Summer vacation 2002: the road less traveled
By Lucy Lazarony • Bankrate.com

Many Americans expect to stay closer to home this year as they plan their first major vacations since Sept. 11.

Come summer, lots of folks will be setting off to see the land of the free and the home of the brave.

To make this year's let's-rediscover-America summer holiday both affordable and relaxing, you'll need to do plenty of research and planning ahead of time.

So get going. These travel tips will help you and your family maneuver around post-Sept. 11 America without a hitch.

Headed for the great outdoors? So are a lot of other people.

Many national parks already are booked through the summer.

"This summer things are going to be a lot more crowded and busy," says Doug Stallings, an editor at Fodor's.

When less well-known is more
Popular vacation spots, such as the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, will be more hectic than ever. You may want to consider traveling to a less well-known national park.

"Instead of Yosemite, try Glacier in Montana. Instead of the Grand Canyon, they might want to try Canyon De Chelley in northeast Arizona," Stallings says.

For more information on America's national parks, including activities, facilities and fees, check the Web site of the National Park Service.

If a national park is booked solid, you may want to consider a camp site in a national forest. There are hundreds of camp sites available in national forests. And many national forests are located near national parks.

For more information on national forests, check out the Web site of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

If you've got your heart set on exploring Yosemite, you might want to postpone your vacation until the autumn when crowds will be smaller.

As for the Grand Canyon, you may want to try traveling to the less-accessible and less-crowded north rim.

"It's the same canyon. It's just the other side," Stallings says. "It's not nearly as crowded in the summer."

Lots of Americans plan on leaving the family car at home and hitting the road in a recreational vehicle. Summer rentals of RVs are soaring.

"Clearly, we're in store for a 'See America' summer," says Linda Profaizer, president of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds. "Families want to reconnect with our country, and RVs give them a safe, secure and intimate camping environment."

But before you hop in an RV and hit the road, be sure to take it for a thorough test drive. RVing is not for everyone. It's best to find out if an RV will work for your family before the big road vacation.

"Test it out at home before you commit yourself to a month-long journey," says Don George, travel editor for Lonely Planet Publications. "Make sure it fits your style."

Once on the road, don't be afraid to ask for help. Profaizer has seen many first-time RVers struggle after they pull into an RV camp site. This is no time to be shy. Don't be afraid to ask the park owner or a nearby camper for a little bit of help. RVers are a friendly bunch.

"Let people know and they'll be happy to help anyway they can," Profaizer says.

You can help yourself by hopping online before your road trip. The Internet is chock-full of Web sites about RVs and the RV lifestyle.

Riding rails to relaxation
Want to see the country this summer but not up to dealing with the stress of driving? Why not travel by train? The whole family gets to relax -- including the often stressed-out designated driver. You can read or play cards or listen to music. It's tough to top the view.

"You go to sleep looking at fields and you wake up looking at mountains," George says.

And it's a view of America that you can't get from a passenger plane.

"Trains get you places that planes can't get you to," George says. "You can get into little towns in the heart of the country that planes can't get you to. When you fly over and look down you don't really get a good sense of how big and diverse this country is."

The Internet can help you research and plan a getaway by rail. Web sites with rail travel advice and vacation information include The Train Traveler, USA by Rail and trainweb.com.

One downside to rail travel is it can be tough to land a super-low fare.

"There's no equivalent of consolidator air fares in the train industry," George says. "It's really hard to find really great deals, but it's worth investigating a couple of choices."

As with air fares, some of the best deals on rail travel can be purchased online. Amtrak offers discounted tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis to online customers. You may also want to check out train fares available through a local travel agent.

Ready to head off to the wide blue yonder for the first time since Sept. 11? Get to the airport early.

"Be very aware of current check-in requirements," George says. "The advance time, generally speaking, is still two hours on domestic flights and two-and-a-half to three hours for international flights. Check with your carrier for what they're recommending."

You may want to choose smaller, regional airports for your summer flights. Smaller airports tend to have shorter lines and cheaper flights.

"Going to a secondary airport has always been a good idea. It's an even better idea now," Stallings says.

The check-in lines at airline ticket counters can be mammoth. You want to avoid them any way you can.

Why not use curbside check-in instead? It's quick and easy and the lines are shorter.

Some airlines, including Continental, Delta and U.S. Air, have self check-in kiosks available for travelers with electronic tickets. These kiosks make checking your bags a snap.

"I've used the ones at LaGuardia and these are the most wonderful things in the world," Stallings says. "There were no people in front of me and my whole check-in took 10 minutes."

Keep prohibited objects out of your carry-on bag. The wait in the security line is going to feel long enough without a guard confiscating a "dangerous" item and then searching every inch of your bag. It's not the way you want to start off your vacation.

Knives of any size are not permitted. But thanks to new security guidelines from the Transportation Security Administration, you now can pack tweezers and nail files in your carry-on bag. This chart lists the new security guidelines in detail.

Can't manage to pack light? Why not ship extra clothes and supplies to your holiday destination? You can ship the stuff home at the end of your trip, plus any purchases you make. Many retailers will ship items for a nominal fee.

Make traveling fun
Keep yourself entertained. Travel with a book or magazine. Bring headphones and listen to music.

"I always recommend people bring something to distract and divert them while standing in line," George says. "You're going to have a long wait."

Protect your film. You'll want to place film in an X-ray safe travel bag, available at any travel store, or hand the film to the security folks at the airport. You don't want it to go through an X-ray machine unprotected because it may be damaged.

Bring a snack. Between long waits at the airport and skimpy, if any, meals on flights, your stomach could really be growling by mid-flight. So pack a snack or grab a meal at the airport before you leave.

To get the best deal on your air fare, it's important to shop around. The Internet makes it easy. Check for online specials from individual airlines and then visit sites such as Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Bestfares.com and Smarterliving.com.

"You can probably do that in half an hour," says Charles McCool, author of Winning the Airfare Game. "You don't have to go crazy."

When planning your summer vacation, don't overlook nearby travel destinations. You don't have to travel a thousand miles for your vacation getaway to be success. And it might be cheaper and less stressful to pick a destination within three or four hours of home.

"There's almost always something interesting to see in your own back yard," Stallings says. "It might be a state park or some historical site you've never visited."

-- Posted: May 7, 2002