You Ask, We Answer: Your Favorite Questions

I want to drive to New York City but not park in Manhattan. What can I do?

Thank goodness for New Jersey. From the Beltway, the drive to northern Jersey is 3 1/2 to four hours; from there, park and take a ferry or a commuter train into the city. Two options:

* New Jersey Transit trains operate from numerous locations, but the Metropark station is convenient to the New Jersey Turnpike (take Exit 11 and go north on the Garden State Parkway to Exit 131A) and has ample parking. Parking is $5 a day. Info: 800-626-7433, http://www.njtransit.com/.

* NY Waterway operates ferries to midtown and lower Manhattan from several ports in Jersey, including Hoboken and Weehawken. Parking, schedules and rates vary by location. Info: 800-53-FERRY, http://www.nywaterway.com/.

I have a six-hour airport layover. How can I pass the time?

Many airport Web sites and information desks offer itinerary suggestions for inside the airport and around town, details on transportation info to the city and luggage storage options.

The Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum at San Francisco International, for instance, is free and open Sunday through Friday. The airport's Web site ( http://www.flysfo.com/) provides links to activities accessible by public transportation and feasible with a layover of four hours or more. Amsterdam's Schiphol ( http://www.schiphol.nl/) offers suggestions for layovers of less than four hours (the airport's annex of Rijksmuseum Amsterdam or the on-site Holland Casino, perhaps) and more than four. For the latter, links are provided for trains to the city center as well as tour ideas. Singapore's Changi International ( http://www.changiairport.com/) can arrange free two-hour tours of the city-state for those with at least five hours between flights.

I'm going to Hawaii for a week. What island(s) should I go to?

Picking a Hawaiian island or two requires a bit of matchmaking: You'll have to fit your personality and interests with the island's. If you're looking for a good time, with nightlife, shopping and lots of history, head to Oahu. Eco-adventurers should venture to Kauai, whereas those needing pampering and no forwarding calls should stay on tiny Lanai. To figure out your type, peruse the state tourism office's online guide ( http://www.gohawaii.com/), which details each island's attributes. The isles also have their own tourism offices and Web sites.

Above all, don't overdo it. If you try to hit too many, you'll spread yourself too thin and come away not appreciating anything. Instead, pick one or two, then check the inter-island flights or the new Hawaii Superferry ( http://www.hawaiisuperferry.com/), which begins in July with service from Honolulu to Maui and Kauai. Or avoid airport-hopping and long ferry rides and go directly to Maui, a short boat ride from nearby Molokai.

Which Caribbean island should I visit, and where should I stay?

The Caribbean comprises hundreds of islands, including about 30 groupings that attract tourists. Island features vary wildly, and vacationers who don't do their homework often face disappointing surprises. Factors to consider include proximity, weather patterns, nightlife options, beach quality, watersports availability, local language and cost.

Vacationers with limited time may want to choose an island accessible by a nonstop flight, such as Jamaica, Puerto Rico or Nassau in the Bahamas. Beach lovers who like out-of-the-way destinations should investigate Anguilla or Antigua and Barbuda. Divers would enjoy Saba, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, St. Eustatius and the British Virgin Islands. Naturalists would be happy in Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Barbados and Puerto Rico offer great golf courses. Budget-conscious travelers should try the Dominican Republic. Francophiles would like Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Myriad guidebooks and Web sites are devoted to the Caribbean, and they include lodging recommendations. The Caribbean Tourism Organization's Web site ( http://www.doitcaribbean.com/) has information on 31 destinations; other good sites include http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/ and http://www.igougo.com/. Valuable guidebooks include "The National Geographic Traveler Caribbean," "Fodor's Caribbean" and "Frommer's Caribbean." Magazines devoted to the Caribbean include Islands and Caribbean Travel & Life.