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Top 10
Most searched summer
getaway destinations
1 Cancun, Mexico
2 Las Vegas
3 Caribbean cruises
4 Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho
5 Boston
6 Lake Tahoe, Calif.
7 Montreal
8 Glacier National Park, Mont.
9 Sanibel Island, Fla.
10 Zion National Park
SOURCE: Ask.com
Quote
Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone.
THE DHAMMAPADA
Travel reading
The 100 Best
Worldwide Vacations
to Enrich Your Life
By Pam Grout,
288-page paperback,
$19.95, National Geographic
As books listing travel dreams become more popular, expect to see more of efforts similar to this one. The idea is to showcase a broad range of experience-driven getaways designed to transform vacation time into opportunities for enrichment and fulfillment. Suggestions are divided into four categories: arts and crafts, volunteer vacations, learning retreats and wellness escapes. Examples of trips include learning to tango in Argentina, exploring a lost city in Peru, taking surfing lessons in Costa Rica, building a peace center in Ireland or traveling through the Sinai Peninsula with the Bedouin. Each suggestion offers information on how to arrange to take a trip.
On the Web
National Geographic
offers customized maps
Maps are an especially important part of travel, especially if you are going outdoors. National Geographic Maps' new online national outdoor recreation database, TOPO! Explorer, is available in beta at beta.topo.com. The service will enable outdoor enthusiasts to browse a nationwide set of topographic maps and aerial imagery and purchase map credits to download the exact maps they need. Users can customize and print their maps and connect with a GPS.
World Currency
What your dollar buys
Rates paid domestically for each dollar changed. These figures are intended only as a guide. Rates may be more favorable abroad (As of Wednesday.)
Argentina (peso) 3.1
Australia (dollar) 1.1
Brazil (real) 1.7
Canada (dollar) 1.0
Chile (peso) 488
Czech Rep. (koruna) 16.0
Denmark (krone) 4.8
Egypt (pound) 5.4
European (euro) 0.64
(Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain)
Great Britain (pound) 0.51
Hong Kong (dollar) 7.8
India (rupee) 43
Indonesia (rupiah) 9,330
Israel (shekel) 3.4
Japan (yen) 107
Mexico (peso) 10.4
New Zealand (dollar) 1.3
Norway (krone) 5.1
Philippines (peso) 44.3
Poland (zloty) 2.2
Russia (ruble) 24
Singapore (dollar) 1.4
South Africa (rand) 8
South Korea (won) 1,031
Sweden (krona) 6
Switzerland (franc) 1
Taiwan (dollar) 30.4
Thailand (baht) 33.1
Venezuela (bolivar) 2,147.5
Source: Yahoo! Finance
