October 2008

 • Every year on Nov. 5, flaming tar barrels are carried through the streets of Ottery St. Mary in Devon, England, to the delight of townsfolk and visitors.

Men each carry a flaming barrel on their shoulders until the weight or heat becomes too much, then someone else takes over until the barrel starts to break up, then it’s allowed to burn out.

Starting with junior barrels in late afternoon, the sizes of the barrels grow until the final enormous one is carried in at midnight. A gigantic bonfire is crowned with an effigy of Guy Fawkes.

One of the largest Norman castles still surviving now serves as a dormitory for students attending University College (Durham Castle, Palace Green, Durham, DH1 3RW, U.K.; phone 0191 334 3800, fax 0191 334 3801, www.dur.ac.uk/university.college).

Guided tours of the castle are offered each afternoon from Easter to Sept. 30 and on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday for all other dates. Tours may be canceled for school events; check with the castle porter (phone 0191 334 3800) before arriving. £5 ($9) adult or £3.50 ($6.50) senior.

Severn Valley Railway, based in Bewdley, Worcestershire, offers rides on the company’s restored steam train. The 16-mile route follows the Severn River and crosses the 200-foot-high Victoria Bridge.

Train rides are available on weekends October to April and every day May to September. Holiday-themed rides are available in December.

For timetables, contact the Severn Valley Railway (The Railway Station, Bewdley, Worcestershire, DY12 1BG, U.K.; phone 01299 403816, fax 01299 400839, www.svr.co.uk).

Tourcaster.com offers 250 downloadable audio tours of more than 30 cities on six continents. They can be added to MP3 players, including iPods, or burned onto a CD. Most tours cost $5-$23 each, and each comes with a numbered map and detailed directions.

Example — the “Piazza del Popolo to Fontana di Trevi” tour of Rome takes 2½ hours, with an audio length of one hour nine minutes, and costs $19.90.

For many destinations in Europe, South America and Asia, the site offers 20- to 30-minute “audio guides” which are not tours and which cost $5-$10.

Innovation Norway, a Norwegian government office in the embassy in Washington, D.C., has come up with packages to help travelers experience friluftsliv, which translates as “open air life.”

Designed to help visitors connect with nature in Norway, the “Passport to Friluftsliv” itineraries offered by several tour operators can be customized for hiking, fishing, bird-watching, etc. For a list of participating tour companies, e-mail usa@innovationnorway.no or visit www.visitnorway.com/friluftsliv.

Play it Forward Adventures specializes in tours which include volunteer work.

Example — a 15-day trip to Chile includes five days’ trekking through Cerro Castillo National Park and centers on teaching English to schoolchildren in Patagonian villages. The land cost of $3,195 includes in-country flights and transportation, lodging, meals, all materials for the volunteer project, outdoor activities and park fees.

Contact Play it Forward Adventures (Box 14126, St. Paul, MN 55114; 651/493-8817, www.pifadventures.com).

At Scotland’s Gleneagles Hotel (Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland PH3 1NF, UK; phone, from the U.S. 866/881-9525, www.gleneagles.com), children age six to 12 can drive mini Land Rovers on their own off-road course, navigating log piles, bridges, grades and water splashes.

Per room (two people sharing) per night and with an introductory driving lesson, Off-Road Break prices are as follows: £550-£660 (near $1,140-$1,370) including dinner or £455-£560 without, November-April, and £610-£765 with dinner or £530-£685 without, May-October.

In Monte Carlo through Jan. 4, 2009 (excluding Dec. 15-22), Hôtel de Paris (Place du Casino, 98000 Monaco; phone +377 98 06 30 00, fax 98 06 59 13, http://en.hoteldeparismontecarlo.com) is offering a 2-night package for two people that starts at €1,540 (near $2,429).

Augsburg is the second-oldest city in Germany and was the home of the Fugger family (a German mercantile and banking dynasty), Leopold Mozart and Bertolt Brecht.

Crown Blue Line, Connoisseur and Emerald Star, after years of working as sister companies, have come together as Le Boat (980 Awald Rd., Ste. 101, Annapolis, MD 21403; 800/734-5491, www.leboat.com).

The newly combined line offers self-drive canal boating in France and other European countries, with budget to luxury boats available. Examples — for boats out of Burgundy or Alsace, prices run $900-$2,405 per week in off-season, depending on the type of boat chosen, and $1,710-$4,555 in high season.