The question keeps popping up: What is...

The question keeps popping up: What is a consolidator? A consolidator is an individual (or company) that negotiates with airlines for seats on certain flights that otherwise might go unsold. In turn, the consolidator passes on the savings to the traveler. Generally, this is a no-frills operation, unlike travel agencies that offer varied services. Jake Piha, a Santa Monica-based consolidator and former travel agent, suggests that travelers ask the following questions when contacting a consolidator:

--What is the name of the airline on which you will fly?

--Is the consolidator licensed by the airline?

--Does the consolidator belong to a trade association or organization that tends to offer evidence of professionalism?

--What is the waiting period before your ticket will be delivered?

As an example of low-cost fares, Piha presently is booking round-trip flights from LAX to London for $419 that will be good beginning Jan. 1 for use any time until April 9. As a consolidator, Piha deals in trips to Europe/the South Pacific. For information about the $419 LAX/London fare, call Flight Coordinators at (213) 453-1396.

New Mexico: Here’s a worthwhile giveaway--the 1992 New Mexico Vacation Guide. Contains 168 pages. Nineteen sections packed with helpful details. More than 160 motels/hotels listed. Covers fishing, state parks, skiing, golfing, horse racing. A couple of pages devoted to Carlsbad Caverns and Coronado State Monument & Park, site of the prehistoric pueblo, Kuana, that rises on the banks of the Rio Grande. Loads of outdoor information about Indian/Spanish mission ruins, military forts, Aztec ruins. Other pages devoted to National Forest Service agencies and a chart detailing facilities at dozens of New Mexico state parks (camping, picnicking, electrical hookups, boat ramps, marinas, lodging). Information on hot-air ballooning, the Santa Fe Trail, fiestas, rodeos, the Inter-Tribal Indian ceremonial in Gallup. The magazine’s art/culture section covers dozens of museums, other attractions. Additional subjects: the Space Center near Alamogordo, Kit Carson Park in Taos, Billy the Kid Museum at Ft. Sumner, Sandia Peak in Albuquerque. For reference, the magazine provides addresses for 67 chambers of commerce. One of the finest visitor magazines produced by any state.

For free copies of the 1992 New Mexico Vacation Guide, contact the New Mexico Tourism & Travel Division, ED & TD, Room 751, Joseph M. Montoya Building, 1100 St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, N.M. 87503, (800) 545-2040.

Eurailpass Update: Eurailpass prices in Europe are due for an increase Jan. 1. Here’s a list of the 1992 rates:

--15 days, $430.

--21 days, $550.

--One month, $680.

--Two months, $920.

--Three months, $1,150.

Other Eurailpasses include the first-class Eurail Flexipass:

--Five days’ rail travel during a 15-day period, $280.

--Nine days during 21 days, $450.

--14 days during one month, $610.

Travelers should also inquire about the Eurail Saverpass ($340 for two or more persons traveling together for 15 days during certain seasons).

Others:

--Eurail Youthpass (for persons under 26) is being hiked to $470 for one month, $640 for two months. The Eurail Youth Flexipass is pegged at $420 for 15 days over a period of two months.

Countries honoring Eurailpasses are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

Your travel agent or Eurailpass, Box 325, Old Greenwich, Conn. 06870-0325.

Island Hideaway: A note from Sharon Welsh of Westlake Village: “You should know about a place in Kauai with that wonderful feeling of Hawaii morning, noon and night. It is a home in Princeville (on Kauai’s North Shore) that rents from $190 to $210 daily or $950-$1,050 per week (depending on the season). Sits way out on a cliff with spectacular white-water views. A sweeping lawn leads to a gazebo (terrific at sunset). The house has two master bedroom suites, living room, kitchen, dining room. It’s not new and it’s not fancy but it’s very, very special.”

Contact Ann Jensen at (213) 322-2471 or Kauai Vacation Rentals in Kauai at (808) 245-8841 and ask about the rental Hale Kailani.

Joe’s Place: In Princeville, I came across another rental during a recent visit--a B&B; called Joe’s Place. Strictly informal. And the price is right: $50 single, $60 double. Cable TV, VCR, kitchen privileges, free local phone calls. Joe’s is a 15-minute stroll from the beaches (bring your own scuba gear or rent at a shop nearby). Fly into the airport at Princeville and rent a car. Or use one of Joe’s bicycles. This genial innkeeper provides directions to the best spots for snorkeling, fishing, canoeing, body/windsurfing, hiking, jogging. Tennis and a 45-hole golf course nearby.

Joe’s Place, P.O. Box 3442, Princeville, Kauai 96722.

Hong Kong Rebound: It seems that everyone who is fascinated with Hong Kong wants to return before China takes over in 1997. (We’re hoping the magic of this old British outpost will still prove spellbinding.) For travelers eager to get back to Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Holidays is bannering a $999 tour that includes the round-trip flight from LAX, hotel for six nights (full American breakfast daily), airport transfers, a sightseeing tour of the island and Kowloon. Accommodations at The Excelsior, the Park Lane Hong Kong, the Omni Marco Polo, the Omni Prince.

Call Cathay Pacific Holidays at (800) 762-8181. Other details concerning Hong Kong from the Hong Kong Tourist Assn., 10940 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1220, Los Angeles 90024, (213) 208-4582.

Puerto Vallarta: Nancy Simmons of Hemet is interested in a rental in Puerto Vallarta “with lots of privacy.” I enjoy Tres Vidas, a complex numbering three villas (terraced up a hillside at the south end of town). Total of 5,000 square feet apiece. Each villa features three bedrooms/baths, a swimming pool/Jacuzzi, kitchen. Living rooms open onto the ocean. Rates ($130 in the low season) include a cook who prepares breakfast/dinner, does the grocery shopping. This is near the best beach in Puerto Vallarta (Conchas Chinas). A rooftop swimming pool at one of the villas provides a smashing view of the bay. Although owner Sally Sinclair lives in Newport Beach, she keeps a keen eye on the property. Flies to Puerto Vallarta every month or so to inspect the property. Says she: “I’m not an absentee owner.” She cares. Tres Vidas is proof.

Details from Sinclair or her daughter, Victoria, 3334 E. Coast Highway, No. 163, Corona del Mar 92625, (714) 723-6353.

Potpourri: For details on a special $399 Hawaii vacation (flight, accommodations for five nights, transfers, etc.), call Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays at (800) 242-9244 . . . A 24-page booklet listing savings in Victoria, British Columbia, is available from Tourism Victoria, sixth floor, 612 View St., B.C., Canada V8W 1J5 . . . For free copies of Bed & Breakfast Australia, write to Clare Webster, P.O. Box 408, Gordon NSW2072, Australia . . . A special four-night rail trip to Santa Fe, N.M., for $259 is being scheduled by Los Coyotes Travel: (800) 448-9566.

Reader Recommendations

California--Nathan Bauer, San Gabriel: “Adelaide Inn, No. 5 Isadora Duncan Lane, San Francisco 94102. Rates: $38/$46 for two people, including breakfast.”

Oregon--Ethel Alsup, Long Beach: “B&B; operated by Rita and Ted Kurrus, 486 Necanicum Drive, Seaside 97138. Rooms large, airy. You are pampered with spicy tea or hot chocolate at bedtime. Rates: $55/$65.”

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.