Travelers flying overseas should remember to pack...

Travelers flying overseas should remember to pack important items in carry-on luggage. Number one is your passport. Never place a passport in your checked luggage. Never. Other items: hotel and car-rental vouchers, credit cards, a trip itinerary, jewelry, medications, extra prescriptions, eyeglasses, cameras, film. These articles could be lost for days (possibly forever) in checked luggage that occasionally is misdirected. (In defense of the airlines, their record for avoiding lost luggage is remarkable, considering the vast number of bags handled annually.)

Essential items listed here should be stored in a flight/carry-on bag. Add a pair of ear plugs to avoid cabin noises and a sweater in the event the plane gets chilly (it frequently does). If you fail to pack a sweater, ask a flight attendant for a blanket. Finally, if there is space in your carry-on bag, pack an extra change of clothing--just in case the bag ends up in Lucerne and you wind up in London.

Speaking of flying, here are a couple of reminders worth repeating: Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol (cabin pressurization causes dehydration, which is aggravated by liquor). Airline medical teams advise drinking at least one glass of water for each hour you are in the air. Finally, don’t overeat--even if the in-flight crew is bent on force-feeding you. Light meals help cut down on jet lag. (Some passengers pack box lunches, enabling them to eat whenever they’re hungry, rather than waiting for one of those typically awful airline meals.)

Riding the Rails: Grand Canyon Railway is picking up a head of steam again this summer with daily runs from Williams, Ariz. This is an all-day trip. The early train leaves Williams at 9 a.m., returning at 6:15 p.m. Another departure at 10 a.m. Since Grand Canyon Railway inaugurated service last September, the demand for seats has been heavy. To keep up with the crowds, the railway has added extra cars. These are old-fashioned steam trains with restored 1920s coaches.

At the Grand Canyon, passengers have time to join sightseeing tours, dine and go hiking before reboarding the train for the return to Williams. Grand Canyon’s 1908 depot--the last log railway station still standing in the United States--appears on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fares: $47 for adults, $23 for children, including live entertainment, complimentary refreshments. Box lunches are available at the Williams Depot or aboard the train.

Your travel agent has all the details.

Reader Tip of the Week: This tip from Harold Fraser of Yucca Valley: “Here’s a ‘best buy’ the major travel books have overlooked so far. In Athens, Greece, meticulously clean hotel rooms are available in a quiet residential area where you can get that all-important good night’s sleep. The management guarantees abundant hot water 24 hours a day and delivers. It’s an easy five-minute walk from the railroad and metro stations (10 minutes to the Acropolis). Twenty-seven rooms accommodating one to four persons (some with private baths). Those sharing common facilities will find them fastidiously maintained. Rates: 1,000 to 1,500 drachmas ($6.50 to $10 U.S.).”

Hotel Aphrodite’s House, 12 Einardou St., Attikas Square 10440, Athens, Greece.

On the Waterfront: Innkeepers are playing host to visitors in refurbished 19th-Century warehouses on the harbor in Boston. Additional guest quarters in the Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market areas. The old warehouses on the waterfront have been converted into condos. Original brick walls/wood beams. Windows face yachts in the harbor. For a few extra bucks, guests can arrange to go sailing. Other travelers are accommodated in Victorian townhouses in Boston’s Back Bay/Beacon Hill sections. Cobblestone streets. Gas-lit lanterns. A variety of condos, apartments, homes. Rates from $60 up.

Contact B&B; Agency of Boston, 47 Commercial Wharf, Boston, Mass. 02110, toll-free (800) 248-9262.

Fly/Drive: Travelers flying with Iceland Air round trip to Scandinavia are eligible for rental cars for $29 a week. Unlimited mileage, value-added tax, insurance included. Cities: Copenhagen, Oslo, Goteborg, Stockholm. Offer good now through Oct. 31. This is in conjunction with Kemwel Rental Cars. Travelers must make reservations seven days prior to departure from the United States (21 days in the case of passengers with APEX tickets). The $29 offer is based on two persons traveling together.

Your travel agent or Iceland Air at (800) 223-5500.

Car Rentals: A new booklet on car rentals is being mailed to travelers bound for the Continent. The booklets contain a trip-planning map of Europe, rental/leasing rates, a handy index of estimated driving times between dozens of cities. Other sections devoted to ferry routes, towns, villages. The booklet is offered by Auto Europe (more than 3,500 offices on the Continent). Service in 1990 has been extended to Hungary, East Germany, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Israel.

Call your travel agent or Auto Europe at (800) 223-5555. Note: Due to rising costs of inter-Europe airline fares, travelers are turning to car-rental agencies, railroads for cheaper transportation.

Castles and Such: An updated edition of “Country Homes & Castles” in England/Scotland/Wales is being marketed for $3. Once this was a giveaway, but inflation caught up with the publisher. Kate Turner Fuentes explains that the $3 is necessary to cover postage/handling. Only 28 pages, but dozens of Britain’s finest country homes are pictured (the Royal Crescent and Thornburry Castle in Avon, Chewton Glen in Hampshire, Eastwell Manor in Kent, Whatley Manor at Wiltshire, Llangoed Hall in New South Wales, Turnberry Hotel in Ayershire). Nearly three dozen others. Billesley Manor at Stratford-upon-Avon played host to Shakespeare, and Cliveden (a favorite of ours) has been the home of the Prince of Wales, three dukes and four generations of the Astor family. This is a magnificent stately home set on 376 acres of formal gardens. Less than an hour from London.

Country Homes & Castles, 900 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 830, Los Angeles 90017, (213) 629-4861.

Gatwick Airport: On the subject of Britain, here’s a hotel suggestion for passengers arriving at Gatwick Airport. Particularly the traveler who may be too bushed for the trip into the city. It’s the Alexander House. Less than 10 miles from the airport in the Sussex countryside. A dozen guest rooms. Not your average run-of-the-mill airport hotel. Antiques, handsome paintings, a library, fireplace. Gets high marks for its restaurant. The Alexander is the former home of the ex-governor of the Bank of England. A good spot to recover from the jet lag.

Alexander House, Fen Place, Turners Hill, West Sussex RH10 4QD. Rates: about $130/$180 U.S. single, $267 double with breakfast.

Florida Hotel Directory: Hotel operators in Florida’s Broward County are making vacationers some thrifty offers between now and mid-December (accommodations from $15 a night in Pompano Beach). Hotels, motels, inns in Ft. Lauderdale, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Dania, Deerfield and Hollywood in addition to Pompano Beach. A variety of accommodations are listed in the new “Superior Small Lodging Directory” published by the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, 500 E. Broward Blvd., Suite 104, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 33394. Send for a free copy.

Reader Recommendations

Illinois--Jim and Judy Rasfeld, Santa Ana: “Enjoyed Sunday brunch at The 95th, 875 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. Adults: $21, children $11. Reservations recommended.”

France--Warren and Dorothy Hemphill, Blythe: “A delicious and inexpensive meal at Le Petit Picard, 42 Rue Ste. Croix de la Bretonnerie, Paris. Cost for the four-course meal was about $14 U.S. each. It has a cheaper $10 menu. Closed Tuesday.”

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.