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.

Why America should give Wales a great big thank-you

When Americans think about visiting the United Kingdom, many of them plan to see England and Scotland but don't consider Wales. That's too bad because Wales is charming, friendly and scenic. Not only that, but it has many connections to America, as will be made clear in Washington this summer during the 43rd annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Here are some examples of Wales' contributions to the United States:

* President Obama can thank Wales for the roof over his head. The steel roof on the White House was made in Pontardawe in the late  1800s.

 Photo by Welsh Assembly Government

* One of the memorial stones on the Washington Monument is inscribed with the Welsh words “Fy iaith, fy ngwlad, fy neghenedl, Wales -- Cymru am byth.” (Say that 10 times quickly.)  Translation? “My language, my land, my nation, Wales – Wales forever.”

* Many of America’s common surnames -- Jones, Roberts, Williams, Lewis, Davis, Thomas, Powell and Floyd -- are actually Welsh. In fact, the sentiment “Keeping up with the Joneses” comes from 19th-century New York when a wealthy Jones family from Wales continually improved their estate while the neighbors tried in vain to, er, keep up with them. 

* Wales is known for helping to develop the U.S. coal and steel industries, but Welsh slate workers helped develop our slate industry as well. In the late 1800s, thousands of Welsh immigrants worked in the slate quarries of New York and Vermont, bringing their experience and skill with them 

* In addition to being Wales’ national flower, daffodils represent a Welsh medical contribution to the world. Welsh daffodils are being used to produce Galanthamine, a natural plant alkaloid, which helps ease memory loss and has been called one of the few effective treatments for patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. 

The Smithsonian Festival runs June 24-28 and July 1-5. For more information, click here. For more about Wales in general, go to www.wales.com.

And speaking of Wales

The country is home to a town called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. The name is Welsh for "St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of the red cave." The name, the longest in the United Kingdom, runs 58 characters in the English language, 51 characters in Welsh where “ch” and “ll” are counted as single letters. 

Three free weekends at our national parks

The National Park Service is nicely giving us free entrance to most national parks and monuments on three weekends this summer. Those weekends are June 20-21, July 18-19, and Aug. 15-16, and that includes such biggies as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. Fees for camping, reservations, tours and other services will continue as normal, however.

Fascinating fact

Budweiser beer gets its name from Budweis, a city in Southern Bohemia. A Budweiser, in fact, is a resident of Budweis.

The Extraordinary West (of Canada, that is)

 The Extraordinary West is a seven-night tour of Canada's western region that begins with a three-night stay in Vancouver, which includes an afternoon visit to Victoria. Next comes an 18-hour journey aboard a VIA Rail train to the other side of the Rockies. You pick a rental car at Jasper and explore the town and surrounding mountain scenery. Then comes a full day driving along the Ice Fields Parkway to Banff, where you’ll spend two nights. The price is about $1,500 U.S., and the trip is available through Sept. 16, with departures on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Visit the Great Canadian Travel Company at www.greatcanadiantravel.com or call 800-771-4833. 

A reminder: Don't pack your valuables

"What part of 'Don't pack your valuables in checked luggage' don't they understand," asks travel guru Terry Trippler. He cites such as examples as a Florida man who lost $12,000 in jewelry in his checked baggage, and a businessman who had checked over $50,000 in bearer bonds. Trippler has one word for such travelers: "Idiot!"

An affordable wedding stay, in Beverly Hills no less

A Beverly Hills, Calif.,  boutique hotel, The Crescent, calls one of its wedding packages Value Vows, and for good reason. The package includes wedding-night accommodations, champagne and strawberries and a floral arrangement in the room and breakfast in bed for two. The price is $295, with additional nights for $175, and special rates for bridal guests.) In addition, a two-hour champagne and hors d’oeurves reception for 50 can be added for $45 per person.

Call 310-247-0505 or e-mail sleep@crescentbh.com. The Web site is www.crescentbh.com.

Read carefully before griping
This story is no doubt apocryphal, but it does have a moral: Look before you gripe. A man staying at an upscale Manhattan hotel woke up with a stomachache and called room service for soda crackers. When he looked at his bill, he began to shout, "$11.50 for six crackers is ridiculous!" "The crackers are complimentary," the clerk calmly explained. "I believe you are complaining about your room number."