I am planning to visit Rome; Venice, Italy; and Valladolid, Spain. Are there Internet sources for finding lodging in these cities, or should I use a travel agent?
If you're the sort who likes to plan his own travel, there are plenty of resources for finding lodging in Europe, especially for tourist favorites such as Rome and Venice.
Of course, travel agents who are familiar with those cities can usually offer first-hand experience on hotels and activities, thereby taking the guesswork out of your planning. If you haven't used the Internet extensively to book travel, we recommend you use an agent.
However, if you want to do some online research yourself, start with Italy's and Spain's official tourism Web sites: ital iantourism.com and spain.info. You can find hotel listings at Italy Hotels (www. italyhotels.it); click on the combination American and British flag for an English version.
How can I find transportation from London's Heathrow Airport to the city of Bath? I don't want a taxi or limo.
Your best options are train or bus, commonly known as coach service. Here's what we found:
By National Rail, there are frequent departures from Heathrow, but you'll have to pick up a bus leaving from the airport's central bus station to Reading station. From there, you'll connect to a First Great Western train to the Bath Spa station. Total travel time is less than two hours, and round-trip fares are 48.50 pounds (about $97). Details: nationalrail.co.uk.
By coach, National Express (national express.com) has several departures a day from the airport's central bus station. The service is operated by First Badgerline and includes several stops, but the shortest travel time we found was three hours, 20 minutes. Adult fares are 43 pounds (about $87).
San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News