With the dramatic turn of events in...

With the dramatic turn of events in the former Soviet Union, Americans are being given an opportunity to experience history in the making. A company called American International Homestays (formerly American-Soviet Homestays) is placing U.S. visitors with families in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Central Asia, the Baltic. Prices start at $1,790 for two weeks in Moscow , St. Petersburg (accommodations, meals, sightseeing with host families serving as guides). American International Homestays was founded three years ago by former schoolteacher Martie Olson, her husband Byron and computer consultant Joe Kinczel. The operators match Americans with hosts of similar ages / interests. Next summer they plan to extend the program to Siberia / Mongolia. American International also books U.S. visitors into homes / apartments in Prague, Berlin, Budapest, Krakow.

For prices and brochures, write to American International Homestays, Route 1, Box 68, Iowa City, Iowa 52240, (800) 876-2048.

Portuguese Hill Town: An item in Travel Tips on Portugal’s walled village of Obidos (Nov. 17) prompted this request from Ralph McAllen of Lompoc: “Is there another destination near Lisbon with a good hotel that you can recommend?” Several come to mind, but I like the hill town of Sintra. Less than an hour by car from the capital. I’d choose the venerable Palacio dos Seteais, one of the finest small hotels in all of Portugal. Hand-woven rugs, chandeliers, tapestries that grace the walls. Hotel Palacio dos Seteais sheds its warmth on travelers who seek respite from the hectic pace of Lisbon. Tastefully furnished. Antiques along with skillfully executed reproductions. No two guest rooms alike. (These are rooms that are sought after year-round, particularly during the busy summer season.)

A staircase leads to guest rooms upstairs. Another descends to a dining room-bar with a Steingracher piano, a relic that’s been around for more than 200 years.

Windows in the Palacio dos Seteais face gardens landscaped with scalloped hedges, trees, flowers, fountains. Sniffing the roses, Lord Byron once declared: “This indeed is an Eden.” You’ll pay about $270 for a room. While this may sound steep, it’s worth the experience to live for a day or so in this palace where Lord Byron found solace.

The village with its cobbled square is a gem. Villas look down from verdant hills. Dominating the square is the ancient Royal Palace, once the summer residence of Portuguese kings. Visitors crowd little shops, dine in Old World restaurants and gather at sidewalk tables in the square to sip Campari and espresso and watch the horse carts carrying visitors into the hills of Sintra.

For other details, contact the Portuguese National Tourist Office, 590 Fifth Ave., New York 10036, (212) 354-4403.

French Polynesia: Starting Jan. 1, you’ll be able to fly round trip from LAX to Tahiti for $799. That’s $124 off the 1991 fare. Figures out to about 10 cents per mile with Air New Zealand, Air France-UTA, Qantas. One of the season’s best buys is a Morrea / Tahiti package offered by Ted Cook Tours for $899 that includes the flight, hotel for six nights, transfers between the islands. An extra $190 gets you breakfast / dinner during five nights at the Moorea Beach Club Hotel. In French Polynesia, author James Michener favors Bora-Bora. My bidgoes to Moorea, with peaks that pierce clouds, waterfalls that shower jungles, splendid beaches. And not one high-rise hotel in sight. If the United States governed French Polynesia, I’d be willing to bet that someone would build skyscrapers on every beach.

Contact Ted Cook Tours, P.O. Box 1398, Newport Beach 92663, (800) 828-6877. Other details on French Polynesia from the Tahiti Tourist Board, 6151 W. Century Blvd., Suite 1024, Los Angeles 90045, (213) 649-2884. Car-Carrying Cat: Clip this item for your futures file. Beginning in May, the world’s fastest car-carrying catamaran is scheduled to go into service between Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia. Speeds up to 50 mph. The sleek SeaCat vessel will carry 80 cars, 450 passengers. Three round trips daily during the busy summer season. Fares for cars: $30 / $35. Passengers will pay between $73 and $85 for the round trip from downtown Seattle to Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Special fares for seniors / children. Currently, the SeaCats serve passengers crossing the English Channel between France and England, and across the Bass Strait between Australia and Tasmania. (Other details on the Seattle service at a later date.)

Paris Connection: You can rent a fully equipped apartment in Paris for as little as $110 a night. The offer is by a company called The French Connection. Other apartments sleeping up to four persons are pegged at $170. (Discounts on rentals of six nights or more.) For $378 per person (double occupancy), The French Connection will provide an all-inclusive package that includes four nights in a studio apartment, airport transfers, a three-day pass to 60 museums in Paris (plus the Palace at Versailles), a couple of sightseeing tours, a cruise on the Seine and a three-day pass good for unlimited public transportation in Paris.

Your travel agent or The French Connection, 370 Lexington Ave., New York 10017.

For Students: The new 1992 Student Travel Catalogue is loaded with tips on youth air fares, study / work opportunities, rail passes, hotels, hostels, budget travel. Other sections devoted to customs, visas, health, pre-trip planning, clothing, packing, car rentals, International Student Identity Cards, travelers’ assistance, insurance, guidebooks. The catalogue tells how to avoid red tape in obtaining employment overseas. Additional sections on work camps, studying abroad.

Copies available from the offices of Council Travel, 1094 Broxton Ave., Suite 220, Los Angeles 90024 14515 Ventura Blvd., Suite 250, Sherman Oaks 91403; 1818 Palo Verde Ave., Suite E, Long Beach 90815; UCSD Price Center, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla 92093-0076; 953 Garnet Ave., San Diego 92109, or by calling (310) 208-3551. Outside Los Angeles, dial 800) 888-8786. Donations of $1 are encouraged.

Potpourri: Buy a cruise to Australia / New Zealand and your companion gets to go along for only $199. The package is being marketed by Cruises Only: (800) 683-7447. ... During January / February, CIE Tours of New Jersey will offer round-trip weekend visits to Dublin, Ireland, for $599, including the flight from New York / Boston, hotel for three nights, full Irish breakfasts daily, airport transfers, a theater ticket, taxes. Your travel agent or CIE Tours at (800) 243-8687. ... Brochures describing low-cost travel in Europe /Great Britain are available by calling Trafalgar Tours at (800) 352-4444, Ext. 261. ... For a copy of a directory describing 52 Colorado B&Bs;, send $1 to Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers, Department S, 1102 W. Pikes Peak Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo. 80904. ... Call (800) 367-6090 for a free catalogue describing discount cruises offered by The Travel Co. of Atherton, Calif.

Reader Recommendations:

Hawaii -- Dr. James M. Honigman: “Haikuleana Bed & Breakfast, 69 Haiku Road, Haiku, Maui 96708. The feeling of old Hawaii. Rates: $80 per night, minimum of two nights.”

Italy-- Rev. Paul Siebenand: “Hotel Benaco, 38069 Torbole sul Garda, Italy. Borders the town of Riva at Lake Garda. Newly renovated, fine restaurant, English spoken. Rates: $40 per person.”

Czechoslovakia -- Fred and Diane Finkbeiner: “Clean, comfortable three-room apartment with kitchen and bath that accommodates up to four guests. Convenient access to the center of Prague. Rates: $40 a day. Contact Blazek Vlada, U Knezske louky 30, 130 00 Prague 3, Czechoslovakia.”

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. Write to Jerry Hulse, Travel Department, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, Calif. 90053.