Travel briefs

Best hostels

DUBLIN, Ireland - Movie fans care about the Oscars. Backpackers care about the Hoscars.

The Hoscars, gold-plated statuettes of a backpacker, were given out at an awards ceremony held by Hostelworld.com in Dublin in late January to honor the best hostels.

The awards were based on 500,000 hostel stays rated by people who booked their accommodations through Hostelworld.com. The Web site's users were surveyed after their stays and asked to rate the hostels for character, security, location, staff, fun and cleanliness.

And the 10 best hostels were:

Cat's Hostel in Madrid, which also came in first in the "most fun" category; Flying Pig Downtown, Amsterdam; United World International Hostel, Madrid; Bulldog, Amsterdam; Yellow Hostel, Rome; Wombats City Hostel, Vienna, which was also No. 1 in the category of cleanest hostel; Sleepzone Galway City, Galway; Four Courts Hostel, Dublin; Flying Pig Palace, Amsterdam; and the Globetrotter Inn, Edinburgh.

Other winners included Singapore's Summer Tavern in the best small hostel category and the Stayokay Amsterdam Vondelpark as best large hostel.

Travel survey

NEW YORK (AP) - Safety and comfort is the No. 1 priority among U.S. travelers, but they're increasingly open to new experiences. And while they don't want to overspend, they're willing to pay for quality. They'd also rather have a longer vacation than a shorter workday.

Those are a few of the findings in a new survey, by Roper Reports for NOP World, looking at how Americans view travel.

The research suggests that American travelers place a higher value on vacation time away from work than ever before, and that they are more open to going to new places and learning new things than in the past.

Asked whether they'd prefer a shorter working day or a longer vacation, 61 percent of those surveyed chose the longer vacation. In 2000, just 50 percent of Americans preferred the longer vacation over the shorter workday.

While being safe and secure was the most important aspect of travel, cited by 71 percent of those surveyed, the second-most agreed-upon sentiment was an eagerness to see new places and do different things, cited by 59 percent. That's an 8 percent increase since 2002.

Comfort and convenience was a close third priority in travel, cited by 55 percent. And while another 55 percent said they are very budget-conscious, 43 percent said they were willing to pay for quality.

The random survey of 2000 people was conducted in-person in August of 2004. Results, which were released in early February, were weighted to U.S. Census demographics.

San Francisco smoking

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Smokers who want to light up at some of San Francisco's most popular outdoor attractions - from the shopping haven of Union Square to the fog-shrouded trails of Golden Gate Park - may soon be in violation of the law.

San Francisco supervisors have passed what appears to be the nation's most comprehensive clampdown on smoking - a puffing prohibition in all city-owned parks, public plazas and sports facilities except golf courses.

At least 11 other California cities and a handful of jurisdictions in other states have enacted curbs on outdoor tobacco use. But anti-smoking advocates say San Francisco is the first to apply no-smoking rules to "any unenclosed area" under city jurisdiction.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the law, which would take effect July 1, said an aide to Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, the law's sponsor.

People caught smoking in any of the places where the new law applies can be fined up to $100 on first offense, $200 for a second violation within the same year and $500 for each additional violation. "No Smoking" signs will be posted at affected sites.

The ban would forbid smoking at virtually all neighborhood parks, softball fields, tennis and basketball courts, the huge plaza across the street from City Hall, and the family camp the city operates near Yosemite National Park.

City-owned golf courses were specifically exempted because Alioto-Pier said discarded cigarette butts were not as much of an environmental or health hazard on greens with dedicated groundskeepers. She said she was also concerned that a smoking ban would drive golfers and their fees away from public courses to private facilities.

San Francisco was one of the first major U.S. cities to prohibit smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars in 2004, and dozens of cities have adopted similar laws since then.

Roughly one-third of Americans live in communities where smoking is off-limits in restaurants, and one-fourth live in places with smoke-free bars.

Tsunami tourism

LANGKAWI, Malaysia (AP) - Southeast Asian countries are expressing confidence that their tsunami-hit tourism industries will return to normal, but they are pleading with Western governments not to warn citizens against travel to disaster-hit areas.

In the aftermath of the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami, many European governments, such as Denmark, Norway and Sweden, issued advisories to their citizens not to travel to devastated areas in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives. Some of the advisories have since been lifted.

"We call on governments to be fair and responsible in issuing travel advisories," the tourism ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations said in a statement after a two-day conference.

"With the support provided by the international community, we are confident that ASEAN tourism will bounce back and surpass its pre-Dec. 26 levels," the ministers said. "Amidst the tragedy that has befallen our Asian neighbors, our message is clear - that travel to ASEAN countries remains safe.

The meeting, convened on Malaysia's tourist resort of Langkawi, discussed speeding up development of regional tourism, which has waned after thousands of foreign tourists were killed in the tsunami, mostly in beach resorts of Thailand.

The ministers agreed to work together through promotional campaigns to boost travel by citizens within Southeast Asia to offset the loss of foreign visitors, said Malaysian Tourism Minister Leo Michael Toyad.

Before the tsunami, the ASEAN Tourism Association expected nearly 50 million tourists to visit this year.

Tourism generates about $30 billion each year for ASEAN, which comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Cuyahoga fishing

CLEVELAND (AP) - The Cuyahoga River, known for catching fire when an oil slick burned in 1969, is now clean enough for catching steelhead trout, according to The Plain Dealer.

It's the first time since the fire that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is promoting two places along the Cuyahoga as good spots for steelhead trout fishing.

The state Route 82 dam in Brecksville and the Gorge Park dam in Cuyahoga Falls were once among the most polluted areas on the river. Their newfound fishing endorsement is listed on ODNR's Web site.

"This is a historical event," Don Killinger, research supervisor for the Cuyahoga County Health Board, told the newspaper. "There has never been any recommendation by any agency to fish on the Cuyahoga River, especially in the Cuyahoga County area because of the conditions of the river in the past and all the pollution."

After years of cleanup efforts, an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency study found 62 species of fish in the Cuyahoga River when there were none nearly three decades earlier.

"This indicates we are cleaning up the river and things are getting better," said Steve Madewell, an Ohio EPA environmental scientist.

The steelhead trout is native to the West Coast. They were introduced in Ohio in the 1800s.

Glacier mushing

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - Era Aviation has applied for a federal permit to establish a sled dog tour operation on Nenana Glacier about 150 miles southeast of Fairbanks.

The Bureau of Land Management is considering the request for the business, which would be run on the glacier east of Denali National Park, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. Era already has begun advertising and taking reservations for the tour, which costs $469.

The Nenana Glacier camp would replace a similar operation Era ran on the Godwin Glacier near Seward for two years and would be a smaller version of a glacier mushing tour on the Norris Glacier in Juneau, said Tim Cudney, Era's "flightseeing" manager.

BLM is trying to determine the environmental impact of the operation, said outdoor recreation planner Denton Hamby.

The Nenana Glacier, sandwiched between the Yanert and West Fork glaciers, is "like no-man's land," Hamby said. "It's just ice."

The proposed camp would be set up from May 10 to Sept. 20 and would be operated by Iditarod musher Linwood Fiedler, who owns Alaska Heli-Mush Inc. Fiedler also runs Era's glacier sled dog tour in Juneau.

Tourists would be flown in and spend about an hour on the glacier learning about mushing before driving a team across the glacier. The camp would consist of a half-dozen framed and heated wall tents for guides, sleeping quarters, a cook tent and a community tent. There would be 60 dogs on the glacier, each with its own house. Waste would be flown out in 55-gallon drums as needed.

"Everything would be temporary and be removed at end of season," Hamby said.

The company is hoping to attract 40 tourists a day between June 1 and Aug. 31.

A decision on the permit request likely will be made before the end of March.

College skiing

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Instead of a semester abroad, Westminster College is hoping to attract students to a semester on the slopes.

The college is hoping to use its proximity to Utah's vast, powder-covered mountains to lure out-of-state students who love to ski.

The private liberal arts college is running a pilot "Winter at Westminster" program with three students this year and hopes to enroll 100 sophomores and juniors next January, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The program gives qualified students an opportunity to participate in skiing and snowboarding with Olympic athletes and mingle with Utah's resort and snow-industry leaders while continuing with their studies.

But it costs way more than a lift ticket. The price tag for the semester is $15,400.

Carousel-Smarty Jones

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Some day a family trip to Little Rock could include a ride on Smarty Jones.

A carousel horse is being named for the prize-winning thoroughbred after the horse's owners, Patricia and Roy Chapman, donated $10,000 to adopt one of the wood-carved animals on a 1920s ride being restored at the Little Rock Zoo.

"Everybody in the country knows who Smarty Jones is," said Cindy Dawson, a board member of Friends of the Carousel, Inc. "We're just thrilled to have their support."

Dawson asked the Chapmans, who are from Boca Raton, Fla., for a contribution after falling in love with the race horse that captivated millions of Americans. Dawson had taken photographs of Smarty Jones in Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs before he began to build his name as a contender.

"We got caught up in Smarty mania," she said.

The donation by the Chapmans is one of several that have been made to help fund the carousel, which has 40 horses and four chariots. The ride was built by Herschell Spillman Engineering Corp. of North Tonawanda, N.Y. and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The ride is the only surviving example of an over-the-jumps Spillman carousel.

But the project has come with a big price tag.

David Martinous, chairman of the Friends of the Carousel, said the cost of the carousel's restoration could approach a million dollars.

Old-growth forests

NEW YORK (AP) - From the redwood forests to Alaskan waters, Conde Nast Traveler is offering an itinerary for visiting old-growth forests.

The magazine suggests starting in California's Muir Woods. Three hours away, the 31-mile-long Avenue of the Giants winds through Humboldt Redwoods State Park, where you can hike the Founders Grove circuit. The all-dirt Howlands Hills Road goes through Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and Redwood National Park.

For details and other recommended stops in Washington, Oregon and Alaska, check out the magazine's February issue.

Second City cruise

MIAMI (AP) - Want to have a couple of laughs on your next cruise?

Norwegian Cruise Line is putting comedy out to sea thanks to a partnership with the famed Second City improvisation troupe.

Six performers from the comedy group, which is based in Chicago, will be on board every trip the Norwegian Dawn takes for the next three years.

The Dawn sails from New York City to the Caribbean year-round.

Second City performers will also join three other Norwegian ships: the Jewel, which begins sailing in September from Miami to the Caribbean, with Alaska cruises in the summer; the Star, which spends summers in Alaska and travels between Los Angeles and the Mexican Riviera other times of year; and the Spirit, which joins the Dawn on the New York-Caribbean run beginning in November.

All passengers are invited to attend the Second City shows, which will consist of two performances during one night of each trip. The ensemble will also host onboard workshops for both children and adults interested in improv, satire and acting.

For more information, contact the cruise line at (800) 327-7030 or www.ncl.com.