The weakened dollar certainly affects our US friends who visit us here in Outer London (Wimbledon), but a bit of research and knowledge can reveal good deals and plenty of freebies.

Two-for-one offers on many attractions are available to those who travel by train, including those purchasing “TravelCards.” Try putting “London 2 for 1” and “London travel cards” in your search engine (I used Google). Note that the one-day “off peak” TravelCard is generally the best bet unless you want to...

Istanbul, Turkey, is a wonderful city with many beautiful mosques. When our family disembarked from a cruise ship at Istanbul in July ’08, in a large lot at the base of the gangway there was a sea of taxi cabs. Drivers approached those of us who had not purchased the ship’s bus trip to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia and offered to show us the city’s tourist attractions for €l00-€125 (near $139-$173).

My wife and I, being veterans of bizarre shopping adventures, would always come...

My wife, Eva, and I took the 4-day/3-night “Queen Charlotte Track” tour from Marlborough Sounds Adventure Company (London Quay, Picton, New Zealand; phone +64 3 573 6078, fax 573 8827, www.marlboroughsounds.co.nz), and we highly recommend this company.

They offer hiking, biking and sea kayaking trips a half day to five days long — great service, organization, guides and facilities. Our hiking trip, Dec. 27-30, 2007, cost US$1,000 each, all-inclusive.

At their office on the...