TRAVEL Q&A

TRAVEL Q&A

Q My family and I would like to spend some time at a family camp this summer. Can you suggest one?

A Family camps -- traditional summer camps that are open to the entire family -- are a great vacation option for families who enjoy the outdoors and the inherent hokiness (think skits and "repeat after me" songs) that come with the summer camp experience. Several Minnesota children's camps offer family sessions in addition to their regular programs. But when it comes to camps that are devoted solely to families, the best known and loved is Camp du Nord, on Burntside Lake outside of Ely. Run by the YMCA of Greater St. Paul, du Nord hosts visitors throughout the year. The extremely popular summer sessions are filled by a lottery in the dead of winter, but the camp's website shows it still has openings, especially at the beginning and end of summer. Please note that some of those sessions take place before the full team of counselors -- whose grace and wit are the hallmark of the du Nord experience -- is in place and that there may not be as many organized activities as there are during the peak of the season (www.dunord.org). Answers to travelers' questions appear in Travel weekly and every Monday at startribune.com/escapeartists; send your question by e-mail to travel@startribune.com.

ELIZABETH LARSEN

TRIP TIP

While plane travel can be challenging for even the most forgiving passengers (cramped seats, excessive fees), there are ways to stay more comfortable during and after a flight, especially when it comes to staying hydrated. While you can't bring more than small amounts of liquids through security, there are no restrictions on bringing empty, reusable water bottles in your carry-on, which you can fill up with water at water fountains inside security. That way, you won't need to buy an overpriced bottle of water by the gate or rely on those tiny cups of water provided in-flight. You'll feel more energized when you land, save a little cash and have a bottle to use during the rest of your trip.

WASHINGTON POST

WEB WATCH

A website has been launched to help Americans explore their own country: DiscoverAmerica.com. The site includes an interactive map that gives mileage from city to city, an activity finder listing more than 3,000 experiences, attractions and events, including museums, gardens, ski slopes, festivals and parks; and links to travel booking sites like Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia and Priceline. The site also offers links to tourism information for all 50 states, as well as for more than 100 cities and other destinations.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PLAN AHEAD

The Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Park, June 12-14, offers a chance to catch blues legends for free. Bettye Levette, who started recording in the early 1960s but has only recently found critical acclaim, headlines on June 13. She most recently dueted with Jon Bon Jovi at President Obama's inauguration. The amazing Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings headline on June 14 (www. chicagofestivals.net). New York's Central Park SummerStage, June 5-Aug. 15, hosts a string of top-shelf performers throughout the summer, all for free. Concerts take place in Rumsey Playfield; enter the park at 69th Street and 5th Avenue (www.summerstage.com).

BOSTON GLOBE

SIDEROADS

Travelers looking for an adventure trip, for a weekend or up to a month, should check out Wilderness Inquiry's 2009-2010 trip booklet. The organization, which provides outdoor travel opportunities to everyone, offers canoeing, kayaking, hiking and backpacking trips to more than 100 places locally and around the world. Trips include the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near Ely, Minn., the Mississippi Headwaters and Lake Itasca, the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin, Yellowstone National Park, the Colorado Rockies and Collegiate Peaks, the Florida Everglades and Hawaii's Big Island and Volcanoes National Park (1-800-728-0719; www.wildernessinquiry.org).

COLLEEN A. COLES