Face it: If you get lost, you...

Face it: If you get lost, you can’t drive into a service station anymore and get a free map. It’s true. Once, in the Dark Ages, service station operators gave away maps. Now you’re lucky if you get your windshield washed. This brings up the subject of Telemap Navigation Services, a new organization devoted to keeping you on the right track. For $24 a year, you can call a toll-free number (it’s staffed 24 hours a day) for help wherever you are. The company has computer access to map information for hundreds of cities/towns in the United States/Canada. The operator feeds information into the computer and out pops the answer. Telemap president Dean Duffy came up with the idea after calling police for help in Texas. A grumpy duty officer wasn’t particularly helpful. That’s when Duffy decided to launch Telemap. And it works--so well that hundreds of motorists are using the service.

Write to Telemap Navigation Services, 1327 N. Main St., Walnut Creek, Calif. 94596, or telephone toll-free (800) 843-1000.

Discounted Hotels: Discounted hotel rooms in London are being offered this summer by British Travel Associates. Up to 35% off regular rates. To qualify, travelers must book at least 21 days in advance for two nights or more. These hotels are near bus and underground lines and within walking distance of shops and restaurants. The offer will continue in effect through October.

Details from British Travel Associates, P.O. Box 299, Elkton, Va. 22827, (800) 327-6097.

Young at Heart: Between now and Aug. 25, the city of Basel in Switzerland is giving hotel discounts to guests 25 or younger. The system is based on age. Example: If you are 20 years old and are a guest in a three-star hotel, you’ll pay 70 cents for each year--or 20 times 70 cents, which figures out to $14 a day. In addition, the Basel Tourist Office is selling voucher booklets for $3.50 that are good for free/reduced purchases in various shops. For a brochure, contact the Swiss National Tourist Office, 222 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 1570, El Segundo 90245, (213) 335-5980.

Reader Tip of the Week: This note from Betty Rosenstein of Los Angeles: “With some hesitation I have decided to disclose the whereabouts of my favorite fishing lodge. I had hoped to keep it a well-guarded secret, but guilt over my debt to you for some of your wonderful travel tips has convinced me it’s time to share the Tu Tu Tun Lodge with your loyal fans. In time, most fishing lodges become shabby and run-down; not so the Tu Tu Tun Lodge on Oregon’s spectacular Rogue River. The well-appointed rooms with comfortable chairs and bright reading lights, the soft pillows and three sheets on oversized beds, and the individual patios for viewing the river’s action remain ever-cheerful and spotlessly clean. The chef prepares daily five-star culinary delights, while the charming young innkeepers overwhelm each visitor with warm welcomes and personal attention. The Tu Tu Tun Lodge is a rare discovery for discriminating travelers who long for a touch of casual elegance in the wilderness. The lodge is at 96550 N. Bank Rogue, Gold Beach, Ore. 97444. The daily rate is $158 for double occupancy, including breakfast and dinner. I hope others have as much fun and catch as many salmon as I have.”

Note: This is a four-star lodge with a lounge, fireplace, library, bar, dining room, heated pool, pitch-and-putt course, pool table, player piano. Private dock, hiking trails. Sixteen guest rooms, two suites. Other rates: $103/$168. Call (503) 247-6664.

Note: Tu Tu Tun Lodge is 45 miles north of the California/Oregon border.

Inn of the Week: The proprietors of a B&B; called The Goose & Turrets (25 miles south of San Francisco) are offering a free night to guests who book a room Sunday through Wednesday. Goose down comforters, thick towels on rail warmers. A piano, game table, wood stove, stereo. Loads of books. Owners Raymond and Emily Hoche-Mong serve a huge breakfast: blackberries and olallieberries from the garden, apples, pears, plums from the orchard, biscuits, sausage, souffles, Belgian waffles, quiches, Scottish scones. Tea and snacks in the afternoon, either inside or outdoors by the pond. Horse ranches and straw farms nearby. Stroll through the garden. Smell the jasmine.

The Goose & Turrets Bed & Breakfast, P. O. Box 937, Montara, Calif. 94037-0937. Telephone (415) 728-5451. Five guest rooms (one with private bath). Rates: $70/$90. No smoking inside the house. Airport pickup by prior arrangement. The inn is on the San Mateo Coast, half a mile from a beach.

Cruise to Santa Cruz: Cruises to Santa Cruz Island are scheduled for July 14-15 by the Santa Cruz Island Foundation and Nature Conservancy. These are daylong trips (you leave Ventura at 8:30 a.m., return at 6 p.m.). Cost: $55. Proceeds to the Foundation for the Restoration of the Island’s Chapel of the Holy Cross. At Santa Cruz, guests hike alongside a three-mile stream to Stanton Ranch, where soft drinks will be served by the Santa Cruz Island Foundation. The group arranging these outings urge you to bring a lunch. There are no cafes on the island.

For reservations, call (805) 642-1393.

Traveling on a Budget: Travelers pay only $16/$24 a night for lodging at 650 universities in the United States, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, Australia. More than 350 choices in the United States alone. Accommodations available by the day, week, month. Everything from single rooms to suites with kitchens. In London, vacationers can bunk for $20 a day (breakfast included). Other European cities: Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam, Vienna. A choice of 24 campuses in California, 14 in New York. Others in Washington, D.C., Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Pacific Northwest. Details listed in the “U.S. & Worldwide Accommodations Guide,” P.O. Box 5007, Laguna Beach 92652. A small booklet, a hefty price: $11.95 plus $1.25 for first-class postage. This guide also lists nearly 100 YMCAs with lodgings, and tells about European home- and farm-stays for $8 per night.

German Auto/Rail Package: A couple of rail/drive choices are being offered by GermanRail. One plan calls for four consecutive days of unlimited rail travel and three days on the road with a rental car (the car can be dropped off at more than 400 agencies in Germany). Other vacationers can spread their four-day train/three-day car transportation over a 21-day period. The package includes free travel on buses operated by GermanRail, selected lines of Deutsche Touring/Europabus, KD German Rhine Line steamers. Prices from $129 per person.

For details, see a travel agent or call GermanRail at (213) 479-2772.

French Riviera: On the French Riviera in Nice, the Hotel Beach Regency is offering a five-night package for $349 per person, double occupancy (guaranteed in U.S. dollars). The single rate: $509. Includes accommodations, American breakfasts daily, taxes, service charges, a bottle of champagne and a motor-coach spin around town. The Regency faces the Mediterranean on the Promenade des Anglais. A rooftop swimming pool, water sports on the beach. For reservations, see your travel agent or contact SRS Hotels, 1155 S. Semoran Blvd., Suite 1129, Winter Park, Fla. 32792, (800) 223-5652.

Reader Recommendations

California--K.M. Semple, Long Beach: “A fascinating company that designs tours especially to your interests (ghosts/mining towns, etc.). Write to Desert Tours, Box 43, Darwin, Calif. 93522.”

Texas--Nell Gillespie, Beverly Hills: Enjoyed the Ledbetter Bed & Breakfast, P. O. Box 212, Ledbetter, Tex. 78946. Rates: $55/$65.

Washington--Michelle Ponce, Burbank: “A wonderful B&B;, Idyl Inn On The River, 4548 Tolt River Road, Carnation, Wash. 98014. Rates: $75/$145 for two.”

Canada--Diana Archibald, South Gate: “In Victoria, I went to my first bed and breakfast establishment, Cains House, 6520 Sooke Road, Sooke, B.C. The price averages from $60 U.S. up.”