In Switzerland, the Valais SkiCard (phone +41 [0] 27 775 25 82) offers guests the ability to skip ticket lines at the 54 ski areas and four thermal baths covered by the pass.

In increments of 100, points are added to the card at a rate of one point per Swiss franc, with discounts of up to 10 percent for adding larger balances. Points are valid for two years and can be extended with a deposit of CHF100 ($106).

Points are automatically deducted from the card as the pass holder...

Vue Zone wireless video-monitoring systems allow people to check on their home or pets while traveling. Through cameras placed in your home, video images (live or recordings) can be accessed over the Internet with a laptop or smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry or Android).

Priced $150-$240, the various packages include cameras, wall mounts and a base unit. Each system can handle up to 50 extra cameras (plain camera, $79.95, and motion-activated, $99.95).

The free “Basic” service...

Discovered in 1835 in Kent, England, the Shell Grotto (Grotto Hill, Margate, Kent, CT9 2BU, U.K.; phone 08143 220008) is a 70-foot-long subterranean passageway whose walls and ceiling are covered with mosaics made of seashells, at least 4.6 million of them. When was it created? By whom? And why? It remains a mystery.

Five minutes’ walk from Margate’s seafront (20 minutes from Margate Station), the grotto is open 10-5 daily from Good Friday to Halloween and 11-4 weekends only from Nov...