Travel

To get the best price on car rentals, shop around. Online sites such as those of Avis, Dollar, Hertz and Thrifty will give an idea of costs. Check the deals section of each for special offers, which may require promotion codes.

A no-frills cruise line that charges extra for nearly everything is coming to the French and Italian Riviera, Europe's playgrounds for the rich. EasyCruise, which began taking bookings last month, charges about $56 and up per person each night for spartan cabins. That doesn't cover housekeeping, priced at about $19 a visit, or food.

They've been hailed as the world's strictest air passenger rights, welcomed by consumer advocates and denounced by airlines. What's causing the fuss is a new law in Europe that raises penalties for "bumping" and requires carriers to compensate fliers for most delays and cancellations, even those caused by bad weather.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. – A $13.5 million facelift of a visitors' area at the base of Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America, is complete. The project, which took 10 years from planning to completion, was almost entirely funded by private donations and ranks as the most significant renovation in Yosemite National Park since floods tore through Yosemite Valley in 1997.

Tourists are balking at a proposal to jack up the price on San Francisco's historic cable cars to $5 a ride. Facing a $57 million budget deficit, the board that oversees public transportation in the city has voted to raise the fare for a cable car ride from $3 to $5. The proposal still must be approved by Mayor Gavin Newsom and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to go in effect.

Two tours to Ireland are being offered in September by Maureen Hurl Peterson, founder of Spokane's sister city relationship with Limerick. The first, Sept. 6-19, is geared to golfers with rounds at several courses along the way (alternative activities will be provided for nongolfers), while the second, Sept. 18-Oct. 1, will focus more on historical sites.

Bereavement fares have dropped significantly, but they still can shock fliers used to paying leisure fares who must travel because of illness or death of a loved one. The last thing travelers want to do at such a time is shop around for airfares, but they can save quite a bit of money by doing so. Bereavement fares allow travelers to leave the same day that reservations are made, and generally, tickets can be changed without penalty. These fares can't be booked online; airlines must be contacted by phone by the buyer or a travel agent.

Spring comes early in San Francisco, and March is the perfect time to visit the Strybing Arboretum, a 55-acre horticultural oasis in Golden Gate Park. The arboretum has 26 separate gardens with 7,500 varieties of plants from around the world, from brugmanias in the South American collection to the new Australian garden's lilly-pilly tree, which bears edible purple fruit. The magnolias will also still be in bloom in March, and the rhododendron flowers will be on their way.

Competition is so tight these days that airlines, hotels and car rental agencies are listening – and responding – to customer complaints with renewed vigor. Earlier this month, numerous complaints prompted Hertz to back off a plan to introduce a $2.50 reservation fee on vehicle rentals. That followed recent moves by several airlines to eliminate their Saturday night stay requirement and to slash ticket exchange fees from $100 to $50.