HEALTH IS ON A LOT OF people's minds, especially those who travel frequently and to foreign ports.
Medical care also is in Crystal Cruises' crosshairs.
Drawing passengers in their late 50s and early 60s, and with a roster of lengthy world cruises among its offerings, the luxury line wants to reassure its guests that they'll get the proper care in case of medical emergencies or if they are in need of treatment.
100 PLACES EVERY WOMAN SHOULD GO
Travelers' Tales / $16.95
These 100 travel destinations have been selected by globe-trotting author Stephanie Elizondo Griest with women in mind. While the places are by no means entirely feminine or feminist in nature, each is explored with a woman's sense of what is important. Some locations are notable because of their deep association with women in history, such as Joan of Arc's grave in France. Most, however, simply welcome women travelers with open arms. Chapters run two or three pages and conclude with a note on a book to read, a Web site to browse or a tour to take. This is a book with few frills, but it points to an abundance of rewarding destinations, such as the Museum of Menstruation in cyberspace to holy Mount Kailash in Tibet.
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ONLINE
Ask me, mobile phone users
Fodor's recently announced a deal to deliver its content for free to mobile users with AskMeNow, a mobile search company. AskMeNow allows users to text a question or search term to ASKME (27563) and get a response not unlike what they might find on the Internet. The Fodor's affiliation means that answers to travel-related questions might be drawn from Fodor's material. AskMeNow does not charge for the searches, although regular message and texting rates apply. Some carriers add a charge, but users will be asked first to OK the charge before proceeding.
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ARIZONA
Souvenir shop to be shuttered
A century-old gift shop at the Grand Canyon will close in September, ending a family's three-generation run that began with its patriarch selling souvenirs out of a tent in 1905. The family-owned Verkamp's Curios gift shop, which is on the more popular South Rim, did not reapply for a concession contract with the National Park Service, according to agency spokeswoman Pamela Walls. Among the souvenirs sold at the gift shop were items from local American Indian artists and regional traders. For information about the store, go to verkamps.com.
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GOLFING
Clubs on demand
Golfers have had the choice of lugging their own clubs along on a trip or paying top-dollar to rent clubs -- sometimes of questionable quality -- at the course. Now golfclubsaway.com can deliver sets of Nike or Callaway clubs for $35 or $45 per day, respectively, to your hotel or course. A one-time fee of $10 lets golfers customize bags, mixing clubs and models. There are no shipping or delivery fees. The service is available only in Florida's Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, though plans call for expansion to locations throughout the U.S.
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10 FOR THE ROAD
Hot destinations
Lonely Planet's hot destinations for 2008, according to a survey of Lonely Planet employees in the Americas:
1. United States
2. Mexico
3. Argentina
4. Japan
5. (tie) Canada, India
7. China
8. Australia
9. Spain
10. France