Leftover Loot

You paid with your credit card: Notify the credit card company right away. It's within your rights to ask for a refund for any services that were never rendered, as long as you contest the charges within 60 days of the charges' appearing on a statement (and some credit card companies extend this period to 90 days). The more money you've paid way in advance, the less you'll get back. So avoid paying anything but basic deposits very far out. You paid with cash or a check: Your sole recourse is filing a claim in bankruptcy court. Few businesses file for insolvency, but if they do, you become a creditor and stand a chance of recovering some of your lost funds--just be prepared to wait a while, at least two or three years. It'll help your claim if you have a receipt and if you noted on each check exactly what the payment was for. The operator was a member of a professional organization: The big three groups--United States Tour Operators Association, National Tour Association, and American Society of Travel Agents--may be able to help you rebook through a different operator (at additional cost). The USTOA has a consumer protection plan requiring members to keep $1 million in reserve so customers can recover at least some of their money. You bought travel insurance: See if your policy covers "operator default." You may be able to get the insurance company to recoup any losses that the credit card company hasn't already taken care of. If you purchased the insurance policy through the operator, direct your questions to the plan administrator. You used a travel agent: You have an advocate who can arrange a backup plan. Agents are unlikely to guarantee company solvency, how­ever, and they won't be helpful when it comes to recovering lost money. Sometimes they'll offer restitution to maintain a valuable relationship. While your odds of success are low, you could also try suing the agent in small claims court. You still want to go on the trip: Contact the NTA even if your outfitter wasn't a member. The organization might match you up with an operator who will be willing to accommodate you, at a discount, on short notice. Also, look closely at your itinerary and approach the individual hotels, airlines, and tour guides directly. Hotels should honor any paid reservations, and airline tickets are valid even if the middleman folds. You don't want to go: Make those phone calls anyway. You never know who'll take pity on you and refund some or all of your money. Watch out for these red flags There's no direct phone number Only the answering machine picks up Urgent requests for payment Few trip specifics A corporate shake-up Better Business Bureau complaints

California teacher Rebecca Vallejo had planned a two-week stay at the Haiku Plantation Inn on Maui. When the inn said it couldn't honor her reservation, she couldn't find lodging for under $350 per night. She had to cancel the trip. Haiku Plantation had no choice: Maui officials decreed in July that B&Bs and vacation rentals without permits must cease operations or face fines starting at $1,000. A study funded by the Realtors Association of Maui put the number of properties without permits at 816. The number of properties with permits is 21. There had been a long-standing tacit agreement between the county and property owners that the rules wouldn't be enforced except when complaints were lodged against a property. County officials have drafted a bill that would streamline the permitting process for B&Bs (and also prohibit vacation rentals in certain areas). It's unlikely that any legislation will go through before early 2008. A list of properties with permits would be helpful, but county agencies can't agree on who should distribute it. Why the sudden enforcement of a dormant law? Hotels certainly have much to gain from the crackdown. Locals, meanwhile, blame the lack of affordable housing on the number of properties that are being used to house vacationers instead of islanders, and they say that parking and crowding problems are worse because of the high concentration of B&Bs. Other islands may follow suit. On Oahu, residents of the Kailua area are agitating for similar enforcement. And on Kauai, a bill restricting the number and type of vacation rentals island-wide was introduced at the County Council late last year.

The big goal these days is to pack so little that you can carry on your bag. That means doing more with fewer clothes--in other words, it's a question of style. Who better to help than Clinton Kelly, cohost of TLC's What Not to Wear? We asked him to teach our editorial production manager, Lauren Feuer, how to pack for a long weekend in the Berkshires. "I'm the master of the three-day weekend," says Clinton. "I haven't checked a bag in four years!" (With all the traveling he does, he says, the time involved with checking bags was adding up to at least one day a year.) Enough about Clinton: Let's get to packing. "Well, the good news is, I don't see anything that I immediately want to throw out," he says, looking into Lauren's closet. Turn the page for a full rundown of Clinton's tips. Packing With Clinton The big rule "Nothing gets packed unless it goes with at least two other pieces. In fact, be careful whenever you buy something that only goes with one thing. You get stuck." Commit to neutrals on half the body "Let's do neutral bottoms. We're going to bring one pair of jeans, one skirt, and one pair of trousers." Clinton bails on the skirt when the one he likes doesn't go with anything else, opting for cropped black pants instead. "Gray is the easiest neutral to make work for day and evening. Brown is OK, but it can end up being too casual, especially for men." Darker jeans are better He chooses darker jeans because they can be dressed up for dinner. "Straight-leg jeans are preferable to wide-leg ones, for the same reason." The other half gets patterns "A shirt with a pattern goes well with a neutral bottom. I'm no big fan of jeans and a solid--even though I'm wearing it now." You can mix prints if they're in the same color family and you vary the patterns' sizes. Keep secondary colors consistent He throws in an extra knit (a pink top), because it'll go with the jeans and the trousers. "The fewer colors you have, the more likely it is that different pairings will work." Accessorize strategically "The right shoes and jewelry can take an outfit up or down." It's fine to mix gold and silver, but when you're traveling, it's easier to stick to one. "Dramatic earrings like these will make this outfit dressier." On the actual packing "Wear bulkier items on the plane, so you have more space inside the bag." He puts the jewelry in Ziploc bags to protect it, then stuffs the bags inside the shoes. Next he packs the shoes, in shoe bags, in the bottom of the suitcase. An excuse to go shopping "A cotton or poly jersey dress, like a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress, is great for traveling. You just roll it up in a ball." Finally, Clinton says V-necks are better than crewnecks. "They elongate the neckline, which makes you look taller. And that makes you look thinner. I've never met a woman who didn't want to look thinner!" Check Out Clinton! What Not to Wear airs Fridays at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on TLC. For info on Clinton's home-renovation special, visit tlc.com.

Hot Day, Cool Treat "It was fun to watch the staff at Aoki's make the brilliant, multicolored concoctions. Their raspberry shave ice with vanilla ice cream on the bottom is our favorite." Rock On "Visiting the ancient temple Pu'u O Mahuka Heiau made us feel connected to the Hawaiian people. The site is perched high above the shore, so you get amazing views of the coastline." A Night to Remember "Our evening at the Halekulani was perfect--the sunset, the rum drinks, the sound of the waves, the hula dancing, and the Hawaiian music. The band's bass guitarist asked a waiter to take a photo of us with him." One Big Garden "We didn't have to go to a botanical garden to see beautiful flora on Oahu--it was all around us. We saw this hibiscus at a park in Waikiki." A New Perspective "We both felt a deep, somber connection to the memorials at Pearl Harbor. This flag is attached to the USS Arizona Memorial. Never has an American flag looked so poignant." Peace Out "Ke Iki is such a serene retreat, exactly what we wanted after Waikiki. The grounds are luscious, and the ocean is just steps away. Even though the bungalows were full, we often had the beach all to ourselves. On our last night, I really got into taking pictures of the sunset."