TRAVEL WATCH: SEPTEMBER 20, 1999 VOL. 154 NO. 11

Hot Tip

ALSO IN TIME

Seaside Vacations That Don't Get You Wet Modern deep-sea explorers peer through portholes in comfort, filming their surroundings with remote video cameras and enjoying a snack as they go where few have gone before Short Cuts The launch of a U.S. Consulate General office in Ho Chi Minh City last month is good news for Vietnamese wishing to travel abroad Detour Now that Hong Kong's economy seems to be on the mend, it's time to break out the stogies Off the Shelf Become the complete Richard Branson-branded traveler by picking up one of his new Virgin City Guides Hot Tip The Journeywoman website offers a smorgasbord of special-interest Asia trip tips for veteran and novice travelers

A favorite cyber-resource for wandering women worldwide, the Journeywoman online website (www.journeywoman.com) offers a smorgasbord of special-interest Asia trip tips for veteran and novice travelers. Those seeking spiritual journeys over the millennium are steered to www.solunatours.com for New Year's treks through India, Tibet and Nepal. Single women who have adopted daughters from mainland China can find out more about "Chinese culture camps" run by the Our Chinese Daughters Foundation (www.it.ilstu.edu/~liedtke/ocdf.html). Women wishing to experience more of local life than just sightseeing can check out the tours organized by Asia Getaway (www.asiagetaway.com), a California-based cultural-tour operator that offers travelers opportunities like learning cooking at a Thai farmhouse. Prospective "voluntourists" are guided to Global Volunteers at www.globalvolunteers.org, while free home-swapping matches are made at www.trading-homes.com. Many of the suggestions listed are open to men, too.