Yosemite Valley National Park in California.

Free admission for a week at our marvelous national parks

Some of my happiest travel have come from visits to America's national parks, and I'm certainly not alone. But during National Park Week April 16-24, things get even better because admission is free at all 394 parks and special events are planned at many. Those events may not be earth-shaking but will give you a feel for the what the National Park Service has to offer. Here is a sampling:

* Steamtown National Historic Site, Pennsylvania. Short train excursions will begin on Sunday. These tours are offered on a first-come basis. For more information, call 570-340-5204.

Muir Woods National Monument, California. Celebrate naturalist John Muir's birthday April 21 with a quiet walk through what he called "the best tree-lover's monument in all the forests of the world." Phone the Muir Woods Hotline at 415-388-2595 for program information.

* Stones River National Battlefield, Tennessee.  Parks and volunteers nationwide are dedicating tomorrow to preserving America's Civil War sites. At Stones River National Battlefield and the Civil War Preservation Trust, employees and volunteers will fan out to remove exotic plants, trash, and modern fencing.

* Congaree National Park, South Carolina. National Park Week, National Junior Ranger Day, and Earth Day will all be celebrated tomorrow with guided walks, junior ranger programs and canoe tours. All events are free. For more information call 803-776-4396.

All right, let's get to the free part. For starters, many sites are free year round. But for 100 of the biggest parks, where admissions vary, the savings can be substantial. The waiver includes entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. But they don't apply to other fees such as reservations, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties unless stated otherwise. In addition, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service with their own special offers. To see them, click here.

And if you can't visit April 16-24, take heart: Other free days this year are June 21, Sept. 24 and Nov. 11-13.

Search Amazon.com for National Parks 

Trivial question

Only one country that begins with an "A" doesn't also end with an "a." Name the country.

Discover France shrinks size of groups needed for discounts

Discover France Adventures,  specialists in France for cycling and hiking tours, announces that groups of four or more can now get group discounts on self guided cycling tours that previously were only available to groups of 10 or more. The amount of savings increases with the group size. For example, on the Self Guided Provence Vineyards & Lavender Tour, the posted per person rate is 1,335 euros. If four persons book and travel together, a discount of 55 euros per person is possible, adding up to a group savings of 220 euros, or about $320. This offer is valid for bookings through Oct. 31 for the 2011 season only.

Worth quoting

"I had a prejudice against the British until I discovered that fifty percent of them were female.” -- Raymond Floyd

Book a package and save nearly $600

As we've said before, you often can save substantially when booking a package or tour. Here's an example:

TourCrafters, which specializes in Italy travel,has a four-night Rome City Break that costs $1,252 until May 15 and again from Sept. 1-Oct. 31. That price includes a round-trip flight from New York, the fuel surcharge, airport transfer, hotel accommodations, daily buffet breakfast, a half-day sightseeing tour, service charges, taxes and even an ice cream cone in a historic gelateria. (Air fare from other departure cities is additional.)  If you were to book these elements yourself, TourCrafters notes that you would pay $815 for air fare, $420 for fuel surcharge, $99 for airport transfer, $316 for hotel, $72 for breakfast, $49 for sightseeing, $62 for service charges and taxes, and $3 for the ice cream cone — a total of $1,836 and a difference of $584.

Fascinating fact 

The Dominican Republic flag is the only one with a Bible on it. (You have to look carefully to see it, though.)

A chance to win 6.5 million hotel rewards points
Best Western’s “Jumpstart to Summer” promotion kicks off April 17 with a chance for one lucky traveler to win 6.5 million rewards points. That could mean more than two years of free hotel rooms!
 Best Western Rewards members (free to join) who register for the Jumpstart promotion at www.bestwestern.com/jump and stay with Best Western three times between April 17 and June 5 will earn a $50 Best Western Travel Card, which can be used like cash at any of the chain’s 4,000+ properties worldwide.  Those who register are also entered in a daily drawing for a $65 Best Western Travel Card.
Then, those who complete three separate stays at two different "descriptor" hotels (a Best Western, Best Western Plus and/or Best Western Premier) will be automatically entered into a drawing for the 6.5 million rewards points. Five second prizes of $650 travel cards will also be awarded.

Trivial answer

Afghanistan, of course.

Seen them on the screen? Now give them a gander in real life

The Feb. 27 Academy Awards will no doubt inspire many people to see the places where the Oscar nominees took place. CheapOair.com knows this, so has lined up deals linked to the Best Picture category, with reservations required by Feb. 28. Here they are:

Black Swan -- New York: The offer is for the Bentley Hotel, starting at $ 159 per night.  Sample round-trip airfare starts at $288. Click here.

The King's Speech -- London: A package from New York to London starts at $363 per person and includes  airfare and a four-night stay at the Hilton Wembley Plaza. Click here.

 The Fighter -- Boston: A package from Los Angeles to Boston starts at $477 per person and includes airfare and a four night stay at the Hotel Marlowe-A Kimpton Hotel. Click here.

Inception -- Paris: Visit the location where Leonardo DiCaprio taught Ellen Page the intricacies  of The Pasiv dream machine. Starting at $ 119 per night, stay at Holiday Inn Paris La Villete. Sample airfare starts at $468. Click here.

True Grit -- Texas: A package from Los Angeles to Austin begins at  $611 per person and includes airfare and a four-night stay at the Renaissance Austin Hotel. Click here.

Social Network -- Silicon Valley: This deal takes you from New York to San Jose starting at $608 per person and   includes airfare and a five-night stay at the four-star Four Points By Sheraton San Jose. Click here.

You will not be surprised that assorted taxes and fees are extra and that prices may be higher on some dates. 

Search Amazon.com for Academy Awards

Trivial question

What is the southernmost city in Australia? (Answer somewhere below.)

Skate your way to savings with Boston packages

Starwood is sponsoring the first-ever ice rink at the Prudential Center in Boston. The rink will be open to the community for one month. In celebration, the Sheraton Boston is offering two Share the Ice  packages:

The Family Skating package includes four tickets  to the Rink at Prudential Center (a $40 value), and complimentary valet parking (a $44 value), with rooms beginning at $199 and suites from $279. In addition, the first 50 suites booked for stays between Feb. 20-25 get four tickets to Disney on Ice.

The Date Night package offers a romantic skating experience for stays before March 6. This package include a room with an outstanding view of the Charles River, complimentary valet parking and two tickets to the rink.

Stays can be booked at www.sheraton.com/boston.

Travel tip -- and we do mean 'tip' 

When it comes to tipping, hotel maids often get left out. Because few guests actually see the maids, some people figure it is easy to skip the tip. Others might want to tip but aren't sure whether the money they leave just before checking out will go to the maid who has done most of the work in the room. The answer is to tip daily. Leave a dollar or two on your pillow before going out in the morning. The maid who does the work will get the tip and your room will sparkle.

Kennebunkport resort rewards early bookers

The people at the Rhumb Line Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine, say they are tired of seeing the last-minute guest get the best deals. So they are rewarding those who book well in advance, with the best available rates and deals.  With the Rhumb Line’s new Best Booking Deal guests who book well in advance can take satisfaction in knowing that those who wait will pay more. In addition, youngsters 16 and under stay free in their parents' room. Current deals include two nights' lodging, a $25 dining certificate to a choice of several Kennebunkport restaurants, continental breakfast, Free wifi and use of the resort’s indoor pool, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, and fitness area, all  starting at  $125 per couple. Visit www.rhumblineresort.com/specials.htm or call 207-967-5457.

Worth quoting

“Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversations.” -- Elizabeth Drew

How about Italy for a family spring break?

TourCrafters has an Italy by Train package that takes in the sights of Rome, Florence and Venice. The 11-day/10-night package costs $1,129 ($985 if booked by March 1) and includes round-trip air from New York, an arrival transfer, accommodations at the hotels Brasile in Rome,  Meridiana in Florence and Malibran in Venice, daily buffet breakfast, tickets for the Eurostar train, a half-day tour in each city, a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tour in Rome, service charges and VAT tax. The package is valid from March 1 to April 15. Air fares from other cities are also available.

For details, visit www.tourcrafters.it.  For reservations, call 800-482-5995.

Fascinating fact

Indonesia has about 13,000 islands.

Forgot Valentines Day? You can still escape the doghouse

Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa in Jupiter, Fla., has created a Get Out of the Doghouse package designed for those who made a mess of  Valentines Day.  The package,  at $1,299,  includes a night of luxury, oceanview accommodations in the penthouse suite, a  four-course dinner for two prepared in grand butler style by the resort’s executive chef, a half-day in the Spa, including two, 50-minute signature treatments followed by a duet massage complete with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, flowers, two cocktails called Kiss Up Cosmos, and an  “I’m in the doghouse” T-shirt and leash. Visit www.jupiterbeachresort.com and use promo code UDIRTYDOG.

Trivial answer

Hobart is Australia's southernmost city.

All those museums, all that chocolate and all that beer!

Brussels: a capital like no other.

Belgium may be a small country -- it encompasses 11,787 square miles and has a population of 10.7 million -- but big treats are in store for visitors. Here are some of the things they will find: 

* 2,000 chocolate shops.

* 500 types of beer, from 125 breweries.

* 200 museums.

* 35 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

* 3,000 castles, farm-castles, citadels, manors or palaces, giving the country more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world.

* More than 500 buildings that are fully or partially Art Nouveau, in Brussels alone.

If you need more to whet your interest, consider this: The Belgian Tourist Office says that Brussels -- the capital of the nation and the headquarters of the European Union and NATO -- is less expensive to visit than London, Paris, Amsterdam, and most western European capitals. And wherever you go, you'll be sure to hear lively music. After all, the saxophone was invented in Dinant Belgium in 1846.
For more information, go to www.visitbelgium.com.

Worth quoting

"Laughter is an instant vacation." 

                                               -- Milton Berle.

The wide world of the Web

FlightCaster.com says it can predict flight delays up to six hours before official airline alert notifications, which should help travelers determine if they should change itineraries, notify colleagues, or alter their plans. The data is available free on the Web and through paid apps for the iPhone and BlackBerry.

Forget the heat and think about autumn foliage

The Appalachian Mountain Club is offering an all-inclusive "kid 2-for-1" deal at AMC's five lodges in New Hampshire and Maine throughout New England's glorious peak foliage season, plus a Moosehead Lake package at its Maine wilderness lodges with a cruise of Moosehead Lake. Prices vary but are reasonable.

Click here.

Fascinating fact

In addition to being nicknames the Sunflower State, Kansas has also officially or unofficially been called the Squatter State, the Grasshopper State, Salt of the Earth, the Battleground of Freedom, the Garden of the West, the Cyclone State, the Dust Bowl State, the Wheat State and the Jayhawker State.

Free hotel nights throughout Italy

TourCrafters is offering free nights at many hotels in Italy. In Florence, for example, the new 4-star Palazzo Ognissanti is offering a pay-for-two-nights-stay-for-three deal in August, November and December, cutting a third off the usual nightly price of $224. Rome's centrally-located Hotel Brasile, popular with budget travelers, has a pay-two-stay-three offer in August, November and December. In Venice, the Hotel Malibran ($174 a night)also has a pay-two-stay-three deal in August, November and December. Even on the Italian Riviera, the 4-star Hotel Continental ($284 a night) is offering pay-three-stay-four from September through December. Several villa hotels in Tuscany and other regions are offering similar deals from August through December. Hotels in Bologna, Perugia, Parma and Spoleto are also offering free nights.

For a list of all hotels offering free nights, visit www.tourcrafters.com. For more information and reservations, call 800-ITALY-95.

Disney World Halloween starts Sept. 4

On 24 evenings between Sept. 4 and Nov. 1, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom will be filled with friendly ghosts and goblins during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.Guests of all ages can dress up in their own Halloween costumes if they want, but in any case they get to trick-or-treat around the theme park, collecting candy. Special lighting and music transform areas of the park into haunted (but happy) hollows. The parties will be held Sept. 4, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29; Oct. 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31 and Nov. 1, beginning at 7 p.m. and continuing till midnight. The event, which takes place following Magic Kingdom closing and requires a separate admission ($46-$59), also features two entertainment extravaganzas: Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween parade and a “Happy HalloWishes” fireworks spectacular.

Visit www.disneyworld.com/halloween or call 407-W-DISNEY.

Trivia answer

The statue pictured below is of Paul Bunyan and this particular one is located in Bangor, Maine. The question was not that easy because, among other places, you can also find Bunyan statues in Bemidji and Brainerd, Minn.; Westwood and Del Norte County, California; St. Ignace and Ossineke, Mich.; Enchanted Forest Water Safari, New York, and  Eau Claire, Wis. Bunyan, alas, exists only in folklore. Among the wondrous tales told about him is that he and Babe the Blue Ox, his companion, dug the Grand Canyon when he dragged his axe behind him.