Top 10

Outdoorsy towns to live and play in

1. Asheville, N.C.

2. Haines, Alaska

3. Portland, Maine

4. Carbondale, Colo.

5. Nevada City, Calif.

6. Ashland, Ore.

7. Sandpoint, Idaho

8. Rossland, B.C.

9. Woodstock, Vt.

10. Bellingham, Wash.

SOURCE: National Geographic Magazine

Travel gear

Need a handy, well-constructed air mattress?

Looking for a good basic air mattress for camping trips or to sleep an extra person when traveling? Check out the Jeep Airbed, a heavy-duty piece of gear constructed with tarpaulin material. The air mattress comes in queen and twin sizes and sells for $94.99 to $104.99. That includes a carry bag, rechargeable AC battery pump and a 9-volt adapter. For details, visit www.gear.jeep.com.

On the Web

International help with travel plans

The Web site www.virtualtourist.com is a free site with about 800,000 members from 220 countries who contribute information on different aspects of traveling. The site includes travel reviews, booking service, forums, deals, meeting places and lots of writing by travelers from all over the world.

Travel Reading

"Wilderness Pleasures: A Practical Guide to Camping Bliss"

By Kevin Callan,

239-page paperback,

$24.95, Firefly Books

Most how-to books lack a sense of humor. They go through just the basics in a fairly mundane manner. That isn't the case with this slightly whacked book offering all sorts of information on camping that includes such basics as what to cook, drink and take with you as well as some odd chapters offering advice on how to make love in a canoe, the etiquette of skinny dipping and tips for taking your dog camping, complete with a suggested first-aid kit for canines. Some great little sidebars add to the fun. They include 10 songs to sing and not to sing before heading out, alternatives to GPS systems and a timeline of great outdoor gear. All of these little touches, coupled with good color photography and the author's great sense of humor, make this book a step above the average how-to guide.

World Currency

Rates paid domestically for each dollar changed. These figures are intended only as a guide. Rates may be more favorable abroad. (As of Sept. 10)

Argentina (peso) 3.1

Australia (dollar) 1.2

Brazil (real) 1.8

Canada (dollar) 1.1

Chile (peso) 531

China (yuan) ... 6.8

Denmark (krone) 5.3

Egypt (pound) 5.4

European (euro) 0.71

(Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain)

Great Britain (pound) 0.57

Hong Kong (dollar) 7.8

India (rupee) 45

Indonesia (rupiah) 9,437

Israel (shekel) 3.6

Japan (yen) 108

Mexico (peso) 10.6

New Zealand (dollar) 1.5

Norway (krone) 5.8

Philippines (peso) 47

Poland (zloty) 2.4

Russia (ruble) 25.6

Singapore (dollar) 1.4

South Africa (rand) 8.2

South Korea (won) 1,094

Sweden (krona) 6.8

Switzerland (franc) 1.1

Taiwan (dollar) 32

Thailand (baht) 35

Venezuela (bolivar) 2,147.5

Source: Yahoo! Finance