, flight passes there rarely make sense. Search for low-fare carriers by region on attitudetravel.com. Reservations Much of the appeal of an air pass is the idea of one-stop shopping. But you have to know exactly what you want: Unlike rail passes, which can be used without reservations, flight passes generally require that routes and dates be booked when you purchase. Extra costs and blackouts The Malaysia Airlines AccessAsia Pass starts at $1,399, but taxes raise it by $300-$500 depending on your itinerary. Also, if you want to add cities not included in the pass, like Hong Kong or Ho Chi Minh City, for example, tack on at least $320. Sometimes pass prices are higher--or blacked out--during certain times of year. Cathay Pacific's pass is $350 extra for travel between May 19 and August 20 of 2006, and weekend flights add $100. Free stopovers How much flying will you really be doing? Cathay Pacific always allows free stopovers in Hong Kong, so if all you want to do is visit the airline's hub for a few days en route to Bali, as one possibility, a standard ticket will probably cost less than a pass. Availability Airlines often limit the number of seats that can be taken by flight passes; you can be shut out even if a flight isn't full. "If there are only one or two flights a day, your vacation can be dictated by availability," says Eva Robinson, a travel agent in Old Saybrook, Conn. Travel agents should know their way around this stuff, and typically charge $30 and up for their service. Change policies Most airlines prohibit changing destinations once a pass has been purchased, though they'll usually let you switch dates: Cathay Pacific charges $100, while Aerolineas Argentinas and BWIA charge $25. Pass holders on Indian Airlines can change dates for free, provided they don't exceed the number of travel days allowed. Frequent-flier miles Some passes, like the Star Alliance African Airpass, allow pass holders to earn miles, while others, such as Cathay Pacific's All Asia Pass, don't. In fact, Cathay Pacific won't even let frequent-flier members redeem miles when purchasing the pass. POPULAR FLIGHT PASSES AROUND THE GLOBE Pass: Aerolineas Argentinas South America Pass 800/333-0276, aerolineas.com.ar The Basics: Flights within South America priced by mileage, starting at $300 for up to 2,500 miles Heads Up: Date changes allowed for $25 Pass: Cathay Pacific All Asia Pass cathay-usa.com The Basics: Flight to Hong Kong and a choice of 18 Asian cities over 21 days, for $1,499 Heads Up: Join the free online club to save $200; booking through a travel agent is mandatory Pass: BWIA West Indies Airways Caribbean Pass 800/538-2942, bwee.com The Basics: Flights between eight Caribbean destinations, from $450 Heads Up: Destination changes for $25; no backtracking allowed Pass: Star Alliance African Airpass staralliance.com The Basics: Up to 10 flights in 17 sub-Saharan countries, at 15¢ per mile Heads Up: Only sold to passengers flying a Star Alliance partner into Africa

Hemingway's House Half the charm is just the drive out to his old home, Finca Vigia, and the view it commands of Havana. The house itself is showing the years of neglect, and you are not permitted inside. You are allowed, however, to look through the windows, but you'll be under constant surveillance. A squad of militant librarians hiss and snap their fingers at you if you even look like you may be thinking about looking closely at something. Here you'll also find the true original Pilar, Hemingway's fishing boat, despite the claims of some tackle shop in Fort Lauderdale to have the original. Cojimar A small fishing village just east of Havana, where Hemingway kept his boat, Pilar. This was the backdrop to his book The Old Man and the Sea, and, until recently, the home of Gregorio Fuentes, his boat captain. Many claim that Fuentes was also the inspiration for the protagonist in the book. Before he died, Fuentes was still available to talk about "Papa" and marlin fishing (he used to tell me that the big numbers of fish came in June but the biggest marlin were caught in September). The Terraza restaurant is right on the water and has some nice of photographs of Cojimar back in Hemingway's day. Playas del Este A beautiful beach, protected by sand dunes, and dotted with little ranchos where you can sit, listen to live music, and get a bite to eat with a cold beer. Heaven. Hire a gypsy cab in Havana and head out here to spend a great day. You'll need to sneak past the guards at the tunnel east of Havana (cigarettes and crumpled dollars at the ready!), but once you get past them, it's clear sailing. Your driver will park with all the other gypsy cabbies in a makeshift parking lot, where they'll spend the time comparing cars with the other drivers and taking a siesta. El Patio Located just off Plaza de la Catedral, this is another great spot for a cold drink and something to eat in the afternoon. Avoid the temptation to try the seafood and stick with the Cuban staples (chicken or pork chops). While it may not be the finest dining you will experience the atmosphere of the old city makes everything taste better. The owners usually have live music and will do their best to keep the beggars, as well as others trying to separate you from your money, at a distance. La Floridita It's touristy, it's overpriced, and the service is surly (especially the old guy with the glasses and all the goofy buttons on his vest), but after a day of walking around the amazing streets of Havana on a warm day, there's nothing, absolutely nothing on Earth, like a daiquiri at La Floridita. This was a favorite haunt of Hemingway, and there is even have a stool roped off in what was his favorite place to sit. Don't worry about having to decide what flavor of daiquiri you want because there's only one kind: a cool and zesty lemon. If you are thinking about getting a meal here, forget it. Have another daiquiri (one makes you lopsided anyway) and another bowl of salted plantains instead. Hotel Nacional If you too live by the adage "You can't put a price tag on a good time," then you'll want to make sure to stay at the Hotel Nacional. Once the playground of gangsters and movie stars, the Hotel Nacional is the culmination of everything you could imagine about the heyday of Cuba. With elegant gardens and stunning ocean views, the Hotel Nacional still attracts the "A" list of entertainers and international dignitaries. If you want to make sure you blend in with the other "stars," men should make sure to don their guayabera shirts and slacks (shorts are for little boys), and women should put on their finest summer dress. While money may not be plentiful in Cuba, it's no excuse for not dressing properly, especially when strolling through the lobby of the Hotel Nacional.