After volunteering to lead a group of...

After volunteering to lead a group of fellow workers from the Long Island Lighting Co. on a tour to Europe in 1960, Jens Jurgen got sidetracked into travel. So successful was the venture that the travel agent Jurgen worked with offered him a job. Afterward, Jurgen learned of the nation’s “lonely hearts”--people who travel alone and yearn for companionship. As a result, in 1982, Jurgen launched a program aimed at recruiting companions for these lonely souls--singles, widows, widowers, divorced men and women. In the ensuing years, thousands have avoided the lonely path they’d traveled earlier by joining Jurgens’ Travel Companion Exchange. Doctors, lawyers, hairdressers, blue-collar workers. Even a Los Angeles travel agent. (After joining Travel Companion Exchange, the travel agent eventually met and married a New York computer analyst. Today the agent is one of Jurgen’s biggest boosters.) A California widower wed the CEO of a Fortune 500 company following an introduction through Travel Companion Exchange. Jurgen stresses, though, that this is not a dating service, that the majority of his clients are merely seeking companionship. Here’s how it works: Travelers fill out a personality profile, stating their preference in a companion (one who smokes, doesn’t smoke, drinks, abstains, enjoys dancing/museums, desires budget travel or first-class). After this they scan others’ profiles and contact is made through Jurgen. A six-month membership ranges from $36 to $66.

More details available from Travel Companion Exchange, P.O. Box 833, Amityville, N.Y. 11701, (516) 454-0880.

A Small Hotel: Ethel and Ben Roberts of Arcadia ask for the name of a “small, five-star hotel in a quiet Paris neighborhood.” A favorite of mine is Hotel Duc de St. Simon. On a peaceful street off Boulevard St. Germain. The owner spent beaucoup francs remodeling this 19th-Century gem. The St. Simon is second to none in Paris’ small-hotel category. (Attracts legions of discriminating travelers.) A grandfather clock ticks away the hours in the parlor. Each room is individually decorated, filled with antiques. Several face the garden. Others open onto private terraces with garden furniture, plants/flowers. Guests gather in a cozy bar in the hotel’s ancient wine cellar. The creaky old staircase has been replaced with an elevator. For the traveler seeking quiet, privacy and grace, the St. Simon heads my list of special properties in Paris’ small-hotel category.

Duc de St. Simon, 14 Rue de St. Simon, Paris 75007, France. Rates: about $200/$400. By comparison, you’ll pay $300/$450 at a hotel nearby that’s so Americanized you’ll never know you’ve left the States.

Free Ticket to Hawaii: Buy one ticket to Hawaii and get a second one free. This is the offer by Classic Hawaii, a tour operator dealing with moderate-to-upscale hotels in the islands. The offer is good through March. Vacationers must return by April 10) Departures from LAX, San Diego, other West Coast cities. Fares: $289/$369, depending on the day of departure. To qualify, vacationers must remain in Hawaii a minimum of seven nights and sign up for Classic’s cancellation/charge waiver policy. Hotel prices start at $138--this for a room at the Outrigger Prince Kuhio in Waikiki. (No budget hotels listed.) Flights to neighbor islands will cost you an extra $55. A choice of both hotels/condominiums.

Bookings through your travel agent. Other details from Classic Hawaii, One North 1st St., San Jose 95113, (800) 221-3949.

Traveler’s Checks/Credit Cards: Whether traveling in the United States or abroad, it’s a good plan to carry as little cash as possible. Your best bet: traveler’s checks/credit cards. Pickpockets, as we pointed out recently, are out in force in certain European/South American countries. And there’s always the worry of losing cash through negligence. When buying traveler’s checks, sign each check immediately as proof of identification and be sure to note the numbers of each check on the accompanying statement. Purchase checks of different denominations to avoid the irritation of converting foreign monies back to dollars on departure for home. (Almost without fail, you lose on these transactions.) Generally, I carry $20 or so in $1 and $5 bills for last-minute airport taxes/purchases. This way you don’t get stuck with a fistful of foreign currency while rushing for your flight.

The advantage of credit cards is obvious. If lost/stolen they can be canceled and you pay only a minimum service charge. Besides this, car rental agencies/hotels often ask for a credit card as a guarantee of payment. Another plus: Credit card receipts provide a record of expenditures for tax purposes.

Note: If you’re an American Express card holder, you can order traveler’s checks by phone. Dial (800) 553-6782 and ask for Cheques on Call. Members are permitted to order from $1,000 to $10,000 each seven days. Service is free to Gold and Platinum card holders. Others pay 1% of the purchase price ($1 for $100, etc.).

Week’s Best Giveaway: The New Zealand Tourism Board is mailing copies of three illustrated booklets that are packed with helpful information. The 64-page Outdoor Holiday Guide provides details on skiing, rafting, canoeing, camping, sailing, hiking, golfing, riding. This plus backpacking on Mt. Cook/Fox Glacier, information on sportsmen’s lodges, farm stays. A companion guide, the New Zealand Book, contains 76 pages of facts on all aspects of travel in New Zealand. The third giveaway is titled “The Angler’s Guide to New Zealand.” Covers territory on both the North and South Island. Forty-two pages crowded with tips on hidden streams/rivers/lakes. Fish for both browns/rainbows. Excellent salmon fishing in March. Trophy trout in May. Game fishing in the Far North and the Western Bay of Plenty, December through April. Air New Zealand/Mt. Cook Airlines serve villages/towns throughout the country. Rental cars/rail/ferry service available for exploring New Zealand’s fiords, rain forest, national parks.

For copies of one or more of the publications, contact the New Zealand Tourism Board, 501 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 300, Santa Monica 90401, (800) 388-5494.

Other contacts for New Zealand-bound vacationers:

--Air New Zealand, (800) 842-9876.

--Mount Cook Line, (800) 468-2665 (California); (800) 262-0248 (nationwide).

--Fishing International, (800) 950-4242.

--Anglers’ Travel Connection, (800) 624-8429.

--The Best of New Zealand Fly Fishing, (213) 826-9105. Ask Mike McClelland for a copy of “The Angler’s Guide.”

Potpourri: ITT Sheraton is continuing its “Endless Weekend” program through 1992 with discounts up to 50%. Call (800) 325-3535. . . . For apartment/cottage bookings throughout Britain, write to the Independent Traveler, Thorverton, Exeter EX5 5NU, England. . . . Information on public transportation in U.S. cities is included in copies of “Airport to the City” (Box 1214, Homewood, Ill. 60430). . . . Scott Frasken of Idaho Afloat is pre-scheduling early river trips (P.O. Box 542, Grangeville, Ida. 83530. . . . To arrange a visit to private homes and studios of artists on the island of Maui, contact Maui Art Tours, P.O. Box 1058, Makawao, Maui, Hawaii 96768. . . . Information for students traveling overseas is available by dialing (800) 345-2929.

Reader Recommendations

California--Kay and Tom Ostensen, Laguna Beach: “Side Door Inn, P.O. Box 1426, Sonoma 95476. Only two blocks off the main square. Sparkling hospitality from hosts Margy and Bill Wickett. Rates: $95/$200.”

Massachusetts--Pamela S. Leven, Culver City: “Morgan’s Way Inn, 9 Morgan’s Way, Orleans, Mass. 02653. Spacious, Cape Cod contemporary. Elegant, comfy. Rates: $75/$90.”

Hawaii--Margie Barron, Van Nuys: “Hawaii Prince Hotel, 100 Holomaoana St., Honolulu 96815. Service with a capital ‘S.’ All ocean-front rooms. Rates from about $180.”

Czechoslovakia--Gretchen and Philip Putzel, San Pedro: “Pension Garni Tonicka Bendlova, 2037 272 00 Kladno, Czechoslovakia. This is a B&B.; Rates: $30.”

Italy--Andreas G. Kostelas, San Pedro: “Hotel Tramonto D’Oro, 84010 Praiano, on the Amalfi Coast. Rates: $73 double. The best buy in all of Europe.”