Since the Transportation Security Administration began cracking down on liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on luggage last summer, travelers determined not to check their bags have been haunting the trial-size aisles at Wal-Mart, trolling for samples at department store cosmetics counters and hoarding tiny shampoos and lotions from hotel rooms.
In response to the carry-on rules, which allow containers of no more than 3 ounces and require that each passenger's items be placed in a single, clear, quart-size, zip-top plastic bag, some fliers have reverted to old-fashioned hygiene -- switching to shaving soap and tooth powder. And more than a few, unable to find 3-ounce bottles or tubes of toothpaste in time for a trip, have shown up for business meetings or sightseeing tours looking not quite as fresh and polished as they once did.
REACHING CLIMAX
Ten Speed Press / $19.95
Despite its saucy title, this is a travel book. Here's the rest of the title: And Other Towns Along the American Highway. A veteran photographer made studies of some of America's oddly named towns, researched their histories and photographed their residents. They all come together in this 138-page book that teaches us a little bit about 60 or so places, among them: Hustlertown, Wisc., Spasticville, Kan., and Pee Wee, W.Va. Climax, it turns out, is in Minnesota.
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[TONI SALAMA]
BRITAIN
Airport security returns to form
To reduce huge delays at security checkpoints, British airports are adding more scanning equipment and staff. Since Aug. 10, when the airports ground to a halt after a terrorist bomb scare, travelers have had two- to four-hour waits at most terminals. After the bomb scare, British officials suspended a rule requiring airports compensate airlines if they failed to get 95 percent of passengers through security in 10 minutes or less per passenger. By late last year, the rule was back in place in London's busiest terminals: Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. The British Airports Authority has since been able to speed up the security process. Heathrow, for instance, has added 15 security lanes.
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[LOS ANGELES TIMES]
CAMPING
Get back to nature in style
Did a bad experience turn you off to camping? Tour companies and resorts now offer luxury camping, and the term "glamping" -- glamorous camping -- is starting to take hold. In British Columbia, Canada, the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is offering "glamping" on a fjord on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Tents have Persian carpets, down duvets and even electricity. But if you thought camping was a budget vacation option, you'll have to think again. Three-night packages at the Clayoquot resort begin at $4,100 per person, double occupancy. Details at 888-333-5405 or wildretreat.com.
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[ASSOCIATED PRESS]
10 FOR THE ROAD
Top underwater playgrounds
The top dive destinations in the Caribbean / Atlantic, from Scuba Diving magazine's annual reader survey: Bonaire
Dominica
Cozumel, Mexico
Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands
British Virgin Islands
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
The Atolls, Belize
Grand Turk and Salt Cay, Turks & Caicos
Curacao
Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
FLORIDA
Hotel embraces the Sunshine State
Goodbye harp music, hello Gloria Estefan. One need only walk into the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach, which reopened last month after an eight-month, $60 million renovation, to notice that things have changed. Gone are the heavy oil portraits, the Napoleonic marble fireplace, the formal dining room and the lobby tunes. "We decided our standard music was a complete disconnect in Florida," said Vivian Deuschl, vice president for public relations at Ritz-Carlton. "You're in Florida, you want to feel where you actually are," she said. The hotel's lighter look includes stone floors, new restaurants and a 3,000-square-foot oceanfront terrace.
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[NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE]