Buckle Your Kayak

Anna K. Amendolare Bowie

Christmas is a festive season for a birthday, but a tough time to travel: Airlines black out those dates, and hotels and cruise lines spike their rates in anticipation of holiday vacationers.

If you can depart (and return) before Christmas Day or after the New Year, you might be able to find inexpensive airfare and/or packages to the Caribbean. For example, a five-night Apple Vacations package ( http://www.applevacations.com ) to Nassau departing Dec. 11 costs $858 per person double; a similar package leaving Dec. 22 is nearly twice as much. Also, if you can take off with little notice, many travel Web sites try to unload unsold packages just days before the holidays. Check Fare Deals (800-347-7006, http://www.faredeal.com ) and 11thhourvacations.com (888-740-1998, http://www.11thhourvacations.com ).

Domestic destinations might be less tropical but a bit more economical. Key West, Fla., for example, has average winter temps of 77 degrees. To save on airfare, fly into Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and drive about 190 miles south; lodging ranges from resorts to campsites. Info: Florida Keys tourism council, 800-FLA-KEYS, http://www.fla-keys.com . On the opposite coast, San Diego is the City of Perfect Weather, and though winter temps can drop to the mid-60s, you can rent a car and drive to Mexico for a blast of hot sun and beach. Info: San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, 619-236-1212, http://www.sandiego.org .

My husband and I want to take a train from Seattle to Anchorage. Do you know of any train routes?

Di Quynn-Reno Queenstown, Md.

You can take a boat, a car or a plane from Seattle to Anchorage, but not a train -- there are no tracks connecting the two cities. A ferry runs from Bellingham, Wash., to Whittier, Alaska, where you can then hop aboard an Alaska Railroad train to Anchorage ($52 one way). The ferry takes a week to cross the Gulf of Alaska and includes a layover and a ferry switch in Juneau; cost is $529 per person one way. For ferry info: Alaska State Marine Highway, 800-382-9229, http://www.akmhs.com .

Once in Alaska, traveling by train is one of the best ways to enjoy the scenery. Three of Alaska Railroad's trains depart from Anchorage -- the Coastal Classic, the Denali Star and the Glacier Discovery -- and stop in such towns as Seward, Fairbanks and Denali. The company also organizes day tours, such as the Spencer Glacier and Float Tour ($159 per person), which includes a chill ride among icebergs. Info: 800-544-0552 http://www.alaskarailroad.com .

Send queries by e-mail (travelqa@washpost.com), fax (202-912-3609) or U.S. mail (Travel Q&A, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington D.C. 20071).