Talk About Travel

Scariest or spookiest travel experiences, area learn-to-ski options, Philadelphia's Center City, Iceland and more.

Got a travel-related question, comment, suspicion, warning, gripe, sad tale or happy ending? The Post Travel Section Flight Crew is at your service.

On the itinerary this week: soaking in the hot springs of New Mexico, rescuing baby turtles in Baja California, and checking out the markets in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

All other travel topics are open as well. If you have insights, ideas or information to add to the discussion, just press the call button above your seat and we'll get to you as soon as we can. Different members of the Crew will rotate through the captain's chair every week, but the one constant is you, our valued passengers.

We know you have a choice in online travel forums, and speaking for the entire Flight Crew, we want to thank you for flying with us.

A transcript follows.

You may also browse an archive of previous live travel discussions. For daily dispatches, check out Travel Log, the Travel section's new blog.

____________________

Andrea Sachs: Welcome travelers to our 6,666th episode of Travel Chat (okay, I made that number up). Anyway, as Halloween nears, tell us about your scariest or spookiest travel experiences. Make us scream like Janet Leigh.

_______________________

Washington, DC: Hi Flight Crew -- I was hoping for some suggestions for a quick one or two night vacation with the family around here (around December). I tried to look online but I hoped you might have better suggestions. Thanks!

Christina Talcott: Please give us more details! What do you like to do? City, country, water or mountains? How far away would you go? What is your budget? One option is to read the Escapes columns on Wednesdays (or go to www.washingtonpost.com/escapes) and look for the Long Weekend column on Sundays. But if you let us know ASAP what kind of trip you're looking for, we can offer some suggestions just for you.

_______________________

Arlington, VA: A few weeks ago, I wrote in asking about places to hike in the area. Another poster suggested the book "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles," and I just wanted to thank that person for the recommendation and suggest the book to others. I bought it right after the chat and have used it every weekend since to find a hike, and it's great! Lots of useful information and great ideas for creating a long-ish hike in even small botanic gardens in the region.

Christina Talcott: Thanks for reporting back, and thanks to the chatter who suggested the book. I'm glad you found just what you were looking for!

_______________________

Playa Del Carmen: I'm submitting waaay early, because I have an important question! My boyfriend and I are going to Playa del Carmen December 31-January 6th for a destination wedding. My bf's friends scouted hotels near the fancy wedding resort, and decided to book at the Hotel Delfino. I can't find an active website (although it's listed on TripAdvisor, etc with good, recent comments). The problem: they made their reservations via email AND had to pay the entirety of the reservation in advance to hold the room. This not only creeps me out, but makes me feel scared that we'll arrive and there won't really be rooms for us. What do you suggest that I do? My bf definitely wants to stay at the same hotel as his friends, but I need confirmation that it's legit before I put up $400+. Let's add to this that I'm an event planner by trade, so I think that I'm naturally more obsessive about details, etc.

Carol Sottili: I'm with you. Why do you have to pay the entire cost up front? Do they have a telephone number? I'd call and talk with the manager. Also, are you spelling it correctly? I did a search and came up blank.

_______________________

Yellow Springs, OH: Help! I just drove to visit family in Ohio from DC, and I realize there MUST be great places to eat on I70 along the way, but where are they? Morganstown? Wheeling? Washington, PA? Cumberland? Anyone know of a hidden gem, or a website for finding them? I come home next week. Its frustrating to see all chain restaurants and know there must be a real diner or somesuch hidden three blocks away. Thanks!

Christina Talcott: Hi there, I feel your pain! It can be so frustrating when the only food options you can see are chain restaurants and fast food. My favorite source for hidden dining gems: Chowhound.com. I did a quick search for Morgantown and found a thread defending the town from one poster's accusation that it's a "restaurant wasteland." Here's a quick list of places mentioned in that thread: Puglioni's for Italian and Flying Fish for seafood on Van Voohris Rd.; Maxwell's on Wall Street for vegetarian; Daikoku for Japanese; Cafe Bacchus, Solera Cafe and Sargassos for upscale dining. I'm sure you can find other suggestions by searching for other towns on Chowhound.com, or we can let the chatters offer suggestions. Anyone know of can't-miss I70 eats?

_______________________

Buy now or wait for a sale?: Hi travel gurus! I'm seeing $340 nonstop roundtrip airfare from BWI to Vegas on Southwest for late January. That seems a little high to me. Continental is $100 cheaper, but with stops (in places more likely to have a late January snowstorm). Would you buy now or wait for a sale on Southwest?

Carol Sottili: I'd hold out a bit longer, but $340 for nonstop flights with all taxes isn't bad.

_______________________

Vancouver, British Columbia: I love the Amazing Race, but I know there are millions that try and do it each year. Do you folks know of any real travel adventure competitions out there? I'd love to enter, I travel a lot and would love to test myself against others in the world. Thanks.

Bob from Vancouver

washingtonpost.com: Check out this recent article on urban racing from our Weekend section: A Race Where Smarts Matter More Than Speed. Full disclosure, I'm the Elizabeth in the article who hates to run. Autumn (the author) and I both watch The Amazing Race and she did a couple of these races in D.C. before I joined her last month. It was a lot of fun - and we did well, too. Maybe there is one coming up near you!

Andrea Sachs: I know some companies offer scavenger hunts in specfic cities, which encourages visitors to explore and learn about a new destination. One example: Mystery & Scavenger Hunt in Seattle. However, I am not aware of any multi-state or country competitions that are of the Amazing Race variety; most I have heard of involve cars or camels.

_______________________

The Burbs: As a young professional (mid-twenties, a few years out of college) does it make sense to sign up for frequent flier miles, or are they going the way of the dinosaur? I usually fly a few times a year, and don't have any preference regarding airlines beyond whatever is cheapest.

Carol Sottili: I don't think they are going the way of the dinosaur, but they are becoming more restrictive. If you only travel a couple times a year, it's not going to get you much. But it doesn't cost anything to join, and you never know when you'll change jobs and suddenly become a frequent traveler. And it gets you on email lists that sometimes receive special fare offers.

_______________________

Burke, VA: In January, Fairfax County has 2 four day weekends in a row (MLK/Inauguration then Teacher workdays). We have a 7 and 5 year and would like to do something over 1 of those weekends. Do you have any ideas? We were thinking skiing, but we can't find a place that will give lessons to the 5 year old. We also thought about going to Philly. Any other ideas? Thanks!

Carol Sottili: I don't know where you looked, but most good resorts offer ski lessons for five-year-olds. Look at Wintergreen (www.wintergreenresort.com) and Snowshoe (www.snowshoemtn.com). We always went out West to ski during those weekends. I know it may sound expensive, but it didn't cost all that much more than going to a resort within driving distance. Airfares were the big-ticket item. For example, when we skied in Utah, we flew Southwest to Salt Lake City, buying when there was a sale fare. We rented a car through Hotwire.com and got a place to stay off the slopes through Vrbo.com. We never ate out (even packed our own lunches) and we got reduced ski lift tickets through a local grocery store (not sure if they still do this).

_______________________

Washington, DC: My boyfriend and I are going for a long weekend in Philadelphia in a few weeks. We've booked a room in Center City. I've never been before, and he's only been once briefly. What must we absolutely do? And what can we do without spending too much money?

Andrea Sachs: For free activities, check out this list at www.phillyfunguide.com/sites.php?category=3. I am also a fan of the World Cafe, where bands tape for NPR, and am dying to see the reopened Please Touch Museum. The Comcast Center's Comcast Experience is free, and the Old City is ideal for wandering. The city also has hundreds of murals that comprise an amazing open-air museum; for info, www.muralarts.org.

_______________________

Scariest Travel? How About a Consulting Project with Armed Crazy Clients in Brazil?: I used to work for a large technology company and was asked to support a consulting project for a "not for profit" organization in Brazil which turned out to be something close to a religious cult (all Google references associate them with the Branch Davidians, Hale Bopp comet people and Jim Jones). We couldn't meet in Sao Paulo because it wasn't safe for them (they made enemies with the Catholic church), so we met at their compound about two hours west of the city. The details are better told over a beer, but I spent five days in a room with the church's senior leaders, each of whom carried a 9mm, and a guard with a shotgun roaming the property. Did I also mention that I didn't speak Portugese and they didn't speak English or how the bishop was just a wee bit psychotic and often yelled loudly while waving his weapon?

I am not a big drinker, but my colleagues did introduce me to the wonderful caipirinha. Aside from the weapons, the other downside came from contracting giardia since I foolishly drank copious amounts of water from the local well.

Andrea Sachs: Sounds like they used some black magic on you.

_______________________

Iceland bound: Funny that there was a small piece about Iceland the other day because I've been planning a trip. I've gotten a great deal on Flight and Hotel and can't pass it up. I have a question about transportation to and from the airport. Everything I have read says cabs are expensive. How expensive are they? Also, 'Flybus' is the cheaper alternative to get to and from; however, do they stop at most hotels or just the bus terminal in the city?

Any assistance from you or fellow chatters out there would be appreciated!

washingtonpost.com: Coming and Going: Iceland, Hot and Cold (Post Travel Section, Oct. 19)

Christina Talcott: From what I can tell, the Flybus is the cheapest way to get from the airport to downtown Reykjavik, but you're right that they don't go directly to hotels from the airport. Instead, they have shuttles from the bus terminal to most hotels and guesthouses, and the Web site says it takes 50-75 minutes and costs about $12. Looks like taxis are way more expensive, from 6,500 to 11,000 krona! (Even with the krona's plummet, that's still up to $100 for a cab.) Does that sound about right to anyone who's been there recently?

_______________________

Adams Morgan: Hi,

I'm going to Mexico next week and read that I should bring medicine in the original bottles to avoid any problems going through customs. I regularly use a meal replacement/weight gain shake mix (its a chocolaty powder) to help maintain my weight. I'd like to bring some along, but it comes in a 5 lb container and I'm not traveling with that. I usually take it on trips in a ziploc bag. Do you think there is any risk of complications going through customs if I do that?

Thanks

Carol Sottili: Not a good idea. I don't think cocaine comes in a chocolate flavor, but why raise concerns with baggies of a powdered substance? Can't you buy the shake in a smaller container for the trip?

_______________________

DC to Ohio: Um, are you taking Rt 70 then Rt 68 through Morgantown?

Grantsville MD = PennAlps or Cassleman Inn

Christina Talcott: Recs for the Ohio-DC corridor... Thanks!

_______________________

Dupont Circle: Hi flight crew, I love the season and am enjoying the cold, but I know by Jan/Feb I'll be ready for some sun and sand. Unfortunately I have a mountain of student loans to pay back. Can you recommend somewhere I can go for a long (4-5 days) weekend that's sunny and warm and has sand and ocean? I'd like to spend as little as possible - can you think of anything for less than 600? I'm open to a cruise or an all-inclusive, just don't know where to start searching. thanks!

Andrea Sachs: You can definitely do a cruise from Miami for that amount. Many three- and four-nighters go for about $200-$300, not including air. You could also look at packages to the Bahamas or the Dominican Republic, which fall in that price range. Or try St. Petersburg, Fla., which has gorgeous beaches. Plus, air to Tampa is not too pricey.

_______________________

I heard over the weekend: that Southwest is going to get hit because oil prices have dropped where they negotiated fuel costs higher than what they are currently.

Given fare prices and looking to travel in late January I would tell the poster to wait. fares may drop a little and January is a low in the winter travel season so you may get cheaper fares.

But I would put the total costs on airfare (taxes, bagges surcharges, your left kidney..) at around $300 from DC to Vegas.

Carol Sottili: I think $300 all in is not as common as it once was. As for Southwest, it saved much money by hedging oil prices, but now it is in a different position as oil prices have dropped.

_______________________

Anonymous: re: the Frequent Flier program question, by all means it is worth signing up. I don't fly more than a couple of times a year. But I accrue most of my miles using the Unite Mileage Plus credit card. They have a generous bonus just for signing up (usually at least 20,000 miles). If you pay off your balance every month your miles only cost you the annual membership fee. There are also lots of other partner offers that add miles like car rentals, hotel stays, even grocery stores, and many others. I have been able to fly business class several times for "free" this way. I started in my mid-20s too and am 40 now. Just make sure you pick a program with plenty of partners. I like being in the Star Alliance. Being able to use United Miles to fly on better airlines is a definite plus.

Carol Sottili: I agree the frequent flier credit card does work for some. I have a Capital One card, and I fly free at least a couple of times a year with the miles I earn through it.

_______________________

Going to Iceland: Good Day! Thanks for the chats! I am thinking of going to Iceland for the holidays (Christmas/New Years) and was wondering if you had suggestions of places to stay etc + if you think it is a good time to go with the banking issues in Iceland. Appreciate the guidance!!

washingtonpost.com: Coming and Going: Iceland, Hot and Cold (Post Travel Section, Oct. 19)

Iceland Travel Stories Archive

Christina Talcott: I'm interested in Iceland this winter, too, and everyone I've talked to who's been just raves about it. Now seems like a great time to go - just bring plenty of cash in case the banking situation's still shaky then. Anyone out there have suggestions for where to stay?

_______________________

Manassas, VA: So Do you think that air tickets will go down due to gas prices going down? If so, will this decrease in prices be good for holiday (Christmas) travel?

Carol Sottili: Christmas travel is never cheap, even when the airlines are engaged in price wars. As for cheaper oil, perhaps it will eventually result in lower fares, but my guess is that prices will stay stable as long as planes are being filled. Some airlines, such as United, have reported decreased load factors in recent months, but others, such as Delta, have seen more seats filled.

_______________________

Baltimore, MD: Hey there. My buddies are taking me to Boston this coming weekend to celebrate my birthday. We're typical 20something guys that love to walk around (10+ miles not out of the question) and experience the city by stopping at various bars along the way. Aside from the historical stuff up there which I've already done, can you recommend anything you'd consider a must-see? Does Sam Adams offer brewery tours? Thanks!

-Chris

washingtonpost.com: You've Done This: Now Try This (Post Travel Section, May 11)

Andrea Sachs: You could walk from Boston to Cambridge and find plenty of brews and bathrooms along the way. I would definitely hang out in Kenmore Square, tool around BU, wander around Copley Square and Newbury Street, then head to Harvard Square (Hong Kong Restaurant has insane scorpion bowls, or try Border Cafe for margaritas). Another classic: John Harvard's Brew Pub. Make time for a walk along the Charles River (either side). For music, try the Middle East in Central Square. Sam Adams does offer brew tours; for info, www.samueladams.com/contact_tour.aspx.

_______________________

Scariest travel: When I was twelve or so, I lived in Brussels, Belgium and my school orchestra took a trip to Italy to play a series of concerts. In Siena, we stayed with local families and I was assigned to stay with the headmaster of the local school sponsoring us. After our concert, he drove me to his house in true Italian fashion. I'd never been driven by an Italian before. We careened through those narrow streets like a cartoon car--I swear the car spent most of the trip on two wheels. I was convinced that we were going to end up splattered all over the pavement. It was easily the scariest drive of my life.

Andrea Sachs: Scary. Buckle up, indeed.

_______________________

Harrisburg, Pa.: I hate to sound like a commercial, but if adults are looking for a good spooky Halloween adventure, I would recommend the Universal Horror Nights. I went on evenings this year and one last year and I think they do an excellent job. They create movielike sets in mazes you walk through, have lots of people in character walking around scaring people, you get to walk through the Psycho Bates Motel set and the War of the World plane crash set, there are a couple of excellent shows, and Chucky does some adult comedy. It may be too intense for some children but good for adults and older children.

Andrea Sachs: Thanks, Scaryburg, for the suggestion.

_______________________

Washington, DC: One of my scariest travel experiences: We were flying from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo on Air Zimbabwe, and the airline decided that there weren't enough passengers to make it worth flying a big (normal) plane. Therefore, they split us all up into small planes (one of which was a 4-seater). I was on a 10- or 12-seater. It was so loud that they passed out earplugs. Fearing the worst given suspect travel regulations and mechanical upkeep, I curled up in the fetal position and cried the entire time. Of course, with a smaller plane it took 50 percent longer, extending my agony. To top it off, we approached the runway from the wrong direction.

Andrea Sachs: Yikes. You just gave me a fear of flying.

_______________________

More re Iceland: I too wanted to go to Iceland to assist the country with my tourist dollars. But I noticed that Iceland Air no longer flies from BWI. What's the best way to get to Iceland from the DC area?

Thanks!

Christina Talcott: Unfortunately, the best way to get to Iceland is either out of Logan or JFK. To take advantage of Iceland Air's current low prices, you can buy RT tickets to Boston or New York from the DC area, being careful to leave A LOT of time to make your connection. Alternatively, I've seen decent prices on travel sites that make those arrangements for you so you're not traveling on two different itineraries, some of them routed through Minneapolis, another IA hub. Anyone else have tips on this?

_______________________

Boston, MA: My favorite way to find eateries for road trips is, fittingly, Jane and Michael Stern's website Roadfood.com. They have a compendium book too, but I usually check the site as it's updated often, and they have useful forums. They tend to focus on diners, family joints, places with authentic local specialties. Their site is great and they've led me to some of the best BBQ, burgers, and pancakes of my life over the years. This is how the site describes itself: "The only web site devoted exclusively to finding the most memorable local eateries along the highways and back roads of America." Enjoy!

Christina Talcott: Great suggestion! Thanks!

_______________________

Richmond, VA: Comcast Experience ? What do they do, make you navigate useless phone menus, keep you on hold for an hour and then give you a three hour window when you might be able to visit? Sounds dreadful.

Andrea Sachs: It's a high definition video wall, the world's largest LED screen. Makes my TV look like a tablet.

_______________________

Scary travel: While on the Metro in Paris several years ago, I overheard some teenage boys talking--not quietly--about how they could see the outline of my wallet in my pocket and wondering if I was traveling alone. (Actually, it wasn't my wallet--it was just a small case with my travelcards in it--but still.)

Obviously they assumed I couldn't speak French; they also didn't realize that the very tall, muscular man sitting across from me was my travel companion. As we got off the train together, the kids did follow us for awhile, but nothing happened. As much as I usually like traveling alone, I was glad I wasn't that time.

Something that was supposed to be scary but wasn't: a London Walks ghost tour. The only scary part was the guide's singing.

Andrea Sachs: Good for you for carrying around a burly guy for protection. Yeah, often those ghost tours are as scary as Casper.

_______________________

Greenbelt, MD: Re: 68 Go for the Cassleman Inn. The food at Penn Alps has been going downhill, the artisan village is still great. Stop there and look at the lovely things.

Christina Talcott: Another vote for Cassleman Inn.

_______________________

Mexico traveler: Word on the street is that Linens'N'Things is going out of business -- you can go there and get cheap discounts on smaller tupperware containers that you can put the shake mix into your luggage and not have to deal with TSA or customs.

Christina Talcott: Great tip! Thanks!

_______________________

Boston, MA: Scariest travel story...I was 22, visiting Vienna, Austria with my mother, and decided to take a side trip on my own to Prague. This was 1985, and it will still very much behind the iron curtain. It was one of the coldest winters on record, with heavy snow and temperatures in single digits.

Prague itself was an oddity, mostly because not a lot of Americans traveled there at the time and I stuck out a lot, and was followed. But the train trip home was really strange.

We were riding through East Germany with nothing to see from the windows but miles of snow when the train unexpectedly stopped. The conductor entered my compartment and starting speaking to me in rapid Czech, pointing down the corridor and out the door of the train. I said I did not understand, and asked if he spoke English. He left, then returned with someone who began speaking quickly in German, again pointing out of the train. Again, I said I didn't understand...but it sure looked like they were trying to throw me off into the snow and I was getting scared.

Finally a passenger was found who spoke English, and he explained the emergency...the brakes on my train car had failed and they needed me to move to another train car. Unfortunately the only available seat was in a compartment with no heat.

Hours later, I met my mother in Vienna, frozen and relieved.

I had further adventures in Eastern Europe when I traveled to Transylvania two years later (let's just leave it at vampire Mosquitos), but at least I didn't freeze.

Andrea Sachs: Wow, that sounds like a Cold War film of epic proportions.

_______________________

Scariest travel moment: I'll admit that I'm a pretty big wimp, and it doesn't take too much to frighten me. However, in all of my trips and all of my travels, one of my most frightening moments involved the professional Olympic-grade bobsled track in Sigulda, Latvia. For some reason I agreed to ride down it with some friends. It cost all of about $5, and the only safety precaution was the helmet thrown into your hands. As the fake bobsled began descending down the track, I thought, "This isn't so bad." Then it got faster, and I thought, "Hopefully I'll live to tell about this!" I figured closing my eyes would make it less scary, bu that made it more so, because then you couldn't see the curves coming up...and the bobsled really went up and down the curves just as you see on TV. Even more frighteningly, the end of the ride down wasn't the end of the scariness....we still had to ride back up to the top of the hill in a rickety old pick-up truck, filled with 2 sleds and about a dozen people. As it drove, it swayed from side to side in an incredibly frightening way. I almost kissed the ground when we go back to the top.

Andrea Sachs: You, my friend, deserve a gold medal for your courage.

_______________________

Glover Park: My boyfriend and I are interested in taking a ski vacation in January of this year, preferably somewhere out West, since we've both never been. We are both intermediate level skiers in our mid 20s. Can you recommend a place for us to go? Thanks!

Carol Sottili: I'd go to Park City, Utah or Breckenridge, Colo. Both offer several different resorts within easy driving distances. I like both because they have neat towns with shops, bars, restaurants.

_______________________

Md.: this time of year in Philly, how can you pass up going to the Mutter Museum?

http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp

Andrea Sachs: Good suggestion. Thanks!

_______________________

Philadelphia: For the visitors to Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is a must see in my mind, and Sunday's admission is pay what you wish.

Andrea Sachs: Love Sundays. Thanks.

_______________________

Arlington, VA: The Philly-bound couple should also check out gophila.com for ideas. Definitely you need to eat gelato at Capogiro. Philly is a great food town. Staying in Center City is definitely the way to go.

Andrea Sachs: Thanks for the inputs.

_______________________

Philly Weekend: Andrea,

Did you forget about a certain Independence Hall?

Andrea Sachs: No, I figured that was a given. But let me amend my ways:

Independence Hall!

_______________________

Arlington, VA: Fuel prices may have come down, but taxes and fees haven't.

Last week I looked into getting a rental car for one day of off the clock time while on a business trip to San Francisco next February. The car rental was $21.95, the incidental costs were about $23.50.

Carol Sottili: Rental car fees are very dependent on location. I just rented a car in St. Louis for a 25-hour period, and cost was $25.22, including $8.22 taxes.

_______________________

Rockville, MD: What happened to that dude Scott Vogel who did the Q&A? KC and Andrea have always done a splendid job...but Scott's responses always made me laugh out loud. Where is he?

Andrea Sachs: Scott is in Europe, but fret not: He and his sense of humor will return soon enough.

_______________________

Baltimore, MD: Went camping with several friends in PA. We left Friday evening after work, so it was fairly late by the time we got to the general area of the campground. We got somewhat lost, turning down a private drive that we thought was a public road. A pick-up truck pulled in behind us, crawling behind us as we drove forward slowly. A man and woman walked in front of our car as we rolled to a stop. Rolled down the window, the man asked what we were doing. "We're looking for XXX campground and we seem to be lost." "Well, this is private property." "We're sorry, we didn't know."

"That's how people get shot." Completely serious. Not a trace of sarcasm, humor, nothing.

We said sorry profusely, rolled up our windows, locked our doors, backed around the truck and hightailed it back to the main road, and eventually found the campground, luckily.

Andrea Sachs: Whoa, a shotgun trip. So not funny.

_______________________

Cheverly, MD: Spooky travel experience: Attending a conference in Gettysburg a few years ago, I took advantage of a "ghost tour" of town, walking through the streets where so much blood had been spilled. About halfway through the tour (during the description of amputated limbs being thrown out of windows during surgeries) ground fog began to build and swirl for the remainder of the tour. As we made the final turn to head back to the hotel, a huge harvest moon appeared before us. Nature truly has the best special effects!

Andrea Sachs: How beautifully spooky. Too bad you didn't see a witch riding across the moon.

_______________________

Beer in Boston: The poster wondering if there are tours of the Samuel Adams brewery in Boston should visit www.beeradvocate.com/beerfly/city/3; it's the Boston beer guide of a Boston-based website for microbrew fans. Along with Sam, the Harpoon Brewery also offers tours. (www.harpoonbrewery.com) And a don't miss beer spot in Boston is Redbones Barbecue, near the Davis Square stop on the Red line. (www.redbones.com)

Andrea Sachs: Cheers to you!

_______________________

Washington, DC again: Hi -- sorry for lack of details. I'm thinking 3-4 hours drive, pretty inexpensive, preferably country or small city. I would like things to do with my parents and siblings (teenagers) that's relatively low-key. Not big on mountains but water sounds nice, as does some physical activity (not too strenous). Thanks.

Christina Talcott: if you haven't explored the Chesapeake Bay area, you might enjoy a trip to St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore, which is quiet in the off-season but has plenty of restaurants, shops and a nice maritime museum and lighthouse. Nearby is Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, a great place for biking and strolling and spying on eagles at the visitors center. Or try the VERY low-key Solomons Island on the western shore, great for biking and nearby fossil-hunting. Ocean City and Rehoboth Beach are more lively than most beach towns in the off-season, and they're less expensive and crowded now, too, but the ocean's no less beautiful. Want more action? Have you been to Annapolis, Charlottesville or Richmond? They are all small cities with plenty of museums, history, food and lodging options.

_______________________

Washington, DC: Hey guys,

I'm going on a Mediterranean cruise next summer and one of the stops is a 5 hour stay in the capital city Tunis, Tunisia. We will be there during the day and I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions as I'm gathering ideas of what to check out there. I know little to nothing about it, though I'm obviously starting to research now. Thanks.

Andrea Sachs: Tunis is not in my travel log yet. Any chatsters have suggestions for our upcoming cruiser?

_______________________

Hudson Valley, NY: I just wanted to say thanks for the piece on northern New Mexico. We honeymooned there just two weeks ago. We found the landscape breathtaking! Plus soaking at Ojo Caliente a few days after the wedding really put us in relaxation mode. To boot, we had great, inexpensive meals wherever we ventured. Hopefully, your article will inspire people to travel there.

washingtonpost.com: Letting Off Steam in New Mexico (Post Travel Section, Oct. 19)

Christina Talcott: Thanks for the feedback, and congratulations on your marriage!

_______________________

Prague: I have a similar scary experience as the poster about the Paris Metro - while I was in Prague a few years back, a few friends and I (all Americans) were traveling back to our university housing on the outskirts of the city via trolley. It was after midnight. Three guys got on, with pale makeup and all in black. They kept talking about one of my friend's, um, posterior, and how nice it was, then would lean up against the plastic windscreen, pressing their faces to it and hissing. We moved to the front of the trolley but they followed us. What they were saying was really freaking us out, so we decided to get off early (so they wouldn't know where we were staying and because it was a dark walk to our rooms) and run for a corner bar where we hoped some other classmates would be. We got off, the scary guys stepped off the bus too, but we made it to the bar and they got back on.

Andrea Sachs: Oh-la-la-ick. That is tres creepy.

_______________________

Harrisburg, Pa.: If anyone is going to Philadelphia for a scary Halloween, go to the Mutter Museum. Trust me. It is a museum of medical oddities.

Andrea Sachs: Duly noted. Thanks!

_______________________

Washington DC: How come the Travel Deals section was missing this week? That's my favorite section!

Carol Sottili: Thanks so much. I didn't do the column because I was off on a nature trip with the Audubon Naturalist Society to Chincoteague. We saw 71 different species of birds, learned about littoral drift and even watched the banding of a monarch butterfly. But Deals is back on Sunday.

_______________________

WAS-LAS: I looked for the end of January on Kayak leaving on a Wednesday to a Tuesday and found fares less than $250 on Airtran out of BWI. To stay over Super Bowl weekend on Wed-Tuesday travel is $210 on Delta.

If I was looking--I would take the Delta fare at $210.

Carol Sottili: Nonstop?

_______________________

SWA new security lanes: Any word on Southwest Airlines' new priority security ("Fly By") lanes? Last I heard, they were due at BWI and a few other airports by mid October. They're for people paying full Business Select fares and A-List people (who fly more than 16 round trips per year, like yours truly).

Carol Sottili: I blogged about it earlier this month and will send the link along.

_______________________

For the protein-powder traveler: If this is something you take on a doctor's advice, you might want to ask him/her for a letter of explanation. Also, be careful what water you use to reconstitute it with. Happy travels!

Carol Sottili: I still would be wary about carrying it in a plastic bag.

_______________________

Foggy Bottom: Hi, I just booked a week in Vancouver, BC, for me and my girlfriend with a timeshare week gifted to her by her father. We're going in March, which isn't the ideal season understandably, but we're wondering what we can do with the weather. Does anyone have any insights to the weather around that time? We like to ski and will probably head to Whistler for a day or two.

Andrea Sachs: You definitely should be able to ski during that time period. The snow is still dumping on B.C. in March. Vancouver will be much milder, but pack a raincoat too; the drops may fall.

_______________________

Arlington: My almost 9-year old daughter is crazy about horses and we'd like to treat her to an equine-related weekend for her birthday. Are there any horse farms (a la western dude ranch) within a 2-hour drive where we could stay, have a riding lesson and learn about the care and feeding of the horses and/or ponies up close?

Christina Talcott: You could try the Marriott Ranch in Warrenton (www.marriottranch.com), with rooms starting at $129/night and trail rides several times a day. However, I just noticed that kids have to be 10 to go on trail rides. Maybe you can plan a special 10th birthday trip for your daughter. Other suggestions out there?

_______________________

Washington, DC: Since I have a horrible fear of almost all insects to begin with, my scariest travel experience would of course have to involve an insect. More specifically, a spider that was laying in wait inside the sleeve of a terrycloth robe at my hotel in Istanbul. I looked down to see the welt on my arm growing. As I was running out the door to meet friends I sort of tried to put it out of my mind. As the evening went on, I grew more and more lethargic (maybe I was just tired?), but I made my friends swear that they wouldn't take me to the emergency room unless I was on the floor having convulsions (I had seen Midnight Express one too many times and have an active imagination). Fortunately, I woke up the next morning with my right hand and forearm completely numb. The Turkish pharmacist gave me some Benadryl (at least I think that's what he said it was) and I was on a plane back home later that day. My hand stayed numb for about two weeks, but thankfully I didn't lose any digits.

Andrea Sachs: Eek, a spider.

_______________________

Dupont again: I hope it's not too late, but a quick follow-up to my question about less expensive Caribbean getaways in Jan/Feb. Can you recommend any islands that have direct flights from the DC area? Thanks!!

washingtonpost.com: You Can Get There From Here, Nonstop (Post Travel Section, March 2)

Christina Talcott: Here you go!

_______________________

Washington, DC: By far the creepiest city that I've been in so far has been Edinburgh. I went below in the underground vaults that people of the city used to inhabit and it was pretty darn scary. Besides that, though, the city as a whole (I was studying in Belfast at the time, so it was just a 4 night trip) just struck me as creepy, can't really put my finger on it. I just had an eerie feeling my entire time there, though it is possible that it had something to do with the fact that I was staying in a former church that was turned into a hostel. Very very strange at night, let me tell you.

Andrea Sachs: I had a friend who visited Edinburgh and heard/saw ghosts. Definitely a haunted town.

_______________________

Anonymous: Playa del Carmen = stay at El Deseo

Carol Sottili: Thanks.

_______________________

For the skiers...Summit County, CO: Summit County hosts Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin and Keystone within about two hours of Denver.

Carol Sottili: Right.

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: Southwest Security Line Changes (Travel Log blog, Oct 3)

Carol Sottili: Here's the link to the info on Southwest.

_______________________

Mt. Pleasant, MI: Our scariest travel experience was in Sunnyvale, CA about twenty years ago. We unwisely got a reservation in a small motel, and when we arrived paid for the room. The room itself was filthy and had a huge black stove by the door. You could see through the towels, which were light brown, and there were holes in the sheets. I looked under one of the beds, and I swear the carpet was moving. Our son, who was about 8 at the time, was exhausted and was so upset at the prospect of moving that we stayed. I kept thinking that figures from every scary movie I had ever seen would come flooding through the door. I didn't sleep a wink all night, and we got up and fled to San Francisco about 4 a.m.

Andrea Sachs: Reminds me of the cheap hotel I stayed at in NYC. I found a butcher's knife in the fridge and my sheets were all cut up. I "slept" on the covers.

_______________________

Philly: Rouge at Rittenhouse Square has a great burger and outdoor tables. Wine was a bit pricey but it seems to be the chic place to be these days.

Andrea Sachs: Thanks for the suggestion.

_______________________

scariest travel story in Belarus!: A couple of years ago, I backpacked from Poland through Belarus to Ukraine. I was a Eastern European Studies Masters student. Long story short, when we arrived in Brest, Belarus from Warsaw, Poland, I left my mp3 player on the Moscow bound train. I knew we had lots of long rides ahead of us, so I thought I'd pop on and off and grab the player. I left my backpack including all $$, mobile phone and identification with my travelmates on the platform in Brest. I spoke about 10 words of Russian, 4 in Polish and 5 in German which were the languages of the train operator. Lo and behold, no mp3 player on board, but the train started moving!! I was petrified, I was on a train bound for Minsk with no identification and no money. THANKFULLY they changed the tracks from European to Russian just outside of Brest. At that point, many Belarusians got off the train to walk to their villages. I got off the train and walked straight away to the train station where I found some panicked friends. By far, the craziest, and scariest experience I have EVER had traveling !!

Andrea Sachs: Okay, you just made my heart skip a beat.

_______________________

Horses/ponies: For the nine-year-old: you might want to wait until summer for this, but how about a trip to Chincoteague to see the wild ponies? That would be a good family trip.

Andrea Sachs: So true, but unfortunately you can't ride them.

_______________________

London U.K.: One November evening in London I had arranged to meet my family for a traditional English dinner in a Brick Lane curry house. I took the tube to Liverpool Street Station and crossed over the road adjacent Dirty Dicks pub and wandered the empty night streets around Spitalfields Market area trying to find my way through to the safe haven of Brick Lane. This area is gas lit seventeenth-century narrow tenements and cobble paving a scene unchanged for centuries add the swirling fog and thoughts Jack the Ripper (being a local), I can tell you that even for a rational middle aged Londoner the hairs on the back of the neck were very aroused.

Andrea Sachs: Boo!!!!!!!!

_______________________

I-70 eats: Believe it or not, we stopped at the new Lonestar steakhouse in the Hagerstown outlet mall complex on Friday night. The entire place is blissfully smoke-free, and the food was much better than Outback (and I like Outback!) Fresh tomatoes in the salads, substantial whole-grain bread, super-clean restrooms. Bonus: Amazingly prompt service, which was great, as we still had 3 hours' drive left.

We were very surprised--pleasantly so!

Christina Talcott: Terrific! Thanks!

_______________________

Scary: We were tent-camping on Campobello Island, noted for the FDR summer home where he came down with polio, just across the Maine line into New Brunswick. It was early October, so we were the ONLY campers in the campground that far into the off-season (midweek during the week before it closed for the season).

Around 5:30 AM DST, while it was still pitch-black outside, we started hearing loud, ominous clank-clank-clank metallic sounds in the distance, down toward the beach, and had no idea what it could be. Eventually I recalled that about 12 hours earlier it had been low-tide, because we'd checked the tide tables in order to take a walk along the beach then, so I realized it was low-tide again. Once it finally occurred to us that what we were hearing were probably just some local clammers digging up some free food for their families, we rolled over and went back to sleep for a couple more hours, till it was... "Sunrise at Campobello."

Andrea Sachs: Glad it was not Chucky of Campobello Island.

_______________________

Skiing out West: There are a ton of places you can go for a 3-4 day travel trip.

It really depends on what you are interested in. Are you there just to ski or do you want a hip party town? Do you want a place with a ton of people or do you want someplace where there arent many.

For a first time person traveling out west---the resort places to look at:

1. Park City et all around Salt Lake city. You can travel to one place and not need to rent a car because of airport shuttle service.

2. Lake Tahoe via Reno there are many resorts around the lake to look into.

3. Mammouth Mountain in Eastern California

4. Breckenridge/Vail/Beaver Creek area of Colorado. They have bus service and shared mountain pass service between the diffferent mountains (as do some of the resorts in Salt Lake City).

5. Whistler/Bloackcomb-you dont need a retal car. They have bus shuttle service to Whistler from Vancouver. Everything is within walking distance.

Andrea Sachs: Great list. Thanks!

_______________________

Budget weekend getaway: I read the question about a budget weekend away while sitting on a comfy sofa, in front of a fire (gas, not wood, alas) in the lobby of the Mimslyn Inn in Luray, about 90 miles from Washington. The large rooms are in the $200 range per night for two people; the food was great, and by DC or NoVA standards remarkably reasonably priced, and yes, there was even a massage in their spa. Very relaxed and non-stuffy, but also very retro glamorous. Nearby, hiking, antiquing, and even those caverns. We found it by reading about it in the Post travel section. Though the rooms are a bit more expensive than those you recommended, I found the whole experience incredibly relaxing.

Andrea Sachs: Thanks for the on-spot reporting.

_______________________

HdG, MD: I know it's not exotic or anything, but I want to share my deal. I wanted to treat my husband to something relaxing in January, as a reward for remodling our house on the weekends and dealing with my family for the holidays. Requirements were warm, sunny, with some table gambling. I was thisclose to booking the Comfort Suites next to Atlantis for 4 nights, but a cruise sale caught my eye. Ended up with a 5 night cruise in a balcony cabin out of Miami, booked on cruise night to get a $200 drink, err, on board credit. Total cost of flights + cruise was less than flights + hotel (for 4 nights). Granted, a Southwest fare sale helped me out ($154 pp rt).

We usually spend our vacations hiking and biking, and I know a cruise isn't for everyone. But, IMHO, you can't beat it for some no-thinking downtime (like after a week with the in-laws).

Andrea Sachs: Thanks so much for sharing. Maybe it will inspire a chatster.

_______________________

Philadelphia, PA: What's the turnaround time for passports like now? Are things back to normal? (Mine is up for renewal next spring and I'm trying to judge how soon to send it in.) Thanks.

Andrea Sachs: Yep, back to normal.

_______________________

Andrea Sachs: Well, you scared our pants off with your stories, but that won't stop us from traveling (though I might think twice about Belarus). Thanks so much for the questions and anecdotes. Come back next Monday for more thrills.

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.