Globe-Spanning Spring Specials From New Zealand to Poland

With the arrival of spring will come a number of promotions for travel. Here are a few that strike me as particularly appealing:

New Zealand, anyone?: It’s only $869 for round-trip air fare, a rental car for six days and a hotel pass for five nights in that terribly respectable, soothing and gentle, visually stunning and British-flavored pastoral land of the South Pacific. The dates are April 13 to June 30, and the price is remarkable for such a distant nation. You fly round trip from Los Angeles to Auckland, receive an economy car with manual shift for six days, and get a Go Kiwi Silver Accommodations pass for five nights at your choice of dozens of two-star hotels all over New Zealand. Tour operator: the well-regarded Discover Wholesale Travel, telephone (949) 833-1136 or (800) 759-7330.

Dominican dandy: Quite possibly the outstanding bargain in a country of bargains, valid from April through June, is the Casa del Mar--a year-old gem of a resort in the Dominican Republic located near La Romana and practically in the shadow of the Altos de Chavon historical restoration as well as the famously posh and exorbitant Casa de Campo. As it becomes better known, Casa del Mar may become a pricey, exclusive resort; for the time being you can spend six nights there this spring, including three meals and drinks daily, non-motorized water sports and round-trip midweek air fare, for about $1,200 from Los Angeles. Call InterIsland Tours at (800) 245-3434.

Poland for peanuts: To a country rarely included in the standard tour catalogs, Cosmos Tours, tel. (800) 851-0728, is offering a wide-ranging itinerary (11 days, nine nights) that moves from such bustling cities as Warsaw, Wroclaw and Krakow to such medieval charmers as Torun and Poznan, plus the heart-rending barracks of the Auschwitz death camp. Several overnight stays also cover cities in neighboring Germany, such as Frankfurt, Berlin and Dresden. The price is $1,589, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotel with daily breakfast and most dinners, and all ground transportation and sightseeing by escorted motor coach.

Barging into a bargain: If you’re willing to take the helm yourself, you can enjoy a barge tour in Europe at a fraction of the usual high cost. You need practically no navigational knowledge to get started (an hour’s instruction), and with your fully equipped, bumper-padded vessel floating along at about 5 mph, you won’t have any problem skippering. Starting in the spring, New Jersey-based Le Boat, tel. (800) 992-0291; fax (201) 236-1214, can lease barges in France, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, England and Wales for as little as $910 weekly--not per person, but for the entire boat.

Take a hike: Known primarily to the English, HF Holidays is a resource more Americans should tap. It can send you on a full seven-night Easter walk through the Scottish Highlands, to South Devon or to the Isle of Wight in May, all for prices starting about $520 per person (about $75 a night), including simple but comfy lodging and all meals. While other destinations can cost more, the tab rarely reaches $100 nightly. Air fare is not included, but bargain fares remain plentiful between Los Angeles and London throughout the spring. And for walking tours of the Continent, you can use the company’s low air add-ons from London. Telephone 011-44-181-905-9558.