Traveling

SACRAMENTO - As Gov. Jerry Brown returned this week from his trade mission to China, his decision to have his travel and that of 10 staffers paid for by special interests was raising eyebrows. The dozens of delegates who joined Brown on the tour for $10,000 each - footing their bills and that of the governor's entourage - included about 15 groups that lobby the state for favorable treatment on their agendas. The California Hospital Assn., Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, the California Beer and Beverage Distributors and other interests sent along representatives - in one case a lobbyist - affording them face time with the governor during layovers, meals and receptions.

When a friend gets rich and famous and moves to Paris, then prattles on about the nutty things that French dentists say, that's grounds for never speaking to that person again. When the friend in question is an imaginary friend and his name is David Sedaris, such indiscretions are not only forgiven but embraced wholeheartedly. If there's ever been an author who is consistently forgiven for his trespasses, it's David Sedaris. In "Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls," everyone's favorite imaginary friend has abandoned France for the English countryside, where his life of leisure is only occasionally interrupted by sojourns to China, Australia and Japan.

Two years ago researchers outfitted an electric Toyota RAV4 with a set of test instruments and drove back and forth near four Los Angeles County freeways between 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., sampling the air. The results confirmed that in the early morning, concentrated plumes of air pollution from freeways can travel more than a mile downwind, exposing more residents than previously thought to harmful pollution levels. Most previous air quality studies, based on measurements taken during the day or evening, have found that vehicle emission plumes generally blow no more than about 1,000 feet downwind from a major roadway before they break up. But in the hours just before sunrise, weather conditions are different.

WASHINGTON -- President Obama plans to travel to Massachusetts to honor the victims of this week's bomb attack at the Boston Marathon, the White House announced Tuesday. The president is canceling Thursday morning meetings at the White House to speak at a Boston interfaith service dedicated to those killed or seriously wounded in the bomb blasts. Attending such services at times of national tragedy or threat is a regular practice for Obama, who most recently spoke at a memorial for shooting victims in Newtown, Conn.

SICILY Slide show Photographer Warner LeMenager will look at Sicily's capital city, Palermo, and nearby Monreale, with its magnificent cathedral and cloister. When, where: 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. PACIFIC COAST TRAIL Slide show Shian Sung will offer tips for gear and planning and present a slide show on his five-month hike from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, a distance of 2,650 miles.

The charter tour bus that crashed Saturday evening outside Yosemite National Park, injuring more than a dozen people, was traveling at an unsafe speed when the driver lost control, according to the California Highway Patrol. The bus was leaving Yosemite on California 41, or Wawona Road, about 6 p.m., when it veered off the roadway and angled up a dirt embankment, according to a CHP report. As the driver attempted to regain control of the vehicle, the bus crossed both lanes of traffic and struck a tree.

With this app you can create a tasty, bite-sized primer you can sink your teeth into before - and during - your vacation. Name: Triposo.com What it does: It's a global destination database that lets you download maps, travel information and recommendations on more than 150,000 destinations in 200 countries and use them offline. What's hot: I've never experienced such a quick place-by-place download option from an app. Download your guide and then turn the pages like a magazine, or delve right into practical info in "Things to Do," where you'll find Yelp reviews, WikiTravel descriptions and practical info such as hospitals and grocery stores.

Question: My passport will expire at the end of August. Because I travel for my job frequently and sometimes with little advance notice, I cannot be without a passport for the four to six weeks it will take to get a new one. Also, many visas I will be applying for require a passport with at least six months left of validity, meaning I need to get a new one sooner rather than at the last minute. Is there any good way for people like me to transition to their next passport? Lisa Kim Davis West Los Angeles Answer: Yikes.

Find a laundry or dry-cleaner near your hotel. I travel throughout the world on business and pleasure. This is one of the easiest ways to keep the size of your luggage manageable and save money by avoiding the high cost of hotel cleaning services. Many laundries offer hourly or daily service and will return your clothes fresh and folded. Rich Friedman Simi Valley If flying out of an unfamiliar airport, arrive earlier than you think you should. My girlfriend and I flew from Austin, Texas, to Montego Bay, Jamaica, and arrived at the airport extra early just in case.

SHANGHAI - California Gov. Jerry Brown said Saturday that he has asked his lawyers to review a new order from a panel of federal judges requiring him to file a fresh plan for reducing the state's prison population. The judges have threatened to hold state officials, including Brown, in contempt if they fail to comply within three weeks. "I did speak with my lawyers. I said, 'Take a good look at this stuff,'" Brown told reporters as he headed for a Huangpu River cruise with Yao Ming, a former NBA star turned Napa Valley winemaker.