On Course: Dispatches from the travel desk

Card option proves popular Nearly 740,000 Americans have ordered passport cards, a new document being offered by the State Department to speed border crossings by U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Beginning in June, travelers will be required to present documents proving both citizenship and identity when entering the United States through a land or sea border. For Americans who drive to Canada or Mexico or cruise regularly to the Caribbean, but who do not expect to fly abroad, the passport card is a cheaper, smaller, more portable alternative to a conventional passport book. The passport card is the size of a driver's license, and has a photo and identification information printed on it. It also contains a chip that allows border officials to retrieve your data from a government database. It's not valid for air travel. Passport cards are good for 10 years and cost $45 ($35 for ages 15 and under). Applications can be made at any passport-processing site. For details on how and where to get a passport card, visit www.travel.state.gov.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clearing the air in Boston Beginning Feb. 9, all lodging in Boston will be smoke-free. The ban covers hotels, inns and B&Bs and affects spaces including rooms and restaurant patios.

WASHINGTON POST

New park makes big splash A new 28,000-square-foot water park opened in December near the La Cabana resort on Eagle Beach on Aruba. The park, named Morgan's Island, features slides and rides, including a one-person water slide with a 69-foot drop. Other attractions include giant double wave pools with a wraparound lounging area for families, and a kids' pool area. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (www.aruba morgansisland.com).

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cheap tickets to come Every time you go shopping, save your change because you'll be able to fly to some destinations in 2009 for what seems like nickels and dimes. Great deals will be available. Why? Fewer people are traveling. We'll see bargain fares for at least the first few months of the year, except during spring break. Don't expect deals to all destinations, and flexible fliers will save the most. If Costa Rica is No. 50 on your travel list and you see a round-trip fare of $149, it should move up to No. 1. To avoid paying more than necessary, don't book too far in advance. For the next few months, watch fares closely. Many will come and go quickly.

Map to salute Obama In honor of Barack Obama's inauguration, Rand McNally is selling microfiber fabric maps of the mall and parade route from the presidential swearing-in by the Capitol to the White House. President Barack Obama Commemorative Inaugural fabMAPs are $10 and available through Rand McNally at www.store. randmcnally.com or by calling 1-800-275-7263. Rand McNally says the map is also a kerchief and can be used to clean your camera lens, as well. Who knew?

WASHINGTON POST

Traveling Hwy. 20 Some roads get all the press, such as the legendary Route 66, while others are barely known. In "Twenty West: The Great Road Across America" (State University of New York Press, $25), author Mac Nelson offers an idiosyncratic look at U.S. Hwy. 20 that combines biography, history and narrative travel. Route 20 stretches 3,300 miles and crosses 12 states, from Massachusetts to Oregon. That's a lot of territory to cover, but Nelson is up to the task as he comments on famous folks who lived off or near the road (including Henry David Thoreau), historic moments (such as the first stirrings of Mormonism in upstate New York) as well as his own personal reminiscences. Nelson manages to be quirky, erudite and entertaining.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Frozen River Film Festival Nature photographer David Cavagnaro will share travel stories and photographs at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22 during the Frozen River Film Festival at Winona State University. The evening will also feature the documentary "Flow: For the Love of Water," an exploration of water usage and levels around the world. The festival begins Jan. 21 and continues through Jan. 25 with speakers, concerts, workshops and more than a dozen documentaries, shorts and full-length films. Tickets range from $7 to $50. Hours vary. (1-507-459-8090; www.frff.org).