Get firsthand tips on South America travel

Anyone who loves to travel in South America should look into membership in South American Explorers, www.saexplorers.org, which offers many benefits for independent travelers to that continent.

The site describes the organization's purpose as being "a club for those who want to plan their own trips, make their own decisions, book their own passage and stay and move on when the spirit moves them."

The site offers Info Sheets on topics such as hotels in Buenos Aries, language schools in Quito or tour operators for the Inca Trail. Trip Reports are firsthand reports of travelers and are fascinating to read, just click on the destination, and find a rich cache of advice and explanation.

The Volunteer Opportunities section lists organizations and opportunities for short- and longer-term volunteer travel. Benefits of membership include privileges at SAE clubhouses in Buenos Aires, Cuzco and other cities, discounts on travel, free storage of luggage on the road and networking to find travel partners. SAE membership is open to everyone, and includes research scientists, teachers, journalists, students, travel agents, doctors and businessmen.

There are members in 42 countries worldwide, ranging in age from 6 to 97. Membership starts at $50.

Before you pack, wouldn't you like to know the average temperature and weather in the cities you're going to visit? Go to www.worldclimate.com to find out. Pick one or more cities and a grid appears with the average temperatures for each month, the average rainfall and other good information.

This is not a real-time weather site, in that its information is taken from averages over many years, not the actual temperature today. Still, it gives invaluable information on what you will probably encounter in any given month.

For real-time weather data, go to www.accuweather.com, and enter the city and state you are interested in. It will give you high and low temperatures, possibility of precipitation and a prediction of weather for the next seven days.

In print

"The Masters" subtitled "101 Reasons to Love Golf's Greatest Tournament," written by Ron Green Sr., a sports journalist, is published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang at $18.95, and would be a great gift for any passionate golfer who loves to travel.

The famous Master's tournament is hosted by Augusta National Golf Club each April, and most golfers would love to be able to attend just once in their lives.

This book takes the reader through the history of the event, complete with historic photos of major shots, famous golfers and tight competitions, including Arnold Palmer's four wins.

All the golfers who won the green jacket are here, including Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Tiger Woods. Augusta is a beautiful course, framed by azaleas, flowering dogwoods and stands of southern pines which are captured in beautiful photographs.

There are all kinds of tips and secrets about the club and course from the famous -- the pimento cheese sandwich -- to the infamous --the three-hole stretch on the course called the Amen Corner.