travel

Q: I'm going on a cruise with my best friend. We booked an inside cabin months ago because it was the cheapest option. I've done a decent amount of research since then (yes, I know, I should have done it earlier), and I am sure I'd hate being in a windowless room for a week. I'd get claustrophobic.

They would depart for China in two days.

That had been the plan, anyway.

The Collivers, Paul and Sharen, were all packed and prepped, eager for an adventure far removed from their lives as almond farmers south of Fresno, Calif.

Getting a new passport or renewing an expired one can be a time-consuming process. But it is possible to do it yourself with proper planning.

Here are some facts and tips to help you "get your papers." For more information, go to www.travel.state.gov.

Q: When do you need a passport?

A: For travel in all foreign countries, including Mexico and Canada.

Q: Why on earth do people rearrange the strollers in the stroller parking areas of amusement parks? The last time we went to Disney, we'd leave my daughter's stroller outside a ride, come back out and find it in a completely different place. It's nerve-wracking -- I kept thinking someone took it by mistake or stole it.

ST. BARTS, French West Indies - After a few glasses of cold dry rose, the enticing techno beat becomes irresistible, and patrons of Nikki Beach on Pelican Plage start dancing. It's only 2 in the afternoon, but the party has started.

Q: What do you think about money belts? I wore one for six weeks straight when I was backpacking through Europe in college, but now that I'm older and will be visiting nicer places, I feel I should carry a purse. However, we'll be in Rome, and I've heard horror stories about pickpockets.

You'll have more company on some full Southwest Airlines flights beginning this summer.

Q: I totally understand that people occasionally have to make or answer a phone call while they're waiting near an airport gate. But don't you think it's kind of inconsiderate to sit there talking on your cellphone for 30 minutes or more?

PARIS - I think the cab driver should have known there was a labor strike and that the streets leading toward Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris were clogged, but she didn't appear to. We crawled this way and then that on our way to Ile de la Cite, narrowly escaping a multitude of crashes with the motorcycles weaving through the congestion.

There might have been some cursing in French.

For most of us, the end of the weight-loss-resolution season nears as we turn our attention away from diets and to Valentine's Day chocolate.

And for those whose body is a temple -- to which they have added room for a larger congregation -- dieting at home where they can control what is in the house is much easier than trying to lose weight on a business trip.