TRAVEL Q & A

Alone with kids Q My family is going to California for our summer vacation and my kids, ages 5, 2 and 6 months, are meeting my husband there. Any tips for how to handle the Lindbergh Terminal as a solo parent? A The folks at MSP suggest that people traveling with small children arrive two hours before a flight departs. Ask a friend to take you to the airport and help you collapse the strollers, take your baby out of the car seat and keep an eye on the bigger kids until the very moment when you have to show your boarding pass. Be extremely nice to the people in front of and behind you and ask if they can help. Beyond security on Concourse C there's a free play area, a family center and a nursing mothers' room. To use the nursing room, go to the Travelers Assistance desk across from Gate C12, which also has emergency diapers and baby formula and can be a good all-around resource should you have any challenges. One final tip: Dress your kids in bright colors, especially if one of them is a bolter, to make them easier to spot should you get separated.

Answers to travelers' questions appear weekly in Travel and every Monday at www.startribune.com/escapeartists.

ELIZABETH LARSEN

WEB WATCH

Lure of Voyij.com: Deals You type in your departure airport and get a bucket-load of travel deals broken down into airfare, hotel and vacation. A search of "luxury" experiences from Voyij's photo bar in the middle of the home page returned hotel deals starting at $10, in this case a $10-per-night hotel room at a two-star hotel (Voyij's rating) in Laughlin, Nev. That has no business being in a luxury category. Still, the website is new and lists upcoming features such as customized deal-tracking e-mails and a personalized deals map.

LOS ANGELES TIMES

ON DISPLAY: WASHINGTON, D.C. SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FEST

Wales, Latin music and "The Power of Words in African American Culture" will be the themes of this summer's Smithsonian Folklife Festival. About a million people attend the annual event, which showcases cultural diversity. It is produced by the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and co-sponsored by the National Park Service. This year's 10-day festival takes place outdoors on the National Mall in Washington June 24-28 and July 1-5. Admission is free. Details at www.festival.si.edu/

ASSOCIATED PRESS

HELP ON THE ROAD

FabMAPS: Wipe 'n' find These maps are printed on sturdy waterproof cloths, so aside from being used for guidance purposes, the microfiber cloths also can be used to clean a camera lens, eyeglasses or, in a pinch, a soiled lapel or a smudged chin. The maps contain significant detail, with hotels, museums, night spots, restaurants, stores, theaters, hospitals, police stations, banks and more. They're available for a slew of tourist spots, including New York's theater district and New Orleans' French Quarter. While one could fault them for being highly focused on certain areas, a bigger map would be harder to tuck away. They cost $5.95 and are available at randmcnally.com.

SIDE ROADS

Lake Superior boat show THE SCENIC NORTH SHORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR SERVES AS THE BACKDROP FOR THE 12TH ANNUAL WOODEN BOAT SHOW AND SUMMER SOLSTICE FESTIVAL, FRIDAY THROUGH NEXT SUNDAY IN GRAND MARAIS, MINN. VISITORS CAN CHECK OUT A WOODEN BOAT DISPLAY, TALK TO BOAT BUILDERS AND TOUR THE NEW MILLING SHOP FOR THE NORTH HOUSE FOLK SCHOOL. THE EVENT ALSO CELEBRATES THE START OF SUMMER WITH MUSIC, GAMES AND OTHER ACTIVITIES. PROGRAMS, SPEAKERS, CLASSES AND DEMONSTRATIONS THAT HIGHLIGHT THE TRADITIONS AND CRAFTS OF NORTHERN CULTURES WILL BE FEATURED (1-218-387-9762; WWW.NORTHHOUSEFOLKSCHOOL.COM/EVENTS/WOODENBOAT SHOW.HTML).

Colleen A. Coles