Fewer Americans are expected to fly this summer, but don't expect more empty seats, as carriers park planes to help offset surging fuel costs. Full story »

Travelers who have caught the genealogy bug may want to make plans for a trip to Independence, Mo. The new $8 million Midwest Genealogy Center opens today and houses microfilm and microfiche with Civil War histories, American Indian records, black family history records, plantation records and more. Classes will be offered, as will consultation with foreign-language experts. Full story »

"Giraffe at 1 o'clock!" I pointed excitedly from the open top space of our safari van. Our driver and guide, Mungai Njungo, had already slowed down on the bumpy dirt road that seemed to stretch ahead to nowhere but took us everywhere. His keen Kikuyu eyes spotted animals before we did, but he let us enjoy our own sense of discovery. Full story »

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It's easy to wax rhapsodic about Santa Barbara. Especially for me, since I was raised there when it was still possible for families of relatively modest means to own property. The mountains, the sea, the red-tile-roofed, Spanish-style architecture, the near-perfect weather and the casual but sophisticated lifestyle are what has drawn high-profile celebrities to the area and driven property prices into the stratosphere. But it was the ruggedly beautiful Los Padres National Forest and the Santa Ynez Mountains northwest of the city that called to the county's only presidential landowner, Ronald Reagan. Full story »

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In 1945, John Steinbeck breathed life into a dried-up sardine factory strip of Monterey. His novel "Cannery Row" turned its namesake into one of America's most famous streets. Yet, his words did not seem entirely generous: "Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream." Sixty-three years later, those words still resonate. Full story »

Roots painted orange, green, pink and virtually every other color weave together as they climb to form a giant kelp holdfast. The sculpture mimics a real holdfast, in which kelp anchors to the ocean floor; a clear pocket containing white marbles represents how fish lay eggs inside the kelp. A living red octopus swims inside a tank built into the structure. Children crawl through cutouts at varying heights. Full story »

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The European Travel Commission is inviting travelers to unleash their inner Fassbinder, Fellini and Truffaut. Full story »

Heading off to Europe on a cruise? You might find instructive the misadventures of one of your fellow travelers who sent me a recap of his family's experience seeking advice on where he went wrong. He is a prominent member of our community and has asked to remain anonymous. Probably a good idea. Full story »

Mary Jo Ryan, the longtime manager of Bitter End Yacht Club, suspected something was amiss several years ago. "I'd meet our arrivals at the dock and could see they should have been in Las Vegas — with the 3-inch spikes," Ryan said. "They weren't our kind of customers." Full story »

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A museum is opening June 2 at the site of the 1969 Woodstock concert. Full story »