Travelous

I never noticed how the syncopated Zydeco music echoes the joyous tripping of horses over rough terrain. But one afternoon in September in the pine forests of Evangeline Parish, Louisiana in the Cajun country, with hundreds of dusty riders down a narrow path, the relationship was impossible to miss. As the horses were on a tractor towing a DJ and a zydeco-howling noise, they stood and swayed in a burst of pace to the tavern floor of Lafayette, 70 miles away.

Finally, the riders - young and old, crowded by cold beers or small children - reached a large clearing in the woods, which quickly filled with horses, platforms, wagons and buggies as the music continued to throb. People were selling barbecue sandwiches and turkey legs on the backs of pickups. A group of women piled on a wagon and serenity performed a line dance in the dust. Young people sang and flirted and held up their beers with a "Wooo!"

The clearing was the halfway point of the Pineywoods Trail Ride, one of zydeco hiking trails that take place in the countryside around Lafayette and in many parts of Texas, Mardi Gras in early December. Exuberant, untouched by corporate sponsors and managed by a dense network of people that the price of their $ 2 beer can, the rides are a traditional way to celebrate the cowboy culture of rural blacks or Creoles (commonly understood as a mixture of black with French, Spanish and / or ancestry Native American).

Originally small business between parents and neighbors, the rides have evolved over decades in events with a dedicated following, but remained largely unknown outside. In recent years, hiking surged in popularity among rural youth, as zydeco musicians have incorporated strains R&B and hip-hop, attracting a new generation that Creole is suddenly cool.

The trip Pineywoods, where more than 2,000 people gathered over three days, began and ended on a farm with an open pavilion opposite that by the end, would be in a sorry mess - benches broken under the weight of people climbing up to get a look at musicians, a dumpster outside of industrial size garbage overflowing celebration. It would be a huge, weird, miles-to-nowhere, the one I had dreamed of for nearly five years.

In July 2006, when my friend Lisa D'Amour and I embarked on a long weekend, music research with Lafayette as our base, we knew all the trails on zydeco had been gleaned from a fan website Louisiana endearing music fan: they existed, they were held regularly on Sunday, somewhere in the region and to find one, you can try to listen to Cajun local radio program. There was no mention of the fact that the program was in French.

Neither a broader Internet search, local newspapers or have us further. But the more elusive trail rides seemed zydeco, most importantly, it has become to find one, even if it meant losing a whole day.

We began our search for an investigation Prejean, a Cajun restaurant in Lafayette with a stuffed crocodile in the entrance and a webcam that allows access to the worldwide perspective of tourists enjoying sassafras shrimp. stupid questions are not a rarity at Prejean, but our server was perplexed. Finally, he suggested taking a half hour to Lawtel, home zydeco clubs such as the iconic Offshore Lounge.

Lafayette is a small town, and you do not need to go far in all directions before things go very country, in places pudding station and music that are open only on Saturday morning. Travel south or east and you'll soon see signs of marsh tours, go north to Lawtel and Opelousas, and that scrub, forests and farms. We knew we had arrived when we saw a sign painted by hand ". Lawtel Welcome, Home Town and Country Riders" We found an old store that sold bait and rusty door key, but when we mentioned hiking, white man behind the counter gave us a blank stare.

In another gas station, a black cashier was more helpful, showing us a man drunk buy a crate of beer on Sunday morning, who kindly led to a large shade tree where a man was shoeing a horse. Several other men were hanging around, one of whom was wearing a rodeo championship belt buckle as big as a chicken fried steak. Lisa and I looked at each other and smiled.

These men, we soon learned, were not of the city and Lawtel Country Riders, now extinct, but another club, runners Lawtel low. And yes, they could take us for a hike.

The riding clubs, we understood, are an integral part of life in Acadiana, the southern part of Louisiana named for the French Canadian exiles who settled. Here, even Mardi Gras is traditionally celebrated on horseback, the riders are hidden. Clubs are a formalization of the loose confederation that has developed between rural African-American kinship, friendship or necessity. The towers themselves are rooted in the traditions of countries such as butchers, butchering or pork.

Today, clubs are the basis for organizing hiking zydeco, compete to attract more riders and hire the best bands and DJ's. Die-hard riders bring their horses every weekend, even if it means the tow across state borders, but most rides are obscure from the outside. Even as the popular Step-N-Strut, held in St. Landry Parish in early November, which has evolved into a music festival that attracts several days thousands of people, not yet well known outside the circuit.

EVA Pickens made the six hour drive from Huntsville, Ala., where his son lives, and his hometown near Destin, Florida, too many times to count. So when she saw that the carrier has been called Vision Airlines advertising $ 49 one-way nonstop flights between the two places, she smacked a ticket. By comparison, "fill my gas tank now costs like $ 62," said Ms. Pickens, manager of the Community Association for a condo on the beach

As major carriers continue to raise rates and the ability to cut, the budget airlines with names such as Vision, Sun Country and Direct Air, which operate primarily from small American towns are adding new flights low price.

LinkVision Airlines, based in Suwanee, Georgia, began as a charter service in 1994 and started flying a regular service late last year between Atlanta and Louisville, Kentucky, and from Niagara Falls, NY and northwest Florida. It is now flying propeller aircraft and Boeing 737 aircraft from its hub in Destin over 20 cities in the Southeast, with rates usually $ 89 to $ 109 each way.

Direct Air is based in Myrtle Beach, SC, and offers nonstop service to more than 15 cities, including Newark, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio, by chartering aircraft from other airlines. Later this year he is adding flights to San Juan, PR, Bahamas, and Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Florida, with rates as low as $ 79 each way when selling.

And Sun Country Airlines, which serves 737 Minneapolis / St. Paul, where it is located at more than 30 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean, will begin flights to London Gatwick on May 27 with rates of $ 422 each way in the summer.

Never heard of these companies? That may be because their business model, low-profile, which generally focuses on the linkages between small cities to vacation destinations, largely avoided direct competition with major airlines, and relying more on word of mouth marketing blitz that expensive. Some, including Direct Air and Allegiant Air, Las Vegas, even refuse to pay fees to list of online agencies like Expedia or Travelocity, which means that passengers must travel carriers themselves websites find their flights.

All this helps reduce costs and low fares. "We do not have a massive overload, as we would if we were a legacy carrier," said David Meers, Chief Operating Vision Airlines. Inaddition, the strategies of budget carriers, low cost of selling airline seats not fair, but also hotel rooms and rental cars. With packages, Mr. Meers said, "there is little room for the airline as well, which helps to cover increases fuel prices. "

One compromise to fly a budget carrier to be used to pay fees for things like checked luggage and snacks, but now that the charge most major airlines for the same things, these fees are almost expected. Allegiant example, the cost of drinks and snacks, checked baggage and assigning seats. Vision, on the other hand, offer free drinks, snacks and allocation of seats.

Another issue to consider is the age of the aircraft. Some budget carriers are aircraft on the former coastline. Allegiant, for example, flies MD-88, which are, on average, 21.5 years. Vision of the fleet, as well as aircraft chartered by Direct Air, include Boeing 737 old model (which are not subject to airworthiness inspections following the recent incident of decompression on an airplane by Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 - 300 series on 1 April). Each carrier is subject to the same safety standards and regulations to maintain than their larger counterparts.

"Safety is our first priority, and our aircraft are maintained in compliance with all FAA regulations," Jordan said McGee, a spokeswoman for Allegiant, which also noted, withreference to its MD-88 fleet , , "because of our low frequency of flights, we only put about 1,000 rounds peryear on them. "

Passengers must be ready to fewer roads and lessfrequent flights. Although most flights are nonstop, few are offered ona daily basis. fleets of small and limited service means a lack of backup when flights are delayed. "When you're in trouble," said Rick Seaney, CEO of Farecompare.com, "you cannot go home for awhile."

Budget carriers say they cannot afford to disappoint customers by canceling flights. Edward Warneck, President of Direct Air, said his door was about to land in a different airport if passengers needed (Boston instead of Worcester, Massachusetts, for example) and commute to their original destination by bus. "Given the choice, he says, most of the passengers" would rather be late than not arrive at all. "

Here are four budget carriers to consider when planning your summer vacation.

Allegiant Air

He steals more than 70 towns, including Colorado Springs, Toledo, Ohio, and Roanoke, Virginia, with nonstop service to vacation destinations like Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Orlando, Florida

All The Rundown snacks ($ 2 to $ 7) for the allocation of seats ($ 6.99 to $ 8.99) additional costs. The company, which currently uses MD-88 aircraft, is in the process of certifying several Boeing 757-200 in order to fly to Hawaii.

Booking fares are only Allegiant.com. Travelers who purchase in advance the cheaper rates. Also watch "Fly Almost Free" deals, offered periodically on packages air and hotel for two people. The agreement allows the second person to pay only the fees and expenses associated with racing.

Direct Air

WHERE it flies more than 15 cities, including Niagara Falls, NY, Newark, Pittsburgh and Worcester, Massachusetts, with nonstop service to popular destinations like Myrtle Beach, SC, and West Palm Beach, Florida

The Rundown Direct Air offers scheduled flights operated by Xtra Airways charter, Vision Airlines, Aviation Advantage / Sky King Airways & dynamics, and marketing, reservations and other services. There are fees for extras, including $ 10 for seating and $ 25 for first checked bag. Direct flights are usually about $ 99 each way.

BOOKING Subscribe to email alerts for the carrier's periodic discounts like "family ties" special, which offers 169 million purchase round trip, usually to good use in the year.

Sun Country Airlines

WHERE Steals Minneapolis / St. Paul to over 30 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean, including San Francisco, New York, Cancun, Mexico, and San Juan, PR from 27 May, will also offer flights to London Gatwick through Sept. 4.

The Rundown Sun Country flies Next-Generation 737, among the new models in the 737. The first checked bag to cost $ 20 to $ 35. Full board and soft drinks are offered in first class.

BOOKING A sale price weekly entitled "Wing it" every Tuesday at 14 hours after Central offers discounted rates of $ 69 each way for travel during the next two weeks.

Vision Airlines

WHERE it flies more than 20 cities in the Southeast, including Atlanta, Asheville, North Carolina, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Louisville, Ky., with nonstop flights to and from Destin, Florida

THE RUNDOWN Vision offers seating and in-flight snacks and soft drinks at no extra cost. The cost of the first checked bag from $ 15 and $ 25.

BOOKING Sign up for alerts e-mail for special offers, as a recent summer sale with fares starting from $ 59 each way (normally $ 89 to $ 109) to the Destin Airport Orlando Sanford International, Charlotte County Airport in Punta Gorda, Florida and St.. Petersburg / Clearwater International Airport.

You have purchased airline tickets, hotel reservation and car rental. But have you completed the credit card?

As the credit card companies vying for a privileged position in the portfolios of clients, they are pitching seductions travel news, renounce foreign transaction fees that can add up to 3 percent for purchases abroad to collect fees for checked baggage. Earlier this month, for example, American Express removed the transaction costs of 2.7 percent on foreign purchases for international licensees Platinum Card, and added two new benefits Travel - Select the Priority Pass access to airport lounges in over 300 cities worldwide and free membership in Global Entry, which provides expedited security clearance for pre-approved travelers entering the United States.

British Airways and Chase brought a promotion they had used two years ago - an impressive sign-on bonus of 100,000 miles (the equivalent of two bus tickets to and from North America to London) those who enroll for the British Airways Visa Signature Card, which has an annual fee of $ 95, May 6 and spend $ 2,500 in the first three months. And Citigroup dropped foreign transaction fees on two of its new ThankYou rewards cards that were introduced earlier this year and allow users to redeem points for flights, hotels, cars, travel packages and activities.

But travelers should pay close attention to the fine print when comparing card offers to make sure the benefits outweigh the costs. For example, the American Express Platinum card comes with a significant annual fee of $ 450. The range of benefits that will be included with the $ 200 peryear for the cost of air travel as checked baggage or in-flight meals, access to Priority Pass lounges Select airport (normally $ 249 for 10 visits), and zero foreign transaction fees. If you're a road warrior who spends more time in airports and aboard aircraft in your own home, it may be worthwhile. But this is probably not the best card for casual flyers. "If you receive the waiver only for currency conversion, you'll probably give them more than that back when you pay the annual fee," said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com, a financial research Website .

To the annual fee course ", look for a card travel insurance as additional replacement baggage, emergencyfund (in case of lost or stolen card), insurance and rentalcar insurance cancellation, "said Carmen Wong Ulrich, author of" The true cost of living, "which speaks from experience. After hanging for a rentalcar while driving along rough roads and hilly St. John's, "all we had to do was spend 10 minutes on the phone with AMEX, fill out a little paperwork and we never seen a bill for repairs, she said. "Well worth the annual fee of $ 125" for the Gold card.

Also consider what types of benefits are most valuable to you, and how much you spend to pay for rewards programs. "The most important part of choosing the best credit card is to find one that best suits your personal needs and lifestyle," said Amber Stubbs, editor at CardRatings.com, noting that it likes Venture Capital One Rewards Card, which was introduced last year and allows users to earn and redeem miles for any travel purchase whatever the airline, hotel or cruise line. "However, for someone who attends an airline," she added, "it's not a bad idea to get a card specific to that company."

To help you decide what to put in your portfolio, here is a list of some of the best maps for travelers, none of which is linked to a specific company.

I had been on the road for just an hour, but when you do, you have to do.

For the beach, I mean. As I walked down the east coast of Florida, the view was increased from an ocean view condo high-rise luxury waterfront homes with only a narrow strip of grass and shrubs, with Atlantic waves break the other side. Locate a path through the shrubs, with a lone car parked nearby, I swung the wheel of my rental Ford Focus and parking.

Thirty seconds later I had my own private beach, almost: a solo sailor in the trunks feature the colors of a sunset was good upto 100 meters on the sand, staring at the surf. I stayed for about the same time,we should use the bathroom and a scarf at a Cinnabon at a highway rest stop, and headed toward the car.

Spots like this in Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida were all new to me. I'll admit to have enough knowledge of the stunted state before taking a trip of 250 miles of the border in southern Georgia along the coast in Hutchinson Island, just north of West Palm Beach, early April. He was in Miami, where the cool people hang out in South Beach and cooler people go to Art Basel. Orlando theme parks, Key West homes for eccentricity and pastel, the enclave of southern culture, and the Everglades with alligators.
Seth Kugel for The New York Times

All that this stretch of coast of the Atlantic, as far as I knew, was Daytona Beach, home of the drunken spectacle known as spring break. Not for me (or more).

But a closer examination, the map shows a road with a name curiously slender blissfully confident A1A. He kissed the water as much as possible along the endless beaches in state parks and back barrier islands. He passed through St. Augustine, the oldest city in America, then across the beaches with names like Daytona and Ormond and cocoa - well, what do you know? - Cape Canaveral.

So, earlier this month, I flew to Jacksonville, rented the cheapest car I could coax Priceline ($ 137 per week, including taxes, Alamo) and embarked on my own journey Spring Break Adult Road. It would be a cheaper alternative to a more glamorous route to the southern tip of the state, a four-point plan that involved frugal free beaches, attractions, cheap seafood for under $ 10, an inlet and motels about $ 60 a night.

My first stop was St. Augustine, founded by the Spanish in 1565. Nearly 450 years later, he had changed a lot - although not entirely for the better. It has a half-historical, semi-tourist trap look at him - as if the child's love of Savannah, Georgia, and Disney World. Visitors tour of the city "trains", about $ 22 for a pass for three days, between sites that most people would be very walkable - from signs like "Authentic Old Drugstore" and "Fine Art Gallery "screaming the opposite, and making a stop at an oak tree 600 years old nicknamed the Senator with Howard Johnson motel was built around him.

There can be no town which takes more seriously than trading in Paris, the birthplace of haute couture and a place where simple browsers, while welcome, may still feel snubbed in subtle ways. In fact, the French term for window shopping, go window shopping, directly translates as "to go lick the window." For more like a local store, it is useful to know the score at the cool stores in town. Here are four of them.

BACK TO HISTORY Opened in 1997 by Sarah Lerfel and her mother, Colette Roussaux, the store has prospered as an arbiter of cool in Paris with his eclectic mash-up of high-end fashion, designer collaborations, magazines, music and more stupid trinket imaginable.

Light environment and brash, Colette often feel like a souk. Indefatigable uncomfortable alongside tourists insider fashion hardcore on the narrow staircase that connects the ground floor - full of art books and a cage the size of a walk-in closet, stocked exclusively with T-shirts - to the serious stage clothes and coffee in the basement.

THE GOODS The thrill of Colette comes the unexpected, like finding strange young labels (Mary Katrantzou, Rodarte, Christopher Kane) appears next to the French masters (Lanvin, Hermes, Chanel). There is also a steady stream of exclusive limited edition shirts Lacoste reinvented with Snoopy and Woodstock replacement for logos crocodile bags, driver Emissaries and Jeremy Scott take on the Swatch. Then there is the reading material to browse or buy obscure. (". A magazine for boys with problems" A title on the screen is called Kaiserin, subtitled) For a fun memory, the store offers something called "Colette. Surprise" is a small blue bag which for 20 euros, could contain just about everything. A purchased recently held a flashlight, two pacifiers, two keychains novelty chewing Japanese, a Pez dispenser, birthday candles and a single, sad blue balloons.

EXPERTISE It is sometimes difficult to distinguish personal customers, since everyone around fails to disprove the stereotype of the French elegant and slim. To prove that you are worthy of their attention, try dressing unconventionally, perhaps by wearing a vest on a shabby old dress elegantly tailored with mismatched socks on your hands. The idea is to convey that you are in the joke. By the way, never ask about prices, unless you like blatant sarcastic. Besides, it's more fun to admire a dress Rodarte wood print when you do not know that it costs € 5410 ($ 7540's to 1.40 dollar per euro).

Thank you

111, boulevard Beaumarchais, third, thank you-merci.com

Thank BACK STORY is the latest candidate from the Paris store concept, opened two years ago by Marie-France and Bernard Cohen after selling their children to wear the label of luxury Bonpoint. Located on the eastern edge of the Marais, the store includes a mix of contemporary and vintage fashion with seasonal products created exclusively for thanks.

ENVIRONMENT The main entrance of thanks is nestled in the courtyard of a 18th century building, behind a pair of housing windows of a cafe and bookstore, both of which are connected to the bank. The calm, loftlike space covers two large floors and includes a restaurant and a few corners together around an atrium, lined with displays of linens, housewares shabby-chic and Annick Goutal perfumes.

The products most in fashion for men and women are displayed on the main floor, including a wide range of Isabel Marant and Comme des Garcons, sports lessons / Elliott jeans, clogs of Sweden and, to a recent collaboration, a group of recycled materials trenchcoats made by designers such as Charles Anastase and Marni. Thank you stocks are also interesting discoveries of the world, such as lampshades made from recycled plastic by South African artist Heath Nash (€ 1490). Many gift shops customers flock to the linen napkins and placemats (17.50 euros and more) made by MYdrap they are on a roll, perforated and necessities like paper towels.

EXPERTISE attitudes and mobile phones must be checked at the door. Thank you is one of the most inviting shops in Paris, where customers, mostly of the variety bohemian-chic prefer shopping at their leisure. Although the fact is not advertised anywhere in the store, it is useful to know that the Coen brothers have pledged to donate all their profits to a charity that helps women and children in Madagascar.

The Scout

Several sites, including two near the Marais - 12 rue Mahler, in the fourth, for men, and at 40, rue de Sevigne, in three for women - and one near the Louvre, at 10, rue Herold, Firstly, for the more adventurous; leclaireur.com

BACK STORY The Pathfinder is the destination for customers who prefer intellectual mind that their way of management and their creators underexposed. (The name translates as "The Scout.") In 1980, Armand Hadida has opened its first store on the Champs-Elysees, which has since been expanded to five locations, restaurant and event space, each adding more theatrical than the earlier. A sixth store is about to open in the Philippe Starck hotel Royal Monceau-redesigned Raffles.

ENVIRONMENT The style varies from store to store, but most of them are dark and mysterious, with raw wood furniture, exotic taxidermy, art installations and curious like a contradiction, a big bowl of nuts home. The idea is that the buyer is on a mission of discovery, an idea seen most visibly at the location Street Herold, who is unmarked except for name on a curb of a 18th century mansion. Press this button and the door opens to a fabulous dimly lit store built in what was once a stable.