Travelers

A program that lets preapproved air travelers zip through faster security lines will be expanded this year to 35 of the nation's largest airports, Transportation Security Administration officials announced Wednesday. The pilot program, dubbed PreCheck, lets travelers who get TSA clearance avoid what have become the most annoying steps of post-9/11 screening: removing shoes, belt and coats. PreCheck has been tested for several months with frequent travelers who fly with several major airlines at seven airports, including Los Angeles International.

LAX officials estimate more than 750,000 travelers will pass through the airport Memorial Day weekend, representing a decrease of 7.4% compared with the four-day holiday period in 2011 . Higher fares resulting from higher fuel prices are being blamed.... The angler who pulls in the grand prize tagged trout will win $50,000 at Big Bear's fourth annual Fishin' for $50K Trout Derby on June 9 and 10 . Entry is $55 for adults and $30 for participants under 16; www.bigbear.com or (800)

Question: We are planning a trip to New York City next summer. Is there a list of bedbug-free hotels? How can we protect ourselves? S. Penza, Camarillo Answer: Bedbugs have become such an issue that several websites have sprung up to help travelers scope out hotels at their destination. Check out http://www.bedbugregistry.com and http://www.bedbugreports.com , and also look at TripAdvisor.com (search for "bed bugs" or "bedbugs"). You'll find some pretty harrowing tales of these little suckers and how they can leave people scratching their heads (and face and legs and ankles, which is where they often bite)

I just read Scott Kraft's article ["Looking Up, Up, Up in Hong Kong," May 6]. I lived in Hong Kong from the mid-1970s to 1980, and his article refreshed my memory. Hong Kong is one location that changes ever so quickly. I can only imagine what it must look like today - much, much more of what I loved, adored and encountered in my past living experience. I would suggest another film, "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing," as parts of it were filmed in Hong Kong. Jennifer Jones and William Holden - a very touching story set in a dramatic time to come.

Question: Can I be a greener hotel guest? Answer: You can and you should. But, as Kermit the Frog noted, it's not easy being green. The May 6 "On the Spot" column focused on behaviors of hotel guests that are wasteful and harmful to the environment. But, we should note, it's also up to the hotel to practice what the green gods preach. The question for those of us who are environmental novices - and I am one - is what is a best practice? I'd love to know if housekeeping is using environmentally sound products, but I don't have the expertise to assess that.

The women at Donna's Ranch are crowded around the kitchen table on a warm summer night, dining on stir fry, tugging at thigh-high dresses, griping about depleted bank accounts. At this northeastern Nevada bordello, which marks a gravel road's end, they woo grizzled truckers and weary travelers for a single reason: money. Lately, the women don't go home with much. Amy, 58, once bought a $32,000 Toyota Tacoma in cash; now her $1,200 mortgage saps her dwindling pay.

A test program that allows air travelers who voluntarily offer background information to zip through faster airport security lines without removing shoes, belts and coats will be expanded to 28 new airports, Transportation Security Administration officials said Wednesday. The PreCheck program has been tested for several months at nine airports, including Los Angeles International Airport, and has already been used to screen 336,000 passengers. “We are pleased to expand this important effort, in collaboration with our airline and airport partners, as we move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more intelligence-driven, risk-based transportation security system," said TSA Administrator John S. Pistole.

Although many signs point to a strengthening U.S. economy, the overwhelming sentiment in the business travel world remains doing more with less. That attitude came across in a recent study that found many business travelers are staying a few extra nights to handle more business instead of making multiple trips. Partly as a result, the estimated total number of trips in the U.S. has dropped 22% over the last decade,  but overall spending on business travel has increased 3.3%, according to a study released last week by the global Business Travel Assn., a Virginia-based trade group.

This summer, we swapped houses for seven weeks with people in France. It was a glorious holiday. Until we bumped into some old friends. Traveling in 2010, they complained, was nothing like the good old days. They were in Paris in the '70s and Prague in the '80s. Those days were the golden era for travelers. Back then, Europe wasn't overrun with Americans in khaki shorts and Crocs, and French radio stations weren't playing the same Lady Gaga song they'd left home to escape. "It was more fun then," one friend said.

After elderly passengers at JFK Airport complained about how they were treated by the Transportation Security Administration , the agency said Sunday it would establish an information line that travelers who are disabled or need assistance can call before flying. The TSA blog post written by blogger Bob Burns said in part: "[W]e're in the process of establishing an 800 number dedicated to travelers with disabilities, medical conditions, or those who may require assistance during screening.

EUROPE Presentation Experts will help first-time visitors to Europe plan a realistic budget and devise a workable itinerary as well as discuss security and safety issues. When, where: 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. BICYCLING Presentation Want to tour the California coast or another destination by bike? Experts will offer tips on gear and clothing as well as tours.

The Northwest in fall is a pretty place to be, and you'll save some green as well on a round trip from Long Beach to Seattle on Alaska and JetBlue for $160, which includes all taxes and fees. It is subject to availability for travel Mondays-Thursdays and on Saturdays between Sept. 25 and Dec. 15. Info: Alaska , (800) 252-7522; JetBlue , (800) 538-2583 Source: Airfarewatchdog

SAN JOSE — Wondering where to go on vacation this year, and what to do? A growing number of "social travel" start-ups offer alternatives to the trusty, dusty guidebook. Sites like Twigmore and Triptrotting help you troll your social networks for friends who have friends in new places, then hit those people up for advice from a local's perspective — or arrange meet-ups when you get there. Another new site, Trippy, helps you keep track of all those interesting places you've come across on the Web while researching travel destinations.

Catch the moon rising over Lake Tahoe this summer with West Shore Café & Inn's “Full Moon Rising” celebrations. The series kicks off in Homewood  on July 3, and other events take place Aug. 1 and Aug. 31; (530) 525-5200 . . . . One of America's best train trips gets even better this summer as the Alaska Railroad combines rail travel with glacier and ice climbing , in a day trip out of Anchorage; www.ascendingpath.com and www.alaskarailroad.com . . . . Still looking for a Memorial weekend escape?

The growing number of electric vehicle drivers in Los Angeles are behaving differently from the national norm. Not only are EV drivers in L.A. traveling farther than those in other cities, but they charge their vehicles more often at public locations and are more likely to charge at night to obtain less expensive electricity rates, according to Ecotality in San Francisco. Ecotality oversees the EV Project, a $230-million deployment of electric-vehicle charging infrastructure funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy to aid the rollout of electric vehicles and conduct research.

Americans plan to travel in slightly higher numbers this summer, according to surveys, starting with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. But many will hold the line on spending for items such as hotel stays and entertainment because of high fuel costs and rising airfares. An annual survey by the American Automobile Assn. released Tuesday predicted that 34.8 million Americans will travel by all modes at least 50 miles from home during the holiday weekend, a 1.2% increase over last year.

Connecting … Solo Travel Network, http://www.cstn.org , can connect travelers with possible partners. CouchSurfing, http://www.couchsurfing.org , connects travelers with hosts who lend their couches or beds. Hosts list profiles, dates available and the condition of their home. Travelers also have online profiles with their backgrounds, interests, hobbies and professions. Both hosts and travelers undergo a verification process. Nonprofit Earthwatch, http://www.

While the results of the recent traffic poll were interesting and predictable, I would like the pollsters to ascertain where all those people are going on the weekends. Have you tried going south on the San Diego Freeway on a Saturday afternoon? After living in Mission Viejo for 10 years, the continually heavier weekend traffic has always baffled me. Where is everyone going? VENA GARRETT Mission Viejo

For the last half-century, space flight has been the domain of the world's superpowers. All that is set to change as soon as Saturday when SpaceX, the private rocket company in Hawthorne, will attempt to launch a spaceship with cargo into orbit and three days later dock it with the International Space Station. If successful, the mission could mean a major shift in the way the U.S. government handles space exploration. Instead of keeping space travel a closely guarded government function, NASA has already begun hiring privately funded start-up companies for spacecraft development and is moving toward eventually outsourcing NASA space missions.

Did you know that strawberries, though considered a fruit, are technically a member of the rose family? Then you are ripe for the California Strawberry Festival this weekend in Oxnard. On 50 acres, the event features two concert stages and an array of strawberry treats, including strawberry beer. There's also Strawberryland for the kids. Info: (888) 288-9242 or www.strawberry-fest.org . . . . Speaking of kids, here's yet another summer activity in family friendly San Diego: Pirate Ship Adventures offers daily cruises aboard an 83-foot sailing ship , including a special July 4 cruise.