Manly Malt

After they quit their jobs and spent their months-long honeymoon exploring Down Under in a camper van, Keith Charlton and Louise Corken went home to Belfast, bought a fleet of five Fiat Scudo vans, and launched a company called Bunk Campers. The vans have a foldout bed for two and a kitchenette stocked with red and turquoise dishes--and milk and cookies. After picking up a van in Dublin or Belfast (airport transfers are included), travelers can spend their nights parked at campsites in Northern Ireland and Ireland. Bunkcampers.com, from $130 per day with a four-day minimum.

Renowned for its capers and sweet wines, the tiny island of Pantelleria is just a 45-minute flight from Palermo. This is the Mediterranean as it used to be, where prehistoric burial sesi rise above vineyards, volcanic steam creates cave saunas, and locals celebrate the simple pleasures of sea, sun, and village life. (The island is believed to be the mythical Ogygia, where Odysseus dallied with the nymph Calypso.) Though there are hotels on Pantelleria, to get the true experience, rent a dammuso: an ancient architectural form with walls of lava blocks and whitewashed dome roofs. Here's how: Most of the Italian island's dammusi rent by the week, but it is possible to book one for just three or four nights from late September to late May. The company Call Tour rents 60 authentic dammusi of various shapes and sizes, including the following three properties (011-39/0923-911-065, calltour.it). Geranio: Two bedrooms, one bath, with a view of the Tunisian coast; from $400 per week. Monastir: Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and vineyard views; from $840 per week. Rekale: Four bedroom dammuso that sleeps eight and overlooks the ocean; from $3,000 per week.

Got a Great Tip? Send your travel tips and if we publish one, you'll get a one-year subscription (or a renewal) to Budget Travel. You can email them to us at Tips@BudgetTravel.com, or submit one here. The cleverest tips we've ever run are compiled in The Smart Traveler's Passport, a new book available in bookstores and at barnesandnoble.com and other online stores. If your tip is one that we illustrate in the magazine, we'll send you a free book (along with that year's subscription)! 1. In plane sight I download TV shows to my iPod to watch while I fly. I was having trouble figuring out a way to watch hands-free until I discovered that the plastic cups that airlines serve drinks in are the perfect size and shape to prop up an iPod. Put a cup on your tray table and place the iPod inside; the screen will be just above the lip--the perfect position. Everyone I've shown this trick to says it works great. Kristi Wright, Norman, Okla. 2. Call for help Program your credit card companies' phone numbers into your cell phone. Recently, I left my card at a restaurant. I called the credit card company, and it was able to flag my account to show that the card was at risk. Once I had retrieved my card from the restaurant, the company simply removed the flag. David Rhoads, Derwood, Md. 3. Show them the way I enjoy boutique hotels, but they're often difficult to locate, even for locals. When I'm staying at one, I print out a street map of the hotel and surrounding area for the driver taking me from the airport to the hotel (drivers are grateful for the help). I also keep a copy of the map for myself and mark on it the locations of a market, pharmacy, and interesting nearby restaurants for reference throughout the trip. Cindy Kilkenny, Brookfield, Wis. 4. A question of taste When wine tasting in Napa Valley, I ask the pourers to recommend their favorite local wineries. I'm always given the names of a few great nearby vineyards--and often free tasting passes, as well. Michelle Johnson, Santa Cruz, Calif. 5. Two are better than one To get out of my hotel room on time, I request two wake-up calls: the first for when I need to get up, and the second for when I should be walking out the door. Scott W. Ball, San Antonio, Tex. You can find all 20 Tips in the September 2007 issue of Budget Travel magazine.

2007 Scouting Report We asked 10 people who explore for a living to reveal the places that they've recently "discovered"--in other words, the best places you've never heard of (and, frankly, neither had we). Go now, before the rest of the world catches up. • Meet the Experts • Expert's Travel Tips Hush-hush Europe: La Cerdanya Straddling France and Spain, the region of La Cerdanya is where Europeans go when they want peace and quiet and really good jam. • Barcelona Menu Decoder Destination Unknown We decided to send two travelers somewhere they knew nothing about...and we weren't telling them where until the day before they were leaving. Buzz Worthy: Montenegro The former Yugoslavia has one more secret up its coast: Montenegro is a newly independent country that's small in size, but big on the next-destination map. • Montenegro Slide Show Inside Knowledge: Hotel Chains Many Americans don't realize that there's a world of hotel chains beyond Marriott and Motel 6. Road Trip: 10 Coolest Small Towns A little bit hip and a little bit homey, these up-and-coming towns guarantee a fun detour on your next road trip. You'll be browsing the local real estate pages before you know it. • Real Estate Slide Show 40 Best Vacations From a Tanzanian game reserve and untouched Incan ruins to a wealth of adventure tours, here are the Real Deals right now.