EXOTIC TAHITI - ROUNDTRIP FLIGHTS FROM $788

You must book before May 1. You must also travel between today and May 31, or November 1 and December 1 only.

Check out sample fares below. All of these include fees and taxes.

LAX to Papeete... $788
LAX to Moorea... $908
JFK to Bora Bora... $1088
JFK to Huahine... $1008

Try out our Flight Search tool to the left to find fares for your preferred destination. You may also want to go directly to Air Tahiti Nui's website.

POWDER IN THE PARK

Park City, Utah, You are eligible for a great deal from Park City resorts called Quick START, which stands for Ski Today and Ride Today. If you arrive in the morning, you'll receive a same-day complimentary lift ticket at any of Park City’s three resorts. .

A great place to stay is the Canyons Grand Summit Resort. On your first day for skiing... try The Canyons Ski Resort. A scenic ride up the Flight of the Canyons Gondola allowed me to get the lay of the land before starting. You can ski more than 3,500 acres and 146 trails with no lift lines or bottlenecks on the slopes.

After lunch on the mountain... take time to ramp up the excitement with a snowmobile ride through the backwoods. You'll be shuttled to a remote location outside of Park City by the owner/operator of Thousand Peaks in the Uinta Mountains. A full-throttle ride through the woods and meadows of a privately owned ranch will followed. .

For the ladies... take in the Spa in the Stein Eriksen Lodge, for perfect amount of luxury and pampering.

Try the slopes at Deer Valley Resort on the second day for more deep powder.

Take advantage of a ski lesson from a top-notch instructor at Deer Valley. Not only are the instructors incredible skiers in Park City, but many are former competitive amateur and professional racers who are more than willing to teach you the finer points of the sport. Deer Valley Resort, as well as The Canyons Ski Resort and Park City Mountain Resort, hosted several Olympic events during the 2002 games.

Deer Valley hosted the FIS Freestyle World Cup this January, where the world’s best competed before the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. This is only one in a long list of annual events in the area. After all, this is where the stars shine when Park City plays host to the Sundance Film Festival.

For the ski savvy... try a night at the upscale Hotel Park City.

Nightlife

On Main Street in downtown Park City, there are a core of shops and restaurants that cater to every taste and whim. Designer clothing and jewelry shops are cozily perched next to java huts filled with skiers still wearing their gear. Many fine restaurants, such as Chimayo, with their eclectic menus and extensive wine lists, have all the charm and sophistication to satisfy anyone with cosmopolitan tastes. Yet it’s comfortable and relaxed, since the dress code is usually “mountain casual.”

Getting to Main Street is easy with a ski lift located in the center of town. Much like a bus depot anywhere else, this is the hub of winter commuting. Clients staying in one of the many bed and breakfasts or hotels in the area would have little trouble getting around.

With the combination of great snow, picturesque scenery and a customer-first attitude from everyone, it is easy to see why Park City was chosen to host a large-scale event like the Winter Olympics. This is a first-rate ski resort that you'll love for your winter sports vacation. Contacts

Quick START: www.parkcityinfo.com

The Canyons Resort: www.thecanyons.com

Deer Valley Resort: www.deervalley.com

Park City Mountain Resort: www.pcski.com

NOW THROUGH JULY CAR RENTAL DISCOUNTS

Sample deals

Dallas from $10.95
Houston from $11.95
Los Angeles from $10.95
Orange County from $11.95
Portland from $8.95
Sacramento from $13.95
San Diego from $12.95
San Francisco from $5.95
Seattle from $9.95
Atlanta from $8.95
Fort Lauderdale from $31.95
Fort Myers from $21.95
Jacksonville from $19.95
Miami from $24.95
Orlando from $28.95
Tampa from $20.95
Tallahassee from $18.95
W. Palm Beach from $16.95

KOREA'S SEOUL

While the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) is full of tourist information, there are also two respected cultural tourism organizations that can get you off the “official” tour bus and on the ground with the locals. The Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) and Seoul Selection are both insider sources worthy of the attention of destination travel professionals seeking something unique for you. These outstanding Seoul-based nongovernmental organizations provide access to informative, enjoyable, English-language and non-commercial get-aways and behind-the-scenes excursions.

RAS offers an extensive four-season schedule of value-priced history and arts-and-culture focused tours guided by knowledgeable docents. RAS members and guides range from university professors, corporate executives, the consular corps and their spouses to Korean natives who want to experience Korea’s quintessential East Asian culture and beautiful countryside.

Trips range from excuses to leave town to watch the sunrise on the Eastern Seacoast to jaunts to watch the sunset from the mountaintops overlooking Seoul, as well as drives in the countryside to pottery villages, special visits to local museums, out-of-town festivals and more. No prior Korea experience is needed to fit in with the group; public transportation is often utilized, and itineraries frequently include no-host meals and accommodations. Bookings are made in English. Non-RAS members are charged a nominal additional fee to join.

Catering to a wide range of interests and abilities, RAS packaged tours often include meetings with artists, community members, scholars and other specialists, with hands-on opportunities. All docents are volunteers; fees support RAS’s operations.

Seoul Selection is an essential source of information about short and weekend-long getaways programmed by local organizations and sometimes through its own office. It is also a quick resource for discovering what’s going on (contemporary theater and music concerts, festivals, 20-something clubs, exhibitions and the like) in Seoul, a cosmopolitan 21st-century international city.

Seoul Selection is also the name of founder Hank Kim’s exceptional gathering place for everything an English-speaking tourist could want to know about Korea. From his tiny basement bookstore/cafe near Gyeongbokgung Palace (Anguk METRO station) his staff produces Seoul Weekly as well as the monthly Seoul magazine in conjunction with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. They also produce an English-language e-mail newsletter. One reading and you’ll wonder why everyone doesn’t live in Seoul.

Kim’s staff also provides access to translators and volunteer Goodwill Guides who can accompany tourists to events. Trip organizers should inquire about Korea-based, special-interest clubs whose members seek to broaden their interaction with foreigners of like mind, or regional tourism offices promoting festivals.

Like RAS, Seoul Selection listings are value-priced, usually rely on easily accessible public transportation, include locals and are noncommercial.

CONTACT

Korea Tourism Organization www.tour2korea.com

Royal Asiatic Society (Korea Branch) www.raskb.com

Seoul Selection www.seoulselection.com

EXOTIC TAHITI - ROUNDTRIP FROM $788

You must book before May 1. You must also travel between today and May 31, or November 1 and December 1 only.

Check out sample fares below. All of these include fees and taxes.

LAX to Papeete... $788
LAX to Moorea... $908
JFK to Bora Bora... $1088
JFK to Huahine... $1008

Try out our Flight Search tool to the left to find fares for your preferred destination. You may also want to go directly to Travel Discounts website.

AMERICA BEST U.S. BEACH IS...

Carmel By-the-Sea's white-sandy beach overlooking the famous golf course... Pebble Beach... is the No. 1 spot based on sand and water quality, water temerature, absence of litter and balance between nature and man-made amenities.

Rounding out this year's list are No 3. Florida's Fort DeSoto Park; 4. North Carolina's Ocracoke Island; 5. Hawaii's Hanalei Bay; 6. Florida's Caladesi Island State Park; 7. New York's Main Beach in East Hampton; 8. Hawaii's Makalawena Beach; 9. Hawaii's Hanauma Bay; and 10. Cape Hatteras in North Carolina.

CHICAGO & DENVER 4 DAY SALE

From now through this Friday, enjoy special savings on travel to and from Chicago and Denver. With hundreds of daily flights in and out of Chicago O'Hare and Denver International Airport, United makes it easy for you to travel throughout the United States and beyond. Below is just a small sample of these low rates!

United

* Purchase by July 28, 2008
* Complete travel by Sept 30, 2008
* Travel is valid on all days of the week
* A 2 night or Saturday night minimum stay is required, and a maximum stay of 30 days is permitted
* Blackout dates apply; see the fare facts for full rules and information
* Fares below are subject to availability and may not be available on all flights/dates

Roundtrip One-way

*Sample each-way fares based on required roundtrip purchase: Chicago to/from: Baltimore $90
Cleveland $50
Denver $59
Indianapolis $25
Kansas City $50
New York City $93
Pittsburgh $46
Portland, OR $163
San Francisco $110
Washington Dulles $88

MOLOKAI RANCH SHUTS DOWN

FIFTH NIGHT FREE AT NAPILIPAI BEACH RESORT

PAPAKEA RESORT & PAKI MAUI OFFER FOURTH NIGHT FREE

NINE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES LIFTS AIRPORT BORDER CONTROLS

ITALIAN ART RENAISSANCE

DISNEY CRUISE LINE: SAVE UP TO $275 PER PERSON

HOLLAND AMERICA: CRUISES FROM $399

SUNSATIONAL SAVINGS WITH STARWOOD IN HAWAII

On Oahu, participating properties include Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort; Sheraton Princess Kaiulani; The Royal Hawaiian; W Honolulu Diamond Head; and Sheraton Waikiki. On Maui, guests can select from The Westin Maui Resort & Spa; The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas; or the Sheraton Maui Resort. Kauai travelers can choose the Sheraton Kauai Resort; The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas; or the Princeville Resort. Visitors to Hawaii's Big Island may take advantage of this offer at Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa.

Three-night, land-only vacations begin at $355 per person on Oahu; $369 on Hawaii's Big Island; $653 on Maui; and $697 on Kauai. Savings with the free 3rd night are as much as $701 per couple, depending on accommodations selected. Rate is based on double occupancy and includes accommodations, hotel taxes, and more. Vacations featuring air from departure cities nationwide are also available. Some restrictions may apply.

Travelers can achieve even greater values when they take advantage of TravelDiscounts.com Two-For-One airfares on select United Airlines flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Oahu or Maui. The Two-For-One airfares represent a savings up to $235 per couple, or $470 for a family of four, good for travel through June 5, 2008. Vacations must include a minimum two-night hotel stay, and must be paid in full at the time of booking. Air taxes must be paid on the free airfare, and both passengers must travel on the same flight itinerary.

40% OFF KEY WEST SOUTHERNMOST HOTEL ON DUVAL STREET, KEY WEST, FLORIDA

WINE AND DINE AND A TASTE OF OREGON'S GRAPE ESCAPE

Several unique conditions contribute to the excellence of a bottle of wine from Oregon. Located in the foothills of the coastal mountain range, the wine region evades the damp conditions of the Pacific Northwest rains. And a variety of soils have been deposited here by Ice Age glaciers, volcanic ash flows and sediment left over from the ancient Missoula flood.

Guides at the Grape Escape Winery Tours offer these facts to you. Ralph Stinson started this boutique business in 1994, providing an experience that ranges from an expensive multi-day haute-cuisine tour to an afternoon family tour of a few wineries.

A local chef caters each excursion with an atypical menu — a comfort to you and a challenge for Stinson. When designing a menu with Monica Grinnell of Eat Your Heart Out Catering, Stinson starts by looking for the best in local produce and choice ingredients, which usually involves wild salmon and Tillamook cheese.

While Grape Escape pulls in guests from around the country and the world, locals have also embraced the tours — especially those from Portland and Seattle. Many local companies, including Nike and American Forest Products, book tours for their employees or vendors as entertainment or team-build experiences.

Tours average about 12 people, and because of the wineries’ rural locales between winding roads, clients spend a lot of time traveling via van. So the customized tours include frequent stops, and whether at a winery of interest or at a tucked-away picnic area, food is always served.

“It’s like a self-contained moving picnic,” said tour host Brian Branigan.

Time at the winery can range from 90 minutes to three hours, depending on the level of interest. The goal, according to Stinson, is not to see as many wineries as possible but to have a quality experience at each winery visited.

The wineries aren’t located along a plotted route, so each tour is catered to the customers’ particular interests — from serious, sophisticated palates to lively bachelorette parties.

For those wanting to make a vacation of the wine country, Grape Escape can help with the arrangements — from booking a hotel room to recommending or reserving a table at the finest wine-centric restaurants. The Portland area offers a variety of great restaurants — almost too many to chose from. Acting as a concierge, Grape Escape can help visitors find what they are craving. Regardless of appetite, suits and ties are usually not required at dinner, and even socks and sandals can be found throughout some of the top restaurants.

Before a Grape Escape, clients should know the scale of wine production here is small — more family size than corporate. Keeping it personal, Stinson said, is the way of Oregon. Contact

Grape Escape Winery Tours
503-283-3380
www.grapeescapetours.com

COMING HOME TO JAMAICA

Round Hill

A mere eight miles but a world away from busy Montego Bay, Round Hill Hotel and Villas manages the difficult task of combining old-world elegance with today’s casual lifestyle. Serenely nestled into 110 acres of lush and rolling hills on palm-fringed Round Hill Bay, this one-time sugar and pineapple plantation celebrates its past in many ways, including its enchanting “Colonial-with-a-Jamaican-twist” architecture. The original Great House is not only standing, it has recently been transformed into a luxurious, full-service spa (for a unique treat, advise clients to try the signature pineapple scrub).

Guests can be accommodated in the 36-room Pineapple House Hotel or in one of 27 stylish villas. All hotel rooms overlook both the Caribbean and the resort’s seaside freshwater pool, and each has been decorated by designer Ralph Lauren (a Round Hill shareholder). Lauren’s hand is evident in the predominately white decor touched by splashes of tropical turquoise and pink, the 300-count Egyptian cotton sheets, the sumptuous chaises and the king-sized, four-poster beds. The privately owned villas, which are rented when the owners are not in residence, vary in size. Each offers stunning views, gardens, a swimming pool and a kitchen where housekeepers prepare breakfast each morning.

Lauren also designed Round Hill’s bar, with its billowy white curtains, white-striped club chairs, palm-shaped pillars and solid mahogany ceiling fans. Clients will spend a lot of time examining the walls here, as they’re lined with photos of celebrities who have flocked to Round Hill over the years.

Since the kitchen boasts a versatile and world-class Austrian chef, dining here is a memorable experience. Most people enjoy eating at the seaside terrace, where thousands of tiny lights illuminate the almond trees each night. Theme nights keep things lively: on Mondays, for example, there’s a beach party complete with bonfire, a Jamaican buffet and local music. Saturday nights feature an a la carte menu, a jazz band and dancing under the stars until the wee hours.

Watersports include snorkeling along the nearby reef, scuba diving, water skiing, sunfish sailing and windsurfing. Tennis courts, a fitness center and jogging paths are onsite, and a championship golf course is minutes away. Deep-sea fishing, rafting and other outings can be arranged. Your clients might want to opt for the all-inclusive Platinum Plan. At $150 a day per person above the room rate, it includes all meals and bar drinks, afternoon tea, an in-room massage and other amenities.

Good Hope

Situated in a peaceful valley about an hour from the airport, the exquisite Good Hope, built in 1755, is about as close as you can get to historic Jamaica. Once a hugely profitable sugar plantation, the original Georgian-style Great House, the Carriage House, the River Cottage and other buildings have been restored and decorated with 18th-and 19th-century Jamaican antiques. Throughout the 2,000 acres are stunning views of the greener-than-green rolling hills and the river valley far below. This is one special place.

Good Hope is ideal for family reunions, wedding parties, business retreats or any group requiring their own space because it operates as a villa. The smallest building is the River Cottage, with three bedrooms. The Great House contains four bedrooms and includes a large dining room, two living rooms, a bar room with a pool table, a lily pond and formal gardens, swimming pool, tennis court, Jacuzzi and much more. A total of 17 bedrooms, sleeping a maximum of 42 people, are available. The Details

Round Hill Hotel and Villas Montego Bay, Jamaica www.traveldiscounts.com.com

Hotel rates, depending on season and room size, range from $260-$850 per night, double occupancy. Villa rates: $4,000-$14,400 per week (various meal plans for the villas are extra). Travel Discounts "Hotels & Resorts" offer 50% discounts on these hotel rack rates.......

CASTLES OF THE GERMAN WINE COUNTRY

St. Goar
The Mittelrhein wine town of St. Goar is an ideal base for excursions into the Rhine and Mosel valley. Overlooking the town, the castle ruins of Burg Rheinfels bear witness to the fact that St. Goar was once the best-fortified town in the Mittlerhein. From its early days in the mid-1200s, it was repeatedly enlarged by the counts of Katzenelnbogen, a powerful dynasty, and their successors, the landgraves of Hesse. Take time for a walk through the impressive ruins and the museum, which has an exquisite model of the fortress in its heyday.

Set aside a full day to tour the Rhine's only impregnable castle, the Marksburg , perhaps the most impressive castle still standing in Germany. The castle was built in the 1100s above the town of Braubach, and is the only land-based castle on the Rhine to have survived the centuries intact. Within its massive walls are a collection of weapons and manuscripts and a medieval botanical garden.

Next, take a jaunt through the lower Mosel valley from Koblenz to Burg Eltz , whose fanciful spires and towers, not to mention its precarious perch over a luminous forest, lend the castle a fairy-tale aura. The 40-minute tour of the castle guides you through, among other things, the period rooms and massive kitchen. In summer, the lines to see Burg Eltz are long, so bring water, particularly if you're traveling with children. To get here, exit B--416 at Hatzenport, proceed to Munstermaifeld, and follow signs to the parking lot near the Antoniuskapelle. From here it's a 15-minute walk.

Heidelberg
Spend one day exploring Heidelberg's Old Town and massive castle ruins. What is most striking about the ruins is the architectural variety of this great complex (photograph above). The oldest parts still standing date from the 15th century, though most of the castle was built in the Renaissance and baroque styles of the 16th and 17th centuries. There's even an "English wing," built in 1612 by the elector Friedrich V for his teenage Scottish bride, Elizabeth Stuart; its plain, square-window facade is positively foreign compared to the more opulent styles of the castle.

The castle can be reached by taking the Konigstuhl Bergbahn. Heidelberg straddles the Hessische Bergstrasse and northern Baden wine regions. The white varietals, such as Riesling, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), yield the finest wines. Click here for additional information on sights, dining, and lodging in Heidelberg.

The Neckar Valley
Neckarzimmern's Burg Hornberg, residence of a celebrated 16th-century knight, is the perfect stopover. The 12th-century castle is now a hotel-restaurant, and as you can well imagine, the guest rooms have splendid views of the Neckar Valley. The food is good and the wines are exceptional (try the spicy white varietals Traminer and Muskateller).

On the way to Bad Wimpfen, a detour to burg Guttenberg is essential. This is one of the best-preserved of the Neckar castles. Within its stout stone walls are a museum and a restaurant (closed January, February, and Monday), the latter with views of the river valley. The museum has displays and diagrams that document the history of the castle as well as suits of armor. The castle is also home to Europe's leading center for the study and protection of birds of prey (the German Raptor Research Centre), some of which are released on demonstration flights from the castle walls April through October, daily at 11 and 3, and in March and November, daily at 3.

Bad Wimpfen
At the confluence of the Neckar and Jagst rivers, Bad Wimpfen is one of the most conspicuously lovely towns of the Neckar Valley. On the hilltop, Wimpfen am Berg, the emperor Barbarossa built his largest Pfalz (residence) in 1182. A walking tour (marked by signs bearing the town arms) begins at the Rathaus on the market square, adjacent to the Burgviertel (palace quarter) and the buildings of the former imperial residence. These are nestled along the town wall between the turreted "Blauer Turm" (Blue Tower) and the massive stone "Roter Turm" (Red Tower), the western and eastern strongholds of the palace, respectively. You can climb either tower for a grand view of the city, with its fanciful half-timber houses, their red-tile roofs and windows decorated with flower boxes.

Weikersheim
In neighboring Weikersheim, tour Schloss Weikersheim, a Renaissance hunting palace of the counts of Hohenlohe. The Rittersaal (Knight's Hall) is a don't-miss spectacle of gilt and, glass, stone and plaster. No detail was left out of the interior design. There are even artfully crafted bas-reliefs of game animals on the walls, a quasi-poetical reference to the love of hunting. The castle holds one of the most impressive collections of antiques in Germany. Downstairs, in the cellar, you can sip a glass of wine drawn from enormous casks while outside you can stroll the gardens and admire the spectacular view.

Follow the course of the Tauber to its confluence with the Main River at Wertheim, also known as "little Heidelberg" because of its impressive hilltop castle ruins. In Wurzburg, your next stop, you'll see many Gothic and baroque masterpieces, including the Marienberg fortress and its successor, the opulent Residenz. Three first-class wine estates here have wine pubs and shops.

Getting Around
Fast, frequent train service from Frankfurt to St. Goar, Koblenz, Heidelberg, or Wurzburg, supplemented by local train and bus service, gets you to the above destinations within two hours. The Deutsche Touring company's Europabus travels the Burgenstrasse, including Heidelberg and the Neckar Valley, as well as the Romantic Road, serving Wurzburg, Bad Mergentheim, and Weikersheim. Sights are open and boats cruise the Rhine, Mosel, Neckar, and Main rivers from Easter through October.

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$55 PER NIGHT AT THE GALLERIA PALMS ORLANDO

$60 PER ROOM, PER NIGHT HOWARD JOHNSON MAINGATE RESORT

$69 PER NIGHT INCLUDING BREAKFAST AT RADISSON WORLDGATE RESORT, KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA

........2

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$79 PER NIGHT BUENA VISTA SUITES - ORLANDO, FLORIDA

20% OFF BEST RATE AVAILABLE - ALAMO RENT A CAR - COSTA RICA

LANDING IN OZ

Just to get an idea of the size of the Great Barrier Reef, here are a few statistics: The Great Barrier Reef stretches over 1,200 miles and boasts more than 1,500 species of fish. It is larger than the Great Wall of China and is the planet’s biggest reef system with 2,600 separate reefs.

Quicksilver is one of the luxury tour operators that makes daily trips to the reef. The trip includes roundtrip transport, snorkeling equipment (diving is available for an additional cost), lunch, an observation area and, my favorite, a submarine tour.

Snorkelers can see hundreds of colorful fish and coral while in the water, but the submarine covers an extensive part of the reef — including brain corral, giant clams and turtles — that might not be seen otherwise. Visitors can spend a few hours snorkeling the reef and partaking in the submarine tour and they will quickly be surprised at the variety and color variation of living creatures in the deep blue waters.

Palm Cove is a popular jumping-off point for Great Barrier trips. This region is also fast becoming a trendy spa destination and many of the new resorts, including Sea Temple Resort, offer beachfront access as well as state-of-the-art spas. The rooms at the Sea Temple Resort are extremely spacious and the grounds — consisting of three pools, a spa, gym and beach — are especially fitting for families. And Palm Cove has the feel of Miami’s South Beach, with lots of great cafes, restaurants and resorts.

After spending several days at the reef and relaxing at Palm Cove, most visitors head north to visit the Daintree Rainforest. This is the world’s epicenter of biodiversity: there are over 400 species of trees and hundreds of animals including birds, dingoes, kangaroos and wallabies. In fact, the Wet Tropics rainforest — which includes Daintree — covers 2.2 million acres, making it an oxygen factory and a living museum of flora and fauna.

A favorite lodge for honeymooners and vacationing couples is Silky Oaks Lodge. Here visitors will enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the rainforest. Guests are treated to guided walks into the woods; the night walks offer chance encounters with a variety of nocturnal creatures.

For those guests wanting to explore the forest on their own, they should bike to Mosman Gorge, about a 30-minute ride from the lodge. This area offers amazing hiking trails that traverse past waterfalls, rich plant life and a diverse species of trees. The Daintree Rainforest has survived almost unchanged for 110 million years, meaning these rainforests contain several of the first flowing plant species from which all plants originated. Guests will feel like they are walking through Jurassic Park.

TIPS

— Keep in mind that Australia has the reverse seasons from the U.S.
— When traveling in our summer, their winter, temperatures are pleasant during the day and require a light jacket at night.
— Sunscreen, insect repellent and motion sickness pills (the boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef can sometimes be choppy) are well worth packing.
— Guests can rent a Lycra full-body suit when snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. This offers additional sun protection as well as protection from any stinging fish.
— The intense sun requires that visitors stay hydrated by drinking ample water throughout the day. Sunscreen should be applied liberally and often. A wide-brim hat and lightweight long-sleeve shirts and long pants are useful in preventing too much sun exposure.

25% AZUL VIEW HOTEL - RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO

10 TIPS FOR EASIER FLYING

Leave Early: If you're traveling to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime celebration or other important function, depart a day early lest a delay make you miss out on the event altogether.

Check the Records: Look for flights with good on-time performance ratings from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Check the department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics Web site before you book, or ask your airline reservationist or travel agent, particularly if you're scheduling a tight connection or if you absolutely have to be there on time.

Fly in the Morning: Always fly early in the day -- the first departure if you can. This is especially important if you're traveling around a holiday or in another busy period. Flight delays often ripple through the system, so the earlier you leave, the better your chances of avoiding major gridlock down the line. And if something does go wrong, you'll have a whole day's worth of other options to get where you're going.

Think Small: A destination's largest airport may offer more diversions and a greater choice of flights -- but sometimes less can add up to more. Smaller airports are often easier to move through, although long lines at security checkpoints can be a problem.

Avoid Rush Hours: Stay away from airport rush hours and other peak-travel periods. On business-travel routes, that's between 8:30 and 10 in the morning and between 4:30 and 6:30 in the afternoon. To Europe, Fridays are busy; coming from Florida, avoid Sundays. Holiday weekends always bustle.

Nonstop Is Better: Travel nonstop whenever you can. Each time you change planes, you boost the possibility of things going wrong. You become subject to weather and congestion conditions at three airports, not two, and risk mechanical problems or personnel-related delays on two airplanes rather than one. Checked luggage has to make the connections, too. If your connection is to a different carrier, things get even more complicated.

Leave Time for Connections: Be smart about connections, if you have to make one. Don't cut it too close. Ask about the minimum connecting times between flights, then add 20 minutes. Airline connecting times are best-case scenarios. Don't put yourself in the position of possibly missing your flight because the gate agent didn't show up or someone took forever to get his or her bag out of the overhead. And have a backup plan: know the alternative flights out, just in case.

Stay Loyal: Stick with one or two frequent-flier programs. In addition to racking up free trips faster, you'll also accumulate more quickly the perks that can make trips easier. On some airlines, these include a special reservations number, early boarding, access to upgrades, and more roomy economy-class seating.

Check the Plan: Seating position isn't just a question of aisle or window. If you require constant access to your carry-on baggage, make sure you're not in a bulkhead seat. Different makes of planes have different layouts, moreover -- so if you don't want to be stuck next to the lavatory or galley, tell the reservation agent or check the seating plan.

Anticipate Problems: Delays happen. So do bad movies, unappetizing meals, and overworked flight attendants. Bring snack food, water, and sufficient diversions, and you'll be covered even if you get stuck in the airport, on the tarmac, or in the air during turbulence (when flight attendants may not be available to assist you)

FROM $65 PER PERSON ALL INCLUSIVE HOTEL COSTA DEL SOL IN CARTAGENIA, COLOMBIA

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$210 PER ROOM PER NIGHT ALL-INCLUSIVE AT NEGRILGARDENS BEACH RESORT IN NEGRIL, JAMAICA

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ONE FREE NIGHT AT SANDALS RESORTS IN JAMAICA, ST. LUCIA AND THE BAHAMAS

$111 PER PERSON IN JAMAICA - DOLPHIN COVE - OCHO RIOS, ST. ANN, JAMAICA

$45 DOUBLE INCLUDING BREAKFAST - CASA DORADO BED & BREAKFAST LAS GALERAS,SAMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

JOURNEY TO ITALY

If you prefer a private tour that gives more of an insider’s look at Rome — or Venice, Florence or Pompeii — without the high price tag, you might want to book them an iJourneys self-guided walking tour. The audio tours can be purchased and downloaded from the company’s Web site and used on an iPod or mp3 player. Less tech-savvy clients can opt to order a CD instead.

iJourneys is the brainchild of Elyse Weiner, a longtime news producer and foreign correspondent. Weiner brings incredible background to the 60- to 75-minute tours, literally, as hers is the voice clients will hear in their headphones.

Hailing from New York, Weiner’s resume is stacked with impressive names and hard-to-pronounce corners of the world. During her 20 years in the news business, Weiner produced for the likes of Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw, covered news for ABC radio and, of course, she traveled. About two years ago, Weiner watched a tour group trudge through a Miami shopping mall — and iJourneys was born.

Written for an American sensibility and recorded on location, the tours are perfect for business travelers with a few hours to sightsee, budget travelers or your group who would like more than the hit-the-high-points tour.

The first tour took youthrough the heart of Ancient Rome from Capitoline Hill to the Coliseum — the opposite way of many other walking tours.

The views of the ancient housing, lore about the virgin palace and facts about the Roman water system were all part of the tour. But the highlight had to be Weiner’s directions to the little-known kiosk where tickets to the Coliseum are sold. You barely wait for a ticket, when at the Coliseum the wait for the same ticket was over an hour.

iJourneys’ Old Rome walk included the top tourist spots — the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, several monuments and churches — as well as information on the best cappuccino spot in town. The tour also included stories about the Roman baths, tips on driving etiquette and where the Pope buys his robes.

The Florence walk took you from the famous doors at the Baptistery by the Duomo to the artists lining the streets near the Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio. You get the sense that I was walking through history and learning what it was like to be a Florentine.

Your final tour took me to Venice, where Weiner spoke of seemingly everything from the birth control-laced pigeon food sold to tourists to stop bird over-population to the Bridge of Sighs where prisoners walked to their deaths.

Again, your assured to hit the highlights — Doge’s Palace, Piazza San Marco and the Rialto — but also tucks in things like the out-of-the-way Scala Di Bovolo and charming shops.

Currently, iJourneys offers a Paris tour and five tours in Italy: Ancient Rome, Old Rome, Florence and Pompeii. Upcoming cities include Barcelona, Prague, Hong Kong and Amsterdam.

Each tour is 60-75 minutes and comes with a downloadable — and printable — map. For tourists worried they will get lost, Weiner gives detailed instructions and plenty of markers to ensure clients will stay on the right path.

Cost: $14.95 per tour.

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