Tips for travelling during flu season

Bill Miller, who handles business development for CheapOAir.com, avoids drinking out of glasses in hotel rooms, using disposable cups and bottled water instead. He also tries to stay away from breakfast bars and other buffet meals where germs can spread.

Q. If I cancel a planned trip because of swine flu, will I get a refund?

A. Travel suppliers are not obligated to help but it’s worth asking. Last spring, when the outbreak was at its worst in Mexico, some travel suppliers offered credits toward future trips. Some resort chains with hotels in Mexico and other locations allowed travellers to switch destinations if they had availability at hotels elsewhere, but travellers had to book new airfare.

Q. Should I buy travel insurance?

A. “We’re telling our clients: ‘Don’t leave home without travel insurance,”’ said Mike Weingart, president and managing director of Travel Leaders in Houston.

But traditional travel insurance only offers coverage if you become too sick to travel prior to departure or if you become sick during the trip.

Traditional insurance will not cover your losses if you cancel a planned trip simply because you are worried about exposure to illness, even if a pandemic is declared, said Judy Sutton, director of product management for Travel Insured International.

To be covered in that case, you’d need a “cancel for any reason” policy, Sutton said.

Be aware, however, that “cancel for any reason” policies usually offer only a 75 per cent reimbursement of your losses.

And cancel for any reason policies typically require you to cancel two days before departure.

So while your cancellation could be for any reason at all — “fear of swine flu or even a bad hair day” — you can’t make that decision as you’re boarding the plane, Sutton said.

Traditional travel insurance typically runs about 3 to 5 per cent of the price of your trip. Sutton says a “cancel for any reason“ upgrade is usually half the cost of the basic policy. So if the regular insurance is $100, the cancel for any reason upgrade would add $50 to the total price.

If you are offered an inexpensive insurance policy with a cruise or tour, make sure you understand the terms. “Often these are vouchers for future travel with the same company, not for reimbursement of losses, and that voucher may have a time limit on it,” Sutton said.

Traditional insurance also usually covers costs related to more typical travel problems, such as medical care in your destination and airline or weather disruptions that might involve an extra night in a hotel or rebooking fees. Travel insurance providers also usually offer round-the-clock telephone assistance, whether you need a referral to an English-speaking doctor or help reaching an airline to rebook.

Q. What about cruises?

A. The cruise industry requires passengers to fill out pre-boarding questionnaires screening for swine flu symptoms. Passengers who report symptoms or exposure to flu may face additional screening by medical personnel. They could be barred from boarding if they are ill.

Paul Motter, editor of CruiseMates.com, points out that because of past outbreaks of norovirus on cruises, “the newer ships already have hands-free lavatory facilities, with doors that open automatically and hands-free sinks and toilets, as well as procedures to isolate passengers who become sick.”

Norovirus causes stomach flu.

And just as with outbreaks of norovirus, an outbreak of flu on a ship could trigger steps such as closing whirlpools or buffets to prevent the spread of infection.

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Weddings in paradise

There was a time when a destination wedding meant a quick ceremony on a resort beach followed by a glass of champagne and a swim in the ocean. Not anymore.

Today's destination weddings can be as simple -- or as sophisticated -- as the bride and groom desire. Nothing reflects that change more than the recent announcement that Sandals Resorts International and Martha Stewart Living OmniMedia have tied the knot on a deal to create six signature wedding packages. The new Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart and Beaches Weddings by Martha Stewart can be booked now for weddings in 2010 at 18 Sandals and Beaches resorts around the Caribbean.

At the launch event aboard the Lady Sandals yacht, Martha Stewart said she believes the six "fantasy themed weddings" exemplify the "attention to detail, creativity, charm and beauty" suited to a tropical setting.

Once a popular choice for second marriages, an increasing number of first-time brides and grooms are opting for a "wedding in paradise" with built-in honeymoon, and friends and family in attendance, Sandals founder and chairman Gordon "Butch" Stewart said.

He should know. Some 19,000 weddings are performed each year at Sandals and Beaches, and each couple wants their special day to be just as memorable as a wedding at home.

"While visiting Sandals, I was impressed to see how the staff really cares about making every wedding special," Martha Stewart said.

"I remember getting married -- every single detail. Every bride remembers. It is a day to remember ... it is the most important day in a young woman's life," she added.

"We're delighted to be working with Sandals Resorts to guide engaged couples down the aisle and help make their destination wedding unforgettable. With an array of themes to choose from, each one offering co-ordinated elements and special details, every couple will be able to celebrate their special day in their own personal style," Martha Stewart said.

Darcy Miller -- senior v-p and editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings -- who also worked on the project, said she believes the packages are "the best value around."

Martha Stewart's Island Paradise theme wedding package finds inspiration in the colours of the setting Caribbean sun. (Courtesy Sandals)

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Blazing trails

NORTH BAY -- So celebrated are the spectacular colours of Canada's fall leaves that in Ontario, at least, the Ministry of Tourism issues weekly reports on where to find the most splendid views.

Via Rail offers lovers of the dramatic scarlet, orange, lemon-lime, gold and purple shades of fall a six-night train ride through the forests of Southern Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Fans of the fabulous foliage immortalized by the Group of Seven flock year round to the National Art Gallery in Ottawa and the McMichael in Kleinberg to get their autumn fix.

And, even as the threat of jail hung over him, Conrad Black tipped his hat to the changing leaves of Canadian fall by demonstrating the art of pressing a maple leaf on the Rick Mercer television show. (It must be pressed between two very large books. Small books won't do.)

So where are the most beautiful canopies of colour this fall?

Jane McLean, a self-anointed Canadian fall foliage expert, has posted a top-10 list on about.com, the New York Times-owned online repository of expert advice on everything from accessories and acne to yoga and zoology.

She says fall colours are a "real industry" in the U.S., particularly New England. She posted her list of lovely northern vistas because she didn't want Canada to be overlooked.

"We have just as much to offer, without the crowds," she said from her home in Dundas, Ont.

Already, her list is making waves.

"I've had some heated emails from PR people for tourist boards scolding me for not including them."

That not surprising, since her about.com posting is influential and attracts thousands of hits a week.

Four of the spots that made it into McLean's Top-10 are in Ontario. (Algonquin Park made the cut, as did the Bruce Peninsula). Quebec's Laurentian Mountains got the nod and Alberta's Rockies. In the east, McLean recommends the Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Island and New Brunswick's Fundy Coastal Drive. She likes the forests of PEI since the warm waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait create a climate that can produce one of the longest fall foliage periods in northeastern North America.

But pity the poor residents of British Columbia and Saskatchewan, provinces without even a mention (Manitoba and Newfoundland also get a pass from McLean).

And before regional pride provokes a national scrimmage, it's important to note that although the Rockies are listed as No. 1, and the Fundy Coast No. 10, McLean's list is in no particular order.

"I generally work my way west to east," she says, with the insistence of a parent who could never choose a favourite child.

Does she have a secret guilty pleasure? Yes, she does. It's Via's Fall Foliage Romance by Rail journey through the forests of eastern Canada.

"There is a romance to it," McLean says. "It's hard to deny that it's a bit old-fashioned. The cabins are dated, but for me that has an allure. And the views through the domed observation window are very strong."

But wait. The writer of the list, the expert on all things autumnal, won't be pinned down after all.

"The subsequent article I write should be how there are many more places that could be added to the Top-10 list that you might not know yet," she says with a laugh.

Really, are there any unappealing locales from which to view the fall leaves of Canada? We think not.

One little-known treasure is the spectacular Canadore Trails on the grounds of Canadore College in North Bay, Ont., a four-hour drive north of Toronto.

Towering maples stand tall and proud next to the beautiful ash and birch trees. In early fall there are still enough leaves to provide an umbrella from light rain. The young trees sprouting from the forest floor fill out the wooded wonderland with strokes of white and brown, while the orange and red leaves that have fallen to the bed's floor sizzle like the year's best sunset.

But it's up the Maple Trail toward the wooden lookout over Lake Nipissing where the most enchanting colours come into view. Carley Size, a North Bay resident who at 13 is still young enough to tap into a magical imagination, has named it The Lemon-Lime Forest, and it is the most apt description imaginable.

If the season's reds are blistering, the green and yellows are refreshing.

Prof. Root Gorelick, a biologist at Ottawa's Carleton University, says '09 is a banner year for anyone who enjoys the lemon-lime hues of fall.

"It's been a good and not very stressful year," he says. "The wet year and warm autumn haven't produced pigments as vibrant as the red and orange shades we're used to," he says. "And this year, the leaves may fall before they turn those shades."

A word for the curious: Gorelick doesn't have a favourite either.

"I don't try to travel this time of year but, if I can, I don't miss an opportunity to look out the window."

Quite.

------

If you go . . .

Jane McLean's list: http://gocanada.about.com/od/canadatravelplanner/tp/fallfoliage.htm

Via Rail tour: http://www.trainpackages.ca/packages/Fall-Foliage-Romance-by-Rail.ht ml

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Winding down in windy city

CHICAGO -- After prodding our kids out on a 102-storey ledge, exposing them to pin-striped gangsters packing Tommy guns and putting them face-to-snout with a school of sharks, only one conclusion can be drawn.

Not a call to child welfare authorities, but that our family can't wait to return to Chicago.

Whether it's the transparent Sky Deck of the Willis (nee Sears) Tower, the hilarious and historical Untouchables Tour of Al Capone's haunts or the marine shows at Shedd Aquarium, no parent or kid will go home from the Windy City without a great story. Or feeling hungry, given it's a city of 7,000 restaurants, where America's biggest collection of five-star diners shares kitchen space with a giant Rock 'n' Roll McDonalds, the nation's biggest deep-dish pizza, hot dogs and a popcorn connoisseur's paradise.

The U.S. economy is down, but Chicago's fortunes are up, riding the wave of hometown hero Barack Obama's election and putting on its best face in pursuit of the 2016 Summer Olympics. It's already been named U.S. City of the Year (GQ 2008), best skyline (Travel + Leisure magazine), favourite road trip city (Sports Illustrated) and in the top three destinations for adults with disabilities (Open Doors 2006).

What your kids will love is all there is to see just a few blocks from hotel districts on the Magnificent Mile and The Loop or reaching waterside attractions on the Chicago River near the 42 km of Lake Michigan beaches. More than 100 hotels of all price ranges can be found, near landmark Wrigley Field in the north to the Field Museum to the south.

NAVY PIER

A whole day can be enjoyed without leaving Navy Pier, which boasts three floors of the Children's Museum, a 15-storey Ferris wheel, IMAX theatre, funky shops and lots of eats. A flotilla of vessels cruise along the river -- some travelling at a leisurely few knots per hour and others skipping across the waves at top speed.

We picked the immensely popular Chicago Architecture Foundation river cruise. Volunteer CAF narrator Claudia Winkler explained to kids and adults alike how no two Chicago skyscrapers or any of its 37 operable bridges are alike, while easing past the sites where Abe Lincoln was nominated president and where Obama hung out at the gym.

Chicago is putting the finishing touches on a green-themed river walk plan borrowed from San Antonio, Texas. During our 90-minute tour, we were treated with tales of the Great Fire of 1871, which gave city fathers the blueprint for a design revolution that evolved into the Chicago style of architecture.

Claudia related how one architect playing with a pack of cigarettes came up with the multo-tiered Willis Tower concept, one of the three Chicago buildings among the 10 tallest in the world and how ingeniously many old buildings have been adapted for modern use.

There is also a free audio tour/interactive website -- chicagoforkids -- able to be downloaded in five languages to an MP3. It's bound to satisfy curiosity of why the river runs backward and what role Mrs. O'Leary's cow might have played in the Great Fire.

Back on land and just a short walk down Michigan Ave., is Millennium Park with its Frank Gehry-designed music pavillion and the 110-ton Cloud Gate, world's largest outdoor sculpture, 10 X 14 metres of mirrored stainless steel. Kids will try a variety of abstract poses in its reflection, then cool off beneath a 15-metre glass interactive fountain, one of 100 public art pieces found downtown.

ART INSTITUTE

Next door is the massive Art Institute of Chicago, with 300,000 works including the new modern wing. While adults admire Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh and famous American painters Edward Hopper (Nighthawks) and Grant Wood (American Gothic), the kids can take their own Lion's Trail audio tour.

There's more for the small fry just a short drive away at the Robie House, setting for the best-selling kids novel The Wright 3. They can put themselves in the sneakers of the famous tween sleuths, trying to solve an art mystery in and around Frank Lloyd Wright's famous residence.

If the weather is too inclement to watch the Cubs or the live animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo, or if you plan to visit in late autumn or winter, the Chicago History Museum is the local version of the Smithsonian with captivating displays on the city's connection to business, fashion, sports and transport.

LANCE.HORNBY@SUNMEDIA.CA

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Montreal hot for jet-set pets

MONTREAL — Montreal is one step closer to being North America’s Paris: it’s gaining on the City of Lights — a famously pooch-friendly place — by offering a monthly communion church service for dogs.

“Paws and Pray” was recently inaugurated at Christ Church Beaurepaire to coincide with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

It may boost the city’s ranking as a welcoming destination for pet owners.

Len Kain, co-founder of dogfriendly.com, which publishes dog travel guides, says Montreal is a go-to spot for sightseers with furry sidekicks.

“We like Montreal,” he said. “Of all cities it has good places to bring your dog. I would put it in the top quarter.”

Montreal still has a ways to go before surpassing Paris in pet-friendliness. In the French capital, no one bats an eye if people bring in their “petit chien” into a cafe or department store.

But Montreal has pushed its little paws a bit closer.

It was Johanne Tasse, an animal welfare activist, who first broached the idea with the minister at Christ Church Beaurepaire.

The president of the Companion Animal Adoption Centre hopes the Anglican service will spark a debate on the role of animals in Canadian families and society.

“It’s a discussion we need to have in society,” she said.

The pilot project will continue once a month for four months but Tasse says the inaugural event went off without a hitch.

“It was moving, I got very emotional,” Tasse said, adding that sometimes, however, dogs will be dogs.

“I have to admit it was a bit of a zoo. There was a lot of barking.”

Holy communion was offered to all human parishioners, and canines weren’t left out. They were treated to a selection of freshly baked dog biscuits — including peanut butter and garlic — and bowls of water.

Many Anglican churches bless animals once a year but the minister at Christ Church, Michael Johnson, concedes a regular service is more unusual.

He jumped at the idea when Tasse approached him.

“My initial thought? ‘This is great,”’ he said. “Then my second thought was: ‘I better ask the bishop.”’

Unlike annual pet blessings, which are open to all God’s creatures, he decided to limit the service to dogs.

“If you can imagine predator and prey in the same room — prey, that’s R-E-Y — we thought: ‘Let’s just make it simple.”’

As to whether all dogs go to heaven, Johnson is unequivocal.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Without a doubt.”

The service celebrated the special bond of companionship between dog and people and was attended by some 50 worshippers and 30 canines.

Kain says it’s unlikely that dogs would misbehave during a church service but admits they may not pay much attention to the sermon.

“They’ll probably be sniffing the other dogs,” he said.

Kain says he’s looking forward to the day when dogs will be allowed in all houses of worship — even in tourist attractions like cathedrals and basilicas.

“But I think even France doesn’t allow that,” he said.

———

If you go ...

Paws and Pray takes place on the first Sunday of every month at 1 p.m. at Christ Church Beaurepaire, 455 Church St., Beaconsfield. The next service will be Nov. 1.

For more information, call: 514-697-2204

Dogs are often also welcome on walking tours in Montreal, including those run by Fantomes Montreal Ghosts, who have a special Halloween edition from Oct. 29 to 31. For more information visit www.fantommontreal.com.

Many Montreal hotels allow dogs but Kain suggests owners call in advance to verify pet policy.

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A new dating concept takes flight

Imagine finding adventure and possibly the love of your life in between sleeping and snacking on a long flight to New Zealand.

That's what one group of adventurous singles are hoping for during a unique Air New Zealand flight experience.

This is far from an ordinary plane ride because, instead of tucking one's nose into a beloved book or flipping through the latest Hollywood gossip mag, passengers will be mingling and flirting up a storm with their neighbours.

And, if all goes well, the chemistry could be skyrocketing before the plane even touches the ground.

By the time you're reading this, I too will be aboard Air New Zealand's Matchmaking Flight -- billed as the first of its kind -- reporting back on the budding romances, fresh new friendships and experiences discovered along the way.

Before I go on though, allow me to clear something up.

As some of you may already know, I will not be looking for romance on this crazy, cool adventure. Seriously, that just wouldn't go down too well with my dear boyfriend. Instead, I'll be a nosy, fly-on-the-wall journalist soaking up the juicy details of other people's affairs (which is almost as exciting as the rush of falling in love itself).

OK, with that out of the way, let's get back to the single cats, shall we?

While the mood gets set with a pre-flight cocktail party in Los Angeles, the real games begin at 30,000 feet when the drinks and party packages are busted out, and the speed dating and matchmaking games get underway (it's really hard to resist making a mile-high joke right about now).

Certainly there's no guarantee that Cupid will strike en route, but if a charming accent is a one-way ticket to a love-seeker's heartstrings, the dating net gets cast wider with the post-flight Great Matchmaking Ball, where single Kiwis (who'll presumably be far more refreshed than their red-eyed counterparts) get tossed into the mix.

Unlike speed dating, many of these travelling singles have already gotten a sneak peek at some of the folks they'll be meeting along the way via online profiles posted on the airline's social media website (check them out at thematchmakingflight.com). The interactive Matchmaking page allows them to befriend one another, send comments and post photos.

Yes, sex may sell, but when love is the air, you can bet the sparks will be flying.

Want to follow along? Watch for updates on this adventure by visiting my blog at: blog.canoe.ca/tanyaenberg. Also, be sure to check out my post-trip articles coming soon.

Meet the hosts

Also aboard the Matchmaking Flight is Jason Mesnick and girlfriend Molly Malaney.

Fans of ABC's The Bachelor will recall Mesnick, who went searching for love on the reality show and found it with Malaney while the series was filming in New Zealand.

Now the former Bachelor, who describes New Zealand as "truly the most romantic place on Earth," is taking on a different role -- helping out as a matchmaker on the journey, flying from Los Angeles to Auckland.

The attractive couple will also offer their love and dating tips, while bringing a few romance-seekers along as they revisit some of the original sites where their love connection was first made.

---

DIFFERENT SPEEDS FOR DIFFERENT DATERS

Some travellers have extended their hunt for love beyond the flight by choosing from three separate New Zealand vacation packages, all set at very different speeds, designed to introduce travellers to other like-minded singles.

Take, for instance, the extreme adrenaline junkie. This crew of daredevils will be getting the hearts pumping in more ways than one when they go bungy jumping, skydiving and hit the water in a high-speed Shotover Jet.

Singles preferring to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground will be touring around lush botanical gardens, relaxing at thermal pools, enjoying romantic dinners and soaking up local culture.

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It's party time, pirates!

Visitors can take on the role of a modern-day buccaneers when the Caribbean island of Nevis hosts its first-ever Peppered Pickled Pirate Party.

Two week-long festivals will celebrate the rich history of the island's most famous pirates. From Captain Kidd and Captain Sharp, who helped Nevis militia defend the island from the French, to Black Bart, who threatened to wipe out the town of Charlestown, some of the most well-known pirates in history made their marks on Nevis.

A series of family oriented, interactive events include a pirate invasion day, horse races and donkey derby, treasure chest hunt, and a pepper sauce contest. The island-wide party runs from Oct. 25-31 and Nov. 22-28.

The festival begins with a Sunset Bonfire and Pirate Watch at Sunshine's, the oldest beach bar on Nevis and ends with Family Day at Oualie Beach Resort with music, races and a "Sink the Sailor" event. For more, visit piratesofnevis.com.

Beach bumming

Dr. Beach (Dr. Stephen Leatherman) has named Hanalei Bay in Kauai America's No. 1 beach for 2009. The postcard-pretty bay, which Leatherman calls his favourite getaway beach in Hawaii, is on the tranquil north shore. The palm tree-lined crescent-shaped beach is more than 1-km long, has fine sand, and offers some of the best surfing in Hawaii. Visit DrBeach.org for more.

Drivin' tunes

The votes are in and travellers have picked their favourite road songs. Topping the list is Life is a Highway, by Tom Cochrane with (22%), followed by On the Road Again (18%) and Born to be Wild (13%).

In a recent Econo Lodge "Travelin' Tunes" sweepstakes, Choice Hotels asked consumers to vote on their favourite road trip songs and compiled the results based on 20,000-plus votes. Other favourites (with the percentage of votes in brackets) were Take me Home Country Road (12%), Take it Easy (9%), Wanted, Dead or Alive (7%), Ramblin' Man (5%), (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 (5%), I've Been Everywhere (5%), and Runnin' Down a Dream (4%).

writer@interlog.com

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Woolly fest won't fleece you

Fall is a busy time with lots of things to see and do including getting fleeced in Woodstock, strolling around Stratford, visiting artists in their studios, seeing pumpkin pyramids in Waterford and fun on the farm.

Attention knitters, spinners, weavers, rug-hookers and basket weavers, this show is for you.

Woodstock has its first Fleece Festival next Saturday (Oct. 17) with a chance to see "live fibre animals,'' such as alpacas, sheep, angora rabbits and goats.

The fest, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Woodstock Fairgrounds (875 Nellis St.), promotes natural wool production as a renewable resource to create quality long-lasting products, said organizer Linda Curry.

There will be demonstrations of knitting machines including antique sock knitters, spinning wheels, basket-weaving, hand-felting, rug-hooking and an art exhibit of fibre-producing animals.

Workshops include hand-felting techniques, traditional rug-hooking, knitting, rag rug weaving, basket-weaving and fibre dyeing.

A tri-angular loom workshop will show how to weave shawls. They can be hand-knitted or hand-woven using handspun yarn of animal or plant origin.

Alpaca fibre is admired for its soft, highly durable, stain-and odor-resistant qualities and the warmth of garments made from it, Curry said, noting there are 22 natural colours.

Vendors will have items including raw fleece, hand-dyed, handspun yarns from fibre-producing animals, even camels, fibre arts supplies, books, patterns, spinning wheels and finished goods.

There will also be educational activities for children put on by the Woodstock Museum National Historic Site.

---

Stratford's Heritage Weekend happens on Oct. 17 and 18 in the city with many of the finest conserved 19th century homes, churches, commercial and civic buildings.

"It will be a weekend filled with activities including an antiques fair, vintage car show, heritage workshops and a guided ghost tour,'' said Cathy Rehberg of Stratford Tourism.

There will also be guided Stratford strolls and tours of heritage churches and notable heritage homes.

Various heritage sites will be open, including the new Stratford-Perth Museum, Fryfogel Inn east of Shakespeare and Brocksden School Museum.

Then DocFest takes place Oct. 22 to 25 with an impressive lineup of documentaries.

Actor William Shatner will be there for the opening night of Gonzo Ballet on Oct. 22 at the 8 p.m. screening in the city hall.

Throughout the month, several Stratford restaurants celebrate the fall harvest with "field-to-chef menus that source ingredients from within 100 miles.''

---

Marking 26 years of "artistic spirit,'' the Images Thanksgiving Studio Tour is on this weekend through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Barrie, Orillia and Ontario's Lake Country.

Free, self-guided tours of artists' studios "offer a unique opportunity to see the original creations and unique studio settings of some of Canada's finest artists and craftspeople,'' said publicist Kathy Hunt.

More than 40 artists at 25 studios will show paintings and prints, photography, pottery, stained glass, wire, metal and stone sculpture, jewelry, wood carvings and turning, basketry, garden art, designer clothing and accessories, and even Teddy Bears.

---

They're busy in Waterford, south of Brantford, preparing 1,500 jack'o lanterns to form the annual giant pyramid for Pumpkinfest.

The carved and lighted pumpkins make an impressive site for the event from Oct. 16 to 18 while homes and businesses are decorated for the occasion.

Put on by the Waterford Lions and Lioness, the fest includes a "spook house,'' old car show, parade, soap box derby, craft show, variety show and musical entertainment, a midway and meals at various churches and halls.

---

"Fall on the Farm'' is on this weekend through Monday at Fanshawe Pioneer Village in London.

"Watch as farm families prepare for the coming winter with the harvest of the corn crop, textile arts and wood stove cooking,'' said Sheila Johnson, executive director.

Coming up are Haunted Village Hayrides with a preview next Friday (Oct. 16) and shows Oct. 17, 18, 22 to 25 and 29 and 30.

IF YOU GO

Woodstock Fleece Festival tickets are $6 ( children to age 15, free). Details: www.fleecefestival.com; fleecefestival@yahoo.com; (519) 539-2575.

Stratford Heritage Festival details and those for Docfest and the restaurant menus are at www.fallforstratford.com; 1-800-561-SWAN.

Images Thanksgiving Studio Tour information: www.images-studio-tour.com; (705) 728-3691.

Pumpkinfest:www.pumpkinfest.com; pumkinfest@pumpkinfest.com; (519) 443-0113.

Fanshawe Pioneer Village: www.fanshawepioneervillage.ca; (519) 457-1296.

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Heat things up in Miami

Q: My husband and I are planning a weekend trip to Miami next month. I'm hooked on dance shows and want to check out a fun class while there. Any tips would be appreciated.

-- J. MAK, MISSISSAUGA

A: For a taste of true Miami nightlife, there's nothing like dancing. You'll find plenty of dance bars and some hotels are also getting in on the action.

At the Biltmore Hotel, world tango champion Monica Llobet is teaching the romance, passion and elegance of Alma de Tango (BiltmoreHotel.com) every Tuesday evening. Group classes are from 8-9 p.m. for beginners and from 9-10 p.m. for advanced students.

The hotel says students will learn basic steps, technique, musicality, philosophy and the passion behind the dance with every class taught. After class, tango masters will perform with guest stars from around the world. Class and milonga is $15 US per person. The Biltmore Hotel is at 1200 Anastasia Ave, Coral Gables.

In South Beach, Salsa Mia (salsamia.com) promises fun with group salsa dance classes on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday evenings. Open to all levels from beginners to advanced, you don't even need a partner.

Started in 2005, the founders wanted to create a lively event reminiscent of an old Havana social club. Billed as "the greatest salsa in Miami," prices vary. One full night of dancing, including a two hour class, is $40 US. Salsa Mia is in the Yuca Lounge, 501 Lincoln Rd.

Q: We're trying to live a healthy lifestyle and eat less processed food. Me and my friends want to take a weekend trip and sample local cuisine, preferably homegrown stuff. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-- S. McCASKILL, TORONTO

A: The concept of the 100-mile diet is popular these days and if you were to apply this principle, the spokes can get rather large looking at it from a Toronto starting point.

I suggest you contact Ontario Tourism -- ontariotravel.net or toll-free 1-800-668-2746. At the site, you can view gastronomy related sections by region. Be sure to click on "Things To Do" and then click on the sublink "Wine and Culinary" for a list of culinary topics. You'll also find sections called "Culinary Hotspots" and "Savour Ontario Culinary Getaways." There are even festivals devoted to food lovers.

A few years ago, the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (ontarioculinarytourism.com) formed and their website is rich with ideas for culinary tourism.

Prince Edward County, a two-hour drive from Toronto has embraced culinary tourism. Local fromageries and quaint bistros are putting many local ingredients on the map. Foodies take their business so seriously in this region that local suppliers banded together to form the Taste Trail -- tastetrail.ca.

At this time of year, harvest festivals are big so consult the various websites about events happening nearby.

Q: After attending the Toronto International Film Festival for about 10 years, my husband and I are thinking of a change of scenery. Could you suggest other cities that have film festivals.

-- F. GUPTA, RICHMOND HILL

A: Film festivals are taking many cities by storm. The Vancouver International Film Festival (viff.org) is currently running. It wraps Oct. 16. For others in Canada, you will have to wait until next year. The Atlantic Film Festival, the Montreal World Film Festival (ffm-montreal.org) and the Festival International du Film Sur L'Art (artfifa.com) all took place in September. The Gimli Film Festival (gimlifilm.com) in Manitoba takes place each summer.

ILONA@MYCOMPASS.CA

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Wines to die for from ghoulish vines

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Splatter a bit of blood on your wine label and you might just have a seasonal superstar.

At least, that's been the experience for Michael Machat, founder of Vampire Vineyards and a rather busy man this time of year.

His wines, which feature a drop of blood on the label, are available year-round -- certainly benefiting from Hollywood's enduring interest in things that go bite in the night -- but "it just becomes easier selling this time of year," says Machat.

His isn't the only meeting of ghoul and grape.

In Northern California wine country, there's Ghost Block, made of 100% Cabernet from the Rock Cairn vineyard in Oakville, next to Yountville's Pioneer Cemetery.

The graveyard is a great place to visit, advises Paul Torres, national sales manager for Ghost Block. "It's really so cool."

So far, Torres has not seen the ghost of wine country pioneer George C. Yount, but being from the San Francisco Bay area, "I have an open mind about these things," he says.

Heading toward the Sierra foothills, Twisted Oak Winery in Calaveras County (home of Mark Twain's Celebrated Jumping Frog) puts out River of Skulls about this time of year, with a label featuring a vivid red skull.

The wine, a limited-production single-vineyard mouvedre (a red wine grape) comes with a suggested food pairing of "Dead people! -- just kidding! How about lamb, pork and risotto?"

This is the third vintage of the wine, which derives its name from the English translation of calaveras, "skulls."

"Other than just being an inherently cool name, it actually has some significance to the area," points out winery owner Jeffrey Stai.

The wine is ideal for a Halloween party, says Stai. Just not for him, since this time of year generally coincides with the controlled frenzy that is harvest.

"We've always wanted to have a cool Halloween party in our wine cave. We just never seem to have the energy to pull it together," he says.

Other wineries getting into the Halloween spirit include Elk Creek Vineyards in Kentucky, which sells Ghostly White Chardonnay and Bone Dry Red Cabernet Sauvignon. And from the Armida Winery in Healdsburg comes Poizin, a Zinfandel, with some bottles sold in a little wooden coffin inscribed "the wine to die for."

Machat got the idea for Vampire Vineyards in the 1980s, partially inspired by his discovery of Bram Stoker's Dracula -- "I couldn't believe how good that was."

The first bottling was a Syrah from Algeria, though he later took the concept further with grapes from Transylvania in Romania.

As production grew, "I decided we really needed to take control over the quality," Machat says. "Either I could move to Romania or I could just move the production to California."

California, it turned out, was the place he needed to be -- yes, his office is in Beverly Hills -- and since 2006, the wine has been made with grapes mostly from the Paso Robles area of the California Central Coast.

Vampire sells several varietals, with Merlot, Cab and Pinot Noir generally the most popular, Machat says.

Audi A3 : New body shopGhoulish haunts alive in U.S.

View from here easy on the eyes

WEST DOVER, VT. -- The birds up here have it made.

From the 1,100-metre-tall summit at Mount Snow in Vermont, they can see all the beauty of a quaint New England community that loves to ski, hike and mountain bike, among other clean-air, sporty pursuits.

The view can be had by those without wings, too, thanks to the chairlift rides offered three seasons a year. From this height, you can hardly see the traffic that clogs Route 100, bringing in weekend outdoors lovers.

During the winter, the purpose of the 10-minute lift ride is singular, bringing you to the mountaintop so you can ski down.

Huddled with up to three other passengers, you might check out whether the mountain has a good base of snow, if the snow-making machines are roaring, and whether the skiers in the ski school crowd below are better than you are. Either way, the chairlift ride will likely be the least eventful part of your day.

But in the months before the cold hits, a chairlift ride is an outing worth doing for its own sake, popular with summer visitors as well as autumn leaf-peepers. Tickets are $10 per adult, $5 for a child.

A recent ride with my family on the Grand Summit Express, one of two lifts on the mountain, lifted our spirits and was a highlight of our day. With two kids, we played "I Spy" in the sky, looking for leaves, critters and clouds.

On the way up, you notice lush green all around. The trails are carved into the mountain between rows of evergreens, all part of the Green Mountain National Forest (Mount Snow operates with permission from the federal Forest Service).

You can also spot the edges of the 650-hectare Somerset Reservoir, which sits to the north of the black diamond-heavy North Face of the mountain. Depending on the season, the reservoir hosts canoers, kayakers and fisherman looking for trout and panfish, or snowmobilers who probably go just as fast as all those cars on Route 100.

Directly ahead are fields of wildflowers and the critters they attract, from gentle ladybugs and butterflies to coyotes and even black bears, which are not uncommon in the Deerfield Valley area. Earlier this summer, the local Deerfield Valley News even reported sightings of catamount nearby, though the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department didn't confirm it.

Once at the top, other cloud-tipped mountains from the range come into view. It's amazing how the lessons of stratus and cumulus clouds come back to you when the day and mind are both clear.

The clusters of condominiums that crowd the bases of these mountains appear small and inconsequential when you see just how much forest and farmland there are in comparison.

The real game of "I Spy," however, comes on the trip down as you look out over the valley. In early fall, it starts to get a backdrop of spectacularly coloured red, gold and orange leaves -- many of them handprint-size maples.

Dotting the landscape are log cabins, white churches and country inns. You can see an occasional MOOver bus -- free transportation between the towns of Wilmington and West Dover that's decorated in the spirit of local dairy cows -- chugging along.

The red roof of the popular (and otherwise green) burger-joint Silo restaurant comes into view and so does the Mount Snow Golf Course to the south. The Snow Den that attracts local bands in the evening becomes apparent as you near the bottom of the ride.

Mountain bikers are becoming an increasingly popular sight, and Mount Snow has given them (in addition to access to many of the trails) their own daredevil area of dirt mini-mountains on the spot that in winter is the home of the tubing park.

We strained our eyes to find Adams Family Farm, where tourists can feed animals and learn about shearing sheep and milking goats, but we couldn't see it from the lift.

If you go

Mount Snow, Vt.: http://www.mountsnow.com/ or 802-464-4040. Variety of local lodging options. Chairlift rides ($10 for adults, $5 for children.)

Getting there: From New York City, Boston and Providence, R.I., take I-91 to exit 2 in Vermont, then Route 9 west 32 kilometres to Wilmington. Turn right at the stoplight on to Route 100 north and proceed 14 kilometres to Mount Snow.

Via the New York State Thruway, I-87, head to Albany, then take I-787 north to Route 7 east to Bennington, Vt. Route 7 becomes Route 9 in Vermont. Follow Route 9 east 34 kilometres to Wilmington. Turn left at the stoplight to Route 100 North and proceed 14 kilometres to Mount Snow.

Mount Snow is about 265 kilometres from New York City, about 160 kilometres from Boston and about 105 kilometres from Albany.

Taste of the KeysElectric Bikes Allowed on Ontario Roads

Taste of the Keys

"What is Key Lime Pie?" Alex. If the Double Jeopardy answer was, "The Florida Keys are known for this taste," you'd be crazy to answer any other way.

But it is a sadly inadequate explanation. Trust me. Because for a fabulous week or so, my assignment was to experience the tastes of the Florida Keys, and I gave it my all. From raw bars to elegant dining rooms, from exclusive resorts to pubs named for the exhalations of barnyard animals, from Cuban to fusion, I sampled the food and drink found in the Keys.

The result is this, an entirely subjective and not nearly exhaustive survey of great places to eat in the Keys. Are there less than great places, too? Sure -- but I've opted not to waste my time even referring to them. What I can promise is every one of the many eateries mentioned here are something special.

First, some geography: The Florida Keys begin south of Homestead and Florida City. One road -- Hwy. 1, also called the Overseas Highway -- links the islands of the Keys via long bridges over the ocean. The drive is leisurely, and enthralling.

Our survey of dining experiences includes restaurants from Key Largo, in the north, all the way to the southernmost point in the continental U.S.A, Key West.

The most intriguing place to stay for a few nights is Key West. It offers unending entertainment, dozens of places to eat, drink and party, and lots of other attractions, from Conch Train rides to sunset ceremonies at Mallory Sq. But there are adventures and attractions all along Hwy. 1 through the Keys, and lots of restaurants worth the stop.

FISH JOINTS

We will sample some "fine dining" before we're through, but there are plenty of locals who insist the finest dining in the Keys can be found in the dozens of crab shacks, fish houses and raw bars. Many of these are inexpensive -- even cheaper during happy hour, when the raw bar is on sale, and drinks are two for one.

Maybe the best I've found is the Keys Fisheries, in Marathon, where you eat at rustic tables on a dock, and where you order at a window. One person recommending the place said, "It's phenomenal. Not fancy but great." Spot on.

You have to watch carefully for Keys Fisheries, which is off the main highway, on the Gulf side (your right as you drive toward Key West). The parking lot will be full.

Manager Jennifer Lint admits, "I don't know how people find this place. We don't even advertise. It's gotta be the food."

Yep, it's the food, fabulous seafood of every kind, with their famous "Lobster Reuben" leading the pack.

Also on the hand-written menu posted beside the order window are such wonders as coconut shrimp, stone crab soup, key lime scallops, macadamian crusted grouper, and dozens of other items.

Key West is packed with waterfront seafood restaurants. I always hit the Half Shell Raw Bar on the old harbour. The walk to the restaurant is a delight in itself, past sailing ships, souvenir shops, and other off-beat tourist attractions.

If you visit the Half Shell, try to get a waterfront table. You won't just be on the water, you'll be above it, and can watch a parade of sea creatures swim past.

PUBS

Key West is the place for pubs. Many have their own (maybe even true) stories -- connections with Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams or Jimmy Buffet. The only thing they all have in common is, you will inevitably hear some odd version of Buffet's Margaritaville by the end of the evening -- country, reggae, folk, rock, blues, maybe even hip-hop. Most are pretty bad.

Do pub crawl, but don't do it for the food. There are a few "local beers" worth a taste: Key West Sunset Ale and Key West Golden Lager are both good. If you're pubbing, visit the Hog's Breath Saloon. On a good night, the music and the ambience are perfect; on a bad one (the crowd varies), well there are plenty of other bars in town.

SEASIDE DINING

Dining on a deck overlooking the ocean, or even better, right on the beach is a special event in the Keys. Again, there are lots of options.

We discovered Morada Bay Beach Cafe (in Islamorada) by accident. We intended to dine at its adjacent sister restaurant, Pierre's, but it was closed, and instead we enjoyed the terrific on-the-beach experience at Morada Bay.

It's moderately priced (entrees $24-$33) but the food is exquisite. We had coconut-crusted yellowtail snapper and carmelized jumbo sea scallops. The extensive menu also offers plenty of non-fishy choices. The service on the sand is exceptional.

One of the most venerable waterside eateries is Marker 88 Restaurant (mile markers on Hwy. 1 indicate locations and this place is 88 miles from Key West). The food in this Islamorada establishment is not cheap but always excellent. And on a beautiful evening, dining on the sand under the stars with a guy playing guitar will make a romantic, if not a gourmet, out of anyone.

Further north, we stumbled upon Chef Lupe's Mandalay, at the Mariner's Resort Villas in Key Largo. We were staying at the Mariner's Resort (and would again), and met some friends at the Mandalay.

This waterfront restaurant does a fine job of everything -- including conch chowder. Plus there are some nice surprises from Chef Lupe.

CUBAN

Key West has strong Cuban connections and some great Cuban restaurants. I'd always opt for El Meson De Pepe, often referred to as "the Cuban restaurant." There really is a Pepe, he's owned the place for decades, and his son was our waiter this time.

You can eat inside or on a covered patio, which comes with friendly cats and maybe even a few of Key West's famous free-range chickens. The food is fantastic and authentically Cuban. You may need advice from your server to select from100 options, all in Spanish.

For beverages, go with beer. Cuba-U.S. issues preclude serving Cuban beer but you'll do fine with Presidente (Dominican Republic) or Negra Modelo (Mexico).

SOMETHING SPECIAL

For the ultimate Keys experience, make a reservation to dine on Little Palm Island, accessible only by water from Little Torch Key (Mile Marker 28.5). Little Palm Island -- the entire Key is the resort -- is the epitome in luxury, whether you come for lunch, for the famous Sunday brunch, or to stay in one of only 30 suites served by 100 staff members. Lodging runs a thousand dollars and up per night.

So how's the food? It's exceptional, served in the restaurant or on the patio or in intimate, linen-laid settings by the sea or -- what you want, you get. The same applies to the menu, which seems to be more suggestions than anything firm. ("Would you like something else? Just ask, sir.")

We dined on the patio, with a 180 degree view of the ocean and the chance to see 100 different species of birds, or some of the Key Deer that swim to the island every day. We didn't choose the hot dog, but we could have -- a Kobe Beef hot dog in a home-made sesame bun, for $19.

Is Little Palm outrageous? Sure. It's also immensely seductive. Of course that could describe everything in the Florida Keys.

---

IF YOU GO TO THE FLORIDA KEYS

- A Key West favourite of mine is Abbondanza Italian Restaurant. The food is good, and the motto, irresistible -- "Make Love; Eat Pasta." A new find is Nine One Five, named for its address on Duval St.

- We stayed at the excellent Ocean Key Resort and Spa in Key West, oceankeyresort.com. For travel info, see visitflorida.com/canada.

Roadside Littering Down in PEI

Ghoulish haunts alive in U.S.

TOLEDO, Ohio -- The towering stone walls of the Gothic prison are scary enough in the daytime.

Some say it looks like Dracula's castle. Now, add a crisp, moonlit evening, and mix in 50 demons and devils breaking out of rusted cells and it becomes the perfect setting for a haunted house.

"You can't get any more creepy than this," said Myron St. John, who's in charge of terrorizing the former Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. "It's like doing a haunted house on a $20-million movie set."

Not even Hollywood can match the haunted houses. Special effects, elaborate sets and exotic locations are turning what once were neighbourhood haunts into weekend destinations for those who love to scream.

In New Orleans, there's an old mortuary surrounded by cemeteries and the city's iconic above-ground tombs. Old Tucson Studios in Arizona transforms from a movie set to the spooky town of Nightfall, where a haunted mine and heckling gargoyles are certain to delight. And there's a pair of haunted houses in Kansas City, Mo., that end with terrifying slides, one dropping visitors five floors into the devil's arms.

"For us, it's a true theatrical production but the applause comes in the form of screams," said Amber Arnett-Bequeaith, whose family operates four haunted houses on the edge of downtown Kansas City.

Antique tractors take customers on hay rides to the different attractions where 150 actors roam about. Animals play a role too -- there are pythons and an anaconda at The Edge of Hell, and a live alligator inside the Beast. Watch out for the headless horsemen galloping on the streets outside.

Just within the last five years, haunted houses have become much more elaborate with innovations in technology, said Billy Messina, co-owner of Netherworld in Norcross, Ga., near Atlanta. It's not unusual to find people working on the attractions who have worked in film special effects and costumes.

"We have giant animatronic monsters that are 20 feet tall," he said. "People are used to seeing this at the movies. They want to see it here."

Some of the most popular haunted houses partner with hotels to offer packages that include tickets. Others offer the chance to bypass the lines, which can grow to two hours on busy weekend night in October

The old Ohio State Reformatory -- between Columbus and Cleveland -- has tours at Halloween and during the spring and summer. It's where The Shawshank Redemption and several other movies have been filmed.

It really comes alive during Halloween. The haunted house takes guests through the six-storey cell block and the basement morgue.

Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Ky., is another place that relies on its past to frighten anyone who enters. Perched atop a hill, it operated as a tuberculosis hospital until 1961.

"People say why don't you have a year-round haunted house," said owner Tina Mattingly. "I say 'I do. We just don't have actors in there year-round.' "

The fall tour includes a trip through the "body chute," a tunnel used to transport bodies out of the building.

"You could put nothing in there or fill it up with props, people will get scared," said Mattingly, who lives on the site with her husband while they restore the property.

Other haunted houses include:

- The USS Nightmare, in Newport. Ky., is a dilapidated 1934 steamboat on the Ohio River across from downtown Cincinnati. The massive steam engines and generators are part of the show.

"Disney, with all their artists, couldn't have made a boat look more spooky than this," said Allen Rizzo, a licenced riverboat captain who runs the attraction.

- The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, Calif., isn't technically a haunted house, at least not the kind with actors in costumes. It's worth mentioning for its quirkiness alone. Built by the Winchester rifle heiress, the mansion has doors that lead nowhere. It's also said to be haunted. Look for the stairs with 13 steps, the room with 13 windows, and a chandelier with 13 gaslights.

HAUNTED TIPS

It pays to call ahead. Haunted houses can be very busy on weekends, especially close to Halloween when waits can be as long as two hours. Wear comfy shoes; heels don't work while running from ghosts. The people behind the masks say the more you scream, the more they pursue you.

MORE INFORMATION

Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield, Ohio, mrps.org. The Haunted Mortuary. New Orleans, themortuary.net. Old Tucson Studios. Tucson, Ariz., oldtucson.com. The Edge of Hell, Kansas City, Mo., edgeofhell.com. Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville, Ky., therealwaverlyhills.com. USS Nightware, Cincinnati, ussnightmare.com.

TV Star Angela Griffin Colects Her New Fiat 500C

Vancouver Island packs offers

It's surrounded by water, lovely to look at, and is rarely oppressively hot or bone-chillingly cold.

It boasts a dizzying array of attractions that can keep you hopping, but can also be a great spot to mellow out.

It's Vancouver Island, and just thinking about it seems to lower my blood pressure several points.

For the next six weeks, it's more affordable, too.

Tourism Victoria is offering to pick up the cost of return travel between the island and the mainland via BC Ferries. The only condition is that you must book a two-night package in the Greater Victoria area through Tourism Victoria's promotional website, www.itsvictoria.com.

The offer is valid for travel until Oct. 31 on the Departure Bay-Horseshoe Bay, Duke Point-Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen ferry routes. Packages apply to new bookings only.

Ferry reservations are not included, but can be made directly through www.bcferries.com.

There's lots going on in Victoria, of course, but the newest big attraction is in nearby Sydney -- the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre.

Invertebrates and marine plant life numbering in the thousands inhabit 17 aquarium habitats. Features include the Gallery of the Drifters, where algae, delicate jellies, and other plankton appear to be suspended in backlit aquariums. Visit www.oceandiscovery.ca.

The aquarium is a 10-minute drive from the Victoria Airport and Swartz Bay ferry terminal.

More leisure travel news:

- Wells Gray Adventures operates guided hut to hut outings in Wells Gray Provincial Park, nestled in British Columbia's Cariboo Mountains. Participants travel on skis in winter and hike in summer. They carry a small pack and stay overnight in three cabins, linked by a trail. Visit www.skihike.com.

- There's a free shuttle service from downtown Vancouver to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The 70-metre-high swaying footbridge is just over the Burrard Inlet on the North Shore. Shuttles leave daily from three locations, Canada Place, the Hyatt Regency, and the Blue Horizon Hotel. Visit www.capbridge.com.

- Visitors to Quebec City can download three new podcast routes free of charge on www.quebecregion.com. The routes, accessible by bicycle, car or bus, are another way to discover the historic boroughs of Beauport, Charlesbourg and Sainte-Foy-Sillery.

- Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA) has launched a Discover Vacation Homes awareness program for travellers across North America. VRMA represents more than 500 vacation rental companies who manage some 150,000 rentals in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Visit www.DiscoverVacationHomes.com.

- Policies on checked and carry-on luggage vary from airline to airline. A new website, www.luggagelimits.com, promises to make it easier for travellers to look before they book. The site lists more than 60 air carriers and promises to add more.

- VisitBritain has passed along the winners in the accommodation categories of the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2009.

Hotel of the Year: Gidleigh Park, in Chagford, Devon, (www.gidleigh.com). A Tudor-style house built in 1928 as a grand private residence for an Australian shipping magnate. The restaurant has earned two Michelin stars for 10 consecutive years. Room rates start at about $560 Cdn.

Self Catering Holiday of the Year: Joint gold winners were Noelle's Cottages, Middleton Hall, Pickering, North Yorkshire (noellescottages.co.uk) and Woodhouse Farm Cottages, Staplow, Herefordshire (thewoodhousefarm.co.uk).

Rents for Noelle's smallest cottage, which sleeps four, start at $760 Cdn a week in winter. The smallest at Woodhouse, which sleeps two, starts at $540 Cdn.

High season prices are about 50% more at Noelle's, nearly double at Woodhouse. Both also offer what they call short breaks, three- or four-day stays.

Best Bed & Breakfast: Augill Castle, Cumbria (www.augillcastle.co.uk). This is described as a five-star castle with 11 bedrooms, five grand reception rooms and six hectares of gardens and grounds. Doubles with breakfast are $145 per person.

Awards are also made in other categories. Visit www.enjoyengland.com.

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Mayan magic

MERIDA, MEXICO -- We stood on the balcony of the city hall, looking through its graceful arches.

To the right was the imposing home of the territory's conquistador, to the left the state governor's palace, opposite the oldest cathedral in the Americas, and below the Plaza Grande where residents enjoyed the warm spring evening.

And above us, in our mind's eye, the Mayan pyramid whose ruins were dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt into the centre of Merida, Mexico.

The vista encapsulates Mexico's Yucatan state. On the flat, jungle-covered peninsula of the same name, you will find colonial elegance, monumental ruins and remarkable natural features.

That was the gist of a recent tour arranged for travel writers by the Mexican Tourism Board, Mexicana airline and the Yucatan state tourism department. With drug wars, murders and H1N1 flu, many a traveller has hesitated about going to Mexico. But if and when you're ready, there is variety and charm to be found.

Yucatan's best known historic site would be Chichen Itza (120 kilometres east of Merida, the state capital). As a Mayan place of pilgrimage, the site grew into sprawling complex of temples, observatories and a ball court where the game had a deadly ritual outcome -- the winning team's captain was beheaded to act as an intermediary with the gods.

The dominant structure is the Kukultan pyramid, an ingenious union of engineering, astronomy, mathematics and construction. There are 91 steps up each of its four sides, totalling 364, which when added to the top platform equals the number of days in a year. The building is perfectly positioned so the setting sun on the equinoxes casts a shadow that looks like a serpent slithering down one side.

Along a path lined with vendors -- if Adam Smith dubbed England "a nation of shopkeepers," surely Mexico is a nation of roadside stalls -- are a dozen more ancient ruins.

You can never say "been there, done that" at Chichen Itza. We were led through the site by Humberto Gomez, an anthropologist and tour guide for 50 years. Gomez said until a few months ago, he would have told visitors Chichen Itza dates back to the time of Christ. But recent archeological digs have uncovered a lower layer.

There are about 2,600 known Mayan sites in Yucatan, but only 32 are open to the public. Another of those is 16 kilometres north of Merida.

Dzibilchaltun has a temple set so that the rising sun on the equinoxes spills through its middle in a brilliant glow. This structure only recently came back into the public eye after 1,200 years in obscurity. Later Maya built pyramids on top of their old temples and it wasn't until the 1950s that archaeologists tore down a pyramid to uncover this gem.

Dzibilchaltun also includes a new museum with a fine account of Mayan history.

Like most old Mayan sites, it has a sinkhole, or cenote (cen-o-tay) -- one of Yucatan's most curious natural features. The peninsula has no rivers, lakes or other surface water. Instead, water flows through underground rivers. Occasionally a sinkhole develops, giving access to the fresh water.

Today, cenotes often serve as the local swimming hole. One of the more eerie is Dzinup (150 kilometres east of Merida), where visitors climb down steep stone stairs into a huge underground cavern where a shaft of light from a small hole above illuminates brilliant blue water.

The underground rivers sometimes erupt in strange places. In the Gulf of Mexico, one bursts through the ocean floor to create a pool of fresh water in the brine.

It was revealed a guide with Dzayachuleb, a co-op of fishers from Dzilam de Bravo (90 kilometres northeast of Merida) who are branching into eco-tourism. While English isn't their strong suit, they showed us flamingos, cormorants, frigate birds and a crocodile.

One of the best sites for flamingos is the Celestun Biosphere Reserve (90 kilometres west of Merida), where thousands live in the estuary. You can rent a boat to view them, but the rule is don't get too close too fast. Flamingos can easily break wings or legs if they're frightened into flight.

My favourite wildlife discovery was the realization that Yucatan mosquitoes seem to have no interest in me -- a relief after years of being eaten alive in Canada.

This cluster of historic and natural sites makes Merida an attractive base for an inland trip.

With a population of one million, it's large enough to have good and varied amenities for travellers. It's also largely litter- and graffiti-free and seems reasonable safe.

It has its own appeal. One Sunday, a street dance was held in front of city hall, while vendors sold clothes and crafts in booths in the Plaza Grande.

In the late 1800s, Merida was said to have more millionaires than any other city.

They made their wealth exploiting Mayan labourers to grow sisal, or hemp, on their haciendas.

Looking to Europe for their cultural style --Yucatan had no road or rail links to the rest of Mexico until the 1950s -- the wealthy left a legacy of stately institutional buildings and mansions.

Many of the mansions are now corporate headquarters. Some of the old haciendas have been redeveloped as historic sites and spa.

IF YOU GO

What: Yucatan state, Mexico

Access: Manuel Crescencio Rejon airport in Merida, served by several airlines, including Mexicana Click; bus trips from resorts and cruise ships also available.

Food: Yucatan's distinct cuisine includes pibil (chicken or pork with annatto, orange juice, peppercorns, garlic, cumin, baked in banana leaves) and poc chuc (pork marinated in orange juice, served with tomato sauce and pickled onions).

Hotels: Everything from major international chains to small independents.

Information: www.visit

mexico.com; www.mayayucatan.com.mx/en/; Yucatan Today, free bilingual (Spanish-English) tourist magazine and website (www.yucatantoday.com).

Health: Doctor-recommended Supra for cramps and Eskapar for diarrhea, available over the counter.

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Airlines are charging for second bag on flights to Europe; what's their next stop?

MINNEAPOLIS - You can leave the U.S., but it's getting harder to leave behind baggage fees.

Fees to check bags on international flights are creeping in and may be here to stay. In the past three months, all the big U.S. carriers have added $50 fees to check a second bag on flights to Europe. Delta and Continental are charging second-bag fees for flights to Latin America, too.

We've flown this route before, with domestic bag fees. United Airlines started with a fee to check a second bag last year, and other carriers followed. The wave of international bag fees got started July 1 when Delta began charging to check a second bag between the U.S. and Europe.

By limiting baggage fees to domestic flights, the U.S. carriers left out a huge chunk of their traffic. More than half of Continental's traffic this year has been international. At Delta, which started the move toward international bag fees, almost 39 per cent of its traffic is international.

So far, the U.S. carriers don't charge bag fees on most Asian routes. That will likely change. And charging to check the first bag on international flights is a revenue opportunity that might be too good to pass up.

"Yes. Of course baggage fees will spread worldwide to include even the first bag," said Jay Sorensen, an airline consultant who has studied and written about the carriers' so-called ancillary revenue.

"I think baggage fees will be the most widespread of the a la carte fees, because they truly are optional," he said. "You don't have to check a bag."

Sorensen said U.S. carriers will run into trouble charging fees on codeshare flights, where a ticket on, say, fee-charging Delta, might have been sold by partner Air France, which checks two bags for free.

Airline fares have fallen sharply in the recession, and many in the industry have argued that fees are basically a way to make up some of the shortfall. Luggage is expensive to handle and its weight makes the plane burn more jet fuel, so it makes sense for that service to cost something, the thinking goes.

Delta originally said it would charge a second-bag fee on all international flights, not just those to Europe. Its announcement in April said it hoped to collect $100 million a year if the new fee went worldwide. It scaled back that plan to just Europe after other carriers didn't match it. Delta declined to make an executive available to talk about the fee.

Joe Brancatelli, who runs the business travel Web site JoeSentMe.com, said European airline customers are much more used to paying fees, whereas Asian airlines have maintained a more full-service approach, even in coach. Through August, United and Delta (with its Northwest subsidiary) carried the most traffic to Asia, while Delta and American were the biggest U.S. carriers to Europe.

The new fees are coming from a shrinking number of travellers. Traffic between North America and Europe on all airlines fell 12 per cent to 25.4 million travellers through the first half of this year compared with the first half of 2008, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Travelers pushing baggage carts out of the international arrival section at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport generally felt the same way about international baggage fees as they would about an overeager customs officer.

"It does concern me, because I travel a lot doing mission work, so a lot of times I have full luggage," said Sammy Wanyonyi, an evangelist from Victoria, Minn. His gear includes cameras and lots of clothes for his trips to East and Central Africa.

When he left Minneapolis, he was told he could check up to 70 pounds in each bag. But travelling back from Nairobi, on another airline, the limit was 50 pounds - which nearly put him and two other short-term missionaries he was travelling with in a bind until the airline waived the extra fees.

"The most disconcerting thing is it seems like each place has its own rules," he said.

Jerry and Lori White are already experienced at dodging baggage fees on domestic U.S. flights. They live in Saudi Arabia but come back to the U.S. once a year for a month or so. While they're here, they leave their luggage with family while they fly between Minnesota and Texas and other stops to avoid paying baggage fees. They may have to get craftier to avoid the fees coming back from Saudi Arabia, though.

After getting off a flight from Amsterdam for this year's trip, Jerry White said they'll be even choosier about which airlines they fly if the U.S. carriers expand baggage fees to more international flights.

"We hate to fly the ones that only allow one bag," Lori White said. "It's not worth it. We won't fly American for a lot of reasons; one of them is the bag fees."

The international carriers are not alone in exploring new things to charge for. Southwest Airlines Co., which flies only in the U.S. and still doesn't charge baggage fees, began charging $10 to reserve a spot in the boarding line. A better spot in line has value because most Southwest passengers get their seats on a first-come, first-served basis.

Southwest said when it launched the "Early Bird" program that it hoped to raise perhaps $75 million a year in new revenue. The trick will be selling the spot in line without annoying regular customers, as well as "Business Select" customers who still get to be first in line but might settle for the cheaper "Early Bird" approach instead.

Kevin Krone, Southwest's vice-president of marketing, said they don't expect Business Select travellers to buy the Early Bird passes instead. As for traditional Southwest fliers back in the line, "we don't anticipate that large enough numbers of people will take advantage of it that it will ultimately impact the boarding experience for those that don't purchase it," he said.

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Castles, cathedrals and back to backs

YORK, England -- A friend recently asked why I return to England almost every year. Surely working on the travel beat allows me to go somewhere new every time. Doesn't it get boring, she asked?

Her question evoked many responses.

Yes, I can -- and do -- go to "new" places but one visit is usually not enough to get a real sense of any country -- even a geographically small country like England.

And -- to borrow a line from singer-songwriter Jim Cuddy -- England is "never the same way twice."

LIke the woman in Cuddy's song, there can be challenges. Yes, the weather can be iffy. Yes, driving on the opposite side can be tricky. And yes, it can be pricey.

But the truth is, England is worth the effort. It's never boring, never out of style, and offers a lot of bang for your travel buck -- from culture to castles to cathedrals to charming towns, even fascinating glimples into working class back-to-backs.

And it may sound like a cliche but there has never been a better time to go. Everyone is offering deals, which make England more affordable than it has been in years.

But don't wait too long, the recession is winding down and travel -- and prices -- may soon be on the rebound.

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LIVING BACK-TO-BACK

BIRMINGHAM -- Volunteer tour guide Ken Hughes welcomes us inside the "back to back" on Inge St.

The tiny three-room house is part of the last original "court" of homes that were standard dwellings for hundreds of thousands of England's working class families from the mid-1800s to the late 1960s.

Unlike the opulent trappings of other National Trust properties, the specifics paint a not so pretty picture.

Built back to back with front units facing the street and others facing a shared courtyard, the houses are only one room wide. The rooms are stacked, one per floor, and accessible via a steep narrow staircase. Until the mid-1900s, there were no washrooms, no running water, no central heating.

In the courtyard, there is a water pump, three open-pit toilets, and a wash-house -- meagre facilities used by more than 100 people, Hughes says.

Families were large. Personal hygiene suffered. Overcrowding and poor sanitation meant biting bugs, tuberculosis and food poisoning were common, Hughes says matter of factly.

A quote from a long ago resident sums it up: "We can't all get in the house at the same time." But according to the 80-year-old Hughes, who spent his first 25 years "in a place just like this," life was not all bad.

"We didn't look on them as slums, it was like a palace to us," the retired chief pathologist says.

Today, the Birmingham Back to Backs are the National Trust's biggest attraction, drawing some 500,000 visitors a year. You can even stay in a renovated unit with full bath and kitchen.

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READY FOR ITS NEXT CLOSEUP

YORK, England -- With hundreds of rooms and more than 400 hectares of parkland, Castle Howard is the kind of place where you can get happily lost for an entire day.

"No one has ever really counted the rooms," guide Geoff Preston says as he leads our group on a tour of the opulent property, which is still home to members of the Howard family.

Considered one of England's grandest stately homes, don't be surprised if you experience a deja vu moment when visiting. Its lavish interiors, sweeping lawns, ornate fountains and gardens have made frequent appearances on TV and movies screens as the setting of Brideshead Revisited and other productions. But Castle Howard's 20th century history rivals any fictional drama shot at the mansion, which was built between 1699 and 1712 for Charles Howard, third Earl of Carlisle.

World War II took a heavy toll on both the family and its castle. After losing two brothers in the war -- and being wounded himself -- George Howard returned home to find the castle partially ruined by a fire and trustees selling off its contents, assuming it would never be lived in again.

George moved back in and began restoration. Soon after, he married Lady Cecilia Fitzroy and the couple made Castle Howard their life's work, opening it to the public in 1952 and turning it into one of the area's premier attractions.

"In the early days, George would be at the door taking the money and his wife would be in the kitchen making the tea," Preston says.

Today there are cafes, shops -- including a farm shop selling local goods and a plant centre --and a holiday home park.

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IN PRAISE OF YORK

YORK, England -- Strolling along cobblestoned lanes lined with cafes and tea shops, it's hard to imagine this charming city was once considered too dirty for Victorian ladies.

When the railway first brought tourists to York in the early 1800s, it was a "dirty, horrible place," says Keith Mulhearn, a guide with Complete York. So the city fathers decided to create a pathway atop the city walls, where genteel women could stroll, far removed from the "filth."

Today, the filth is gone but the 4-km walk on the city walls remains a "fantastic way to see the city," which is one of England's top tourist spots.

While many people stay only one day, this ancient town -- ruled by Romans, Angles, Vikings and Normans -- has enough attractions, history and ghosts to amuse visitors for much longer, Mulhearn says.

"There are so many old buildings, from every period. Fortunately, people were too poor to knock them down," Mulhearn says.

Every visitor should make time to get lost in the tangle of pedestrian lanes, especially The Shambles. Now synonomous with the word "mess," the word shambles refers to the shelves where meat was displayed on this medieval butchers' street.

The other standout is York Minster, northern Europe's "greatest Gothic cathedral," Mulhearn says. Still in use as an Anglican church, the magnificent magnesium limestone structure towers over the old city.

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IF YOU GO

DESTINATION INFORMATION

- For all of England, contact Visit Britain at visitbritain.com. For York, see visityork.org. Check out the York card, good for admission to more than 50 attractions -- including Castle Howard -- and dozens of discounts. Single to mulit-day cards $50-$120 adults, $32-$77 children.

- For Castle Howard, see castlehoward.co.uk. House and garden admission is about $20 for adults, $12.50 for children.

- Admission to the Birmingham Back to Backs at 50-54 Inge St. and 55-63 Hurst St., is by guided tour only, about $9 adults, $4.50 children. Call 0121-666-7671 to book (recommended). The rental unit accommodates two. A one-week stay runs $426 to $925 depending on the dates. See nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-birmingham_backtobacks.

GETTING THERE

- Air Transat has many ways to tour England. We flew into Manchester (current return fares start at $349 plus $390 taxes). From there it's an easy drive to York. In conjunction with Visit Britain, the airline has very competitive packages for London that include car and hotel. See airtransat.com and britainforless.ca.

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Slow down, enjoy the ride

Forget long-distance, short-tempered travels.

Packing a lengthy trip into one or two short weeks can create tense situations in any RV, but when a vacation offers shorter drives and longer stays at cool destinations, parents and kids alike are sure to have a fantastic time building memories and having fun.

"RV travel can be a great opportunity for families to bond and explore Alberta and its UNESCO sites," says Anastasia Martin-Stilwell of Travel Alberta.

"Travel can be at your own pace, everyone is in a comfortable environment, the kids can check everything out through large windows, and at the end of the day, families have the opportunity to relax around a campfire and be surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature."

Indeed, it's a relaxing, rewarding and educational trip when Alberta's UNESCO sites are involved. In fact, of 15 worldwide UNESCO World Heritage Sites, five are located in the Wild Rose Province.

WOOD BUFFALO NATIONAL PARK

Canada's largest national park is nearly 45,000 square kilometres in size, and is home to boreal forests, sedge meadows and rivers, along with the largest free-roaming herd of bison in the world.

"What's incredible about Wood Buffalo National Park is its sheer size," Martin-Stilwell says.

"It's also pretty amazing that it's home to the largest free-roaming herd of bison in the world, right here in our own provincial backyard."

Located in northern Alberta, the park offers plenty of forest to explore and wildlife to see -- perfect for the outdoor lover's getaway.

WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK

Only a few hours from Calgary is a national park that combines the dramatic rise of the mountains with the flatlands of the prairies. And, with two distinct landscapes, there's a wide range of wildlife.

Birds, bears and bighorn sheep are only some of the animals visitors can expect to see in the 536-sq.-km park, while Trappers restaurant (known for its Saskatoon Berry Pie) and the Serenity Spa are elegant ways to kick back.

HEAD-SMASHED-IN BUFFALO JUMP

This is the largest, oldest and best-preserved buffalo jump in North America.

For more than 5,000 years, bison were herded over the edge of the 10- to 18-metre cliffs by the Blackfoot peoples, and today, the site is preserved with pits, a butchering camp and a kilometre-wide expanse pocked with the remnants of meat caches and cooking pits.

"Head-Smashed-in Buffalo Jump immerses you in Blackfoot culture," says Marty Eberth of Travel Alberta.

"It's not just about the fascinating story behind the jump, but the traditions that are such a vital part of lives, both past and present.

DINOSAUR PROVINCIAL PARK

A favourite for kids, this badlands destination was once a low-lying coastal plain at the edge of a large, shallow sea.

Today, the Alberta attraction is a maze of hoodoos, mesas and coulees, and hoards more than 300 first-quality dinosaur skeletons and other valuable fossils.

"The first thing that strikes you is the strange look of the eroded landscape," Eberth says. "Then, you're awed by the dinosaur fossils that are weathering out of the ground. It really appeals to the 'explorer' in all of us -- and for those who want to take it to the next level, you can join a dinosaur dig for a day."

Or, families can visit the renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum to see the dinos that once called this area home.

BANFF AND JASPER NATIONAL PARKS

Two of Alberta's most popular tourist destinations, Banff and Jasper National Parks, are built around hot springs and railways that wind through the mountains. The birthplaces of Alberta's national park systems, Banff and Jasper are as steeped in history as they are breathtaking and rustic.

"Alberta's UNESCO sites are incredible attractions for all travellers, including RVers," Martin-Stilwell says. "Whether it's driving past Jasper and Banff National Parks' breathtaking mountain views and glaciers, learning about our province's Aboriginal history at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, to witnessing the diverse landscape and unique ecosystems of Dinosaur Provincial Park, there's an aspect of each UNESCO site sure to engage the entire family."

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Golf lives here

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- My head fuzzy from too much wine and not enough sleep, I trudge through the predawn gloom and take my place in line. In front of me stand a dozen fellow gamblers, which makes me lucky No. 13.

We're not actually gamblers but golfers, having wagered several hours of sleep -- and in my case a few hundred dollars in hotel accommodation -- on a chance to play the Old Course, the most famous golf course in the world. Standing between me and a tee time are two young Japanese men, an impeccably dressed Swede and nine Americans, one of whom has had the bad taste to show up in blue jeans.

While geography and fashion sense may divide us, each of us is united in our desire to play the Old Course, where golf's oldest major, the Open Championship, has been contested 27 times. Shivering in the late-September breeze blowing in off the North Sea, we become fast friends, cracking jokes and telling stories as we wait for the sun to rise.

At 6:45 a.m., four hours after the line began to form, the starter finally arrives. Speaking in a thick brogue, he asks to see our handicap cards and takes our names. If any of the previously booked groups are unable to form a foursome, he explains, he'll reward the next lucky single on his list with a tee time at the Home of Golf.

A university town in the Kingdom of Fife on Scotland's east coast, St. Andrews has been synonymous with golf for centuries. Nobody knows for sure when the game was first played on the area's wide expanse of flat, coastal dunes -- also known as links land -- but it was well enough established by 1457 for King James II to institute a ban because it was distracting his soldiers from archery practice.

The ban is a distant memory these days, as golfers from all over the world flock to St. Andrews. But while getting a tee time can be an ordeal for visitors, it's a cinch for the city's 17,000 residents. That's because the St. Andrews Links Trust, which runs the Old Course and six other courses in the area, lets residents play on all seven for a mere $340 per year, only $80 more than the cost of one round for a visitor.

Money is the last thing on my mind when the starter calls my name to complete the 10 a.m. foursome. Feeling like I won the lottery, I happily pay my green fee, sling my clubs over my shoulder and proceed to the first tee.

PROMISING START

Trying to ignore my surroundings, especially the throng of tourists and fellow golfers gathered near the tee, I start my round with a surprisingly solid drive. It doesn't hurt that the first fairway is straight and wide, and the only trouble -- out-of-bounds stakes lining the right side -- can be avoided by aiming far to the left, where the 18th fairway offers a safe bailout.

The choices get tougher as the round progresses. The Old Course is flat, treeless and has no water hazards, which means it lacks many of the visual cues North American golfers are used to seeing. Even with a guidebook in hand, it's often difficult to pick out the correct line off the tee.

Luckily, I've got a course regular as a playing partner. A member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Rick van den Boom knows all of the Old Course's tricks and isn't shy about sharing them with me and his two nephews, both of whom are also playing here for the first time.

While he keeps us safe off the tee, there isn't much Rick can do for us on the greens. One of the classic features of the Old Course is the abundance of double greens -- seven in total -- which means the putting surfaces are gigantic. Throw in big undulations and a stiff wind, which affects the ball as it rolls and makes it difficult to stand still, and it all adds up to a lot of three-putts.

Despite a few struggles on the greens, my round has several high points. I make birdie on the ninth after driving the green, then I make a miracle par on the short 11th when my 70-foot putt from well short of the green rolls up, down and around a bunker before settling inches from the hole.

On the par-five 14th hole, I sink a 25-footer for par after managing to avoid the gaping maw of the infamous Hell bunker 100 yards short of the green. Rick isn't so lucky; he is forced to play out sideways after his second shot comes to rest too close to the eight-foot, vertical face of the trap.

I save my two best drives of the day for the 16th and 17th holes. On the former, I thread the needle between the Principal's Nose bunkers on the left and the out-of-bounds wall on the right -- a line famously described by Jack Nicklaus as "strictly for amateurs." Somehow, I manage to make par, knowing the most famous hole in the world awaits.

The Road Hole

The 436-yard 17th is a bear of a hole. To start with, it requires golfers to hit their tee shots over part of the Old Course Hotel in order to find the fairway. The second obstacle is the deep Road Hole bunker guarding the front left portion of the green. This is the same bunker where David Duval took four swings in the final round of the 2000 Open Championship, handing the Claret Jug to Tiger Woods.

The final problem on 17 is the feature for which the hole is named: the road. Behind the narrow green is a gravel footpath, then an asphalt road, then a low stone wall. Any approach shot struck even a hair too hard will roll onto the path, the road, or worst of all, up against the wall. In 1984, Tom Watson lost his bid for a sixth Open Championship when he made bogey after having to play a carom shot off the wall in the final round.

I have no such horror stories to tell. Following Rick's instructions, I aim my drive over the second "O" on the "Old Course Hotel" sign and hit a low, left-handed draw right on target. "You could sell that drive to any of the pros when the Open's here again in 2010," Rick tells me.

Sure enough, I find my ball resting in the middle of the fairway, just 150 yards short of the green. From this angle, I don't have to tangle with the Road Hole bunker and I've got a lot more green to work with than the others in my group, all of whom hit their second shots from the left rough. Even so, the road is still a concern, so I chicken out and hit my approach shot a few yards short of the right front corner of the green. From there, I take three more putts for a bogey.

Disappointed my round is about to end, I hit a terrible drive on the 18th and make another bogey to finish with a final score of 83. Despite knowing it could have been a few strokes better, I'm fairly pleased with myself as I walk off the 18th green. Waiting for me is one of my linemates from the morning -- the natty Swede -- who bursts my bubble by telling me all about the 75 he just shot.

"That was probably the best round of my life," he gushes as we stand in the shadow of the Royal and Ancient clubhouse. "I'm going to get up early tomorrow to do it again."

stephen.ripley@sunmedia.ca

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Scoring the best airplane seats

Wearing an elegant outfit can open doors in business--and in business travel. Richard Rheindorf learned this firsthand, when he sported a well-tailored suit while waiting to board a flight from San Francisco to Vancouver. Even though the coach cabin wasn't oversold, the ticket agent bumped Rheindorf to first class. "You looked the part," the agent told him.

"It's rare, but it does happen," says George Hobica, president and founder of AirfareWatchdog.com. "If you're standing there in a three-piece suit, they're certainly going to pick you over the guy in gym shorts."

In Depth: How To Score the Best Airplane Seats

Dressing up for a flight--and charming gate agents--works on occasion, but there are more sure-fire ways to score the best airplane seats. Whether it's knowing a plane's layout, requesting an exit-row seat or obtaining high status in a frequent-flier program, there are myriad routes to avoiding that non-reclining seat next to the back lavatory.

To uncover the most effective methods, we polled a roster of travel experts including Matt Daimler, founder of SeatGuru.com; Joe Brancatelli, founder of JoeSentMe.com; Patrick Evans, spokesman for STA Travel; and Hobica. They agreed: All seats are not created equal. There are tremendous differences even among coach seats on the same plane, not to mention other airlines and classes.

"Obviously there are seats that are more comfy than others," says Hobica. "Pinpoint a seat and buy intelligently."

The Cheap Seats
Flying coach always seems to entail sitting with knees at one's chest, squeezed by the encroaching bodies of corpulent neighbors. Though it may not seem like it, there are many ways to avoid this scenario. For one, know your airlines. Different carriers configure their planes differently; though most offer 32 inches of legroom, some, like JetBlue offer 34 inches for the same price.

To get even more space, reserve a spot in an exit row. These seats typically offer six inches more legroom than the typical coach seat, and they're often the same price. Airlines usually release these seats via online check-in 24 hours before departure; some, like JetBlue, sell them for a modest premium.

"For about $10 more, you can get an exit row seat with 38 inches of legroom--that's more than some airlines' first class," says Hobica. "Personally, I always buy the exit-row seat."

In Depth: How To Score the Best Airplane Seats

Another tip: Know your airplanes. There are tremendous differences even among the coach seats on a single plane; the disparity between different jets operated by different carriers can be even greater. Websites like SeatExpert.com and Daimler's SeatGuru.com offer color-coded seat maps that reveal which seats have the best amenities.

"Some airlines on certain seats have power outlets and seatback televisions," says Evans. "That's not always indicated on an airline's Web site."

JetBlue and start-up carrier Virgin America offer seatback televisions for every passenger on every flight. On other airlines like Allegiant and Southwest, video entertainment is notoriously hard to find.

The Good Life
Another method of escaping coach's doldrums is to obtain an upgrade to business or first class. Doing so needn't be terribly costly--upgrades on domestic flights can be had for as little as $50 per trip segment.

"The world of upgrades has opened up," says Brancatelli. "Traffic is now so low that there are premium seats going begging."

The easiest strategy for moving up is to take advantage of frequent-flier programs, all of which are free to join. Once you've opened an account, try to obtain status within the program. Many carriers--Delta, for example--offer tremendous perks to their most frequent fliers. Credit cards like the American Express Delta Reserve card will help you gain status within the program in addition to earning travel miles.

"Fly one airline and fly it a lot," recommends Hobica. "You'll start getting a lot of upgrades."

The brashest travelers, however, sometimes get upgrades by doing something less savory: Making an offer the ticket agent can't refuse. Daimler recalls a friend who was flying from New York to Germany on a $500 coach ticket and asked the gate agent what would it take to get an upgrade.

"One hundred bucks in cash got him into business class," says Daimler. "On the way back, he tried again, but the Germans weren't having any of that."

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The wheel story of wine country

When Viv O'Connor set out to explore Niagara beyond the falls, she first looked for a bicycle.

The native of cycle-friendly Ireland was already familiar with the joys of two-wheeled tourism.

Pedalling through wine country in Canada, however, was a whole new world for O'Connor and fellow Emerald Isle native Yvonne Hurley.

"The microclimate is such a wonderful surprise. You hear abut New World wines, but it's not something you'd necessarily associate with Canada," said O'Connor, who is visiting a sister in Toronto and decided to include a trip to Niagara.

Hurley and O'Connor planned to stay overnight in Niagara Falls, but decided to spend the day exploring with Niagara Wine Tours International.

"I've seen the falls before and wanted to do more than that," O'Connor said during a wine-tasting break at Riverview Cellars along the Niagara Parkway. "I don't like to be stuck in a car all the time, and the countryside is so lovely here."

BURGEONING TREND

O'Connor and Hurley are part of a burgeoning bike tourism trend in Niagara that has managed to weather the recession -- and the weather. Tourism took a recession-inspired beating this year, particularly early in the summer, when visitor spending in Canada dropped to its lowest level in five years. A wet, cool summer hasn't helped, but Lance Patten figures bike tourism is holding its own.

"Sure, rain can put a damper on things," the owner of Niagara Wine Tours International said. "But I'd say cycling tourism is still expanding significantly ... we're seeing an uptick on rentals and tours."

Like many tourism businesses, Patten said U.S. visitors are down compared to previous years. But he's seen a tradeoff with more international tourists and visitors from Toronto and the rest of southern Ontario.

Tourism Niagara doesn't track cycling tourists, but manager Betsy Foster said they're acknowledged as a large and growing segment of annual visitors to the region. A special bicycle trail map produced by Niagara Region routinely sells out at Toronto bike shows, for example.

BIKE TRAIN

A regional study published in 2003 showed more than two million cyclists spent more than $164 million in the region, where more than 5,000 people work in related bi-pedal businesses.

That was before the Bike Train or Go Transit, Justin Lafontaine said.The Toronto resident founded the Toronto-Niagara Bike Train three years ago, partnering with VIA Rail to get cyclists to St. Catharines and Niagara Falls every summer weekend.

The service has delivered more than 1,250 cyclists to Niagara in that time, Lafontaine said.

Local hotels and inns have recognized the pedal potential. A group of inns and B&Bs recently partnered on an ad campaign and website, cycleandstayniagara.com, to show bike tourists where they can stay along the Greater Niagara Circle Route.

Patricia Szoldra, owner of the Inn at Lock Seven, said she's noticed more cyclists at the Thorold Inn.

"I'd say they're here on a weekly basis," she said. Wineries like Riverview Cellars in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Henry of Pelham in west St. Catharines report an increase of bike tours. Gillian Norton of Riverview said "staycation" weekend tour groups have been common, as well as biking bachelorette parties.

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