TRAVEL LOG

English palaces, Tower offer tickets online

Tickets to three of England’s most popular royal sites can be reserved online or by phone before crossing the pond.

Until last month, tourists had to visit the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace or Kensington Palace or certain train or subway stations to buy tickets for that day or in advance, said Lisa Brock, spokeswoman for Historic Royal Palaces, which operates the sites. During peak times, the lines can be long. With tickets, visitors can go to the gate.

Tickets are nonrefundable, and there’s a shipping charge of about $4.60 per order.

The Internet site for tickets is www.hrp.org.uk. The ticket phones are 011-44-870-756-7070 for the Tower of London, 011-44-870-753-7777 for Hampton Court Palace and 011-44-870-751-5180 for Kensington Palace. Phones are staffed from 1 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays and 2 to 9 a.m. weekends, Pacific time.

Caution urged for Americans in Southeast Asia

The State Department on Nov. 2 issued a public announcement “to remind Americans of the potential for terrorist actions against U.S. citizens abroad, specifically in the Southeast Asia region.”

The announcement followed the Oct. 12 bombings in Bali, Indonesia’s best-known resort island. The blasts, thought to be the work of terrorists, tore through nightclubs crowded with foreigners, killing and injuring scores of tourists.

The department continued to warn against travel to Indonesia. It stopped short of such a warning for Southeast Asia as a whole. Instead it urged Americans to “remain vigilant” in the region and noted that terrorists are seeking “softer” targets such as clubs, hotels and resorts.

Artists open their doors to visitors in Santa Barbara

Twenty-six artists in the Santa Barbara area will open their studios to visitors next weekend in the first of what organizers hope will be an annual event. Admission is free.

The event is sponsored by Santa Barbara Studio Artists, a year-old, private nonprofit association of about 50 professional painters and sculptors.

The studios, open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 16 and 17, range from Montecito to Solvang. They usually are open by appointment only, said Dorothy Churchill-Johnson of Santa Barbara, an oil painter on the association’s board.

Brochures for “Open Studios Weekend,” with maps, will be available in Santa Barbara at the visitor center on Cabrillo Boulevard and other sites. For information, call the association at (805) 898-4471.

Traveler’s notes

In September, major U.S. airlines posted their best on-time performance since the U.S. Department of Transportation began keeping records in 1995, and the lowest rate of mishandled baggage since records began in 1987.... On Monday Delta will expand a program that lets some passengers pay $50 to $150 (depending on mileage) for standby first-class upgrades. It will be offered on selected off-peak flights within the U.S. and to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Customers flying on “deeply discounted and ‘sale’ fares are excluded,” Delta said.

DEAL OF THE WEEK

Taking a spin through Spain

An eight-day, self-guided bicycling trip through Spain’s Catalonia region is offered for $875 per person, double occupancy, by Active Journeys Inc., based in Toronto. The price includes lodging, bike rental, all breakfasts and six dinners. You set your own pace, following route information. Air fare and lunches are extra. The trip is available year-round. (800) 597-5594, www.activejourneys.com.

FREE FOR THE ASKING

Coupon book for Tijuana discounts

A coupon book with discounts at eight hotels, nearly 30 restaurants and bars and many shops in the Mexican border city is offered by the Tijuana Tourism Board. Discounts are valid through Dec. 31. (888) 775-2417.