Floralis Genérica, architect Eduardo Catalano's aluminum flower on Avenida Figueroa Alcorta in Buenos Aires, opens its petals by day and closes them at night.
Photo: stuckincustoms / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Thinking about a South America trip that combines great wine and food, charming hotels, and shopping? Readers Michelle and Rick are. Here's their question:

"I recently signed up for The Perrin Post and think this is an outstanding tool for travel tips. I have been reading about South America and it sounds like somewhere my husband and I should visit. We are 56 years old, very active, and live in Cleveland, Ohio. We would like to plan a 10- to 12-day trip this winter, but are not sure of the best places to see. We love wine, shopping, good cuisine, and nice hotels. We do not speak Spanish. We would love to use your expertise in hopes of making the best of our trip. Thank you in advance for your help!"

De nada. Argentina and Chile strike me as a good solution for you, so I e-mailed Vanessa Guibert Heitner of Limitless Argentina. Vanessa, who lives in Buenos Aires, is an Argentina and Chile travel specialist on my annually updated list of the world's best travel agents. Vanessa has designed and booked flawless, custom-tailored itineraries for several Conde Nast Traveler staffers, as well as dozens of the magazine's readers, not to mention our 2007 Dream Trip Winner's South American extravaganza. She was kind enough to suggest the following possible itinerary for you in an e-mail yesterday: 

Imagine if you had a 2.5-month period next summer to travel to Australia and then France. That's the enviable situation reader Rhondda Patton is in. And she gets to take her two kids! I'm a jealous wreck. Here's her query:

Hi Wendy. You always have such great information, so I am hoping you can help me now. I need to visit my mom in Sydney and also my sister in Provence in summer of 2010. I work in education so have from June 8 thru August 25 to travel. I realize it is winter in Australia, but it is her birthday so have to make the trip. We depart out of Cleveland, Ohio, and would like to go to Sydney first, then back to France before returning home to the USA. Is there any way we can get a deal through one airline, so as to collect frequent-flier miles as well as save money? Would it be a good idea to look for a "round-the-world ticket"? Any suggestions for our family of 4 would be appreciated. Kids are ages 11 and 14.

I think you're on target with your round-the-world-ticket idea, especially since it would allow for cool stopovers between Australia and France!  If I were you, I'd research the round-the-world fares on offer from the Star Alliance as well as Skyteam international airline partnerships and see which provides the best routing for the best price for your travel dates.  I'd also love to hear from any airfare wonks reading this. Would you advise Rhondda differently?  Please let me know via "Comments" below.

A reader wants to fly to London in business class and is wondering how good chances are that she'll be able to upgrade using mileage. Here's her question: 

"We need to fly from Philadelphia, PA., to London's Heathrow Airport next September as part of a 31-day tour of Europe. We would like to travel in business class, with full reclining seats, for at least the flight to London, but on the return flight too if cost is reasonable. We have enough miles on USAirways to purchase a one-way upgrade but not roundtrip. To assure that we get the business-class seats at the best cost, should we risk the upgrade or buy the business-class tickets? Thank you, Patti"

I don't know the ins and outs of USAirways' Dividend Miles program, so I asked somebody who does: Mileage maniac Gary Leff of View from the Wing and Book Your Award. Yes, that's the same Gary I called a "frequent-flyer superhero" last week. Read the answer to Patti's question, after the jump.

Where would you go this month or next that won't cost a mint? That's the question from reader Linda in Atlanta:

"Hi Wendy, my husband and I cannot decide where to go. We live in Atlanta and would like to go somewhere in November or December (around 10 days) but be home for the holidays. Don't want to spend a fortune either. Maybe somewhere in the U.S.? Thanks, Linda"

If you prefer to drive rather than fly, some obvious options for culture vultures are Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Georgia.  But if you're looking for a beach-resort-style break, since you've got a good chunk of time, consider the Caribbean: Several of the islands are a pretty quick flight from Atlanta, and pre-holiday prices are about half what they'll be in peak season (mid-December through mid-April). The travel agent I'd recommend for help finding the right affordable Caribbean resort for your particular needs is Becky Veith of Becky Veith Travel. She's the person on my annual list of top travel agents who is best for all-inclusive Caribbean holidays. There are also a ton of affordable Caribbean cruises sailing out of Fort Lauderdale and Miami that you could nab at the last minute. The person to call for help with such a cruise is Linda Allen at Brownell Travel.

Does anyone else have close-to-home November or December vacation ideas for Linda?

The bad news: Your "Ask Wendy" questions are piling up faster than I can answer them. The good news: Your fellow Perrin Post readers are a savvy group of travel fanatics who can often answer your questions better than I can. Therefore, rather than delay my replies to the "Ask Wendy" questions, I'm going to go ahead and publish them, hoping that readers who have a good answer will chime in and help me out. I'd be most appreciative!

First up, this question from reader Laura: 

"Can you think of any ideas for a 40th birthday celebration? We are a group of friends who live 30 minutes outside of Manhattan. Two of our friends are turning 40 in January 2010. I was thinking Vegas! But everyone has small children and is strapped for cash after the holidays. So, any ideas for a one-night getaway for 6 or 8 couples? Thanks!"

Who has an idea for Laura?  I'm hoping Manhattanites and others can chime in by clicking on "Comments" below. Thanks!

"We are a Mom and Dad and three boys, ages 5, 3, and 1, and we love to travel. My oldest son has entered Kindergarten this year. Therefore, I now have to battle vacation time with the rest of the school-age groups. Any suggestions for a sunny Presidents' Week Vacation or Spring Break in April to avoid the crowds? This is painful for me because I usually love finding the "deals" at the off-peak times. I do have plenty of AAadvantage miles to use. Thanks!"

I can relate because my two sons are now 5 and 7. For the past three winters we've rented a house, twice during the Presidents' Week holiday. You can read about our Caribbean villa rental last February on the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin, and about our villa in the Spanish countryside near Granada the February before. A vacation rental could be just the ticket for you, as it affords uncrowded privacy . . . although I've gotta warn you that taking a 1- and 3-year-old to a European villa brings its own set of challenges, as I discovered when my children were toddlers and we rented this villa in Tuscany.

Aer Lingus is having a business-class sale for travel from January through April.

Photo: virtualpilot / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

This may be the low-season business-class airfare sale to Europe that Condé Nast Traveler readers have been waiting for: $1,698 roundtrip to Dublin or Shannon from New York (JFK), Boston, or Chicago.

That fare includes a free roundtrip coach flight from Dublin to cities throughout Europe. From New York, for instance, you can fly via Ireland to: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Krakow, London, Madrid, Malaga, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, Vienna or Warsaw. You also get: use of Aer Lingus's business-class lounge, three free checked bags, priority check-in, and a personal on-demand in-flight entertainment system.

For travel from: January 1 to April 30

Book by: November 30
 
Book through: AerLingus.com or at 800-IRISH-AIR

Need mileage-award help? The frequent-flier expert behind View From The Wing has launched the site you've been waiting for: BookYourAward.com.
Photo: Zoagli / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Having trouble using your miles to fly when and where you want to?  For years now, Condé Nast Traveler readers have emailed me asking me to point them to a human being who can help them redeem their considerable airline mileage for the international flights they need. The latest plea for help is from reader Cynthia Spry:

"I am trying to get to Bali from Newark, New Jersey, in late January, and cannot find a flight under $4,000. I would like to use frequent-flier miles. Can you help?"

I can't--at least not without knowing which airlines you have miles with, how many miles, your travel dates, the number of people flying, and the class of service you want--but I know who can: Miles-and-points whiz Gary Leff of View From The Wing. 

Gary just launched a new site, Book Your Award, that is the answer to many a Condé Nast Traveler reader's prayers. For a fee, he will use strategies that you might not have thought of--such as flying on alternate routes or on partner airlines--to get you where you're going for as few miles as possible. Tell him I sent you!

"Can you recommend a travel agent to help us with renting a house in England next September? We have information from Suzanne Cohen but would like some more choices. Thanks."

For the answer to this question, click to our brand-new blog It Takes A Villa, hosted by Kathryn Maier, the vacation-rental expert on my Conde Nast Traveler team. Kathryn vets and reports the list of Top Villa Rental Agents for my Worldwide Guide to Affordable Villa Vacations that runs annually in the magazine's June issue. Feel free to "Ask Your Villa Question" on the new blog, and Kathryn will get you an answer.

You could be on Cape Reinga soon: Follow Air New Zealand's Twitter feed and possibly win a free flight to the island country

If neither my print column on "How to Tweet Your Way to Amazing Travel Deals" nor my blog entry about Marriott Resorts' month-long October Trick-or-Tweet promotion convinced you of the travel perks you can glean from joining Twitter, perhaps this will: