GEARING UP
We’re torn on this one. On the one hand, the idea of teaching teens fiscal responsibility using The Allow Card, a prepaid MasterCard you, the parent, load with money, has some appeal. It has no interest fees, no late fees and no overdraft fees, and you can designate what types of merchants the card can be used at. It also has built-in educational tools, such as monthly online financial tutorials and tests that have to be taken before the card can be used, and optional parental controls, such as text messages that are sent every time the card is used. On the other hand … well, do we really need to teach our kids to use plastic any earlier? Here’s how MasterCard makes its money on the thing: it costs $19.95 to set it up, and you pay $3.95 for shipping, and then it’s $3.50 per month per account. The card has a PIN and the usual security setups if it gets lost or stolen, which is what makes it user-friendly for traveling families, so that the kids aren’t carrying cash. | $23.90, plus monthly fees, allowcard.com.
REAL DEALS
The week’s best travel bargains around the globe, by land, sea and air.
G.A.P Adventures has 20 percent discounts on its new 2007 itineraries for travel through March 31. For example, an 11-night “Egypt Explorer” trip departing March 10, including lodging, a Nile cruise, internal transportation, 18 meals and a tour guide, is $1,080 per person double; local fees of $250 and international airfare are extra. Info: 800-676-4941, gapadven tures.com/new (use code NEW20 at booking).
MonteLago Village at Lake Las Vegas Resort has a “Holiday Skate, Stay & Shop” package for stays through Jan. 15. The $64.50 per person double package includes one-night lodging in a studio condominium, discounts at MonteLago Village shops and entrance to the seasonal ice skating rink on the 320-acre Lake Las Vegas. Best rates for Sunday-Thursday stays. Usual room-only rates start at $209, and ice skating usually is $15 per adult. Call 866-399-2753. Resort info: montelagovillage.com.
More than 100 resorts and Nordic centers in the United States and Canada will participate in Winter Trails Day Jan. 6. The event offers newcomers a chance to try snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and winter hiking for free. Locations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland are participating. Info: wintertrails.org.
Discovery World Cruises’ 2007-08 schedule includes discounts on several itineraries. For example, a trip that starts in Lisbon on Nov. 7 has two-for-one cruise fares and free air from Washington. The deal includes a 13-night trans-Atlantic cruise aboard the 650-passenger MV Discovery, two nights’ pre-cruise hotel in Lisbon and one night of post-cruise onboard lodging in Rio de Janeiro.
– The Washington Post
BOOK YOUR VACATION
When the weather turns cold, there’s a fire going and a hot cup of cocoa in hand, it’s nice to have a book at the ready that can keep you rooted to the spot for a while. “Japanland: A Year in Search of Wa” ($14.95, Rodale) is that kind of book, author Karin Muller’s retelling of her attempt at finding a “seemingly effortless state of harmony” – the Japanese wa – in her life after boyfriend troubles and career stops and starts in her native Washington, D.C. An adept and avid judo student, the 34-year-old Muller is accepted into the home of a host sensei and his wife in Fujisawa, and the subsequent trials and tribulations – the perfectionist wife is not thrilled to have her there – are funny, poignant and entertaining.
THE ROOM REPORT
HOTEL DUPONT
11th and Market streets, Wilmington, Del.
800-441-9019, dupont.com/hotel.
RATES: Start at $139 per night, but this place has some fancy options. Overnight parking $20.
STAY HERE IF YOU’RE: more about the hotel than the destination city, or if you’re stuck in Wilmington on business and want a room that will make you forget all about it.
IT’S CLOSE TO: Downtown Wilmington, Delaware Museum of Natural History, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts. The Dupont Theatre, a 1,252-seat Victorian showplace that imports Broadway-style fare, is located in the hotel.
THE ROOMS ARE: award-winning and deservedly so. This is Delaware’s answer to our Broadmoor (and then some). Every room is elegant and extraordinarily appointed, with a sitting room, mini-bar, giant desk and a bathroom that could sleep three more guests.
THEY PUT ALL OF THE MONEY INTO: Well, the famous duPont family had a lot of money, and they spread it around; the lobby and banquet rooms are so large and ornate, you almost expect Cinderella to dash out every evening at midnight. But we’ll guess they are throwing money at the staff these days, because the service is world-class too.
THE BOTTOM LINE: It’s easy for historic hotels to lose their luster, but the DuPont remains one of the country’s proudest inns and it’s a steal (location is everything in the lodging business). Stay there, and you will remember it always.
virtualtourist.com
Forums for tourists are multiplying at alarming rates, and virtualtourist.com seems to be one of the largest and most comprehensive, with a reputed 800,000 members from 220 countries and territories sharing their tips and photos (they even boast 25 marriages so far, because they host global weekly meetings among members). Participants plan their trips from the guides cobbled together from other members’ postings; use the trip planner to create a specific take-away file; get their questions answered by other travelers; and build a home page for others to view. Links hook you up to book a trip, and you can rate others’ tips.
TRAVEL BY NUMBERS| Top 10 Small Lodgings
The best small (fewer than 100 rooms) hotels, resorts and inns in the United States, from ZagatSurvey’s “2007 U.S. Hotels, Resorts and Spas” guide.
1.Twin Farms, Woodstock area, Vt.
2. Blackberry Farms, Walland, Tenn.
3. El Monte Sagrado, Taos, N.M.
4. Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Hilton Head, S.C.
5. Rancho Valencia, San Diego
6. Inn at Little Washington,
Washington, Va.
7. Casa Palmero, Carmel area, Calif.
8. The Point, Adirondacks, N.Y.
9. Post Ranch Inn, Carmel area, Calif.
10. Bel-Air, Los Angeles
GEO QUIZ | Where are these places?
1. Identify the river from these clues: This river flows north through Siberia. The land on its upper course is rich in minerals, including gold and coal. It rises in the Irkutsk Oblast and empties into the Laptev Sea.
2. Identify the city from these clues: This city sits in a depression ringed by the northern Dinaric Alps. It is an important center for rail and road transportation on the way to Austria. It is the economic, political, and cultural center of Slovenia.
3. Identify the lake from these clues: This lake provides irrigation for more than 800,000 acres of farmland. It was formed as a result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam. It is also known as Lake Nubia.
4. Identify the city from these clues: During the Middle Ages, this city was an economic rival of Antwerp. Spinning, weaving and lace-making are traditional parts of this city’s economy. It is the capital of the West Flanders province.
5. Identify the island from these clues: This island was formed by volcanic activity in 1963. It is the southernmost of the Westman Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the site of research being conducted by Icelandic and American scientists.
6. Identify the city from these clues: A network of roads connects this city to Cameroon, Sudan and Chad. This city exports cotton and timber. It is the largest city in the Central African Republic.
7. Identify the lake from these clues: This lake is the largest in Central America. A river drains this lake to the Caribbean Sea. Granada is a port on its northwest shore.
8. Identify the island from these clues: This island lies south of the Ligurian Sea. The island is mountainous, but its beaches are a popular tourist destination. Ajaccio is a city on its southwest coast.
9. Identify the mountain system from these clues: This mountain system lies northwest of the Himalaya. Some of the world’s highest peaks, including K2, are located in this system. The system is north of the Indus River in the Kashmir region.
10. Identify the lake from these clues: This lake receives several rivers, including the Saskatchewan River. It borders valuable timberland and is a summer recreation area. The Nelson River drains this lake to the Hudson Bay.
ANSWERS: 1. Lena River 2. Ljubljana 3. Lake Nasser 4. Brugge 5. Surtsey 6. Bangui 7. Lake Nicaragua 8. Corsica 9. Karakoram Range 10. Lake Winnipeg
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
