Travelers flying Pan Am are being offered...

Travelers flying Pan Am are being offered free accommodations again this year at 400 lodgings in Britain, France and Ireland. To qualify, guests must dine (breakfast and dinner) at the B&Bs;, coaching inns, hotels and manor houses. Other benefits include 50% reductions at 500 restaurants and a reduced rate for a tour of Britain.

Hotels/restaurants are described in a directory. Coupons are good for up to 15 nights at the various properties (London excluded). Requests for coupons must be made before airline tickets are issued. Among the selections in Britain is Waterton Hall (a former Victorian home on an island at Walton Wakefield, Yorkshire). In France, travelers are offered shelter at an old coaching inn at Montelimar, and in Ireland the program includes Abbeyglen Castle Hotel on the Galway Coast at Connemara.

See your travel agent, Pan Am or write to Bonusbreakers c/o The Great Exchange, P.O. Box 60147, Palo Alto, Calif. 94306. Telephone (415) 322-8883.

California Giveaway

A slick new 196-page travel guide with a Rand McNally map is being offered free to travelers by the California Office of Tourism. If you’re planning a California vacation, be sure to obtain a copy. One of the best state-produced publications we’ve seen. Takes in Northern, Central, Southern California. Lists dozens of attractions, from Lake Shasta Caverns to San Diego Wild Animal Park. Features on California’s Gold Country, the Sierras, San Francisco. A calendar of events tells of fairs, festivals, fiestas, flower shows, Dixieland and jazz jubilees. Dozens of information sources. Few giveaways match this guide for trip planning.

For a copy of “Discover the Californias,” write to the California Office of Tourism, P.O. Box 9278, Department T-99, Van Nuys 94109. Call toll-free (800) 862-2543, extension 99.

Wine Route

Wine buffs will find helpful travel suggestions in the 1988-89 edition of “The Wine Spectator’s Wine Country Guide to California.” Names more than 500 wineries, inns, restaurants in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake counties. Others in San Francisco, the North Central/Central/South Central coasts, Southern California and the Sierra foothills. Excellent maps. In Napa, lodging choices include the Cinnamon Bear, Falcons Nest, The Farmhouse, Chablis Lodge, Meadowwood, The Trubody Ranch B&B;, plus 63 others. A couple of my favorites in Mendocino: Heritage House and the Joshua Grindle Inn.

This is a 92-page guide ($6.20 plus 32 cents sales tax). Write to The Wine Spectator, Opera Plaza, Suite 2014, 601 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco 94102.

Connecticut Guide

A new Connecticut vacation guide features information on towns, campgrounds, golf, hotel packages, attractions, shopping. Other details for cyclists. A list of Connecticut’s 19 tourism districts provides additional help. The 76-page guide is packed with information, and it’s free. Write to Tourism, Department of Economic Development, 210 Washington St., Hartford, Conn. 06106. Or call (203) 566-3385. Ask for a copy of the “ ‘88/’89 Connecticut Vacation Guide.”

--For a bicycle map of Connecticut, write to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, P.O. Drawer A, Wetherfield, Conn. 06109.

--A listing of county fairs is available from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, State Office Building, Hartford, Conn. 06106.

--For a free copy of “Camping in Connecticut,” write to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Office of State Parks and Recreation, 165 Capitol Ave., Hartford, Conn. 06106.

Puget Sound

R. G. of Huntington Beach is looking for “a small passenger boat that cruises Puget Sound.” We hear good reports about The Gallant Lady. Does trips through Washington state’s San Juan Islands. Accommodations for 10 passengers in five staterooms. These are all-inclusive vacations. The Gallant Lady ties up at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Hiking, beachcombing, whale/eagle watching, fishing. Hosts are Dick and Lyn Cannon. Rate: $695 for the six-day San Juan Islands cruise. (The Cannons book longer trips to British Columbia.)

Gallant Lady Cruises, P.O. Box 1250, Dashon, Wash. 98070.

Wagon Train

It’s still not too late to sign up for a five-day covered wagon adventure with the Bar T-5 Wagon train that was mentioned in Tips several Sundays ago. The last trip is Aug. 29. These wagons are replicas of the old Conestogas. Only with rubber tires, padded seats. Operates between the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. The wagons roll through wilderness roads of Targhee National Forest. A new camp each day. Meals served chuck wagon style. A couple of evenings are spent along high mountain lakes. Everything is provided (sleeping bags, camping equipment). Guests have the option of sleeping in the wagon or in a tent.

Bar T-5, Box 3415, Jackson, Wyo. 83001. Telephone (307) 733-5386. Rates: $425 for four days, three nights.

Colorado B&B;

If your travels take you to Colorado Springs, try Holden House. Three guest rooms (all with private baths), antiques, down pillows, old-fashioned comforters. This 1902 home was renovated three years ago. New plumbing, heating, wiring. Breakfast is a big item: muffins, fruit, egg crepes, cheese souffles, coffee, juice. Champagne breakfasts on Sunday. Rooms are named for mining towns (Silverton, Cripple Creek, Leadville). Holden House is a short drive from the Air Force Academy and Pikes Peak. A resident cat named Mingtoy shares the house with guests. A homey atmosphere at reasonable prices.

Holden House, 1102 W. Pikes Peak Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo. 80904. Telephone (719) 471-3980. Rates: $40/$44.

Budget Accommodations

A recent issue of Travel Agent magazine listed the nation’s top 10 economy hotel/motel chains, with emphasis on “cleanliness rather than extra amenities.”

--Days Inns of America. Toll-free (800) 325-2525.

--Motel 6. Telephone (505) 891-6161.

--TraveLodge. Toll-free (800) 255-3050.

--Econo Lodges of America. Toll-free (800) 446-6900.

--Super Eight Motels. Toll-free (800) 843-1991.

--Comfort Inns. Toll-free (800) 228-5150.

--LaQuinta Motor Inns. Toll-free (800) 531-5900.

--Rodeway Inns International. Toll-free (800) 228-2000.

--Red Roof Inns. Toll-free (800) 848-7878.

--Hampton Inn Hotels. Toll-free (800) 426-7866.

Reader Recommendations

California--Neal Putman, Whittier: Recommends White Water Inn, 6790 Moonstone Beach Drive, Cambria, Calif. 93428. Rates: $70/$140.

Austria--Loren and Nedra Zachary, Beverly Hills: “We have sailed on the finest cruise ships, but none offer the sophistication and high standards of the Mozart. From Vienna, sailing the Danube on the year-old, five-star luxury Mozart is to experience cruise travel at its best. Cabins are large, with oversize beds, sitting area, desks, large windows, generous closet space. Spacious bathrooms. Dined on world-class cuisine. Impeccable service. A six-night journey for $1,653 U.S. per person. Contact Danube Cruises Austria, 241 E. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33334.”

We regret that only a select few recommendations can be used. They must be brief (typewritten or printed). Only one recommendation per reader, please. Note: Recommendations will not be used unless prices and addresses are included.