More peace of mind per minuteTired of...

More peace of mind per minute

Tired of buying prepaid phone cards or paying stratospheric roaming charges when you phone home from away? A new service, Call-in-Europe, provides travelers with a French phone number and SIM card for use with an unlocked GSM tri-band cellphone. After hookup, calls are billed monthly at 29 cents a minute incoming and 69 cents a minute outgoing from Europe to the U.S. and Canada. The system works in many countries outside Europe, though calls are charged as if made from France.

I tried it on a recent trip (I already have a suitable cell so I didn’t need to rent one from Call-in-Europe for 99 cents per day), and paid a $29 base fee, plus $18 to express mail the start-up kit to me in Brussels. The kit included a SIM card and easy-to-follow instructions, though I had to phone Call-in-Europe to get a PIN. The service worked flawlessly in Belgium and France. My December bill of $61.10 covered 25 calls, including a five-minute conversation from Paris to L.A., and was generally lower than my monthly bill for my international calling service. You can have calls to your home cellphone number automatically transferred to your Call-in-Europe number, and the system is compatible with a BlackBerry, smart phone or PDA. Info: (877) 730-5305, www.callineurope.com.

-- Susan Spano

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In circulation

The odds of suffering deep-vein thrombosis seem to increase after a long airline flight, and some medical studies say wearing compression stockings may help ward off thrombosis. That being the case, the Australian manufacturers of Skins compression pants (right) suggest you squeeze into a pair of their nylon and spandex tights before boarding a flight. They also claim that the “body-molded compression tights” speed your recovery from jet lag. We can’t attest to the medical benefits of wearing the Skins, but we found them comfortable and cool on a long flight. The question: Do you wear them under your regular clothes or do you skip through the airline terminal wearing only the tights, looking like Lance Armstrong before a bike race? Price: $110, at www.skins.net.

-- Hugo Martin

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Luxe lobby lift

The new look is glam in the renovated lobby of the venerable Hyatt Regency Century Plaza (above), a Los Angeles landmark for nearly half a century. The Century City hotel, which is undergoing a $30-million face-lift, has counted presidents, prime ministers and Hollywood celebrities among its guests. Its signature lobby, with high ceilings and an airy 12,500-square-foot space, has been redone in silver and gold, with mirrored walls, mother-of-pearl accents and glass-beaded frescoes. Other renovations include updated penthouse suites, an infinity-edge pool, a redesigned outdoor patio, the Equinox Fitness Club and Spa and the addition of an executive conference center. Info: (800) 233-1234 or (310) 228-1234, www.centuryplaza.hyatt.com.

-- Rosemary McClure

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By George

The Field Museum in Chicago is celebrating George this month. Not our presidents, but George Washington Carver (right). The museum’s exhibit on the renowned black scientist, researcher, educator and peanut booster follows his life with a display of personal items, such as his eyeglasses; video displays; and dioramas, including a reproduction of his childhood farm. The exhibit continues through July 6 and is free with museum admission ($12 adults and $7 for kids ages 4 to 11). But if you hurry, the museum is free in February. Info: (312) 922-9410, www.fieldmuseum.org.

-- Vani Rangachar