Doing the Charleston

What's your best travel tip? Send us your tips, and if we publish one, you'll get a one-year subscription (or a renewal) to Budget Travel. You can e-mail them to us at Tips@BudgetTravel.com. Best Tips Ever The cleverest tips we've ever run are in The Smart Traveler's Passport, a handy book available at Amazon.com and select bookstores. Send us a tip: If yours is one that we illustrate, we'll send you a free book (and a year's subscription to the magazine). 1. Smell the coffee I recently rented a car in Florida, and it came with a host of funky smells that assaulted me every morning when I got in. I took one of the free coffee-filter packs from my hotel room and placed it inside the car. Not only did it absorb the bad odors in a day or so, but it also made the car smell like a warm, inviting coffeehouse! Theresa Drummond, Austin, Tex. 2. Stay Toe-stee I went camping recently, and the weather was unexpectedly freezing. To stay warm at night, my friends and I placed rocks around the campfire for a few hours, and when it was time for bed, we wrapped the hot rocks in towels and each put one at the bottom of our sleeping bags. The rocks kept us toasty warm until the next morning! Lea Bishop, San Diego, Calif. 3. Drive-in theater If you're going on a road trip and you have a DVD player in your car, sign up with Redbox (redbox.com). You can rent and return movies at more than 9,000 locations around the country, including many McDonald's and Wal-Mart stores. This way, you don't have to bother packing loads of DVDs for your trip, and you'll have new movies to watch the whole way. Becky Welton, St. Louis, Mo. 4. A new set of wheels The first thing I do when I buy a new piece of luggage is remove the cheap plastic wheels and replace them with rubber Rollerblade wheels. I've found that plastic wheels break easily, but rubber is more durable, so the wheels are better at surviving the wear and tear of traveling. You can find Rollerblade wheels at most sports stores. Jan Julian, Melbourne, Fla. 5. Wipe on, wipe off Always take some Pledge Wipes with you when you travel—they're great for last-minute touch-ups on leather shoes. Just go over the leather with the wipes, and your shoes will look freshly polished. Cherry Graham, Anderson, S.C. 6. Live like a local If you own a time-share and pay property taxes on it, you probably qualify for a local library card. Just bring a photo ID and a copy of your property-tax receipt to the library. While you're on vacation, you'll be able to use the library to check out books, of course, but also DVDs and CDs. Joe and Kathleen Weber, Missoula, Mont. 7. See for yourself To get a feel for a potential travel destination, I check youtube.com. Lots of people post videos from their trips, and you can learn about specific things you're interested in rather than just the general overview most travel books offer. For example, when I was researching a surf spot in Peru, I found some great footage of the break. Rhonda Hingle, San Diego, Calif. 8. Put a cap on it If you mount your GPS unit on the windshield or dashboard, it will leave a circular mark when you remove it. Thieves know to look for this telltale sign. To be safe, my partner and I mount our GPS unit on the steering column, where it's just as easy to see. When we park the car, we simply put a baseball cap on top of the unit to hide it. Gary J. Kessler, Avondale, Ariz. 9. Don't get upset I'm a flight attendant, and my route includes several mountain towns. The flights can get bumpy, so I carry a tin of strong peppermints with me and hand them out to passengers who are looking a little green at the gills. Peppermint oil, which is found in strong mints like Altoids, is one of Mother Nature's best cures for an upset tummy. S. Reiser, Aurora, Colo. 10. Down-Under deal I learned that the Australian Automobile Association is Australia's version of our AAA. If you're visiting Australia and you have your American AAA membership card on hand, you can often get maps for free and travel guides at discounted rates. Rick Ackerman, Columbia, S.C. 11. Contact solution I often forget my contact-lens case when I travel. To avoid the hassle of having to buy another case, I find two plastic spoons, fill them with contact solution, put my contacts in the spoons, and store them in a safe place for the night. Problem solved! Susannah Whitcomb, Toledo, Ohio 12. Plant a¿book Instead of returning home with the paperbacks you brought on your trip, register them with bookcrossing.com and leave them behind for other travelers. The BookCrossing website lets you track your books as they're passed from reader to reader and go on voyages of their own. Jo Ann Lynn, Germantown, Tenn. 13. It's the balm I always take a tube of natural-beeswax-based lip balm (SPF 15+) with me when I travel. It's almost like carrying a mini first-aid kit. It serves as a lip balm, of course, but also as an emergency sunscreen for my nose, a moisturizer around my eyes, and a blister preventer for my hands and feet. Jay Hammond, Gilbert, Ariz. 14. A taste of the world Instead of bringing back cheap souvenirs for my friends when I travel, I buy a cookbook with recipes native to the place I'm visiting. When I get home, I host a cultural dinner at which I share my pictures and cook some dishes from the cookbook. My friends and family tell me that they prefer the meals because, unlike throw-away souvenirs, the memories of the dinners last forever. Sarah J. Latchaw, Lawrenceville, Ga. 15. Coral relief I've found yet another use for antibacterial wipes. On a beach vacation in Ixtapa, Mexico, I cut my leg on some coral when I was snorkeling. I used the wipes to first treat the cut so it wouldn't get infected. Genny Goode-Chase, San Diego, Calif. 16. In the bag Save the bags when you buy loaves of store-bought bread—they're perfect for packing shoes. They're just the right oblong shape for shoes to slide in easily, and they keep your shoes covered, so the dirt on them won't get all over everything else in your suitcase. Melanie Martin, Huntsville, Ala. 17. Spa secret On most cruise lines, you have to pay for spa treatments, but on some ships, you can use the spa's showers and steam rooms for free. After my daughter and I work out and have a steam session on a cruise, we forgo the tiny showers in our staterooms for the spacious ones in the spa. Also, a lot of spas have relaxation rooms that are sometimes open to any cruiser who wants to get away from the action. April Icsman, Medina, Ohio 18. Sounding off To block out noise on a long flight or in a noisy hotel, I downloaded an 80-minute white-noise track from iTunes onto my iPod. I keep the track on repeat, and it works wonders. It was only $10—which is much cheaper than a sound machine or noise-canceling headphones—and since it's on my iPod, I don't have to pack anything extra. Kim Paschen, Philadelphia, Pa. 19. Work, then play If you love live theater and don't mind volunteering, you can often get free admission to productions when you travel. Contact the theaters in the city you'll be visiting and ask if you can be an usher in exchange for a ticket. I've done this in San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and Portland, Ore. Renee Silva, Waianae, Hawaii 20. Cool idea If you're planning a vacation and want to bring cold drinks to the beach with you, use a six-pack cooler as a toiletry bag. When you get to your destination and unload your toiletries in the bathroom, the bag can be used as a cooler for the rest of the trip. Kelly Sortino, San Francisco, Calif.

New Prize: South American Cruise The best response we receive between Oct. 15, 2008, and Nov. 28, 2008, wins a 14-day Norwegian Cruise Line cruise for two in an ocean-view state­room on the Norwegian Sun between Santiago, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, courtesy of eCruises.com. For more info on eCruises.com: 800/223-6868, ecruises.com. How to enter E-mail us at TrueStories@BudgetTravel.com or mail us at True Stories, Budget Travel, 530 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10018. For a complete rundown of the contest guidelines, please see BudgetTravel.com/truestories. This month's winner is Tom Dryden of Wilton, Conn. His prize is an eight-night trip to Tasmania, Australia, courtesy of Tourism Tasmania and Goway Travel. My wife and I spent two days in Casablanca on our way to Greece. A taxi took us to our hotel via a highway. Coming home, we spent one more night in Casablanca at the same hotel. Night had fallen by the time we landed. This time, the driver who picked us up took a different route, turning off the highway onto an unpaved, unlit road on which ours was the only vehicle. The road seemed to lead away from the city. My wife, who had been reading a true-crime book, clutched my arm and said, "This isn't the way to our hotel. He's taking us out into the country to kill us!" Our driver brought the taxi to a stop and turned to his wide-eyed passengers. "I am not," he said in perfect English. "This is a shortcut." The pony express Looking for a taxi stand in Mexico City, I asked some mounted policemen in a park for directions; I spoke little Spanish, but after some gesturing on both sides, I set off in what I thought was the right direction. Half an hour later, the same policemen trotted up to me. One of the officers dismounted and had me get on his horse. Then he handed me his sombrero and led the horse out of the park, across four lanes of traffic, and all the way to the taxi stand. People waved and honked, and a few even took pictures. I guess they thought I was a celebrity. Jennifer Ochoa, Long Beach, Calif. Bridge under troubled water Our group left Matema, Tanzania, for the drive back to Dar es Salaam for our flight home. The roads were flooded by heavy rains and driving was difficult, so I was relieved when we reached a bridge. But the support under the bridge was broken, and the car ended up in the water. Our bags were lost, but we were saved. People came from miles around to help. My fondest memory of the trip is of the kindness of those villagers. Laurie Hodgson, Colorado Springs, Colo. Try Chincoteague Island When I booked a trip to Mackinac Island, Mich., I thought we would land on the island. Someone at our hotel told me we wouldn't have a problem getting a horse-drawn taxi at midnight, when our flight would get in. When we landed and saw cars, my husband was puzzled and said he thought there were no cars on the island. What was the problem? We'd landed at Pellston airport, which is 15 miles away—on the mainland! I called the horse-taxi service, and the dispatcher said, "Lady, my horses don't swim that well." Anne Curwin, Little Canada, Minn. Modesty is overrated After my daughter became engaged to an Italian Air Force pilot, we planned an extended stay in Italy. We found an apartment in a town close to her fiancé's base. Using the washing machine to do our laundry was easy, but drying our clothes meant hanging them on a drying rack on the balcony. We didn't want people to see our unmentionables, so we hung them at the back of the rack. But on one of our morning strolls, we saw an old woman sitting below her clothesline, where her big white granny underwear was waving like a banner! Deborah Vivona, Edmond, Okla. She put Rudolph out of work The night before my visit to Camelot Adventure Lodge in Moab, Utah, I was so excited about riding a camel that I was unable to sleep, so I took a sleep aid. As I swallowed the tablet, I realized I had also swallowed a tooth from a partial plate. The next morning, I found a dentist, only to be told to come back in four hours. So my cousins and I searched through a store's Halloween decorations and found a set of glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth. We replaced my tooth with one that also acted as a night-light, and I didn't miss my camel ride. Judy Patterson, Florence, Ala. Not quite Italy's most wanted Our visit to Sicily was interrupted when the police picked me and my wife up off the street and took us to the station. Someone had identified me as one of the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives. They suspected me of murder, drug trafficking, and money laundering. I was about the right age, height, and weight, and looked similar to an FBI picture. After four hours, I was released, to the disappointment of the FBI and the Italian police—and my wife, who had offered to identify me as the fugitive to get the reported million-dollar reward. J.E. Lee, Las Cruces, N.M. But did they buy the bridge? My friend Myrt and I were walking to our car in Santa Fe, N.M., when we came upon two Native American boys. They had a box of ordinary-looking rocks and a sign that said rocks $5.00. "So are there crystals in these rocks?" I asked. The boys said no. Myrt guessed, "Are these some kind of ceremonial rocks?" No again. Myrt asked, "Why would anybody pay five dollars for an ordinary rock?" One of the boys smiled and said, "We don't know, but we've sold six of them!" Diane Kay, Albuquerque, N.M. Wonder if it works for guys I stayed in a hostel while in Florence, Italy, and woke with bedbug bites on my stomach and face. I found a pharmacy, but the pharmacist didn't speak English. Fortunately, the man in line behind me spoke a little, and with a few words and gestures, I told him my problem. He explained it to the pharmacist, and she gave me a tube of cream for the itching. I was thrilled at how quickly it worked. When I returned to the U.S., I showed the tube to my boyfriend's mom, who is fluent in Italian. It turns out my miracle cream was not for bug bites, but for feminine itching. Beth Riley, Downers Grove, Ill. We prefer Cinderella Barbie In 2005, my partner and I traveled to Madagascar. We never told our guide or other people we encountered that we were gay. Halfway into our trip, we checked in to a hotel for the night. When we went into the bathroom, we saw a beach towel emblazoned with a large pink image of Nutcracker Barbie. We turned to each other and smiled, and then my partner said, "Word's out now!" Shawn McDermott, Baltimore, Md. The boy is a bad influence My husband and I took our son on a Danube cruise from Passau, Germany, to Budapest, Hungary, and back. I love to take photos, and the scenery was so beautiful that I had ample opportunity. Like many boys, my son hates to have his picture taken. To show his dislike on this trip, he stuck out his tongue in every photo. One day, we took a carriage ride through Vienna and, of course, had our picture taken. When I printed the photo, I noticed that the horse had also stuck out its tongue. I guess it was tired of photos, too. Karen Zygmunt, Carmel, N.Y. Paging the National Guard When I was in Lesotho recently, a local man asked where we were from. Our group leader said the U.S., and the man asked where Georgia was. She gave him a rough idea, and he said, "Russia is bombing Georgia. How is George Bush going to react?" Annalisa Lazzaro, New York, N.Y. Obligatory monkey story When my mother and I visited the Rock of Gibraltar, we opened our car windows and took pictures of the monkeys there. Suddenly, I heard a thud on the roof. A monkey climbed through the window and sat on my shoulder. Then it dove to the floor, grabbed something from our grocery bag, and leaped back over me and out the window. Yikes! Feeding the monkeys is illegal. Sure enough, I walked to the back of our car and found the little guy eating bread sticks. Brittany Hill, Sagamore Hills, Ohio

"I'm Glad I Could Share It" Anton was thrilled to show Antonia a thriving, beautiful, and independent Croatia. "For so long, no one knew where it was," he says. "Now everyone loves it. Antonia even tells me she wants to get her dual citizenship!" On high A guided tour of Dubrovnik's wall was the perfect way to figure out the lay of the land. Goalll!!! In Dubrovnik, Antonia and Anton stopped in a few bars to catch Euro 2008 matches. "Watching the soccer games was one of my favorite parts of the trip," Antonia says. Calamari dreamin' Antonia swears Croatia has the best seafood in the world. "The calamari tastes like it's straight from the sea," she says. The dish at right was from a restaurant in Novi Vinodolski, the town where Anton grew up. "It's changed so much!" he says. "Thirty years ago, there were no fancy stores or restaurants." Now the town is a destination for Germans and Italians. A three-island tour Antonia and her dad took a boat tour from Dubrovnik and came across this tiny church on the island of Kolocep. Reminders of the past As they walked along the wall in Dubrovnik, they noticed shrapnel marks from the bombings in the 1990s. "It's a shame the city suffered so much damage during the war," says Anton. Island getaway The beaches in the major cities were crowded, but on the islands, it was another story. The beach on Lopud island was so enticing that Antonia and her dad rented chairs and relaxed. Local style Renting an apartment from a woman in Dubrovnik turned out to be the right decision. "She gave us great advice about where to go," Antonia says. "And I loved the traditional earrings she had on, so I bought a pair for myself."

Interested in getting coached? E-mail us your questions—seriously, the more the better—to Letters@BudgetTravel.com. Want advice? Log on for our weekly Online Trip Coach chats, Tuesdays at noon (ET), and let our experts answer your questions. Click here to submit questions and browse our archived chat transcripts. DEAR TRIP COACH... My dad grew up in an orphanage in Croatia and moved to the States in 1960. He has only gone back once, and I've never been, so we're planning a trip. We're going to divide our time between towns along the coast and some islands. Antonia Abram, New York, N.Y. FIRE AWAY! What's the best way to get around? Since you'll be visiting some islands, don't rent a car—taking it aboard a ferry is too pricey. Take town buses on the mainland and ferries to the islands. The national ferry company, Jadrolinija, runs boats from the Croatian coast to most of the country's inhabited islands (jadrolinija.hr). We're kicking off the trip in Opatija. What should we do there? Austrians began flocking to this seaside town in the 19th century to be rejuvenated by its calm waters and mild climate. Today, people go for the very same reason. The scenery is the star here, and the best way to see it is to stroll along the Lungomare, a promenade that hugs the coast for seven and a half miles. The mountains dip down to the waterfront in a series of foothills. Don't bother with Opatija's town beach—it's little more than a concrete platform where you can rent umbrellas and chairs. Instead, go for a dip in one of the dozens of coves you'll pass along the Lungomare. Any restaurant recommendations? If you follow the Lungomare to the north end, you'll reach Volosko, a tiny fishing village that's home to Plavi Podrum. Don't let the remote location fool you—the food here is as sophisticated as anything you'd find in a major city. Case in point: the raw tuna with black-truffle cream on squid-ink toast. The prices are higher than at most restaurants in Croatia, but if you can splurge anywhere, do it here (Obala F. Supila 12, 011-385/51-701-223, four-course dinner $63). Where can we see ruins in Split? Head straight to the Palace of Diocletian, a fortified residence that was built in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries by the Roman emperor Diocletian. Within the restored walls lies a warren of little streets, which emerged when medieval residents made the palace their home. Enter the palace from Split's seaside promenade and wander among the stalls where local artisans sell jewelry, ceramics, and embroidered linens. From there, climb the stone stairs to the peristyle, once the imperial square. Amid the café tables, you'll see giant granite columns, massive stones, and an Egyptian sphinx. On one side of the court is the Cathedral of St. Domnius, which has a treasure trove of sculptures and medieval paintings. On the other side lies the Temple of Jupiter, guarded by the sphinx. Before leaving the palace, be sure to check out the drawings, furniture, and weaponry at the City Museum of Split (Papaliceva 1, 011-385/21-360-171, $2). Is it possible to take a day trip to Hvar from Split? Getting to Hvar will take you two hours, so you'll probably want to stay overnight. Take a ferry to Stari Grad on Hvar island ($9), and then take a bus from the port to the town of Hvar ($5). The impeccably preserved Old Town resembles a film set—which may explain why it has become such a trendy destination for celebrities with yachts. After a walk through the old streets, head over to the Franciscan monastery and museum at the eastern end of the harbor (011-385/21-741-193, $3). If you're feeling energetic, follow one of the paths that wind up from the northern side of the harbor to Spanjola, the medieval citadel. The views are fantastic. You can also get on one of the small boats at Hvar harbor and head to the Pakleni islands, where you can swim and picnic. Fontana Tours offers water taxis and day trips to the islands (011-385/21-742-133, happyhvar.com, taxis from $6 per person, day trips from $29). We were referred to a local woman who rents out an apartment in her Dubrovnik home. Do you recommend staying there? This kind of arrangement isn't uncommon in Croatia—or the rest of Central Europe, for that matter. If this rental doesn't work out, but you're still interested in staying in a private home, Adriatica.net rents apartments on the coast (from $44), and Apartments van Bloemen, just inside the city walls, rents colorful flats decorated with quilts made by the owner's mother (Bandureva 1, 011-385/20-323-433, karmendu.com, from $106). What's the best way to get a sense of Dubrovnik's history? Start with a mile-long walk on top of the thick walls that enclose the city. With the blue sea on one side and the red-roofed buildings on the other, you'll get a look at the towers and forts that have protected the "pearl of the Adriatic" for 800 years. There are entrances to the walls at Pile Gate, St. John's Fort, or St. Luke's Tower ($10). To see what they've been protecting, visit the city's museums and monasteries. The Rector's Palace, which served as the city's seat of government for centuries, has a museum full of artifacts (Pred Dvorom 3, 011-385/20-321-497, $7). At the Franciscan Monastery, go through the Romanesque cloisters to the pharmacy, which has been in business since 1317 (Placa, 011-385/20-321-410, $5). The Dominican Monastery and Museum, in the northeastern corner of the Old Town, has paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries, when the city was at the height of its power and influence (Sveti Dominika, 011-385/20-321-423, $4). And then there are the churches. St. Blaise's Church, on Luza Square, is named after Dubrovnik's patron saint, who is said to protect the city. The church steps are a gathering spot for local celebrations—the most important being the Feast of St. Blaise, held every February. A few steps away is Dubrovnik Cathedral, which has a treasury glowing with gold and silver. Walk the Stradun, the street that bisects the Old Town, to see the Sponza Palace, which once served as the mint, as well as Onofrio's Fountains, built in the 15th century. Where should we eat in Dubrovnik? Kamenica serves big plates of fried fish and mussels at outdoor tables (Gunduliceva poljana 8, 011-385/20-323-682, entrées from $10). The menu is a bit more sophisticated at Lokanda Peskarija, in the Old Port (Ribarnica, 011-385/20-324-750, entrées from $12). Proto prides itself on showcasing the best regional dishes, like brodetto, or fish stew, served with polenta (Siroka ulica 1, 011-385/20-323-234, entrées from $23). How should we spend our time on Korcula? The stone walls make this island seem like a mini Dubrovnik. Once, Korcula was known for its stone masons, who carved beautiful ornamentation onto the façades of the buildings. In the Old Town, go to St. Mark's Cathedral to marvel at the altarpiece painting of three saints by Tintoretto (Trg Sv Marka 1, $4). At the Town Museum, you'll get a nice introduction to Korcula's history (Trg Sv Marka 2, 011-385/20-711-420, $3). Unasked-for advice Dubrovnik is a popular cruise port, and you don't want to get caught in the crush of visitors. The port authority publishes a schedule at luckauprava.no-ip.biz/publicreports. If possible, arrange your sightseeing accordingly.