She loves great art, wine and food...

Visitors to the province of Quebec, Canada take note. If you're looking for a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, consider Bistro à Champlain in the Quebec Laurentians, about one hour northwest of Montreal : http://www.bistroachamplain.com/. It houses numerous works by the famous Canadian painter, Jean Paul Riopelle, who was co-owner, before he died in 2002. His partner, Champlain Charest, will show you his mind-boggling 38,000-bottle wine cellar. We suggest you try their menu dégustation (tasting menu).

Barb Kroll and her husband, Ron, are Canadians who publish the trip-planning website: http://www.krolltravel.com/

Lots to do in Charleston, South Carolina...

My travel tip is about my home city -- Charleston, South Carolina. Everyone comes here to enjoy the historic homes in pastel colors, divine crab cakes and shrimp/grits, all served with generous helpings of Southern hospitality. But many visitors don't know that we also have gorgeous barrier islands with family beaches that are close by and wonderful. For example, Isle of Palms is a quiet barrier island with miles of peaceful beaches. Expect lots of gorgeous homes, fun seafood restaurants, and surf shops where you can buy yourself a huge surf board or a tiny bikini. Charleston, South Carolina -- we offer history plus lots of sun, sand, and surf, too! Come and visit this summer.

Sharon Spence Lieb is a travel columnist at the Moultrie News in Charleston, USA.

How not to get bumped from your flight...

Be Savvy! Call the airline the night before to reconfirm your flight and ask if your flight is overbooked. With the airlines operating fewer and smaller planes, more people are getting bumped than ever. If your flight is overbooked, add an extra half hour to your time at the airport to make sure you're NOT the passenger who gets the heave ho (the last to arrive are the first to be bumped).

Pauline Frommer is an American travel journalists. She appears weekly on CNN's Pipeline and co-hosts The Travel Show, which can be heard every Sunday on 100 radio stations nationwide. Her new series of budget-conscious guidebooks, the Pauline Frommer Guides, are available wherever books are sold. Pauline Frommer's New York City was named "Best Guidebook of the Year" by the North American Travel Journalists Association.
Website: http://www.frommers.com/pauline

Go Your Own Way...

This woman-friendly travel book is waiting on my night table. I'm looking forward to enjoying the travel stories and lessons learned. The blurb on the back cover reads, "There is nothing quite like hitting the road by yourself to awaken your senses, sharpen your mind and build your confidence. In 'Go Your Own Way,' twenty-three women who've travelled solo share their exhilarating stories -- the daring adventures, the comical disasters, the cultural revelations, and the powerful, private aha moments of self-discovery." Edited by three women -- Faith Conlon, Ingrid Emerick & Christina de Tessan. Published by Seal Press. Website: www.sealpress.com. This looks like a great book to pop into your backpack.

Evelyn Hannon, Editor of Journeywoman.com

Her cultural evenings in Cairo...

Have a free evening in Cairo? You can head for the Opera House, which has classical music, dance, or some such program almost every night. Even if the big hall is sold out, a chamber music concert is usually going on in the small hall. Schedules are all posted and detailed in the English language 'Egyptian Gazette' daily newspaper. If you need to hire a cab remember to negotiate taxi fees before you step inside the taxi. I usually sit up front and chat with the drivers. They usually ask for a tip as you step out, but the agreed upon price is enough. Try to have the exact change handy, or your driver will take his own tip.

Floridian Sandy Huff is an internationally published travel and outdoor writer, with over 1100 published articles in 120+ publications. Her book "Paddler's Guide to the Sunshine State" covers 236 waterways around Florida, with tips on how to survive and thrive despite wind, sunburn, cross currents, and even alligators.

Home Sweet Home in Buenos Aires...

Instead of staying in an impersonal hotel, try renting an apartment in Buenos Aires. We had a great experience renting from www.alojargentina.com. The staffers were very friendly, and our apartment in the sprawling Palermo area (look for apartment code PA064 on the Web site) was sparkling clean and well equipped. It was a bit far from most of the major tourist sites, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing--we felt like we were living in a real neighbourhood.

Laura Byrne Paquet is a freelance writer from Ottawa and the author of the 2007 book "Wanderlust: A Social History of Travel."
Website: www.LauraByrnePaquet.com

Bonus #6! The World is a Kitchen...

From the casual cook to the seasoned traveller to the serious gourmand, The World is a Kitchen inspires its readers to experience food in a new way, exploring new lands, new cultures, and new cuisines. Chefs, travel writers, and dedicated foodies share their unique experiences, transporting readers into kitchens in Morocco, Italy, Belize, Cyprus, Kenya, Vietnam, and elsewhere around the world, revealing the diverse traditions of other countries through their cuisine. Very yummy! Published by Travelers Tales.