E-ticket lumps, travel slumps and hurricane bumps

OCCASIONALLY, I piece together a column of travel odds and ends -- bits of information that I’ve gleaned from my mail or other sources.

These tidbits might include valuable tips for your next trip. Take a look:

Paper trail: Remember how strange it once seemed to arrive at the airport without a paper ticket for your flight? And how futuristic it felt to rely on an electronic confirmation?

Well, much of the world still regards the idea of flying without a ticket unthinkable. Most of the airlines of the African nations, South America, the Middle East and the airlines of many Asian nations require that you have a paper ticket in your possession or they won’t let you board.

A relative learned that lesson the hard way when she recently attempted to board a flight of South African Airways with only a confirmation number. The ticket had either been lost in the mail or was never sent. She was denied boarding. It’s a warning to remember.

A great time to fly: The last two weeks of August are increasingly recognized as a travel “slump” period when bookings fall off sharply for flights, cruises and resort stays. The main reason is the increasing tendency of schools to begin classes at that time or to require that students make initial preparations for the start of school.

Consequently, many parents start gearing up for the academic year earlier and travel declines.

The lesson: If you’re looking for an available cabin on a cruise, a transatlantic flight or a Caribbean resort stay, Aug. 15 to 31 is an optimal “high-season” period to find one.

Hedging your bet: Americans will continue to travel during the autumn hurricane season, but the smart traveler will buy travel insurance that enables him or her to cancel without penalty if a storm is forecast for the period of their trip.

Check out varying types of protection at www.insuremytrip.com, which provides a summary of what the various travel-insurance companies charge. And the U.S. Travel Insurance Assn., at www.ustravelinsurance.org, gives you another list of the companies offering to help.

Kenya safari: A Canadian operator of African safaris called Lion World Travel (its clients are mainly from the United States) has just reinstated an under-$2,250 price for its weeklong program to Kenya (round-trip airfare from LAX, one night in Nairobi, five nights in the games parks, all meals and a seat in the van while on safari, for $2,249 per person from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15).

The experience deserves “once-in-a-lifetime” status and is capably handled by this long-established firm, www.lionworldtravel.com, (800) 387-2706.

Wine and wheels: The three-week-long Tour de France starts July 1 and is an exciting time to be in that country, maybe more so now that Lance Armstrong’s retirement frees up the yellow jersey for other riders.

Though all organized tours are long sold out, bunks in various youth hostels along the route are available for about $30 a night (as are rented bicycles for about the same daily cost), there’s no charge to stand watching the riders whiz by, and French gendarmes permit amateurs to cycle the same roads as the pros until about 90 minutes before they’re scheduled to pass. It’s an exciting place for young, adventurous and unpretentious travelers.