A Budget Travel Foundation?

I wrote a real doozy of an editor's letter, and then I deleted it. It was a rant lamely disguised as wistfulness about what life would be like if we lived in a perfect world: More Americans would have passports (and use them); we'd be allowed to go wherever we want, without too much bureaucracy; the problems with airport security would get fixed, and not just for people who pay to join a Registered Traveler program; we'd take better care of the earth; and so on. I even managed to squeeze in some whining about how sunblock makes you shiny (as the photo makes clear). I ditched it because either you agree with me or you don't. If you do, great; if not, I probably wasn't going to change your mind. The last thing any of us need is more ranting, wistful or otherwise. All in all, most of us are pretty lucky. If you're like me, you usually forget how lucky you are--and occasionally you get reminded of it. A few months ago, I went downstairs to grab a cup of coffee in the afternoon, just as I usually do. "See you tomorrow," said the young woman behind the counter after I paid. "Nope," I said, deviating from our usual script. "I'm going out of town for a few days." "Take me with you!" she replied. I stammered some sort of response about how I was going to Iowa, and while I was excited about the trip, perhaps it wasn't the most glamorous destination on earth. "I've never gone anywhere," she said. Not long afterward, when Warren Buffett announced that he was giving much of his fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, I began daydreaming about starting the Budget Travel Foundation. (I was on a treadmill, and it was that or watch the cable news blowhards). Our foundation would send people who've never traveled to places (near and far) where they can interact with other cultures. Simply put, travel brings the world closer together, and what seem like insurmountable differences between countries--or faiths, or economic levels--become much less relevant when people meet face-to-face. It's happened to all of us, I'd wager: Our preconceived notions of a place--and in particular, its people--get blown to bits once we actually venture there. And in a perfect world, I hope we can agree, our preconceived notions would be the only thing getting blown to bits.

Hotels.com is offering rebates of up to $100 on rooms booked for dates through Mar. 31. If you stay two or three nights, you qualify for a $25 rebate. If you stay four, five, or six nights, you qualify for $50. Longer trips qualify for $100. Rooms must be booked before Jan. 31, 2007, and you must finish your trip by the end of Mar. 2007. The rebate process is simple when compared with the frustrating rebate-coupon paperwork you often face when buying appliances and consumer electronics. First, you book a room at Hotels.com, which will give you a "booking number." Enter that booking number at the Hotels.com rebate website. Rebates will be credited to your credit card account. But watch out for the fine print. The rebate only works for reservations you prepay in full. Trouble is, if you have to cancel a prepaid reservation, you may have to pay a fee--or even the full amount--depending on the hotel. Adding insult to injury, you won't qualify for the rebate, either. So be sure to review the details of your hotel's advertised deal to confirm its cancellation rules before you book. Two other catches: This rebate offer isn't valid for Marriott and Starwood hotels or for Hotels.com vacation packages. And you must submit your rebate request form online or by phone no later than Apr. 8, 2007. More Hotel News: Hotel Rewards Get Personal Can HotelConxions Beat a Low-Price Guarantee? Search our database for charming hotels around $100!

We've gotten some lively letters in reaction to our recent article, Ads on Airport Shoe Bins. Here's a sampling: Perhaps, some of the funds generated by the "shoe box" ads could be used to buy chairs for people to use while taking their shoes off. --Bob Ittleson, Union, N.J. In general, I have no problem with the TSA generating ad revenue to help the budget. However, my concern is that people will be more likely to overlook some personal item in the tray when it's on top of a visually busy ad. When this happens, the TSA screener will call them back, and it's just one more delay in getting people through the check point. Not to mention that travelers might actually lose something. --Sam Peach, Ijamsville, Md. I can see both sides; if the money coming in can reduce the taxpayer's expense, ads at the shoe bin are ok w/me. I might just laugh; however, if it causes planned delays, then no. --Bernadine Bednarz, Los Angeles, Calif. Hmmm... let me see now. I am on a journey, with all of the challenges that presents--packing, making decisions, rearranging my routine, going into the busy known or the adventurous unknown--and I am at the airport thinking about things like did I pack everything I need, and how will the weather affect the flight, and did the pilot get a good night's sleep, and will someone find a reason to question me at security. And then I reach that security point, where I have to pull things out of my pocket and watch someone scrutinize my personal belongings, and take off my shoes and stand on a cold floor in the middle of winter. So, am I likely to react at all positively to an advertisement on the plastic box where I've just had to put the contents of my pockets and my nice, warm footwear, and as I am preparing to go through a machine that is likely to beep and subject me to a body search or at least intensive questioning? How open am I going to be to considering buying a product that's being forced in my range of vision in the middle of all of this? What do you think? --Felicity Hallanan, Sandy Creek, N.Y. This is yet another example of the abuse we suffer at the misguided hands of TSA. --Steve Postle, Lincoln, Calif. It's an ingenious idea to raise some income, hopefully well spent, for this very expensive endeavor. Personally, I don't think the line can be slowed any further, so the fear that they will need to make the wait even longer to benefit advertisers should not materialize. Besides, if the government ware 'that' efficient and cost conscious, I would even wait longer. --David Hung, Los Angeles, Calif. What a joke! Security checkpoints are not the place for advertising. Visitors to the US who are not fluent in English will be even more confused trying to read the advertising while going through security. Signs and directions given by TSA agents are often confusing. Imagine trying to listen to the TSA agents yelling directions, watching the flashing signs overhead and trying to read the advertising at the same time. What a nightmare! Slowdowns are inevitable. --Carol Nelson, Indianapolis, Ind. I am usually distracted and feeling rushed when going thru security. I do not need ads to clutter up the visual for trying to collect my belongings without forgetting something. I'm certainly not going to be very receptive to any ad I actually see and remember! --Barbara Wysocki of Niantic, Conn. (reading us from vacation in Thailand) Once those Idiots start making money with the shoe bins will NEVER go away. Long after there is a need for them you will waste your time because the TSA won't give up the money. --Thomas Curley, of Cumming, Ga. I find this proposal ridiculous and a bit perverse. The whole idea of taking off our shoes originated with prevention of terrorist acts and for TSA to make money off these ads is to exploit a serious situation. While I am skeptical of terrorists ever using shoes as a vehicle for destruction again, I do not want shoe bins being used as advertisements. TSA needs to use the money in its budget more efficiently and wisely! --Jeanne Seals, Los Angeles, Calif. I am far too occupied with unpacking my computer and removing my shoes, jacket and other miscellany to have time to even be aware of ads at security checkpoints, let alone register contents of the ad. Yes, I would worry that I would be further delayed so the ad vendors would be satisfied. Probably the ads would be most effective at the points where I have to gather all this stuff and pack, don, or tie whatever I have removed. Of course, not all travelers find this as daunting as I do. We are bombarded with ads at the movies, tv, on the computer and billboards so I have become immune by automatically ignoring contents,. Let them support security if it doesn't delay as I never feel that people have been adequately screened and the added income might improve the situation. --Ruth Van Wagner, Palm Springs, Calif.

Best known for its hut-to-hut hiking system in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is now setting its sights north. The 90,000-member outdoor recreation and conservation organization has purchased three historic sporting camps--Chairback Mountain Camps, Medawisla Wilderness Camps, and Little Lyford Pond Camps--and partnered with the West Branch Pond Camp, all in the 100-Mile Wilderness Section of Maine. Guests can hike and canoe a 25-mile corridor of pristine wilderness backed by the mountains of the Appalachian Trail and laced with hidden ponds and rivers that are populated with far more moose than humans. "Imagine the possibility of waking up in the morning at one camp and hiking for five miles to where your canoe will be waiting on the shores of a lake, then paddling another three miles to the next night's stay," says a buoyant Andy Falender, executive director of the AMC. If a camp-to-camp jaunt sounds a bit too adventurous, consider spending several nights at the affordable Little Lyford Pond Camps. Originally opened in 1873 as a lumber camp, Little Lyford became a cozy overnight for anglers and hunters in the early 1900s. Today, helpings of pancakes, baked beans, and fresh vegetables are still served family-style in the main lodge. Lining the green meadow are seven revamped rustic cabins, which sleep one to six people and have porches, woodstoves, and gas lamps. A short walk brings you to Little Lyford Pond, a majestic gem backed by the peaks of Baker and Indian Mountains. Other trails lead to the West Branch of the Pleasant River, a churning stream teeming with trout, and Gulf Hagas, where the same river plunges through a narrow canyon, creating waterfalls and swimming holes. Good for a bracing dip, Maine-style. 603/466-2727, outdoors.org. Little Lyford starts at $92 per person per night, including lodging and all meals; reservations essential. A three-night camp-to-camp cross-country skiing package starts at $405 per person. Related Stories:   The Budget Travel Minute: Hut Hiking Tips   Trips That Can Change Your Life: The Appalachian Trail   Wilderness Survival Guide