THE SWEETEST CURE

GEOQUIZ: Where would you find the Great Dividing Range?

By the time you read this, I hope to have completed something as absurd as it is ambitious: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

If you and your boo are due for some time away together, you have a number of vacation experiences to choose from. Active itineraries, vineyard exploration and remote stargazing venues are just a few of the options available. From Sonoma to South Carolina, here are some of my favorites.

You can help a child at the same time you book a hotel stay - without an added price hike.

Website: www.untours.com

Consumers continue to get dinged and, worse, surprised by "resort" fees that often aren't quoted upfront in the hotel booking process. This one lump-sum fee often covers such items as phone calls, bottled water, Internet access, access to the pool or spa or other services that guests may or may not use. In September, two On the Spot columns dealt with those fees. When I contacted three consumer advocates who were active about the issue, they had just received a reply to a letter of complaint that they had sent to the Federal Trade Commission. In November, the FTC took more action, which is good news for consumers. But does it solve the problem?

CHICAGO - It's sleek, shiny and sensational.

CHANDLER, Ariz. - You come to Chandler for desert deceleration - not that fast life they live in Phoenix and Scottsdale. The city of about 240,000 (www.visitchandler.com) sits about 20 minutes southeast of Phoenix, below Mesa. In the central plaza it raises a 40-foot-high tumbleweed Christmas tree every winter. Chandler's several hotels (mostly budget chains) are easy driving from the 11 soon-to-be-active spring training stadiums of greater Phoenix, including the Dodgers (about 35 miles away in Glendale) and the Angels (about 17 miles away in Tempe). A child-related activity brought us to town, but among normal people, golf is the larger draw. Venues include the 18-hole Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort, which dates to 1913; the Ocotillo Golf Resort (27 holes); and the Bear Creek Golf Complex (36 holes).

The late Gussie Olsen would be proud.

ATLANTA - With all of the talk these days of liberty and citizenship, of who is a patriot and who is not, the new exhibit at the Atlanta History Center is something to consider.

The Frugal Traveler:  By wearing as much as possible on flight day, you can do your part to keep luggage logistics under control.