For wine lovers on a budget, try montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a lively, juicy red wine that offers reliable refreshment that is as versatile as barbera or good Beaujolais.

The runaway costs of à la carte air fares
The price of an air ticket purchased online can just about double when it comes to the final amount charged, thanks to à la carte pricing.

Some tourists don't need advice
It turns out you can make quite a weekend plan by simply asking a dozen visitors from everywhere from Bulgaria to Vancouver to share the highlight of their own trips to the city.

U.S. airports grow apace, but the timing seems off
Just as dozens of expansion projects are being completed at airports nationwide, airlines are cutting back.

Counting calories makes a comeback
Complex diet regimens are starting to look like exotic mortgages and, just like a reliable savings account, good old calorie counting is coming back into fashion.

In Kurdish Iraq, enticing tourists to a rugged land
While much of Iraq remains mired in war, the semiautonomous Kurdish region has enjoyed relative safety and prosperity, and is trying to figure out how to lure tourists.

Finding ways to dull the glamour of travel
Under growing pressures to curb expenses, some corporate travel managers are making new cost-cutting suggestions.

Market turmoil brings dim days for luxury hotels
Since mid-September, almost in parallel with the stock market turmoil, demand for high-end hotel rooms has plummeted as companies cut back on corporate travel.

For foodies, Cartagena is now on the map
This Colombian port town has become an unlikely food destination, attracting the kind of culinary travelers who spend their vacations in Rome and Paris.

You can take the vines out of Burgundy, but will they make better wine?
American wineries' promotional materials tell of suitcase clones, vines brought from France whose pinot noir is meant to distinguish them from the run-of-the-mill. But many of the wines from transplanted clones are just plain boring.

Frequent-flyer status is no promise of service
Right now, there's no good way for passengers, even those who fly frequently, to receive advance warning about flight delays.
- Roger Collis: Travel Deals

In Turin, the Olympic glow hasn't yet faded
Turin, a northern Italian city along the Po River, has been transformed from a nondescript industrial hub into a cosmopolitan center of artisanal food and modern design.

Monastic doors open for travelers
For centuries Europe's convents and monasteries have quietly provided inexpensive lodging to itinerants and in-the-know travelers.

The credit squeeze compresses travel, too
Airlines have cut capacity and are trying to keep prices up so they can operate profitably at sustained oil prices of $80 to $100 a barrel.

Strike in Greece shuts down transport and most public services
Unions called the one-day strike to protest the conservative government's economic policies.

36 hours in Paris
From West African restaurateurs to Eastern European bakers, Paris's most lively district, the Marais, brims with a vivid mix of characters.

Belfast regains its voice
A decade after the Northern Ireland peace agreement, Belfast's pubs are once again a haven for those keeping alive the country's musical traditions.

At London Frieze, creativity meets caution in art market
Art was selling at last week's Frieze Art Fair in London, but nothing like before. After several weeks of financial havoc in stock exchanges across the globe, the feeding frenzy is over.
- Frieze power: Art shakes up London society

Zipping through the treetops
Canopy tours combine swaying sky bridges, cable traverses and zip line pathways for a thrill ride with expansive views of the autumn blaze.

A Scottish harbor town lures golfers and birds
The North Berwick Golf Club is often in rankings of the top 50 courses outside the United States, and the charming harbor village also offers plenty to captivate the nongolfer.

Safety and labor concerns tarnish the Qantas image
It has been a tough year for the airline known as "the flying kangaroo." A string of high-altitude scares combined with a protracted labor dispute have battered the airline's reputation as the world's safest carrier.

Unearthing the variety of California Zinfandels
For searching the best zinfandels in California, it's worth discovering the vineyards of Paso Robles, along the central coast of California.

Roger Collis: Streamlining travel with self-service options
Customers are expecting more self-service options, and airlines are responding with technology giving travelers greater convenience.

Q.E. 2 makes final visit to New York
The Queen Elizabeth 2, which was sold last year for eventual use as a floating hotel in Dubai, made her 710th visit on Thursday.

In central Osaka, New York and Paris pass for Japanese
A neighborhood patterned on foreign glamour is now taken for a traditional Japanese zone and an authentic slice of Osaka.

Taking a Buddhist pilgrimage in San Francisco
Geography, social history and waves of immigrants made the city fertile ground for a once esoteric tradition.

Automatic system error blamed in Qantas jet drop
The glitch, which occurred in a device that feeds information to the aircraft's main computer, had never been encountered during any previous A330-300 flights, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said.

How sweet it is? Decoding Alsace wines
Many wines from Alsace that consumers might legitimately assume to be dry are in fact sweet.

'Dynamic packaging' eliminates flexibility
Even if you book through a travel agent, it is always a good idea to confirm seat assignments on the airline Web site - and make absolutely sure by printing your boarding cards with those seat numbers.

Far from the Eiffel Tower, a hip new hotel
Mama Shelter, a hotel designed from scratch by Philippe Starck and built by Roland Castro under the aegis of Serge Trigano, has opened in an offbeat part of Paris and mingles casual trendiness with low rates.

Old gender roles with your dinner?
Although the goal in many public places and in much of public life is to treat men and women equally, most upscale restaurants haven't reached that point.

Recalling la dolce vita in Eritrea
A bloody history of conflict and civil war has kept Eritrea hermetically sealed to the outside world. The result is a surreal, out-of-body tourist experience.

Travel industry shaken by economic downturn
The travel industry has been hit hard by the economic slowdown, particularly in the last few weeks.
- A great year for corporate jets, even with muted forecast

Prosit! Beers that make the Oktoberfest grade
The tasting panel sampled 24 Oktoberfest beers. The top three were all American: Octoberfest from Thomas Hooker, Festbier from Victory, and Dogtoberfest Marzen from Flying Dog.