4 Chicago Tribune | Travel | Section 5 | Sunday, April 24, 2016

Here are some of themore interesting deals,websites and other traveltidbits that have comeacross our desk recently:■ Gate 1Travel offers aClassic Thailand packagethat’s priced as low as$1,887 per person, doubleoccupancywith round-tripair fromChicago. Land-only cost is from$999. Thetrip spends four nights inBangkok, one night each inAyutthaya and Sukhothai,twonights inChiangRaiand three nights inChiangMai. Somemeals are in-cluded, and touring is bymotor coach. An internalflight is included in thepackage. 800-682-3333,tinyurl.com/j7ehemx■ For travelerswho like toexplore on their own, Trip-masters offers a bare-bones

air andhotel package tovisit Paris andBarcelona,Spain. The basic packagespends three nights in eachcity and includes interna-tional air and city-to-cityair.Wedid a search for amid-August departure fromChicago and turned up areasonable price of $1,557per person, double occu-pancy. Tripmasters’web-site allows you to pick yourdates, length of stay andhotels. 800-430-0484,tinyurl.com/gt2qpo3■ WyndhamExtraHoli-days is offering savings ofup to 40percent at resortsacross the country. Book-ingsmust bemade byMay 1for travel through June 30.tinyurl.com/gvtfzgw■ The sevenDisneySpringsResort AreaHotels,near Florida’sDisneyWorld, have a Spring IntotheMagic promotionwithrates as low as $69 a night.

Rates are good until June30. tinyurl.com/j26orvg■ TheGibbesMuseumofArt inCharleston, S.C., willreopenMay 28 after a two-year renovation. Exhibitsplanned for the reopeninginclude “TheThingsWeCarry: ContemporaryArt inthe South” and “BeyondCatfishRow:TheArt of

Porgy andBess.”www.gibbesmuseum.org■ Movie fans planning todrive through Iowamightwant to take a look at theIowa tourism folks’ listingofmovie-related sites intheir state at tinyurl.com/zzobjpq.■ If you’re a bicyclistwho’dlike to tackle a self-guided

trip butwith somehelp inareas like lodging and lug-gage shuttles, youmightwant to read “TheBegin-ner’s Guide to Self-guidedCyclingAdventureHoli-days” fromPureAdven-tures. ThoughPureAd-ventures has a vested inter-est, offering self-guidedtours, the e-book has unbi-ased,worthwhile advice onhow to find a company thatmeets your needs. tinyurl.com/hvz9osu■ SunValley, Idaho,willhold aWellness Festival onMay 27-30.www.sunvalleywellness.org■ The 16th annual SoulBeachMusic FestivalwillbeMay 25-30 inAruba.tinyurl.com/j2bo7a4■ IndependentTravel-er.com lists nine off-the-beaten-track destinationsworth visiting at tinyurl.com/8aovudp.■ NemacolinWoodlandsResort is a 2,000-acre luxu-ry retreatwith an emphasison active getaways insouthwest Pennsylvania. Its

AdventureCenter offersactivities such as zip lining,a climbingwall, a ropescourse and an off-roaddriving academy. 866-344-6957,www.nemacolin.com■ Uniworld has newEuro-pean river cruises and earlybooking savings for itiner-aries in 2017. tinyurl.com/zkmnlps

Prices include taxes and feesunless otherwise noted.Deals andwebsites listedhere have been checked foravailability as of press time,but the listings are not en-dorsements.

PhilMarty is a freelancewriter.

News to use

Gate 1 Travel’s Classic Thailand package visits Bangkok,Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai.

NANCY BROWN/GETTY IMAGES

By PhilMartyChicago Tribune

California.Founded in1775, themission is famousfor the annual return ofswallows from theirwinterhome inArgentina.

GEOQUIZ ANSWER

ASHEVILLE,N.C.—Three reactions to a 364-square-foot cottage inAsheville, N.C.

Mother: “This is kind ofa fun adventure.”

Daughter: “We canmake thiswork.”

Father: “Maybeweshould stay at our friends’house.”

And one unifying con-sensus: The 15minis at thePinesCottages are cheek-pinching-cute, even if theypush the concept of “closefamily” to its literal edge.

The self-catering cabinsare scattered likeMonopo-ly pieces on nearly 5 acresof land shaded by hickory,walnut, oak, cedar and—truth in advertising—pinetrees. The structuresmeas-ure 360 to 960 square feetand come in three flavors:studio, two-bedroomandlog cabin.Most sleep two.Unfortunately, themathescapedmewhen I bookedmy family inCottage 10.

On a cool evening inOctober,we approachedthe hydrangea-blue doll-house residing on theupper tier of a hill. Relyingon the car’s headlights,westepped onto the porchand swung open thecherry-red door.None ofusmoved for several sec-onds aswe assessed thesituation. Three people,one room, no privacy.

“We can get creative,”mymomchirped optimis-tically.

Themain living spacewas filledwith a hodge-podge of furnishings, in-cluding low antique-ytables, a dresser/TV stand,a spider-legged stool and adeep-seated chair the colorofmargarine. A king-size

bed large enough to fitHenryVIII andhalf hiswives dominated the room.Inches frommyparents’bedwas the child’s lair, aninflated airmattress. Onewrong turn to the bath-room, and I could endupwith a foot-plant inmyface.

I set out on a scoutingmission for other arrange-ments. I followed the shorthallway to thewee kitchenwith a stove, tall cabinetsand a full-size fridge thatnearly squeezed out theother appliances. I consid-ered dragging the airmat-tress into the kitchen but

worried about bangingmyhead against the greenFormica table if I heardnoises in the night. (Theproperty, sandwiched be-tween two busy roads, ismore domesticated thanwild.)

Seizing lessons learnedfromHGTV, I pushed themattress against the frontdoor and positioned thechair to create a roomdivider.

During our three-nightstay,we saw fewneighbors(too nippy to grill outdoorsor people-watch on theporch), though a staffmem-ber said a sense of commu-

nity often takes shape.Guests fraternizewhilewalking their dogs or sit-ting around the fire pit.

Wedid have one gentle-man caller. Allen Shumak-er, the fourth owner in 85years, came to the rescueafter the pilot light in thegas furnace flickered out. Iasked himabout the prop-erty’s history.

ThePines opened in1929, he toldme, to accom-modate farmers drivingfromTennessee toAshe-ville to sell theirwares atmarket. Before, the com-muterswould sleep intheir cars on the side of the

rutted dirt road. Themotorcourt provided themwith asafer andmore comfortablealternative: one-room logcabinswith a bed and acommunity bathroom—allfor a buck.

“The cottages are a kickback in time,” he said. “It’sold-school awesome.”

The property, locatedjust 6miles fromdown-townAsheville and 10milesfromBlueRidgeParkway,rents studios, two-bedroomcottages and log cabins.Summer rates start at $115(www.ashevillepines.com).

Four log cabins dating to

the first year are stillstanding; two are for rent.The other original struc-tures suffered fires, insectinfestations or other irrep-arable damage andwererebuilt in a traditional stickstyle.Modern features—bathrooms, kitchens, insu-latedwindows, upgradedheating,Wi-Fi, gumdrop-colored paint jobs—werealso added, uptowning thespartan shelters.

“This is a step up fromglamping,” he said.

Shumaker preserves thevintage spirit by combingestate sales for antiques aswell as repurposing oldfarmdesks into bathroomsinks and barnwood intokitchen counters.

“We try to stay true towhatwas here before,” hesaid.

Myparents and I alsopledged our allegiance tosimpler times.We cookedand ate in the diminutivekitchen,which required ustomove like dancers on asmall stage.We traced thestars fromour porch. Oncein bed,we talked in thedark, our voices growingfuzzier aswe succumbedto sleep.

To givemy folks extraspace in themorning, Iwould stroll the grounds,studying the other cottageswith the opportunistic eyeof a real estate broker. Ipassed a housekeeper andasked herwhich cabinwasher favorite.

“Probably 1,” she an-swered, referring to a 1929log cabinwith an all-whiteinterior.

She then disappearedinsideCottage 15,whichsleeps six.

I returned to our tinyhouse andwondered:Whoneeds all that space?

Asheville cottages make for a cozy getaway

The Pines Cottages opened in Asheville, N.C., in 1929 to accommodate farmers driving to Asheville to sell their wares.

ANDREA SACHS/THE WASHINGTON POST

By Andrea SachsTheWashington Post

ILLINOISGALENAGREENBRIAR COUNTRY INNStep back in time-relax in historic lodgings.Fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, TV’s, hand deliveredbreakfast basket to your door. Walk to restaurants &shops. Midweek special. Gift certificates available.(815) 777-3153 • billnybo@att.netwww.greenbriargalena.com

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7Chicago Tribune | Travel | Section 5 | Sunday, April 24, 2016

Isla Verde Beach, Carolina

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Anyonewho travelsmayneed occasional foot pam-pering.My soles feelsoothed just looking at theMoji Foot Promassager.

Six stainless steelspheres rotate in socketsembedded in a slip-resist-ant rubber base, penetrat-ing and alleviating sore ortightmuscles and tissueswhen you roll your footover them.Themore roll-ing pressure you apply, thedeeper themassage.

The center sphere israised slightly higher thanthe other five for targeteddeepmassaging. Thespheres,which are eachabout an inch in diameter,are especially effective atstretching tight spotsunder the arches and toes.Put themassager in a free-zer for a bit, and you’ll get

an even deeper ice-coldfoot rub—a refreshingpick-me-up even if nothinghurts.

TheMoji Foot Pro canbe usedwhile seated orstanding. It’s about 4.5inches in diameter and 1.5inches high. Itweighsslightlymore than a pound,making it ideal for travel.No batteries toworry

about either.TheMoji Foot Prowith

stainless steel spheres costs$39.99.

There’s aMoji Footmassagerwith plasticspheres for $29.99, but itdoesn’t feel as solid.

Info:www.gomoji.com

JudiDash is a freelancewriter.

GEAR BOX

Pack some foot relief for the road

MOJI

By Judi DashTribune Newspapers

TheCity by theBay isonce again ranked as themost expensiveU.S. desti-nation for business travel-ers.

But the big surprise inan annual study of hotel,rental car and dining pricesis the ladder-climbing byDetroit.

The latest report by thetrade publicationBusinessTravelNews,whichmea-sures prices paid by corpo-rate travelers visiting thecountry’s 100 biggest cities,found that the fastest in-crease in hotel rates—22.5percent from2014 to 2015—was reported inDetroit,

a sign perhaps that theMotorCity is bouncingback from its 2013 bank-ruptcy.

Detroit’s average nightlyhotel rate of $198 is still abargain comparedwithSanFrancisco, the citywith the highest corporatehotel rate of $370 a night.

Whenhotel and carrental rates and diningcosts are added, SanFran-cisco leads the countrywith business travelerspaying a daily average of$547. The national dailyaverage of $318 rose 3.9percent over 2014, ac-cording to the report.

Business travelers to San Francisco, its skyline seen fromthe Golden Gate Bridge, spend an average of $547 a day.

GEORGE ROSE/GETTY

NEED TO KNOW

Businesstravelers toS.F. need afat walletBy HugoMartinTribune Newspapers

Train travel isn’t the typicalway to seeAfrica, anddoing it in vintage, luxurious rail carsmakes it evenmore unusual. Frontiers International Travel is of-fering twodepartures this year via RovosRail to travelacross SouthAfrica, Botswana, Zimbabwe, ZambiaandTanzania. Accommodation aboard thewood-paneled coaches can be in a Pullman suite ($11,850 perperson, double occupancy), deluxe suite ($15,300) orroyal suite ($20,550). The 15-day tour starts inCapeTownon July 2 and ends inDar es Salaam,Tanzania.The reverse itinerary leavesDar es Salaamon July 19.Tour highlights include a two-night stay in SouthAfrica’sMadikweGameReserve,with three gamedrives. A visit toVictoria Falls is on the itinerary, alongwith descending into theGreat Rift Valley and trav-eling acrossTanzania’s SelousGameReserve, thelargest on the continent. Info: 800-245-1950, tinyurl.com/hpuftcd

Get a taste of ItalyExplore! is a company that specializes in small-

group adventure travel, with its adventures generallybeing of the soft variety rather than for the hard-coreadventurer. This year it’s offering four trips in Italy thatcombine hiking and exploring the country’s cuisine.Trips take place in theAmalfi Coast, Puglia, CinqueTerre andEmilia-Romagna, a newaddition toEx-plore!’s lineup. That trip, for instance, visits Bologna,Modena, Ravenna and the canals of Comacchio. Dailywalking distances aremodest,with the longest daysconsisting of just over 4miles. Guestswill visit acheese-producing facilitywhere Parmigiano-Reggianoismade and awine estate that uses the local Lam-brusco grapes. Pricing for the tour is as low as $1,330per person, double occupancy, including somemeals,seven nights’ lodging inmodest accommodations andtravel by buswith a tour leader. For information on allfourTaste of Italy trips: 800-715-1746, tinyurl.com/zcq3w3f

Fantasy trip forthe deep-pocketed

Theworld’s going to pot,your boss has been bustingyour chops and the onlytime the kids call iswhentheywantmoney. Time toblowyour life savings onan around-the-world trip.Abercrombie&Kent hasits new for 2017AroundtheWorld byPrivate Jet:TheTropics to theArctic.You and49 otherswillspendnearly amonthflying toCartagena andBogota, Colombia; EasterIsland; Rangiroa, FrenchPolynesia;Honiara, Solo-mon Islands; Cebu, Philip-pines; GobiDesert,Mon-golia; Samarkand,Uzbeki-stan; St. Petersburg, Russia;andReykjavik, Iceland.Your lie-flat, first-classseatswill help you sleepwell after you indulge inthe open bar andmealsfrom the onboard chef. Atdestinations, youwon’thave tominglewith therabble, instead engaging inevents planned just foryou. It’ll take a nice nestegg: This trip is $129,000per person, double occu-pancy. Info: 800-554-7016,tinyurl.com/j5wbbdz

PhilMarty is a freelancereporter.

The Pride of Africa train travels through some of the continent’s most stunning scenery.

ROVOS RAIL

TRIPS, TIPS & DEALS

See Africa by luxury trainBy PhilMarty | Tribune Newspapers