Touring Britain, Continent on an Off-Season Budget

Trafalgar Tours has come up with a giveaway program for Britain and the Continent. Effective through March 31. Escorted tours of England/Scotland (eight days) for as little as $399 per person (double occupancy). Includes accommodations, breakfast, sightseeing.

Other escorted packages:

--10 days touring Spain, $575.

--A two-week tour of Spain and Portugal (plus a couple of nights in Tangier), $820.

--Cairo to Aswan in Egypt, $675.

Trafalgar is also booking a couple of inexpensive independent packages:

--Six nights in London, $209/$349.

--Four nights in London/three in Paris, $340.

For a brochure, call Trafalgar toll-free at (800) 352-4444, extension 261. Other details from your travel agent.

Shoppers’ Hong Kong: China Express will fly you to Hong Kong on a Christmas shopping tour for $980. Six nights at the Ambassador Hotel. Transfers, sightseeing. Daily departures from LAX and San Francisco aboard Cathay Pacific 747s. Optional three- and five-day tours to Manila, Bangkok, Singapore, Bali. Prices: $366/$720, including air fare, hotels, transfers, sightseeing, breakfast.

Your travel agent or China Express, 510 West 6th St., Los Angeles. Telephone toll-free (800) 547-9200.

Italian Giveaway: You can save a lot of lira by writing for a free 86-page booklet that’s filled with facts on Italy: climate, currency, customs, museums/art galleries, opera/ballet, restaurants, sightseeing, tipping, accommodations. One section deals with flea markets (Bologna to Rome). Another lists sightseeing tours/guide services (Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples, Sorrento, Milan, Palermo, Taormina). Other details on steamer/hydrofoil service, domestic flights, upcoming events in Italy, associations for the handicapped, villa/apartment rentals. Loads of helpful information.

Copies from the Italian Government Travel Office, 360 Post St., Suite 801, San Francisco 94108.

Guide to Orlando: Orlando, Fla., is the home of more than a dozen theme parks, including Walt Disney World. A free booklet provides details on hotels/motels, camping, condominiums, tours and car rentals. Besides theme parks, other sections of the magazine deal with cruise/boat tours, balloon/helicopter trips, golf, tennis, fishing, riding, shopping. Dozens of restaurants listed.

For a free copy, write to the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 7208 San Lake Road, Suite 300, Orlando, Fla. 32819.

Africa Safaris: Tom Lithgow grew up helping his father lead celebrities on safaris through Africa. Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, John Glenn, Roy Rogers. Lithgow lives in Tanzania, operates Firelight Safaris from his base at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Lithgow describes Tanzania as the “real, unspoiled Africa.” Leads small groups (only four passengers per safari wagon). Fine dining, hot showers, a well-stocked bar, tents with screened verandas. These are 10-day/two-week excursions. Lithgow leads groups to Big Game areas, bird sanctuaries, secret fishing holes. His land cruisers are equipped with double-hatched roofs, camera mounts for good photo opportunities.

Write to Firelight Safaris c/o J.B. McIntosh, S&R; Travel, 100 Bush St., Suite 650, San Francisco 94104.

Airport Guide: A pocket guide outlining services at 27 major California airports has been produced by Caltrans. Details on transportation, hotels/motels. This handy little guide describes types of ground transportation available at each of the 27 airports: taxis, mass transit, shuttles, limousine service, trains, buses. Phone numbers are included. By using the guide, travelers can avoid the chance of rip-offs by unscrupulous moonlighters at these airports.

Copies from Caltrans, Division of Aeronautics, 1130 K St., Sacramento, Calif. 94274-0001.

Christmas in Tahiti: Students 12 to 25 years of age will be offered budget Christmas vacations in French Polynesia this year. Hosts will be Tahitian families. Price: $249 for lodging, meals. Dec. 17 to Jan. 1. Students will be placed in a home with a host family with a son/daughter of the same age. A choice of Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora. A similar offer will be made next summer in Tahiti (July 4-25) as well as in France.

Contact International Friendship Service, 22994 El Toro Road, El Toro, Calif. 92630, (714) 458-8868.

New Mexico: Twenty-six innkeepers have banded together to form the New Mexico Bed & Breakfast Assn. Las Cruces to Taos, Cimarron to Santa Fe. Victorian, modern, adobe. Reasonable prices. Here are a few examples:

--La Posada de Chimayo (P.O. Box 463, Chimayo, N.M. 87522) is an adobe 30 miles north of Santa Fe on the High Road to Taos: $75.

--American Artists Gallery House (P.O. Box 584, Taos, N.M. 87571). A hacienda that features loads of art, fireplaces, a hot tub, mountain views. Rates: $55/$80.

--Preston House (106 Faithway, Santa Fe, N.M. 87501). Antiques, fireplaces, stained-glass windows, fresh flowers/fruit. Rates: $45/$125.

--Pueblo Bonito (138 W. Manhattan, Santa Fe, N.M. 87501). An adobe compound only minutes from the Plaza. Southwest furnishings, corner fireplaces, private baths. Rates: $50/$150.

For a brochure describing these and other accommodations, write to New Mexico Bed & Breakfast Assn., P.O. Box 2925, Santa Fe, N.M. 87504-2925.

Toronto: Hefty discounts will be given to travelers at 45 hotels in Toronto, Canada, starting Nov. 16. This is a Thursday-through-Saturday offer. Good through March 10. Fifty percent off regular rates for doubles. Besides hotel discounts, visitors will be given two-for-one coupons that will be good at restaurants, nightclubs, theaters, museums.

Details from the Metropolitan Toronto Convention & Visitor Assn. Call (416) 368-9990.

Reader Recommendations

Arizona--Carolyn and Bob Gendreau, Laguna Beach: “Highly recommend Triangle L Ranch, P.O. Box 900, Oracle, Ariz. 85626. Located in an 1880s homestead ranch in the high desert, 30 miles north of Tucson. Three private cottages with antique furnishings. Great breakfasts. Beautiful desert views. Rates: $55/$66 double, including breakfast.”

France--M. Zinger, Glendale: “An independent tour guide for the French Riviera who knows the area well, speaks fluent French (but is an American). Custom tours. Write to Barbara Reeves, Villa 6, Domaine du Colombier, Allee des Oliviers, 06480 La Colle Sur Loup, France. She will even accommodate you for short stays in her very charming villa close to St. Paul de Vence.”

Scotland--John and Paulette Weir, Marina del Rey: “An outstanding castle/inn outside Edinburgh, Scotland. Write to Shieldhill, Quothquan, Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland. By far the best place we’ve ever stayed. Has only nine rooms, some with fireplaces, four-poster beds. Wonderful staff and great food. Rates: 79/119 double occupancy, including breakfast and dinner.”