COMING AND GOING

Fly Away Soon

LAST-MINUTE DEALS

Fly Away Soon

Maybe it's the season, but CoGo has been noticing that last-minute deals from airlines are more plentiful, and more attractive price-wise, than usual.

Most airlines try to unload at the last minute what they fear will be empty seats. They post their offerings for coming days or weeks on their Web sites, and most allow you to sign up to get e- mail alerts.

United, which generally has the most offerings from D.C.-area airports, e-mails its deals on Tuesday nights. U.S. and Canadian flights require that you leave after 7 p.m. Friday or anytime Saturday and return anytime Monday or Tuesday. Tickets are either for the coming weekend or the subsequent one. Among dozens of United deals listed for the coming weekend (starting Feb. 1) as of press time: Dulles to Charleston, S.C., $164 round trip; Dulles to Toronto, $172. Both fares include taxes.

Caribbean and international destinations generally allow you several dates to choose from. Last week's United offerings, which by now have expired, included round trips from Dulles to Aruba for $306 ; to San Juan, $213 ; and to Amsterdam, $559 . All include taxes.

US Airways' deals, released Wednesdays, are for only the coming weekend. Its deals for the current weekend included a popular ski destination: Reagan National to Burlington, Vt., for $203 round trip , about half the usual discounted price. American's $150 round-trip fare from Reagan to Chicago was among hundreds of offerings from various airlines, including dozens of bargains from Washington area airports.

You can find last-minute fares from all airlines at http://www.smartertravel.com. The consumer travel site also lists last-minute hotel and rental car deals for the flexible traveler ready to take off at a moment's, or a week's, notice.

HEALTH WATCH

Yellow Fever Vaccines

A shortage of yellow fever vaccine has left some travelers scrambling to find a clinic with supplies. Word to the wise: Don't wait until the last minute, but don't panic.

If your usual travel health clinic can't provide the vaccine, check other options at private clinics listed at the Web sites of the International Society of Travel Medicine ( http://www.istm.org) and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ( http://www.astmh.org). With a few phone calls, CoGo found offices in the metro area that have vaccines. However, everyone CoGo spoke with said they had only vials with doses for five people, and once the vials are prepared, all the vaccine must be used within one hour. Thus, clinics tend to offer the vaccine only for limited periods of time . Farragut Medical and Travel Care in Washington, for example, offers the vaccine only between 2 and 3 p.m. Wednesdays.

Yellow fever vaccine is recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for travel to many countries in Africa and all or parts of 13 countries in the Western Hemisphere, including Argentina and Brazil. Some countries require you to show proof of the vaccine if you've recently visited a country where yellow fever is present. Details:http://www.cdc.gov.

LUXE PATROL

Splurge Alert

Well-heeled travelers looking for the best and budget travelers open to a splurge should check out http://www.fabsearch.com. The new Web site features a synopsis of hotel and restaurant reviews from about a dozen fashion glossies, such as Vogue, and then catalogues the snippets by source, city and country.

The reviews are boiled down to bare essentials and link to the Web sites of hotels and restaurants . You simply look for ideas ; the site doesn't directly sell anything. Because glossy magazines tend to focus on high-end travel , that is what to expect.

CoGo, for example, clicked on "Marrakesh" and found Murano, a resort featured in British Harper's Bazaar and characterized as "fiercely swanky." Price range: $ 377 to $1,758 a night.

For the budget traveler: Hotels are to drool over while awaiting a lottery win, but restaurants may be within reach.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK

Air France is offering a sale to destinations across Europe for travel through March 23. Fares vary by destination. Round-trip fare from Washington Dulles to Madrid, for example, is $552, including $108 taxes (other airlines are matching). Purchase by Jan. 31. Cheapest fares apply to Monday-Thursday departures; seven-day advance purchase required. Info: 800-237-2747, www.airfrance.us.

Reporting: Cindy Loose

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to cogo@washpost.com.