CityPass extends validity for winter travel

CityPass is offering a Winter Special in five of its participating cities, allowing visitors 90 days from first use to redeem all the admission tickets in the booklet (normally, purchasers must use all the coupons within nine days of first use).

The five cities are Boston, Hollywood, New York City, Philadelphia and Seattle, and as long as you start using the booklet anytime after Dec. 15, you'll automatically have all winter to linger in your favorite places.

For those not familiar with CityPass, its concept is simple: an easy-to-purchase ticket booklet containing admission to the most-visited attractions and sightseeing in a particular city at up to 50 percent savings, with information, tips and maps. You also get to bypass most entrance lines.

The Winter Special CityPass is valid from Dec. 15 to March 15; on March 15, the nine-day booklet validity period resumes.

CityPass booklets are also available for Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto and the theme parks of Southern California, but these are not part of the Winter Special.

Ticket booklets can be purchased in advance at www.citypass.com, and at all participating attractions or visitor information centers in each city. For more information, call (888) 330-5008.

What became of the air courier game?

"Fly to Hong Kong or London for up to 80 percent off, or even free" the pitch goes, "and all you have to do is accompany some documents or a shipment of engine parts!" Sounds like an opportunity that's too good to be true -- and, of course, it is.

Courier travel is hardly cheap these days, and courier companies are fast disappearing, victims of Sept. 11 and technology. A few remain, but like Madonna or George Michael, the savings are shadows of their former selves.

"Between new international trade agreements, post-9/11 air travel rules and a surfeit of ways to find budget fares online, courier services are merely a barely surviving vestigial quirk of the old school of budget travel," says travel expert Reid Bramblett, founder of ReidsGuides.com. There's even pressure from overnight delivery services: Why send a courier to Hong Kong when FedEx has 30 frequencies weekly to China?

Should you actually get a decent courier fare, most likely directly from an air shipping agency rather than through a third party, prepare for restrictions. You'll be expected to do a return run, you can't collect frequent-flier points and flights depart from major cargo hubs (London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York, Miami) only so you'll have to pay your own way to reach one. Some couriers limit baggage to carry-on.

Is it worth it? The Web site www.AirfareWatchdog.com compared the fares typically offered by two courier services -- we found them after joining the IAATC, www.courier.org, a site (which often has technical problems) that charges $45 a year to access a list of courier companies and fares, to find out.

Jupiter, a Los-Angeles-based courier company with routes from San Francisco to Manila and LA to Hong Kong, recently posted last-minute round-trip fares on its LA-Hong Kong leg for $500 routed through Narita on Japan Airlines. Meanwhile, a ticket on China Airlines sold recently for $514 -- competitive, considering the pluses (luggage, companionship) a non-courier ticket offers.

Bottom line: You'll probably do better waiting for fare sales.

Stay at Hilton, earn quadruple SkyMiles

Now through Feb. 29, SkyMiles members staying at participating Hilton Family hotels worldwide will earn quadruple miles with Delta Air Lines. To qualify for this promotion, you'll have to book Plan Code DG (for Hilton, Conrad, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, and Waldorf-Astoria Collection) or DG1 (for Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton).

You can make a reservation through your travel agent or through Hilton Reservation and Customer Care at http://hhonors.hilton.com or by calling (800) 548-8690.

Teach teens to give through volunteerism

i-to-i Meaningful Travel offers 18-year-olds the opportunity to develop new skills, experience new cultures and challenge themselves at any of its more than 500 volunteer projects in 35 countries around the globe. Participants might build a wall, teach English or care for lion cubs in a game preserve.

Youths ages 16-22 can also take part in a new, two-week summer camp in South Africa run by experienced camp leaders. They'll have a chance to work with underprivileged children from the local community and take part in a range of conservation activities.

Each year, i-to-i sends thousands of volunteers to 500 projects in 35 countries and trains 15,000 people to teach English overseas. For more information, visit www.meaningfultravel.com or call (800) 985-4852.

Seattle hotel has shopper's package

Pan Pacific Seattle has just introduced a Holiday Shopper's Package available through Dec. 30.

The package is priced at $199 plus tax and includes standard guest room, parking (a $28 value) and a free ride for up to two on the new South Lake Union line of the Seattle Streetcar, giving guests convenient access to nearby hubs, including Westlake Center and South Lake Union Park.

For reservations and additional information, please visit www.panpacificwest.com or call (877) 324-4856.

The 160-room hotel, with views of the Space Needle, Lake Union or the city lights, is at 2200 Westlake, four blocks from Seattle's Central Business District, within walking distance of Nordstrom's flagship retail store and Pacific Place and minutes from Lake Union.

The hotel offers wireless broadband connectivity; a library lounge offering cocktails and light snacks; full-service fitness center; and 24-hour private dining. Guests will enjoy views of the Space Needle, Lake Union or the city lights.