On Course: Travel Q & A

TRIP TIP

Dial 511 for driving As the summer vacation driving season approaches, add this phone number to your favorites: 511. In many states, dial those three numbers to access real-time information on road conditions, accidents and weather. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas are among the states with the system in place. In Minnesota, 511 travel information is provided by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. For a complete map of the service around the country, check out the Federal Highway Administration's 511 website at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/511.

KERRI WESTENBERG

TRAVEL Q&A Island hopping on Hawaii Q Our family of four is planning a trip to Hawaii in late August. I'm usually comfortable booking online, but comparing flights to and between the Hawaiian islands has me thinking of finding a travel agent.

We're traveling to Kauai for a five-day stay, but want to add three or four days at the front of the trip to see Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii. Is it safe to just buy tickets to Honolulu and figure out getting to Hilo, on Hawaii, and Lihue, on Kauai, when we get there? The inter-island flights vary in price from $60 to $200 one-way; multiply the highest fare by four and it could seriously crimp our vacation budget.

One series of flights home would have us depart Honolulu, change planes in Lihue, then fly to Phoenix and finally home. No matter how I plug it in, I can't find that trip with just the last two legs, which is all I want. Could we skip the Honolulu-to-Lihue leg and just get on in Lihue?

A Never skip the first leg of a flight; there's a good chance the airline would consider you a no-show and fill your seats. As for the rest of your questions, I say it's time to bring in a pro. It is best to rely on a travel agent when itineraries are complicated. Though most charge fees, agents can find better fares than you might on the Web and they know tricks that could land you that Lihue-to-Phoenix flight or find another nifty itinerary. There are any number of agents who could help with your quest for a carefree Hawaiian vacation, but here are a couple of Hawaii experts in the event you don't have an agent of your own: Yvonne Vavreck works out of the St. Louis Park office of AAA Minneapolis (952-927-2506). Karen Malone is at the Woodbury location of Travel Leaders (651-789-8845).

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

KERRI WESTENBERG

BOOK BRIEF

First aid for travelers Adventure travel continues to draw former couch potatoes. Dr. Spike Briggs and Dr. Campbell Mackenzie consider this trend a good thing -- but with risks. They fear that the more "vulnerable explorers -- less fit, younger and older -- will venture beyond the ready reach of appropriate hospital care." And so they have put together the "Outdoor Medical Emergency Handbook: First Aid for Travelers, Backpackers, Adventurers" (Firefly, $19.95), a portable reference book and literary companion for travelers. The book is divided into six sections: preparation, emergencies, environmental risks, accidents and trauma, medical disorders and treatments and emergency medical procedures. The book also contains a vital-signs monitoring chart, a medical kit list, a guide to commonly used drugs and an antibiotic guide. It comes in a practical waterproof cover.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

SIDEROADS

Party in buffalo country Calling all buffalo-chip throwers for the 26th annual Buffalo Days celebration Friday and Saturday in Luverne, Minn. The event features a buffalo-chip-throwing contest, plus Arts-in-the-Park, a parade, 5K and 10K runs, dancers, a collector's vehicles cruise-in, live music, free buffalo burgers (until they're gone), other food vendors, a beer garden and more (1-507-283-4061; 1-888-283-4061; www.luvernechamber.com).

COLLEEN A. COLES