Bora Bora's beauty deserves a lasting look

Bora Bora's beauty deserves a lasting look

The travel brochures depict paradise, which a couple on their honeymoon found — once they got out of Vaitape.

Philippines: Was it Boracay? Or was  it me?

Philippines: Was it Boracay? Or was it me?

On a September Sunday, hoping to escape the heat, humidity and traffic of Manila, I hopped a one-hour flight to Boracay Island, often praised for its powdery sand beaches and its turquoise waters. The island wins kudos from Travel & Leisure and...

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A Minute Away: Flat surf, day's end at Sunset Cliffs, San Diego

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is a 68-acre strip of bluffs, rocks and beaches in th...

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is a 68-acre strip of bluffs, rocks and beaches in the San Diego neighborhood of Point Loma.

Spotlights from the Los Angeles Times

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Jukebox the Ghost

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Get tix to see the band live at LA Times Rock/Style on 6/11.

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Arrested Development

Arrested Development

Find out how its return created a challenge for costume design.

Travel tips: Why you should pack Drano, check ATMs and carry wipes

On surf trips to Baja take a roll of toilet paper in a zip lock plastic bag, a small bottle of Drano, and cheap rubber shower sandals. While unpacking your vehicle, pour a couple of ounces of Drano in the shower drain. Wait five minutes to turn on the hot water. Away goes trouble down the drain.

Allan Seymour

Capistrano Beach

Always check to see whether the ATM's instructions are in English, especially in a country with other letters. (If it's at a bank — and those tend to be safest — ask inside the bank.) I found this out the hard way. When I was in Greece, I put my card in an ATM and only Greek letters and arrows appeared on the screen. I couldn't even get may card back.

Andres G. Raab

Sylmar

For hotels that ask for passports, leave a copy of the photo and data page from that document in a clear plastic sleeve of the same size. If you leave it behind, no problem — as long as you have the original passport.

Shirley J. Lane

Santa Monica

I always carry a small digital kitchen timer — easy to set to the exact minute for waking in the morning, and does not require time-zone changes as clocks do. Also great for timing naps, etc., and for alerting when to leave for tours, meetings, whatever.

Patricia Gilmore

Los Angeles

When entering a hotel room, grab your antibacterial wipes and clean the telephone, the lamp switches, the toilet seat and its handle, and the TV remote. Also I never sit on the bedspread.

Janet S. King

Cypress

Use those wipes also on the airplane seat arms, seat belt, tray table, music-movie remote control and headrest.

Cathy Colt

Beaumont

How do you make travel less stressful? Send your tips to travel@latimes.com, including your full name and city of residence. To see previous reader tips, go to latimes.com/readertips.

Bora Bora's beauty deserves a lasting look

Bora Bora's beauty deserves a lasting look

The travel brochures depict paradise, which a couple on their honeymoon found — once they got out of Vaitape.

Philippines: Was it Boracay? Or was  it me?

Philippines: Was it Boracay? Or was it me?

On a September Sunday, hoping to escape the heat, humidity and traffic of Manila, I hopped a one-hour flight to Boracay Island, often...

 Australia: In Byron Bay, beach meets boho

Australia: In Byron Bay, beach meets boho

BYRON BAY, AUSTRALIA — My face flushed cherry red and my sweat-soaked sundress clung to my body. I stood, elated, on a wooden platform...

 Weekend Escape: Jalama Beach County Park a Central Coast high point

Weekend Escape: Jalama Beach County Park a Central Coast high point

Wild and lonely, on the Central Coast about 45 minutes southwest of Lompoc, Jalama Beach County Park is one of those places that puts the...

Changing an airline ticket? There's a fee for that, and it's gone up

Changing an airline ticket? There's a fee for that, and it's gone up

If you buy an airline ticket and need to change or cancel your itinerary, you could be in for an even more unpleasant surprise.

Daily Deal: 6 nights in Ireland, plus car, for $999

Daily Deal: 6 nights in Ireland, plus car, for $999

Here’s a fetching Ireland tour that includes airfare from New York, a rental car and six nights of lodging for $999 a person. The...

Major butterfly exhibit opening in Arizona

Major butterfly exhibit opening in Arizona

Featuring a glass atrium with 150 species, Butterfly Wonderland opens in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Saturday, on a five-acre parcel on the Salt...

Dubai: 24-karat iPad for guests at Burj Al Arab

Dubai: 24-karat iPad for guests at Burj Al Arab

The sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, where rooms start at $1,525,...

Standing before the Lone Cypress

Standing before the Lone Cypress

The famed, granite-set Monterey Cypress along 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach is oft-photographed. But is there still something to be seen...

 Weekend Escape: Ventura, a breezy California jaunt

Weekend Escape: Ventura, a breezy California jaunt

They say something in our salty blood draws us to the sea. As such, Ventura will always be one of our easiest, breeziest, saltiest options....

Lego Queen Elizabeth dons diamond crown for 60th coronation year

Lego Queen Elizabeth dons diamond crown for 60th coronation year

The roughly 4-inch Lego likeness of Queen Elizabeth II will wear a silver-and-diamond crown less than an inch big to mark the 60th...

Hawaii's Fireknife Championship: Hot, hot, hot

Hawaii's Fireknife Championship: Hot, hot, hot

Demonstrating amazing hand-eye coordination and acrobatic skill, the reigning champion reclaimed his title Saturday at the World Fireknife...