Kudos to...Fodor's

Aficionados explain how to buy tea, brew it, and slurp it in the Budget Travel story The ABC's of Tea. For fun, we're giving away a tea basket that contains Harney & Sons Organic Green Iced Tea Bags and plus Caribe Green and Back Tea and Guava. Plus, a couple of jars of Deborah's spreadable fruit, a box of Nunes Farms toffee crunch almonds, and a handy JoAnn Marie Designs tote bag. To enter, all you have to do is tell us a memorable story involving your travels and tea, here or abroad. Our favorite story will garner the prize. Short is sweet. Deadline next Tuesday March 11, 2008. (U.S. mailing addresses only. Void where prohibited. We'll contact the winner by email to ask for their mailing address. ) Post your story below! MORE ON TEA London's top tea parties Pinkies In! A how-to guide to teatime in England. Afternoon tea is back at the reopened Plaza Hotel in New York City.

Attention, fellow cheapskates: Greyhound has launched a low-fare spin-off service, BoltBus, on the popular route between D.C. and N.Y.C. On March 27 , BoltBus starts traveling eight times a day. One-way tickets start at $1, plus a 50 cent fee. Round-trips start at $3. As the seats fill up, the prices rise to about $30 to $40 each way, in line with Greyhound's standard prices on the route. ... Fares are non-refundable and have to booked online at BoltBus.com up to two hours in advance. Unlike Greyhound's vehicles, BoltBus coaches offer free Wi-Fi and seats with 110-volt plugs. Locations are limited so far. In Washington, D.C., near the Metro Center Station at 11th Street and G Street. In New York City, near Penn Station at 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue and in south Manhattan at 6th Avenue and Canal Street. There's a one-bag limit for passengers. As noted, eight trips are offered daily. Passengers use printed boarding passes to board. Each passenger gets a boarding group assignment when they buy their ticket, and each one is boarded roughly in the order in which he or she purchased tickets. Frequent travelers also get seating priority. I'll try the service on launch day, March 27, and let you know how it goes. BoltBus hopes to compete with alternative cheap services, which include: DC2NY (which also offers free Wi-Fi and similar schedules), Washington Deluxe, Vamoose, among others. Thanks to Paul Brady at Jaunted for the tip.

As a stunt, the group Improv Everywhere recently brought folks to London's Trafalgar Square. On a secret cue at 3:30 p.m., all of the volunteers stood motionless in various poses. This video shows the startled reaction of tourists and passersby: You can learn how to participate, or create, similar events nationwide at ImprovEverywhere.com.