Travel Section

I recommend the Gallant Lady's cruise in the San Juan Islands. Read about it in your Travel Section last July (Travel Tips, July 24) and was there two weeks later. A welcome change of pace. Scenic, relaxing and excellent food. A true labor of love for Capt. Dick, his wife Lyn, family and crew. Nice people. A fun trip! For information, contact Gallant Lady Cruises, P.O. Box 1250, Vashon, Wash. 98070, or call (206) 463-2073. VIRGINIA McKINNEY Palm Springs

You set a goal, like visiting all 50 states, but follow-through is hard. Sometimes, all you need is a cheering section to get you going. That's where the site www.43things.com comes in. It's a digital to-do list with people to cheer you on. What's hot: The site is about life lists, travel-related and otherwise. But in the travel section, you'll find like-minded travelers who share your goals, think it's a good idea -- or not -- or who've done the activities you are planning.

Welcome to the Travel section's Sourcebook, a compendium of articles, tips and resources designed to take the angst out of travel. Besides stories filled with practical information, we are also offering: * Online material: Although this is the biggest Travel section of the year, it's still not large enough to accommodate all the information we have. So besides what you'll find in the section, we have posted additional items on our website.

Wow. Readers, you rock. In the Dec. 30 print edition  of the Travel section, we asked you share travel tips for our annual resource guide, scheduled for publication Feb. 17.  It was a holiday week and things were slow but you were not, sending in about 100 tips altogether. What a great start to an issue that promises to be full of information designed to make your travels easier. For those of you who got caught up in the holiday madness (or were just too tired take on one more task)