isn't included in the count,
but, says Pan Am spokesman
Alan Loflin, "we're on to the
'This is my Samsonite pocket-
book' trick."
The bottom line is that
flight attendants now have the
power to remove oversize arti-
cles from the cabin and have
them checked. As the end of
the school year approaches,
they say they'll be on the look-
out for stereo systems, refriger-
ators and bags stuffed with a
semester's worth of dirty
laundry.
Given the new rules, how
should you bag it? Flexibility is
the key. For tidy travelers
who like zippers, compart-
ments and pockets, there's
L.L. Bean's Deluxe Seat Bag
($84) and Ciao!'s Black Watch
Duffel ($85). Bean also offers a
Carry-On Travel Pack, which
can be either hauled by hand or
carried on one's back ($57.50).
Stylish simplicity: For some,
simpler is better. Lands' End's
Stowaway ($39.50) and The
Gap's canvas tote, available in
an array of colors ($19.50), are
basic but efficient. There's
probably nothing more basic
than the duffel bag. "The duffel
is the hottest thing out there,"
says Dennis Packard, Ciao!'s
national sales manager.
"Most people aren't that organ-
ized. They like the one com-
partment." From the green
army-surplus type to Ciao!'s
snappy black-and-white num-
bers ($48-$58) to Eastpak's
duffel imprinted with school in-
signia ($20-$30), they are as
useful on the ground as in the
air. And the duffeler who real-
ly wants to upgrade his image
can spring for the Ghurka
bag, made of cotton twill, brass
and leather-at $265.
Whatever one's bag, travel-
ers are bound to continue to try
to outwit the airlines-slip-
ping the guitar under a coat,
putting the portable TV in a
diaper bag (which doesn't count
on some airlines), carrying
the framed poster between two
garment bags. But as you try
to figure out how you're going
to get that pinata from spring
break home, remember, there's
an easier way. Ship every-
thing but yourself.
JENNIFER BOETH
with bureau reports
Tony totes: Top, Ghurka
duffel. Middle, three-
zipper Hartmann,
Crouch & Fitzgerald roll
bag and flight pack.
Bottom, duffels from
Lark and Hartmann
'Basic but efficient':
Clockwise from above, Gap
bag, Lands' End,
Eastpak duffel
Frommer's New Bible of Budget Travel
As he's eager to assure
you, Arthur Frommer
knows what he's talking
about when it comes to going
places. His Europe on $5 a Day is
in its 31st annual edition-
inflated to "$30 a Day"-and
he has logged more than
3 million miles. Now, he's un-
loading the secrets of his con-
siderable experience in The
New World of Travel 1988 (366
pages. PrenticeHall. $12.95).
"New World" is more of a
sourcebook than the previous
100-plus Frommer guides for
specific locations. With 75
mini-chapters, this book is or-
ganized for browsing, encod-
ing every facet of travel from
fares and accommodations to
choice destinations, includ-
ing New Age resorts. An ex-
planation of "bucket shops,"
small agencies selling tickets
on scheduled airlines at 25
percent to 40 percent dis-
counts, is extremely helpful.
A "how to" of flying inex-
pensively or even for free-as
a courier-is equally useful,
as are hints for getting into
grand hotels cheaply: stay in
the small, usually bathroom-
less maids' rooms many main-
tain. Among the strengths
of "New World" are the
many laundry lists of ad-
dresses and contact numbers.
There are numerous best
bets. Anyone who wants to see
America on a shoestring can
share a bus or van with
other "cooperative campers."
Care to spend vacations doing
good? Seek out politically
oriented agents who book
"solidarity" trips where trav-
elers explore the liberation-
theology movement or build
houses for the poor in the
United States. Bargains may
change, but this tireless trav-
eler hopes to keep in step
with annual updates on even
newer worlds.
CHRISTOPHER M. BELLITTO
NEWSWEEK ON CAMPUS 33
MAY 1988