WEB WATCH
Keep tabs on your info Instead of a notebook of personal information secreted in your luggage while traveling (i.e. passport number), consider KeepYouSafe.com. You can enter or scan valuable data online, so if your wallet is stolen, you still have access to critical phone and account numbers without hunting down pieces of paper. The site assures users that data are encrypted and staffers "regularly audit the security of our systems," but it notes that it won't be able to give out your password if you forget it. Of course, you have to have Internet access to get the information. You get as many as 10 records for free; it's $48 annually to store up to 500 records.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
TRIP TIP
A surge of laptop advice When traveling to developing countries, bring a surge protector as well as a power adapter. Adapters don't protect against surges, which occur frequently and can destroy electronics like laptops. Also, stay connected wherever you are by researching and jotting down WiFi hot spots at your destination. Jiwire.com, for instance, lists thousands of Internet locations in nearby and far-flung places. The website also lists which locations are free.
WASHINGTON POST
ODDBALL OFFERINGS
The ultimate no-frills flight We're on our final approach for landing. Please fasten your seat belts and return your tray tables and seats to the upright position. Oh, and put your clothes back on. An eastern German travel firm, OssiUrlaub, has started taking bookings for a nudist day trip from Erfurt, Germany, to the popular Baltic Sea resort of Usedom. The trial excursion is planned for July 5. The plane's 55 passengers will have to remain clothed until they board and dress before they disembark. The crew and pilots will stay dressed for security reasons. Sandra Kohler, a spokeswoman for OssiUrlaub, said one has to be a fan of nudism to truly understand how liberating it can be to soar above the clouds in the buff.
COX NEWS SERVICE
Cheaper sleeps
Be a smart hunter Comparison shopping on the Web can save big bucks, but there's more to getting a great price on hotel rooms than simply plugging in a date and seeing what comes up. Charlyn Keating Chisholm, hotels and resorts expert for About.com (www.hotels.about.com), has these tips:
• Know when not to go. If you're planning to visit a place that's popular with conventioneers, find out when the big conventions are in town, and "go there at any other time."