Columnist Muriel Stevens: Cruise the ‘Net for travel deals

Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2001 | 8:26 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' shopping and travel columns appear Wednesday. Her dining column appears Friday. Reach her at 259-4080 or muriel@lasvegassun.com.

This is the time of year when traveling is, for me, most pleasurable. The heat of summer is dropping, the kids are back in school and, with a little patience and some time on the telephone or Internet, there are still bargains to catch.

Following cruise lines on the 'Net can pay off big time. A few months ago a friend who was browsing caught a big one: a seven-day cruise to the Caribbean in November, for two, including airfare, for less than $2,000. Elated, she immediately booked space for her and her husband and then called friends to join them. In less than 20 minutes the special rate was gone. The price my friend's friend was quoted for the same outside cabin on a premium deck was almost triple. You've got to be fast to catch these special rates.

A few years ago I picked up a terrific soft-cover travel guide, "The Toll-Free Traveler" (Pine Cone Press, $8.95), compiled by Don & Betty Martin. The Martins have written more than a dozen guidebooks.

"The Toll-Free Traveler" is crammed with a remarkable amount of useful information. Included are hundreds of toll-free numbers -- every scheduled airline flying in the United States, cruise lines, rental car agencies, hotel and motel chains. In addition to airline reservation numbers, "The Toll-Free Traveler" lists every commercial airport in the United States and Canada, and the scheduled airlines that serve them.

Also listed are credit card companies, important Amtrak routes, bus lines, adventure travel firms, golf and ski resorts, health spas and dude ranches. The Martins managed to cram so much information into this 164-page pocket-size guide through well-organized use of space.

Part two lists many travel information sources. As readers know, I never leave home without first contacting the tourism board for the city I plan to visit, especially if it's a first visit. Not only do these boards introduce travelers to special attractions, but with the dependable information they send it's a cinch to chart your course before leaving home.

Most are toll-free, a few are not, but if you're seeking a dependable source of free travel info, tourist boards should be at the top of the list. An events calendar listing current museum exhibits, cultural events and theater is handy for ordering tickets in advance. The bigger the city, the better the information.

Also included in the "The Toll-Free Traveler" are such useful trip-planning tips as getting passports and visas, avoiding tourist crime, changing money and bartering -- the information goes on.

"The Toll-Free Traveler" is available at most local bookstores or it can be ordered from the publisher. Include $1.05 for shipping. Send orders to: Pine Cone Press, 806 Buchanan Blvd. No. 115-342, Boulder City, 89005.

More travel: As far as I'm concerned Dr. Jane Wilson-Howarth, author of "S - - - ting Pretty: How to Stay Clean and Healthy While Traveling" (Travelers Tales, $12.95), went a little overboard in her desire to address the personal hygiene problems of foreign travel with her scatological title.

Nevertheless, the good doctor has our best interests at heart, giving expert advice about learning how to eat and drink safely in a foreign country, including how to manage on long bus rides.