For several years now, we’ve described the...

For several years now, we’ve described the leisurely tours developed by former university professor Hal Taussig to Europe/Britain. Instead of boarding crowded buses and changing hotels nightly, Taussig’s travelers settle down for several days (even weeks) in chalets, cottages, apartments in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Britain, Hungary, Czechoslovakia. The idea is to avoid the mad scramble. It’s called the Untour. By day vacationers travel by rail or bus, returning at night to their temporary homes, thus avoiding the hassle of unpacking in still another unfamiliar hotel.

I bring this up now because Taussig’s spring/summer/fall tours sell out early. The price per person for three weeks in a Swiss chalet will cost you $547, which figures out to about $26 a day (less when families/friends share a chalet or apartment).

Keeping up with the times, Taussig has developed a glasnost tour featuring apartments in Prague, Budapest, Vienna. The professor has even dipped down to the South Pacific with a New Zealand package.

Taussig’s travelers are met at the airport, delivered to their chalet, cottage or apartment. After this they pore over maps/newsletters and are briefed on the use of trains/buses. In Switzerland they’re provided with rail passes. Besides accommodations, Taussig puts together packages that include flights from the United States, rail passes, car rentals. The works.

Drop him a line or call: The Untour, c/o Idyll, P.O. Box 405, Media, Pa. 19063. Dial (215) 565-5242.

San Diego/Mexico: A new motor-coach service is operating between San Diego and Ensenada/San Felipe. Sunday departures at 8 a.m., with a return to San Diego at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Rates: $110/$156, including transportation, hotels. A bilingual guide accompanies the group. Note: Reservations required.

Details from IMPA/Mexico, 7860 Mission Center Court, Suite 202, San Diego 92108. Call toll-free (800) 522-1516 (California) or (800) 225-2786 (outside the state).

Hotel Guide: Nearly 100 luxury hotels/resorts are described in a new 1990 directory published by Preferred Hotels Worldwide. The guide contains rates, photos. Properties include the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, the Hotel Bristol in Paris, Brenner’s Park in Baden-Baden, West Germany, the Peninsula in Hong Kong, the Windsor Court in New Orleans. Additional members in North America, Caribbean, Europe, Asia/Pacific.

For a free copy of the 64-page directory, write to Preferred Hotels, 1901 S. Meyers Road, Suite 220, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. 60181, or call toll-free (800) 323-7500.

Rental Guide: A new 80-page edition of “The World-Wide Home Rental Guide” serves as a clearinghouse for rentals in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Europe. (Nearly 30 pages are devoted to the Caribbean alone.) In Portugal, a three-bedroom, three-bath villa along the Algarve (Portugal’s Riviera) rents from $650 a week in the low season to $1,250 in July/September. Ocean view, swimming pool, maid service. In Orlando, Fla., a two-bedroom town house (20 minutes from Disney World) is pegged at $600/$1,800 a month, depending on the season.

Details from Sanford Cohen, World-Wide Home Rental Guide, 130 Lincoln Ave., Suite 842, Santa Fe, N.M. 87501.

Freighters: N.C. of Santa Barbara asks for a guide describing freighters. The best on the market is “Ford’s Freighter Travel Guide,” 19448 Londelius St., Northridge, Calif. 91324. Names freighter companies, lists itineraries, travel agents who specialize in freighter trips. Journeys from North American/European ports. Others from Australia, Tahiti, Canada, South America. Ports of call from Abidjan to Valparaiso and Yugoslavia. Additional information on passports/visas, clothing, customs, tipping, baggage.

Note: Trips can be booked locally through Freighter World Cruises, 180 S. Lake Ave., Suite 335, Pasadena 91101. Telephone (818) 449-3106. In San Diego, contact Cruiseadventures Club, 1701 University Ave., San Diego 92103. Telephone (619) 291-0520.

Fly Buy: Jamaica is beefing up its effort to attract tourists. A new round-trip fare by Air Jamaica (Los Angeles/Montego Bay) figures out to $359. A two-day minimum advance purchase is required. The ticket is nonrefundable.

Occasionally we get negative reports on Jamaica. Other travelers return with rave reviews. Stick to the major hotels/resorts and you’ll be happy. I prefer Ocho Rios (fine beaches, excellent hotels). Skip Kingston. Unattractive, crowded, cluttered. Frenchman’s Cove is a good bet. So is Negril with its sweep of wide beaches.

Air Jamaica flies three times a week from LAX. Call toll-free (800) 523-5585. Other details from your travel agent.

Skiers: To avoid hauling ski gear to Europe, now you can rent. One catch: You must fly at least one way with either Swissair or Delta and book a land package. The ski gear can be rented through Swisspak (skis, poles, boots). Costs $15 a day for adults, $5 for children. Vouchers sold by Swisspak can be exchanged at 32 sports shops at resorts throughout Switzerland.

See your travel agent or call Swisspak toll-free at (800) 424-3424.

In the Saddle: Dana Burden is the reincarnation of Kit Carson and Buffalo Bill. A man of the West who leads riders on tours through Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Mexico, Australia. Five-day camping trips into Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, Havasupai Indian Reservation. Others ride into the desert near Wickenburg, the San Francisco peaks of Flagstaff. This year for the first time, Burden will be leading a ride in Colorado. Mexico is scheduled for November.

Dana Burden, Adventure Trails, P.O. Box 1494, Wickenburg, Ariz. 85358. Telephone (602) 684-3106.

Reader Recommendations

California--Carol Marinoff, Studio City: “We recommend Let’s Take The Kids, a travel club that specializes in families. Address: 4311 Overland Ave., Culver City 90230. We were apprehensive about taking our toddler to England recently, but Let’s Take The Kids handled the trip with extreme expertise and empathy. They even found us a nanny in the Cotswolds.”

Massachusetts--George Mariscal, Cardiff: “A superior restaurant in the Berkshires--Castle Street Cafe, 10 Castle St., Great Barrington, Mass. 01230. Dinner for two about $35.”

Oregon--David and Takako Holland, Beverly Hills: “Contemporary bed and breakfast only a short walk from the ocean. It’s called Palmer House, 646 N.W. Inlet, Lincoln City, Ore. 97367. Rates: $70/$85.”

Washington--Darla Blake-Ilson, Sherman Oaks: Praises Eagles Nest Inn, 3236 E. Saratoga Road, Langley, Wash. 98260. “This is on Whidbey Island. Rates: $75/$95. All rooms with private bath and water/mountain views. The most beautiful, warm and friendly inn we’ve ever visited. It just seems to hug you the moment you walk through the door.”

Switzerland--Suzanne and John Miller, Walnut: “Gschwend Zimmer, an inn at 35 Oelestrasse, Interlaken, Switzerland. For $24 per person, we had a large room with a balcony facing the Jungfrau. Shared a bath. Chocolates on the pillows when we arrived. Breakfast, $4, included orange juice, yogurt, an egg, three slices of meat and cheese, jam, one croissant, two rolls, two slices of bread and a pot of coffee or tea. The owner, Walter Gschwend and his son, are gracious hosts who will supply you with discount rail tickets to the Jungfrau and other tourist destinations. We intended to stay three days in Interlaken, ended up remaining seven. Walter insisted upon driving us to the railway station and gave us two boxes of Swiss chocolates as a farewell gift.”

Bali--Pat Herson, Van Nuys: “A fantastic find in Bali, the Puri Buitan, Balina Beach, Bali. The mailing address is P.O. Box 444, Den Pasar 80001, Bali, Indonesia. On a magnificent beach. Very reasonable rates.”