TRAVEL LOG

U.S. hostel group changing name, Web site

Hostelling International-American Youth Hostels is changing its name and Web address Jan. 1 and raising membership fees for the first time in about a decade.

The nonprofit group, which runs more than 100 hostels in 33 states, will be known as Hostelling International-USA. Dropping the word “Youth” reflects the fact that half its members are at least 26 and 15% are 55 or older, spokesmen said. Its Web address, www.hiayh.org, will change to www.hiusa.org.

The international hostelling movement, founded early in the last century in Europe, originally focused on helping students travel inexpensively. But other age groups have since joined. The U.S. affiliate dates to 1934.

Also starting Jan. 1, new members age 18 and older will be eligible for $8,000 worth of insurance for travel emergencies abroad. The insurance is free, but you must sign up for it. Annual memberships will be $28 for ages 18 to 54 (up from $25), and $18 for ages 55 and older (up from $15). Memberships will continue to be free for youths younger than 18 and for groups of 10 or more. (202) 783-6161.

Warhol portraits of rich, famous headed for Vegas

Tickets are on sale for “Andy Warhol: The Celebrity Portraits,” running Feb. 7 to Sept. 7 at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art at the Bellagio resort in Las Vegas.

The exhibition offers depictions of more than 50 celebrities done by the late Pop artist over three decades, including Jacqueline Kennedy, John Lennon and singer Michael Jackson. Liza Minnelli narrates the audio tour.

The works draw on the private collection of Jose Mugrabi and his son Alberto. They were not part of the recent Warhol retrospective at downtown L.A’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 students. Call (877) 957-9777 to order.

Three airlines cancel $100 standby fee

Some airlines have backed off plans to charge a $100 same-day standby fee for holders of nonrefundable tickets starting Jan. 1.

United, American and Continental canceled the fee plans. United said it was responding to customers asking for “simpler and easier” travel. As of the Travel section’s deadline Tuesday, US Airways, the first to announce the fee, was “studying the matter” but hadn’t canceled it, a spokesman said.

The fee was part of a series of new restrictions several airlines announced in August and September on nonrefundable tickets, which typically carry low-cost, advance-purchase fares popular with leisure travelers. In most cases, to be able to reuse such tickets if they can’t make their flight, customers must notify the airline before the flight or by midnight on the scheduled date of travel and rebook.

You’ll need to check each airline because policies differ. For instance, Delta already charges $100 for same-day standbys on nonrefundable tickets; on Jan. 1 it plans to start providing a confirmed seat for a $100 fee in lieu of standby in that situation, a spokesman said. Northwest never matched rivals’ standby fee plans.

Reports of cruise illnesses up in 2002, CDC says

There were 21 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses reported on cruise ships visiting U.S. ports through Dec. 2 this year, compared with seven in all of 2001, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The figures “might reflect an actual increase” in incidence of Norwalk-like virus or result from better surveillance and testing, it added.

Last Sunday, Carnival’s Conquest returned to New Orleans after a Caribbean cruise on which about 260 people got sick, the Associated Press reported. It was disinfected and sailed again.

Traveler’s Note

The Internet travel seller Orbitz, www.orbitz.com, has added a “hotel matrix” feature to its searches, matching hotels against their distance from an address or city. This allows travelers to determine whether they might save money or get a higher-class hotel for the price of a lower-class one by going farther out.

DEAL OF THE WEEK

Thailand for less than $1,000

You can spend 10 days in Thailand for less than $1,000, including air fare, on the Affordable Thailand tour offered by Crown Travel, a Naugatuck, Conn.-based travel agency. The price includes round-trip flights between Thailand and LAX on Korean Air; hotel stays in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and other stops; all breakfasts and one dinner; motor-coach transport; and guide services. Prices begin at $999 per person, double occupancy, for select departures in March, $60 more for departures later in the spring and in fall. Airport departure taxes, about $90, are extra. (800) 853-6453 (reservations), www.crown-travel.com (information).

FREE FOR THE ASKING

A crafty tour of Kentucky

“A sampler of Kentucky Art & Craft” lists dozens of potters, furniture makers, weavers, jewelers and other artisans who open their studios and stores to visitors. (800) 225-8747, www.kentuckytourism.com. (Click on “Guides & Brochures” to order or download a copy.)