Planning a river rafting adventure in the West? Things are looking up

The outlook for rivers such as the Kaweah, Kings, Merced and Cal Salmon near the Oregon border looked dismal. But thanks to late-season precipitation,  nearly all the popular boating rivers in the Sierra and the West will have solid seasons.

Explore ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum on this Italian tour

A weeklong tour of Italy take participants up to the volcanic crater of Mt. Vesuvius, which wreaked havoc on the villages in AD 79.

These items help you drift off to sleep, light the way, make the cut and put pain at bay

Flexibility is the strong point of a long lean double-headed task light, a slim stick-on reusable cold gel pack, a rubber thimble with an embedded safety blade, and a hybrid tent hammock you can suspend between two trees.

Here's a nasty surprise about travel reward cards: Time is not on your side. That's not the only gotcha

You’re planning a vacation for June, and you’ll be enjoying the benefits of the new travel credit card you applied for just for its rewards points. In your dreams. At least, your short-term dreams. The world moves quickly but getting those rewards points? Not so much.

• Travel

Films and programs for the week of April 22: Discovering Yosemite, running the Appalachian Trail, hiking Joshua Tree

• Travel

Before Robert Louis Stevenson was famous, he was captivated by California. What better place for a scandalous liaison?