Talk About Travel

Favorite scent-place associations, inauguration plans, St. Louis, friendly rental car companies 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.

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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.

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Christina Talcott: Hello, and welcome to another edition of Travel Chat! We're eager to tackle and and all travel-related questions, and we're counting on you to chime in with tips, suggestions and comments.

This weekend I went for a hike up Sugarloaf Mountain (in Maryland, not Rio de Janiero!), and I was struck by the smell there: An organic combination of fallen leaves, shrubby underbrush, a particular kind of mountain air. It made me think about places that have such a particular smell that when you get a whiff of it, you know immediately where you are, or it reminds you of a certain place. That woodsy smell always means mountains to me; certain suntan lotions conjure the beach; the scent of stale urine on tile immediately takes me back to the Paris Metro. Send in your favorite scent-place associations and my favorite wins a Travel tote bag.

Ok, let's go!

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Washington, D.C.: Activities for over-50 year-olds to do while staying for several weeks in St. Augustine? Would it be a nice place to visit for a month's holiday?

Nancy McKeon: There is simply TONS of stuff to do in and around St. Augustine. Just read the list (which we had to cut short) accompanying our story on Sunday. Then go to staugustine.com and oldcity.com and look at all those sites to visit -- the different, older parts of town, the museums, the fort, the beaches... I for one could definitely find enough to do to spend a leisurely month there. And if you get bored, get in the car and head to the more commercial attractions around Orlando, which is less than a 2-hour drive away.

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DC: That was a useful blog about the inauguration on November 6th, Christina. If people are coming from out of town for the inauguration (on a Tuesday), and hotels are requiring 4 night stays, that means a lot of weekend time for tourist stuff. Granted that weather is always chancy in January, but does the flight crew have suggestions for walking tours, a museum/monument itinerary, Hawaiiana (nice word, huh?) or Chicago-related sights?

washingtonpost.com: Inauguration 2009 Planning (Travel Log blog, Nov. 6)

Christina Talcott: I'm trying to keep up with all the Inauguration info as it comes in, and there are a few other people spread among different sections here at the paper who are keeping tabs, too. Check out yesterday's story about folks hosting hordes at their houses on Jan. 20 (link below).

As for tourist activities, keep an eye on the Weekend section for more info, but make sure you don't miss the American History Museum, which is reopening on Nov. 21. The First Ladies' Inaugural Ball gowns, the Star-Spangled Banner Gallery and of course Dorothy's ruby red slippers... they'll all be back on view in a stunningly renovated building on the Mall. Don't forget that museums are cozy places in bad weather, and, best of all, free; notable exceptions are the Newseum, Spy Museum, Phillips Collection and Corcoran, which all have entrance fees.

On our Web site's Going Out Guide (www.washingtonpost.com/gog) has a Visitors Guide plus museum, restaurant and activity reviews.

For tours, at www.culturaltourismdc.org, Cultural Tourism DC's Tours and Trails page lists local tour guides and companies. If the weather's nasty, you might consider a bus tour; a good friend of mine's a guide with OnBoard DC Tours (www.onboarddctours.com), which has comfy buses and guides who get off the bus with you at the sites, narrating the whole time.

Food-wise, I'm afraid I don't know of any Hawaiian restaurants or events, but we have Chicago-style steakhouses and - what a combo! - Chicago-style pizza with Hawaiian toppings (pineapple, ham).

Anyone have other Inauguration 2009 activity suggestions?

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washingtonpost.com: Hey! How Are You? Long Time, No See. How About a Visit? Say... Jan. 20? (The Washington Post, Nov. 9)

Christina Talcott: Yesterday's A section story on Inauguration houseguests.

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HdG, Md.: I met a friend from SC in Boston this weekend. We ended up wasting a couple hours Sunday morning trying to change her flight because Travelocity sold a connection into DCA and out of IAD. Ticketed on US Air but United flights. Two weeks ago they (US Air) told her she could do guaranteed standby the day of, but of course the day of, they said you can only standby on your ticketed route. There was much hullabaloo and about 2 hours on the phone with no luck. One of the agents even said something like "this is what happens when you are your own travel agent." Of course, Travelocity was her travel agent, and wow, they are nothing like a travel agent. A real travel agent would not have sold that flight. A real travel agent would have stood behind their mistake and fixed it.

I know you have discussed airlines and so forth allowing one to book unreasonably short connections (less than 30 minutes). I guess you need to add unreasonable distance. I thought switching terminals was bad enough!

Carol Sottili: Whenever you buy an air ticket - whether it be from a third-party booking site or an airline - you need to pay very close attention to all the details. Some sites do a better job than others of flagging itineraries that fly out of one airport and into another, but others don't. Many are set up to find the best cheap fares, period, and because IAD (Dulles), DCA (National) and BWI (Baltimore) are all included under the WAS code, they will sometimes combine them. Same is true for JFK, LGA (LaGuardia) and EWR (Newark) - they are all under the NYC code.

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Alexandria, Va.: A couple of years ago you guys did an article on the "Inner Banks", ie, Emerald Isle, Topsail, Bald Head. Can you provide that link again? We have been going to Topsail for about 6 years, but are looking to branch out. Thanks.

washingtonpost.com: Why Stop at Outer? (Post Travel Section, July 29, 2007)

Christina Talcott: Here you go!

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Saint Louis Fun?: For my husband's 30th birthday, I agreed to go to a Southern Illinois Basketball game, which happens to fall on Valentine's Day. I know this is a little early and may be more suited for Tom, but do you know of any "nice" restaurants in St. Louis (or other fun we could have) before or after the game?

Christina Talcott: Carol visits St. Louis fairly frequently, and she recently blogged about her top picks in that city. In the comments section, check out some restaurant recommendations from readers, including Tony's, Duff's and Italian spots in a neighborhood called The Hill. Anyone have other recs?

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New Jersey: St. Augustine is not the oldest city in the US. Both Old Oraibi in Arizona and Acoma in New Mexico were founded in the 1100s.

Nancy McKeon: We should have used the quotation marks that surround that "oldest city" phrase on some St. Augustine Web sites. As the author says, the city clings to this distinction even though it it obviously eurocentric. It also gives itself a stricter definition, the oldest permanent European settlement on the North American continent. As far as what constitutes a "city" (Oraibi apparently never had more than about 900 inhabitants, though Acoma had some 2,000), I'll leave it to demographers and historians to weigh in.

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More Delta Love and Playa Del Carmen/Mexico questions: Hi, all - I flew Delta for two roundtrips this past month, and all four individual flights went really well. I'm still very impressed by how efficiently the Delta staff deals with luggage, loading/unloading of the plane, etc. I'm flying Northwest to Detroit from Boston this Thanksgiving, and hope that goes as smoothly. My question goes out to all the chatters- I'm going to Mexico for the first time for a wedding (Playa del Carmen). I've been told not to miss out on visiting nearby ruins, etc. Do people suggest renting cars, or are there bus services/car services that work better? Also - should I bring American dollars, or plan to use my ATM card? I'm going for about a week. Thanks!

Carol Sottili: You could rent a car, as the roads are pretty good. But I'd recommend just hiring a taxi to take you to the ruins. Don't take the trips offered by the resorts - you may save money, but they take all day. Get up early and go before the large groups descend. We stayed at an all inclusive when we were there, so didn't need much money, but I think we used American dollars - Anyone been there recently?

P.S. I flew Continental this week, and it was a great experience. They fed us! For free! In economy! And the food wasn't bad.

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washingtonpost.com: Places to See: St. Louis (Travel Log blog, Oct. 28)

Christina Talcott: Here's Carol's blog item on St. Louis.

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D.C.: Hi crew, thanks for your help. Is $370 roundtrip nonstop from DCA to TPA a good fare for Xmas week? I don't know whether I should buy now or wait. The airlines have been promo-ing their "holiday fare sales," but $370 doesn't seem like a "sale fare" to me. Does it to you?

Carol Sottili: I just gave it a check at www.kayak.com and came up with $209, including taxes, on US Airways for Dec. 22-30 out of Reagan National to Tampa. Then I went to the US Airways site, and there were lots of fares lower than $370 for dates around the holidays. You may have to be a little flexible on dates to get the cheaper fares.

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Laurel, Md.: FYI, it is NOT a 40 min drive from Orlando to St Augustine... It is, at the very least, 90 minutes assuming ideal traffic conditions.

Nancy McKeon: Sorry, that was an editing screw-up. It was supposed to say that St. Augustine was a 40-minute drive from both the Daytona and JACKSONVILLE airports, not Orlando. We'll correct. Thanks for pointing it out.

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Washington, D.C.: Dear Flight Crew - I have a United domestic flight departing Dulles at 6:30 AM. I plan to use online check-in, but have a bag to check. At what time should I plan to be at Dulles? Is there any point to arriving before, say, 5 AM? Thank you!

Christina Talcott: Since United's Dulles ticket counter doesn't open till 5 a.m., I don't see any reason to get there much before then. But I wouldn't get there much after that, either, since Dulles can get a little chaotic and the lines can be long.

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Traveling to DC: Do you know which rental car companies are friendly (not charging one-way rentals) when it come to arriving and renting from one airport and then returning and flying out of a different airport?

Carol Sottili: Smaller local companies or those that specialize in neighborhood locations (Enterprise) are not good choices if you want to drop off in another location, especially if it's far from the first. The bigger agencies will often allow it, but most will charge a fee. I just got a press release from a new Web site - www.vroomvroomvroom.com - that says it compares prices for all major car rental companies. Haven't had time to try it yet, but give it a go.

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Reston, Va.: Heading to NYC this weekend with a precocious almost 3-year-old and her tea-loving grandma. Any thoughts on a kid-friendly place to take tea? Any other spots for the younger set we shouldn't miss?

washingtonpost.com: Yes! Alice's Tea Cup has 3 locations in Manhattan and is adorable. - Elizabeth

Christina Talcott: There you go! Anyone else have suggestions?

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Dupont Circle: The smell of warm waffles takes me back to the Sol Metro station in Madrid. You can smell them from a stop away in all directions. They smell better than they taste.

Christina Talcott: Wow, that's some serious waffle smell! That reminds me: Was anyone out there in NYC when there was that sugary smell a few years back?

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Hula on my mind in Maryland: Will airfares EVER go down? I want to go to Hawaii for a week over Easter but fares have been hovering near $1000 for months.

Carol Sottili: Fares to Hawaii have been high since Aloha Airlines went out of business earlier this year. Plus Easter is a popular time to travel. Sign up on the various sites, such as www.farecast.com, www.kayak.com and www.orbitz.com, for sale notifications and hope. But I don't think you'll see anything much less than $800.

Scott Vogel: Unless of course, you can leave any time between now and Dec 16. Fares for beyond that date are indeed quite high (for the time being), but there are unbelievably great deals at present. You can fly round trip from Dulles to Honolulu for $470 including all taxes and fees. And flights are available on multiple carriers: Delta, United and American.

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Manassas, Va.: Good day. After several hours of coordinated searches, I managed to snag 3 frequent flyer tickets to Orlando from BWI... at 6:15 in the morning - gulp. We are considering overnighting the night before to minimize the sleep deprivation. Do you have any suggestions for a particular BWI hotel? There are so many, and all we need is a reasonably priced non-smoking room with 2 beds. Thanks!

Christina Talcott: In April, Andrea wrote about staying in a cabin in Patapsco Valley State Park near BWI (www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/central/patapscovalley.html). For hotels, you can browse www.parksleepfly.com for suggestions, or try these places: Microtel Inn and Suites (1170 Winterson Rd., Linthicum, 888-771-7171, www.microtelbwi.com); Wingate by Wyndham (1510 Aero Dr., Linthicum, 410-859-0003, www.wingatebwi.com); Best Western Baltimore-Washington Airport (6755 Dorsey Rd., Elkridge, 410-796-3300, www.bestwestern.com); Ramada Inn BWI (7253 Parkway Dr., Hanover, 410-712-4300, www.bwiramada.com) or Days Inn Glen Burnie (6600 Ritchie Hwy., Glen Burnie, 410-761-8300, www.daysinn.com). Anyone have a favorite hotel near BWI?

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washingtonpost.com: At This Maryland Park, Prepare for Takeoff (Post Travel Section, April 23)

Christina Talcott: Here's Andrea's story on Patapsco Valley State Park cabins near BWI.

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Rockville, Md.: My husband is obsessed with grilling and spicy food. I've been hankering for a trip to the southwestern US or Mexico, and I'm thinking it might help to seal the deal if I could find a tie-in to a cooking course somewhere. Any ideas on a good course, or a source of information about cooking classes for tourists?

Thanks in advance!

Scott Vogel: I can't vouch for them personally, but has anyone else heard good things about the Santa Fe School of Cooking? I have, and their Web site certainly has lots of four-alarm course offerings. Check it out: www.santafeschoolofcooking.com.

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Great Falls, Virginia: Is St. Augustine, Florida an expensive city?

Nancy McKeon: Judging by the various Web sites I visited while editing Stephanie Cavanaugh's piece on St. Augustine, I would say the place is as cheap or expensive as you would like it to be (go to the Web site for the funky Pirate Haus Inn and see what i mean--rooms for less than I spent for a quick dinner out last night! $50-$75 during the week, $85 weekends, but there are bunk-bed dorm rooms for $18.35 plus tax per person! Then there are gorgeous places that cost the world, though rooms at the Casa Monica go to around $200 per night). And even if you hit the hokiest of the tourist spots, say the Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth archaeological park, it'll cost $7.50 for adults, $4.50 for the kids (under 6 are free), which isn't all that bad these days.

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Laurel, Md.: Speaking of St. Augustine, are any airlines contemplating restoring direct service from the DC area to Daytona Beach? Airtran pulled out of DAB altogether after offering a limited number of direct flights out of BWI. One-stop options are now limited to Delta (Atlanta) or USAir (Charlotte). Ugh.

Carol Sottili: Sorry Laurel, but Delta and US Airways have Daytona Beach to themselves. I haven't heard of any discount carrier planning to take it on.

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Dupont Circle: Santa Fe School of Cooking. Go. My Mom loved it. I didn't go but she game me some great spices.

Scott Vogel: Here's another testimonial for hot-and-spicy cooking and Santa Fe. Certainly looks like a great place to me, and as a veteran of Cajun cooking classes in New Orleans, I give cooking vacations in general a big thumbs-up.

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Santa Fe: Can't vouch for the cooking school, but even if its so-so you're still in Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a great place for food and has so much to do. And if you're planning to visit after April make sure you make a reservation at http://www.ranchodechimayo.com/Absolutely great food.

Scott Vogel: Another Santa Fe fan...

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Kara, Irvine, Calif.: Doesn't traveling increase your carbon footprint? Doesn't that add to the global warming? How can people spend money on travel when there are starving people in the world?

Christina Talcott: Such an interesting point, and one I was just debating with people this weekend. When you look at sheer carbon output, yes, travel's terribly bad for the environment. Unless your home is on the road, and you travel using as little fossil fuel as possible, you're essentially using energy in two places: home and away. Not to mention the huge output from planes and the impact of even one car or bus.

But I wonder: Can't the positive impact of travel - seeing and therefore caring about places other than our homes, meeting and empathizing with people different from ourselves - outweigh the negatives? I believe that sometimes, maybe even most of the time, it can.

Maybe that philosophy will reveal itself to be old-fashioned and destructive, and people will be satisfied with experiencing the world through their TVs and computers. Travel's often a matter of personal choice, and I'm loathe to judge someone else's choices.

I think the toughest question is how can anyone can spend money on ANYTHING nonessential when there are so many people with nothing, e.g. buying $2 coffees when millions live on less than $1 a day. But I think that's too big a question for this chat, at least today.

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Vacation Scents: The smell of certain spices always bring back memories of Middle Eastern spice markets. Incense always makes me think of Japan -- especially the temples.

Christina Talcott: I can almost smell it now...

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Harrisburg, PA: Scent memories: The Blue Mountains in New South Wales (a day trip from Sydney). They're blue because of all the eucalyptus oil from the trees in the air that refracts the sunlight (from a distance, they're not blue close up) and they smell like eucalyptus (surprise!).

Christina Talcott: Oh wow, that sounds incredible.

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Washington DC: As a St Louis native, I would tell the chatter looking for STL restaurants to grab some Italian from any number of great eateries on The Hill (the city's Italian neighborhood). Also on the The Hill is Modesto, a great tapas bar and restaurant with a lively atmosphere.

Christina Talcott: Thanks for the rec!

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Native Berkeleyan: When I was growing up in Berkeley, California, I remember the intoxicating aroma of baking bread emanating each afternoon from the Langendorf Bakery (just below Shattuck Avenue on the south side of town). Because of this, I still savor the perfume of yeast bread baking or freshly-baked anywhere I travel!

I also recollect riding across the Bay Bridge into The City -- first on the Key System trains, later on the bus -- and, as we approached the easternmost off-ramp, catching my first whiff of the coffee roasting at nearby plants; I believe there were both Hills Brothers and Folger's. Even though I don't like to drink coffee, I still recall how delicious it smelled roasting when I was a child!

Christina Talcott: Mmm, warm bread and coffee... What is it about that coffee smell that's so intoxicating?

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Chantilly, Va.: There's a certain smell that reminds me of Venice whenever I find it. Usually when I smell it, and look for the source, it turns out that there's a sewer undergoing construction or something like that.

(I say this in all fondness, as I lived in Venice for a few months and it's my favorite place on Earth. But, well, many of those canals are basically open sewers, so...)

Christina Talcott: Haha, that reminds me of the time I realized that the smell I'd come to associate with summertime in Washington, which I'd inevitably smell riding home from the pool along L street downtown, was actually just the smell of a backed-up sewer.

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Diesel fuel and curry and chip fat: Glasgow Scotland in a nutshell. Sometimes just smelling diesel in the rain does it, other times it's curry or grease, but when you get all 3 together, it's remarkably intense.

Christina Talcott: Wow, sounds potent!

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Rockville, MD: Thanks, Scott, for the Santa Fe School of Cooking tip! Santa Fe has been at the top of my list of destinations.

Care to pass on the name of the school in NO where you took the Cajun cooking classes? That could be a good option for us in the future.

washingtonpost.com: The Lesson: Eat, Drink, Learn and Be Merry (Post Travel Section, Aug. 24)

Scott Vogel: Absolutely, it's got a not-very-exciting-sound name: New Orleans School of Cooking. A sensational place, though. Above is a link to my article on it.

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Washington, DC: I just checked out that vroomvroomvroom.com site, and I'm not impressed. The cheapest price it offered for my itinerary was significantly more than what I was quoted on the company's website without applying any discounts, and nearly double the rate I got when I found the right combination of codes and coupons.

Christina Talcott: I've used Hertz for one-way rentals. Did you try them?

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Scott Vogel: Excuse me -- I'm sorry, I misremembered the cooking school I attended. It was the New Orleans Cooking Experience. (www.neworleanscookingexperience.com)

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Re: Santa Fe: OK, Santa Fe doesn't smell like chiles, but the smell of chiles remind me of what a good time I had in Santa Fe. I didn't take a class, but I went to visit the cooking school, and I am sure it was great. I was there only for 3 days, so I couldn't spend a whole day at the school, but everything was wonderful. Also, I heard that if you go around the chile harvest and roasting time, it does smel like chiles. To me there is nothing like the smell of smoked chiles - since my trip to Santa Fe, I put chipotle and anchos on anything I eat (literally!)

Scott Vogel: All right, now I'm getting hungry.

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Anonymous: I'm seeing some pretty reasonable fares for Thanksgiving weekend--should I avoid the inevitably trafficky drive up 95 and fly home instead? I feel like I should snatch up these tickets while they last....

Christina Talcott: I think it depends how far you're going and how high your tolerance for crowded airports is. If you choose to fly, pack yourself some snacks and entertainment, get to the airport extra early and be prepared for long lines and crowds.

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Ventura County: The smell of eucalyptus on the wind--especially the Santa Anas. It takes me back there. Funnily enough, the eucalyptus smell in the Blue Mountains is different and not nearly so evocative for me.

Christina Talcott: Wow, you've smelled both? How do they compare to the eucalyptus in Northern California's forests?

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Rockville, MD: The smell of really humid, ozone-laden air that comes right before a thunderstorm inevitably reminds me of childhood visits to my aunt's house in New Orleans. That, and the smell of cantaloupe.

Christina Talcott: Haha, what a combo!

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Pittsburgh: On the most perfectly clear sunny day imaginable, I was enjoying walking along the waterfront street in Velas, the main town on the island of Sao Jorge in the Azores, when I caught a whiff of, ahem, fishyness. Although I couldn't see anything that could have been its source, as I continued walking the smell got stronger and stronger (almost overpowering!) till finally, nearly a block later, I saw some salted white fish set out to sun-dry on a rack atop the street-front wall of a private home. I held my breath long enough to take a few quick snapshots of the scene, then proceeded past as rapidly as my little feet could carry me! In my ignorance I assumed the fish must have been Portugal's iconic bacalhau (cod), but later a friend who's a native of the island identified the culprit as eel. Pee-yew! For the sake of people who eat the stuff, I hope it tastes milder than it smells.

Christina Talcott: Haha, me too!

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One Way Car Rental: If you join the rental car freq renter club, you can get cheaper pricing on one way rentals. When searching for a Salt Lake City/Denver one way I was coming up with huge surcharges. After I signed in with my freq renter # that surcharge disappeared.

Christina Talcott: True, those loyalty programs can help out sometimes.

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Santa Fe, cooking school, one caution: It's great, but when booking be careful, they have both participation and demonstration classes (at least this was true a few years ago...we ended up in a demonstration class, which was delightful, just not what we were expecting).

Scott Vogel: good to know, thanks.

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Impact: I really liked your response to that question. My husband and I talk about our travel habits sometimes. They are the one thing we splurge on in our lives. We are environmentalists -- don't own a car, live very simply and in a small space, buy our food substainably -- and do what we can to minimize our impact on the environment. We also give about 15% of our income to charities. Most of our desire to see the world is rooted in understanding different cultures and people. It is about learning. We would also like to someday work for an NGO overseas -- we currently work for domestic nonprofits -- and see our travel as a way to build our competency to do that.

Christina Talcott: It's a tough question, and it sounds like you've really thought it through. Thanks for your comment, and good luck getting your dream jobs!

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Bronx, NY: I live in New York, and trust me when I tell you that pancake syrup is not the scent most commonly associated with Lower Manhattan! It was very odd.

My scent memories are not of good smells: raw sewage takes me back to Bab Zwayla, in the heart of medieval Cairo; sun-dried fish to summers at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut; and the two combined to the daily market in Port Said, Egypt. Don't get me wrong, these are generally good memories (Port Said not so much), but I can do without the odors.

Christina Talcott: Ah yes, it was a syrup smell in NY I remember hearing about. Boy, sounds like you've been to some interesting places with icky smells.

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Rosslyn, VA: Growing up, we lived further south, and my grandmother lived in Northern Virginia. Just the other day, I walked outside and the scent of leaves and grass and morning rain took me back instantly.

Christina Talcott: Sometimes it's the simple things, huh?

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Re: Smell Travel: Hello, I have a number of favorite smells, but I think two beat the rest:

1. The whiff of iodine and fish in Istanbul at or around the fish restaurants by the Bosphorus. I've been all around the world and had fish in many places, but that smell is incredible and tells you exactly where you are no matter where you go. It is an incredibly unique smell the moment you smell it you can hear and se the rest: whizz of an ancient city combined with modern world, horns of the ships passing by, people fishing by the water, the silhouette of mosques and palaces, etc. The only thing is you can not recreate this, the smell of the Bosphorus is very unique.

2. The aromas and scents of tropic plants and fruits in Thailand. I can never forget the whiff of jasmine, lemongrass, ginger, exotic flowers, kaffir lime leaves, and many other wonderful smells the moment I walked out of my room in Phuket. It is absolutely amazin, and follows you everywhere. Last time I was there was 5 years ago, but I bought a Kaffir Lime tree when I got back, and pass my hand through when I am having a bad day - it takes me back immediately, and puts a smile on my face. Then I make a Tom Ka Gai soup so that my soul can feed on it!

Christina Talcott: Wow, I can almost picture both places!

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Flowers!: Hawaii smells like flowers. I smelled it as soon as I got off the plane in Honolulu.

Christina Talcott: Was the smell from the leis?

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Silver Spring, MD: I certainly hope that Kara grows all her own food, travels only by foot, bus or bicycle, hand sews her own clothes, eats raw food only and does not have any kind of heat where she lives, as well as donating every cent left over from food and housing to Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF or RAM (today's chat). I don't drink $4 lattes, but I can't scold those who do; I'll only live once, let me travel where I want. Under Kara's way of thinking, no one would ever do anything but work and beat their clothes on a rock to clean them. Ironich that the post would come from Irvine, CA - land of cars and smog! Sheesh!

Christina Talcott: It was a very provocative post, huh? But I appreciate how much conversation it's sparked...

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Atlanta: Given that carbon is the basis for all life, and without it there would be no trees, and we need trees for oxygen, not traveling because you think it's going to increase the carbon in the air is total bunk.

Yes you will use more resources on this earth, but think that you will use resources when you stay at home too. A better thing would be to lobby your Congress to fix Amtrak to actually work and make money rather than the pathetic system it is today. Just two cents...

Christina Talcott: Yes, the train could be so much better, not to mention cheaper!

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Ventura County again: Yes, I've smelled both Blue Mountain and Southern California eucalyptus. I've also smelled eucalyptus in Northern California--especially the Berkeley Hills in the autumn and the rain. Temperature and humidity affect the essential oils.

Christina Talcott: Wow, I never knew.

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Smells: A good friend and former co-worker of mine had lived in Cairo for 7 yrs as a teenager. When we'd go out to lunch in DC, if she ever caught a whiff of the sewer stench (luckily that happens infrequently), she'd invariably say, "Ahh, sewer....reminds me of Cairo."

Christina Talcott: How funny!

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Central Cal: When I was a kid, we had a house trailer parked at Morro Bay, CA, the central coast town with the big rock guarding the harbor. I could walk down to the wharf, fishing rod and bait in hand, and fish for jack smelt off of the pier. The ocean air, the baywaters, fish and bait smells, along with the crab and shrimp boiling outdoors at the restaurants and the occasional diesel engine exhaust had a pheremone signature all its own. Every once-in-awhile, I run across it, in New England, or the Caribbean or wherever. And when it fills my nose, instantly the nostalgia and satisfaction of being a boy with a pole makes me smile and breathe deep just one more time....

Christina Talcott: Aw, that's really sweet.

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sweet smell of gingerbread: ... or "Lebkuchen" in German, takes me back to the Christmas markets when I lived in Austria. It makes me crave a mug of hot spiced gluehwein to wash it down with :)

Christina Talcott: Ooh, sounds delicious!

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Richmond, VA: I took my son to Alice's Tea Cup last year when he was 3, he loved it. We have also been to Serendipity, and that chocolate-only restaurant immediately across from the Strand bookstore. I forget the name, but all were lots of fun. He also loved the butterflies at the Natural History Museum and bagels, bagels, bagels.

Christina Talcott: Thanks for the advice! I bet any 3-year-old would love those places.

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Air travel vs. global warming: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

Go Mark Twain!

Christina Talcott: Thanks! I hadn't heard that one.

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Vienna, VA: Any tips for those of us who might want to rent out our homes for people who want to come see the Inaugural?

Scott Vogel: I would definitely look into home exchange sites like, well, HomeExchange.com. Of course, lots of folks are already advertising their digs on Craigslist...

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Scent and travel: For me it is the smell of neoprene that mean that I am going on a scuba diving trip. When I start assembling my wetsuits and other gear, I immediately get eager to get in the water. I don't even have to be traveling, but just going into the spare bedroom where all the gear is stored makes me antsy to go diving.

Christina Talcott: That's great. I think my boyfriend said the same thing when we went diving last summer.

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Washington, DC: There was a papermill located in the town where my grandparents lived when I was a child. It was a pretty long car ride for two small kids so when we would get to the "home stretch" we would play a game to see who would smell the papermill first. Then we would all clap and scream, "grandma's house, grandma's house." Grandma, of course, did not appreciate the game!!!

Christina Talcott: Oh, man, that's an awful smell! Your poor grandma!

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Cardamom: Always reminds me of India. So many cups of hot, sweet chai that smelled like cardamom. Yum!

Christina Talcott: That sounds so nice on this chilly day!

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Native Berkeleyan, again: Some of us don't find the smell of eucalyptus all that intoxicating. To me it smells like fresh cat pee.

Christina Talcott: haha, another opinion on eucalyptus!

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Rochester, NY: 2 non-answers to the smell question:

- This is almost antithetical to 'travel' in the sense of exploring what is unfamiliar, but I find it surreal to step into a Starbucks, however far away from home I may be. It smells identical in a Shanghai suburb as it does 3 miles from my house. Kind of 'grounding', no pun intended, when that aroma hits your nose.

- Not a smell but a sound: nothing transports me like the Roman polizia sirens. When I was in Rome, I never went more than 30 minutes without hearing them. I would utter under my breath "those crazy Italians!" Even when I see Rome in movies/on TV, the sirens instantly remind me of physically being there more than any other sight. I can hear them in my head right now.

Christina Talcott: Yes, somehow Starbucks seem the same world-wide, whereas McDonalds seem to be different depending on where they are. However, I vividly remember that familiar, greasy smell emanating from the "MacDo" around the corner from the Louvre, how out of place it seemed. Maybe next chat we can do a sound-place association question!

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Washington, DC: I lived in Dublin for 4 months, across the street from St. Patrick's and 4 blocks from the Guinness factory. Our apartment smelled like hops all the time from the factory down the road. Every time I smell hops I remember sitting on my balcony looking at St. Patrick's.

Christina Talcott: Woah, that's a new one. Thanks!

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Native New Jerseyan: Fried fish sticks - instantly reminds me of Fridays at home in River Edge, elementary school in the early Spring, during Lent. No matter when or where I smell them. I love that smell.

Christina Talcott: Wow, how specific! Thanks!

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Bronx, NY: I also think it's neat that you really can smell the chocolate in Hershey and the garlic in Gilroy.

Somebody mentioned jasmine. Unfortunately the only thing it reminds me of is the time I got a bunch of it stuck in the ventilation system in my car (in Jordan; I parked under a bush). Two weeks later, I was soooo over jasmine!

Christina Talcott: Haha, that'll do it!

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Silver Spring, MD: The smell of mock orange is pervasive in Southern California and brings back strong memories of spending childhood vacations at my grandparents' house. Also, the smell of eucalyptus reminds me of taking the California bar exam--the UCSD campus is forested in those trees!

Christina Talcott: Why is it mock orange and not the real thing?

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Native Berkeleyan, again: Some of us don't care for the smell of Eucalyptus in the Berkeley Hills (or anywhere else, for that matter). The trees were introduced from Australia, so are not indigenous to California and crowd out deserving native species. Eucalyptus leaves are oily, so during the dry windy season present a terrific wildfire hazard (e.g., Oct. 1991 and Sep. 1923 in the Berkeley Hills). Eucalyptus wood is not of commercial timber-quality either, even though that was one of the reasons which that scammer (and poet) Joaquin Miller gave for having them planted there about a century ago. Above all, to my nose, eucalyptus smells like cat pee.

Christina Talcott: Another eucalyptus=cat pee response! Is this a common association?

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Falls Church, VA: My favorite place-scent association is season-appropriate. When it's cold and dry, and I'm standing at the bus stop, something about the combination of street, park, and chilly air transports me right back to walking to classes during my semester abroad in Vienna, Austria. I grew up in southern CA, and spending January-May in Austria was the first extended city winter I ever had.

Christina Talcott: Change of seasons can really trigger scent memories, huh?

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Virgin America Travel Report: Flew to SF for the weekend on Virgin America. My husband and I really enjoyed the airline! The "Red" program worked pretty well. We ordered a few food items, watched TV and listened to music during the trip, and everything was pretty seamless, except for some spotty satellite signals in some places. The electrical outlet was a great perk. And the best part is, we were 30 minutes early on both of our flights! It's so rare that I actually don't have a average-to-terrible journey so I had to share this. And no, I'm not a PR person singing their praises, just a Virgin America convert.

Christina Talcott: Thanks for the report!

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Traveling in a depression: Didn't Jesus address this one to the woman who wanted him to give the money to the poor instead of anointing his feet?

Also, the money you spend while traveling helps the economy of wherever you travel to.

Christina Talcott: Interesting. Thanks for your second point - travel is a huge part of many places' economies.

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Re: Continental: I gotta say, I traveled Continental recently and was INCREDIBLY impressed. Not just by the food, but by the fact that three of the four legs I took was on-time nearly to the minute. The fourth was about 20 minutes late, but they made up the time in the air and landed on time after apologizing repeatedly. The only bad part were the drunk patrons seated behind us on our longest leg, but the flight attendants reacted once they found out about the problem.

(Not a Continental representative, I promise.)

Scott Vogel: Always glad to hear some good news re the airlines.

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Arlington, VA: I had an internship in Pittsburgh while in college and the commute took me past the Heinz factory every morning. Nothing wakes you up like the smell of horseradish, relish, ketchup, mustard, and vinegar hitting you like a brick wall on a hot July day.

Christina Talcott: Wow, that sounds powerful.

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McLean, VA: There's a certain, very specific aroma that I always associate with train stations in Russia and other former Soviet states (the same smell seems to be in every train station there). It evokes elements of stale cigarette smoke, wet pavement (even if it's dry), diesel exhaust, machine oil, a hint of urine, and more stale cigarette smoke.

Every once in a while I briefly catch smells that carry me back to those places, but the one place I felt it strongest was . . . the train station in Milan, Italy.

Christina Talcott: Oh boy, that sounds pretty gross.

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Smells I remember: I lived in metro DC for 5 years and visited many times since. What I recall is that some of the metro cars had a very distinctive smell that I had to switch cars the next stop and hope the neighboring cars didn't have the same smell.

Christina Talcott: Really? I don't think I've ever noticed.

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Charlotte, NC: For the Playa Del Carmen car rental - we did a daily rental to drive down to see Tulum a few years ago. It was about $50 including insurance and about a 1 hour trip. It was nice to have a car because we were able to stop at a small lagoon about 1/2 down that was off the 'tourist' track called Lagoon Azul. We drove down this really long road that was was mostly dirt until you came up on a house that was required to pave their part of the road. My memory of Tulum is that we mailed our postcards from a little cafe right outside the ruin in July - they arrived just in time for Thanksgiving!

Christina Talcott: Thanks for the tips!

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What we DIDN'T smell!: On a visit to Baltimore's Lexington Market, we went past the crabcake stand, and it was so spotless that we couldn't smell crab!

Christina Talcott: How strange!

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for the mexican ruins: I will go and say that you SHOULD rent a car. I was there in September and had no trouble driving around (As a native Dominican, I was expecting latin-american driving style-it was quite calm!). Furthermore, you will be able to visit two ruins a day this way!

Christina Talcott: More on Mexican car rentals...

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Alexandria, VA: Listerine. The smell takes me back to college when I bought a bottle of the stuff in one of those cardboard canisters not knowing that the bottlecap inside was cracked. It leaked all over the trunk of my car. NOT a good way to impress the ladies.

Christina Talcott: I can think of lots of worse smells, though!

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Arlington, VA: Re: Playa del Carmen. The only time I've been there was back in the 80s, and that was for getting on buses for the Tulum ruins tour. An in-bound ferry from Cozumel took cruise ship pax to Playa del Carmen, they boarded the buses for Tulum and other sites, then returned to the dock for out-bound ferry to Cozumel.

I didn't see much of Playa del Carmen beyond a few huts and the narrow beach. That said, I'm sure the area has been developed and populated with tourists in the period between the 80s and this century!

Christina Talcott: A Playa del Carmen report...

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Boston, Mass.: I just found out that I get Friday, Jan 2nd off and now I want to go somewhere. But, while I'm normally an excellent solo traveler, I'm not so excited about a solo New Year's and I'm a bit scared off by airplane ticket prices. Any ideas for where to go?

washingtonpost.com: I had a solo New Year's in New York City a few years back and it was great fun. Buy yourself a ticket to a play or concert! I went to the (free) New Year's Eve concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and loved it. There are also great sales everywhere and of course museums and all the Xmas decorations still up. Even better if you can borrow the apartment of a friend who'll be away, which is what I did! - Elizabeth

Christina Talcott: I'm throwing this one out there...

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Airport changing again: Yes, I know about checking the details. And my friend definitely learned. I guess I was more just ranting that these booking engines could easily be programed for this. What software developer would code something that searches like that?! Its dumb. I can see using WAS to search and ending up arriving at a different airport than departing, but to have connections 30 miles apart?! And let it serve as a warning out there to others. -sigh- Just ranting.

Christina Talcott: Yeah, that's really frustrating.

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Smells: Funny, the smell of urine makes me think of Manhattan. But in the fall and winter, it is overpowered by the smell of roasted nuts being sold by street vendors, and that's much better.

Speaking of NYC, there's a good tea place in Greenwich Village called Tea and Sympathy. It's very cute, but small and easily crowded. I can't think of any reason it wouldn't be kid-friendly -- I think I saw some families when I was there.

Christina Talcott: Yeah, I like Tea and Sympathy, too.

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Kingstowne, VA: A smell reminding one of a certain place? Whenever I smell bourbon, I'm transported back to football Saturdays during my college days at UVA (graduated in 1995, so the 1991 to 1994 football seasons). The student section in Scott Stadium always had the aroma of a veritable cloud of bourbon hovering in the air in those days.

Christina Talcott: Mmm.

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Fairfax, Va.: I'm a relative neophyte when it comes to getting good deals on cruises and need some advice.

We're planning a late December Caribbean cruise for a group of 4 adults and three kids (special one-time family event) and have found one that fits our schedule and budget (barely) with a departure date of December 21. However, we haven't made any reservations yet, because we're still trying to figure out how to get the best possible price, since the whole trip will be putting a big strain on our budget.

What are some of the best sources for deals? What advantages/disadvantages are there to going through a third-party rather than directly through the cruise line (especially if the price quotes are fairly close)? And the big one: what about timing? I'm seeing a lot of great prices for "last-minute" rates for cruises leaving in the next 45 days, but if we wait for this 45-day window, do we risk not being able to get suitable tickets?

Any other advice you may have would be greatly appreciated (including, but not limited to, whether to book airline tickets to the departure port separately or as part of a package with the cruise, etc.).

Carol Sottili: Whenever I've booked a cruise, the farther out I plan, the cheaper the rates. You could wait, but there is a very good chance you won't get what you want. Try the www.cruisecompete.com Web site - basically travel agents will bid on your trip, so you'll get a good idea of how low it will go.

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Philadelphia, PA: I'm planning on going to the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. We have relatives who live in that city, so no need to worry about accomodations. But do you think it's too early to start tracking fares to Vancouver (or even Seattle)? When do you think is the appropriate time to start looking? Is there any other websites besides Farecast that you recommend I use to help me price flights? Thanks!

Carol Sottili: Most legacy airlines publish their fares 330, or, in some cases, 332 days in advance. But you can start getting a feel for fares by tracking now. Farecast and www.farecompare.com are two good sites. But you can also sign up on most of the third-party booking sites (Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline, Travelocity) for notifications of fare sales. Many airlines offer connecting service to Vancouver, including United from all three airports and Air Canada, US Airways, American and Alaska Air from Reagan National: Sign up on a few of the airline sites for direct notifications.

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Charleston, S.C.: Hi,

I'm a couple of years out of college and am looking to plan a group trip to Sydney, Australia (with day trips elsewhere) for next year. Unfortunately, I have no clue where to begin beyond checking the usual airfare sites. Can you give me any tips/sites to point me in the right direction?

Thank you!

Carol Sottili: I don't know how many are in your group - minimum to qualify for special fares is typically 10. If you have at least that many, contact the airlines directly to see if they will cut you a deal. Most have a group travel department. Or go through a travel agency - Pleasant Holidays (www.pleasantholidays.com) is one that comes to mind. Go to www.australia.com for more choices.

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Christina Talcott: Thanks for joining us today! What an exciting chat!

Thank you for all your great scent-memory stories - look out for the ones I didn't get around to posting tomorrow on our Travel blog. I'd like to send a tote bag to Central Cal/Morro Bay for the smell of fishing in his childhood. Send your name and address to talcottc@washpost.com.

Until next week, happy traveling!

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