Insider tip: Chocolate in Zurich

Restaurants in France go by their own set of rules. You'll have a better experience—and reduce your chances of provoking the "rude" waiter—once you know what's appropriate. Asking for Substitutions Non (no): Tip-seeking waiters in American restaurants rarely say no to our requests to add, subtract, and mix and match menu ingredients. The American motto may be "have it your way." Not so in France, where you shouldn't ask the chef to put the sauce from the salmon dish on the halibut instead. Oui (yes): If there's a single ingredient that you'd like to leave off (for example: "no spinach on my pizza"), the restaurant will probably honor your request. The French word for "without" is "sans," so put on your best smile and order "sans epinards (or whatever the detested ingredient), s'il vous plat." The exceptions: I've seen confident and semi-fluent travelers (mostly women) get away with swapping salad for fries "est-ce que je pourrait avoir une salade verte (green salad) à la place des frites (french fries), s'il vous plaît?" In addition, I've seen restaurants go to great lengths to cater to complicated dietary requests if they are contacted in advance, in French, and with respect. Not Ordering the Full Meal Non (no): Sit down in a Paris restaurant and you'll be expected to order a meal. For locals, that's often three courses—an entrée (starter), amain dish (plat), and a dessert. Although you don't need to order all three, you can rarely get away with just ordering an entrée (starter). The same goes for dessert. Oui (yes): Don't have the hunger or funds for three courses? You can order a main dish (plat) without the starter or dessert. It's less common, so the waiter will probably ask "c'est tout?" (that's all?). Just smile and say "oui, merci" (yes, thanks). The exceptions: In the past, I've ordered two starters for my main course by asking "est-ce que je pourrait avoir deux entrées pour mon plat, s'il vous plaît?" I wouldn't dare to do this at an upscale place, but neighborhood joints can be very accommodating if you ask nicely. In addition, informal places that specialize in quick service (think croque monsieur or falafel sandwich) will have fewer rules than a "real" restaurant. Have a question about restaurant behavior? Ask it in the comments. EARLIER Paris's top affordable restaurants: Gourmet's European correspondent, Alec Lobrano, offers his picks (50+ comments) Slimming down the lunch bill at Paris restaurants

Ever dreamed of visiting Down Under? Australia is a steal for U.S. travelers this fall—for three reasons. • Airfares have plunged because of new competition from low cost carriers. The low prices will last for a while. "International fares will still need some time before any increases take place," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said this week, "given the heavy discounting and oversupply, particularly on transpacific routes to North America." One of the main competitors is new entrant Virgin Australia. Roundtrip flights between L.A. and Sydney start at $800 per person. • The value of the U.S. dollar against Australia's currency is 11 percent stronger than in July 2008, meaning your buying power is much, much stronger than it is in Europe, Japan, or many other parts of the world. (Today, one U.S. dollar buys about 1.15 AUD.) • The ongoing recession has depressed tourism from Australia's typical visitors, especially Japan. So hotels and tour operators are dishing discounts of about 20 to 30 percent to lure customers, as the New York Times has reported. A case in point: Australia's Northern Territory, 5 Nights, $987: Explore the wilds of the Northern Territory, including a swim in a rock pool, stays at remote cattle bush camps, and guided hikes of about six miles a day. Book by Feb. 10. To find out more about the airfare bargains, we spoke with Rick Seaney co-founder of the clever airline ticket comparison website FareCompare.com… "Prices were in free fall from late fall last year and have been firming up since a bottom in June. The prices in the spring and last fall were the cheapest I have seen in 5 years of closely tracking airfare trends. They have firmed up lately but are still pretty good compared to the past half decade." Good news! New Zealand may be next! "The cost of flights between New Zealand and the U.S. could drop by up to 40 percent after V Australia and Dubai's Emirates announced a trans-Tasman code share agreement yesterday," reports New Zealand's Business Day. MORE Go on sale, dammit! (Why Hawaii's airfares defy gravity) What's new in Sydney? In October, the new month-long Crave Sydney festival debuts, with island-hopping ferry tours and free dance lessons, among other attractions. Should there be a law against 3-hour tarmac delays? (110+ comments)

Headed to Vegas and looking for show tickets? Try Tix4Tonight, a discounted ticket service that works a lot like New York City's TKTS. Tix4Tonight, with six locations in Vegas, sells same-day tickets to more than 70 shows, at up to half off regular prices. The show list is posted each morning at 9:30 a.m., with sales beginning at 10. Get there early; the lines can be painfully long. But as the expression goes, good things come to those who wait: Tix4Tonight has tickets to popular shows, such as the Cirque du Soleil's Mystère and Fab Four Live, a Beatles tribute show. Check out the website's Sneak Peek to get an idea of what's on offer before you go—the list of available shows changes daily. For example, just today Tix4Tonight had 50 percent off tickets to Fab Four Live. The booths have been around since 2002 and are so popular that a seventh location is being introduced at the end of this month in the Casino Royale Casino & Hotel, which is close to the Mirage, the Venetian, and Harrah's on The Strip. In addition to show tickets, you can get discount tee times at local golf courses and discounts for meals at local restaurants. There's also a $2 off coupon that's downloadable (it'll save you a pesky service charge).

There will be fewer flights this fall than in any season since late 2001, reports the AP. The airlines have been trimming flights, and they haven't finished. American, United, and Delta plan to cancel even more service. What does this mean for you? It means that, despite the recession, planes will usually be full. And if the economy does strengthen a bit, it means that airfares aren't going to get any cheaper by the holidays. As the WSJ's travel editor Scott McCartney puts it, "Buying early means you typically pay a high price (higher than you would during non-holiday periods) and buying closer to the holidays usually means you pay even higher prices." You can book in confidence if you rely on money-back, price tracking websites to "watch your back." As I recently reported in this month's Budget Travel: Most fliers don't know that major U.S. airlines have policies that qualify you for a refund if the fare goes down after you book. Of course, they don't tell you when your fare changes—and who actually keeps track of these things?—so travelers rarely see the money. Enter Yapta. Two years ago, the site introduced its free airfare-tracking service, which e-mails you the moment your fare dips. For $15, Yapta will file the pesky money-back paperwork with your airline. Last summer, Orbitz got in on the business, with its Price Assurance program. If another Orbitz customer books the exact same flight in the same fare class for less than what you paid, you automatically get a check for the difference (up to $250 per ticket). No paperwork required. So don't hesitate to book your tickets now. If the price drops later, you can get some money back in most cases. Another tip: Do your shopping for tickets during the middle of the week, when travel websites often charge lower prices for the same flights than they do on weekends, when they know more people are visiting their websites.