Signspotting Caption Contest Guidelines

New Prize: Trip to Ireland The best response we receive before September 22 wins a five-night trip in Ireland courtesy of Dooley Vacations. The prize includes one night at the Clare Inn in County Clare, two nights at Faithlegg Manor in County Waterford, two nights at the Monte Clare Hotel in Dublin, a six-day car rental, breakfast daily, entrance to the Waterford Crystal visitor center, and 10 percent off on purchases made there; valid December 1, 2006-November 30, 2007. The trip does not include airfare. Subject to availability, nontransferable, nonnegotiable. Blackout dates apply. For more information on Dooley Vacations: 877/331-9301, dooleyvacations.com. Luxury in Colorado If yours is the best response before August 31, you'll win four nights at The Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, a RockResort in Colorado. The chateau-style lodge is on a private mountain. Prize includes accommodations, two lift tickets to Beaver Creek Resort, and two massages at The Lodge's spa. Valid December 1, 2006, to April 1, 2007. Subject to availability, nontransferable, nonnegotiable. Blackout dates apply. For more information on RockResorts: rockresorts.com. How to enter E-mail TrueStories@BudgetTravelOnline.com or mail to True Stories, Budget Travel, 530 Seventh Ave., 2nd Fl., New York, NY 10018. Sorry, but we can't return photos. Read the full guidelines. Winner! This month's winner is Mike Anderson, of Santee, Calif. His prize? A $2,000 gift certificate courtesy of the New England Inns & Resorts Association. While staying at the Ariaú Amazon Towers hotel in Brazil, I was relaxing shirtless in a hammock when one of the local monkeys joined me. He was very interested in my protruding "outie" belly button. I brushed him away several times, paying little attention to his examination--until suddenly, he bent over to bite my belly button! I leaped up, swatting at the monkey, who went flying off my chest. It was then that I noticed several of my friends coming out of a restaurant, laughing hysterically. Who's that behind those foster-grants? Oh, never mind My tour group in Turkey was preparing to watch a total solar eclipse when a little boy asked if he could have a pair of the 3-D glasses that I'd purchased for the group--he said that he wanted them for his grandmother. I gave him the last pair even though I figured he'd keep them for himself. After the eclipse, we headed to our bus. Someone in my group shouted for me to look up. This little old woman was standing on the porch of her house, watching the sun and smiling. Paula Vandalen, Redington Beach, Fla. You and Tom Cruise It was shortly after my return from a rafting adventure in Honduras that the previously unnoticed wound on the back of my hand began to swell. "Infection! Antibiotics!" said the doctor. Two weeks later, the swelling hadn't abated--and was even punctuated by an occasional sharp pain. The doctor pressed the lump. It didn't hurt. "I'm going to press harder," he said. I turned my head, expecting a sudden shower of pus, when there was a loud pop--but no pus. "Oh, my goodness," said the doctor. Perfectly centered in a circle of bright red blood was a large white grub. I had given birth to the larva of the human botfly! Being a male in my 60s and experiencing what was probably my only shot at motherhood, I found both the joy and the pain to be grossly exaggerated. Chuck Weis, Lafayette, Ind. Betty trashed the place in 1956 During a recent trip to Egypt, my husband and I splurged on the Le Méridien Pyramids hotel, so we could swim in the pool while gazing at the Great Pyramids. Just imagine our surprise when we came across this sign listing the various pool rules! Denise Crocker, Millbrae, Calif. It certainly goes nicely with your red neck After several days in Hanoi, I looked forward to exploring the peaceful Hill Tribe region near Sapa, Vietnam. My friend Margie and I arrived at the isolated village of the Black Hmong people, and word of our visit spread quickly. We raised our camera to take a picture, but the villagers insisted that we stop and wait. Preparations began immediately for a show of their best finery. Little girls and grown women bustled about, smiling and giggling as they wrapped and secured layer after layer of intricately woven fabrics. The finishing touch was the application of a blackening root to their teeth, a cosmetic custom the women practiced every night from the age of 9--one that they urged me to try on at least one tooth. So it happened that I, a woman of the modern tooth-whitening era, beamed a gap-toothed smile with those proud Black Hmong women. Tamar Dolwig, Aptos, Calif. You can find more True Stories in the September 2006 issue of Budget Travel magazine.

Highlights from the September 2006 issue: Fairy Tales Do Come True In Germany, a number of genuine castles--turrets, hidden passages, the whole deal--are more than just romantic backdrops. They're hotels too Slide show: Castle Hotels of Germany Walk Like an Australian The Great Ocean Road has long been one of Australia's top attractions. But now there's an even better way to admire the southern shoreline: a 57-mile trail called the Great Ocean Walk 25 Best Places You've Never Heard Of Everyone wants to know about the "next great places." But rather than simply make up a list, we turned to the people who explore for a living. Get ready for a serious case of wanderlust (not to mention job envy) Plus: 25 Best interviews 20 Tips Find out how to protect a digital camera, and why you shouldn't take that camera to the Mint Trip Coach: Jamaica Two couples hope to scout wedding locations, pay tribute to a dear family member, and squeeze in time for jet skiing Read and download an excerpt from "The Destination Wedding Workbook" Trendspotting: Haute Diners Creative chefs across the country are reinterpreting the greasy spoon. Say good-bye to grits and hello to quinoa Read an excerpt from "Two for the Road" (including recipes!) A Guide to Flight Passes Flight passes sound like they should make planning a multileg trip easier, but that's not necessarily so How to Use Your Cell Phone Almost Anywhere Ways to use your cell phone abroad without getting ripped off at $5 per minute Plus: Download the Airline Directory walletcard (PDF) Road Trip: Lake Champlain Fall-foliage season can make much of Vermont less idyllic than you'd hope. Head north, where you'll see more bikes than cars 40 Best Vacations The real deals right now True Stories Travel is stranger, funnier, and more heartwarming than fiction. Plus, a chance to win a trip to Ireland courtesy of Dooley Vacations

If we've learned anything from previous increases in air travel security, it's that the Transportation Security Administration, airports, and airlines must work together to make sure that rules are consistently applied across the board. I believe that travelers want to help in any way they can, and are willing to make sacrifices necessary for their safety. (Certainly the makings of a bomb seem to be more of a threat than nail files ever were.) But right now, the new changes appear to put a disproportionate share of the burden on travelers. To its credit, the TSA has so far been very clear about what will and what won't be allowed on planes. What it needs to do for new regulations to succeed is to continue to communicate when policies are changed. In previous years, a fog of arbitrariness has hung over airport security procedures. The airlines and airports also need to step things up. Fliers have resisted checking bags because the airlines aren't staffing check-in desks with enough workers, because it takes too long to pick up checked baggage, and because no one can guarantee that bags will be secure. (That's a burden the TSA shares; its workers must be beyond reproach.) Airports, for their part, need to do everything they can to keep travelers flowing quickly through security. Changing the rules without allocating new resources will lead to a tremendous increase in unhappy fliers--something the airlines, in particular, can scarcely afford at this time. Related links: New Airport Security Measures Packing Strategies: What You Need to Know The FAA's Flight Delay Information Website From Washingtonpost.com: New Rules at the Airport: What the Threat Means for Travelers Plus: Airline Industry Faces Setback From Newsweek.com: Air Travel: What to Expect Travelers at Heathrow Grapple with Terrorism and Inconvenience

PREVENTING LOST LUGGAGE Put your name both outside and inside your bag in case your luggage tags fall off in transit; also, a copy of your itinerary inside will make it easier for an airline employee to find you if it becomes lost Take a picture of your bags before you travel. You'll find having a photo of your lost luggage will be much easier than describing what your bag looks like at the claims desk Pack a day's worth of clothes in your carry on--especially undergarments--so if your bags ever become lost you're not running around an unknown city looking for the essentials Avoid short layovers: If you must connect through a second airport, be sure to leave enough time for you and your bags to make the next flight--a good rule of thumb is to try and leave at least an hour in between legs Some airports are worse than others: Many British and U.S. airports are heavily backed-up in the wake of the foiled terrorist plot and may be more prone to misplace luggage. In general, Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport and Sydney International are among the world's worst as far as losing bags is concerned, so take heed before you fly through those airports IF YOUR BAG IS LOST If your luggage is lost or even damaged, it's important that you file a report with the airline within 24 hours of your arrival, or else your claim could be dismissed Also, if your bag is lost for good, you'll have to list all the items inside to get reimbursed, so it's important to write down what's in your bag before you fly. Airlines pay a maximum of $2,800 per passenger for lost luggage on domestic flights, although each carrier's policy is different. For example, many exclude coverage of jewelry, camera equipment, and medications. When delays occur, airlines usually advance passengers cash or reimburse you for necessary items like toiletries and a change of clothes, so it's important to save your receipts Also, make sure to carry the address of the hotel or hotels you'll be staying at. Once the airline locates your bags, most will ship them to you free of charge so it's important that you know where they should send them There is hope: In 98 percent of lost luggage situations, bags are eventually recovered, most within the first 24 to 48 hours. PACKING TIPS 1. All the airlines have cut back on weight allowances¿if you check more than 50 pounds in a bag, you'll have to pay a fee (except for JetBlue, where the limit is 70 pounds), so pack light! 2. Pack chronologically. If you know you're going to be golfing on your last day, pack it at the bottom. 3. Put at least one outfit of yours in your companion's bag, and that way, if the airline loses your bag (or your companion's), you each at least have something to wear. 4. Share the luggage load in general. When you travel with a group, decide ahead of time who's going to bring what. If you're sharing a suite or have adjoining rooms, you don't need multiple hair dryers and umpteen bottles of shampoo. 5. Dry-cleaning bags stop clothes from wrinkling. Slide each garment into its own bag (leave the hanger at home) and place them flat on your bed, one on top of another. Then carefully fold the entire stack to fit it in your suitcase. Once you get to your hotel, hang everything up as soon as you reasonably can. 6. Put shoes inside those plastic bags that the newspapers are delivered in. They're sturdy, just the right shape (long and thin), and at the end of the trip you can just throw the bags away. In fact, regular household items like soap dishes, film canisters, and contact lens cases can be used to hold delicate things like jewelry and small doses of over-the-counter medications. 7. Place heavy items at the end of the suitcase that will be at the bottom when the suitcase is standing on end. This way the weight will hold the bag upright and it won't tip over. 8. We love Ziploc bags! We use them for everything. To hold toiletries prone to ooze, to hold cell phones and wallets when we're on water rides at amusement parks, to hold umbrellas when they're wet but we don't want to carry them. 9. Pack things inside of other things. Women's shoes inside of men's shoes, a camera inside a pair of shoes, etc. 10. Pack a swimsuit in your carry on. If you're going on a cruise, you'll be able to hit the pool when everybody else is waiting for their baggage to be delivered to their cabins. And if your luggage is lost, you'll at least be able to swim. 11. Consider shipping stuff ahead, especially baby supplies. You can order them from a company called Babiestravellite.com and they'll be delivered to your hotel. 14. Write a master packing list on your computer; it should include everything you might pack for any given trip. Then, when you're going on a specific trip, you can cross off the stuff you won't need¿and you don't have to write up a new list for the next trip. Related Articles: BT Readers' Best Packing Tips