TRAVEL Q&A Guides to Cambodia

Q I'm traveling to Cambodia this fall and am looking for the most up-to-date information about where to go. Can you recommend a particular guidebook with the latest offerings/attractions for the area?

A While the words "latest offerings" and "guidebook" usually don't belong in the same sentence, you are in luck. "Lonely Planet: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and the Greater Mekong, second edition" came out just this month. (Note to people traveling later: Moon guides are among my favorites, and "Moon Cambodia" will be out in February 2010.)

It is convenient to have a guidebook in your pocket, but you should go to the Internet for the most current hot spots. Most of the big names in travel guides offer online info, from Rough Guides to Fodor's. But the real way to tap into the latest zeitgeist of any destination is to read travel forums, which offer takes from real travelers. One of the best and oldest forums is Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree Travel. Virtual Tourist is another one to check out. With these forums, you have to weed out stuff you won't find pertinent, but you are sure to find gems and valuable insights.

Answers to travelers' questions appear in Travel weekly and every Monday at startribune.com/escapeartists; send your question by e-mail to travel@startibune.com.

KERRI WESTENBERG

REAL DEAL

Lodging for a quarter

To celebrate the minting of the U.S. Virgin Islands quarter, the islands' Department of Tourism is promoting 25-cent room rates at participating hotels. The hotel stays are limited to three nights, while supplies last, and include a $25 dining credit and a $25 per person activities credit. Trips must be booked before Nov. 2 and travel must take place before Nov. 15. Reservations must be made through BookIt.com for air-hotel packages at select hotels.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WEB WATCH

Serious New Year's bash

The Curtis Hotel in Denver is putting itself up for auction on eBay for New Year's Eve. The winning bidder gets 330 rooms, the grand ballroom, live music, champagne, caviar, dinner, breakfast and of course all the staff to pull off a once-in-a-lifetime party. The Curtis is a boutique hotel with pop-culture themes like the "Big Hair" floor and a 5-and-10 store in the lobby selling Pez dispensers. Details and an eBay link at www.wonnightonly.com. Bidding starts at $50,000, ending Wednesday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

FAST FACT

Meters of shoes

What's billed as the world's largest footwear emporium opened in July at the venerable Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris. The 34,500-square-foot shoe Parnassus has chocolate-brown leather sofas for the trying-on ritual, 150 brands of shoes and 12,000 pairs altogether.

LOS ANGELES TIMES

TRAVEL POLL

What not to do on a plane

According to the 2009 Rudeness Poll by the online-booking agent Travelocity, rushing to be first off the plane topped the list of annoyances for air travelers, followed by loud talking and kicking the seat. Sitting next to passengers with poor hygiene came in fourth. Travelocity said it tapped the opinions of nearly 1,600 North Americans. More than 80 percent of respondents also said large passengers were troublesome and felt they should be given two seats, with 44 percent adding that the airline should accommodate them at no extra cost.

MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE

SIDE ROADS

Scared in Duluth

In Duluth, fright fans can walk eerie decks during Haunted Ship Tours aboard the retired ore carrier William A. Irvin Thursday through Saturday and Oct. 28-31. Visitors will get spooked and scared by monsters, ghouls and haunting sounds, and if that isn't enough, you can test your wits in a pitch-black maze in the ship's hull. Hours are 6:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Oct. 28-29, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 31, 6:30 to 11 p.m. Oct. 30. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for ages 12 and under (1-218-722-7876; www.duluthhauntedship.com).

COLLEEN A. COLES