Ask George: Do you have a suggestion for a seven to 10 day trip of the Scandinavian countries with my 84-year-old mother this summer? It seems that cruises don’t give you enough time to visit the various cities, and a motor coach tour might be too hectic and scheduled.

Answer: Even 10 days might not be enough to see all of Scandinavia, so it might be better to focus on one or two countries. Assuming that your mother is mobile and agile, I’d suggest seeing the region by rail and ferry on your own, since it’s a civilized and comfortable way to travel and you can hop on and off at will. One option is to purchase Rail Europe’s “Norway in a Nutshell” pass and spend the entire vacation in Norway, where you’ll be see ocean, fjords, mountains and everything in between. The scenery is terrific. This pass allows you to travel by train, ferry and bus between two major Norwegian cities – Oslo and Bergen. The high season pass is valid for travel from May through September, with itineraries ranging from $225 to $368 per person. More information about “Norway in a Nutshell” is available visiting www.raileurope.com or through your travel agent. For more information about Norway, go to www.visitnorway.com. Rail Europe offers other Scandinavian rail passes as well, all of which let you explore the region at your own pace.

George Hobica is a travel writer living in New York City.

Ask George: During my last trip abroad, I thought I’d be smart and avoid the hassles of exchanging money by just using my credit card for the most of my purchases. But when the bill rolled in, all those currency conversion charges really added up. A lot! My family and I are planning a trip to Europe this summer and I don’t want to get a bill like that again. Are there any cards that don’t charge for currency conversions?

Answer: Actually, yes! This is straight from their site: “Capital One does not charge a fee for using your credit card for foreign currency transactions. Foreign purchases will be converted at the foreign exchange rate in effect at the time of posting the charge.” American Express has lower charges than most bank-issued credit cards, although not zero percent. Most other cards charge 3 percent or even more.

George Hobica is a travel writer living in New York City.

According to ITPro, Lastminute.com has plans to launch a talking foreign phrase book service for mobile phones. Travelers will be able to find 250-300 common phrases in six language (French, Greek, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese) with a cost of 3 GBP per language download . The software - which only works on Sony Ericsson and Nokia handsets at the moment - allows phones to play the phrase through the phone’s speaker. That way, travelers don’t have to guess at pronunciation, which is the major drawback to traditional phrase books and electronic interpreters on the market right now… This will primarily benefit European travelers for the time being, but U.S. travelers visiting several European countries in one trip might benefit from renting a compatible phone and firing up this service when it launches.

Men’s Vogue has a story out in this month’s issue about all the over-the-counter medicines you can get in Europe that aren’t available in the United States. Author Adam Sachs interviewed frequent travelers about their favorite remedies from UK and European pharmacies. Good info should you be traveling and find yourself enduring a splitting headache, heinous hangover or other such malady.

European Pharmacies Grant Easy Access to Drugs You Can’t Get at Home

Boat drinks. Tropical cocktails. You know, the sort of stuff that makes a vacation all that. Read our treatise on some places you - yes you - simply must try… before you die:

8 Places to Drink Before You Die

Over here at TravelPost.com, we love travel advice generated for travelers by travelers. While we’re all about hotel reviews, our pals at VirtualTourist are flush with travel guides, advice, tips and deals posted by real travelers. The site’s community of 850,000+ members from around the globe have posted 1.5 million reviews of shops, lodging options, restaurants and attractions in both popular and off-the-beaten path destinations. The reviews are well written and often include photographs taken during members’ travels. It’s a great resource to bookmark, whether you’re looking for the a city’s hot clubs or laid-back coffee shops.

To get to know the site, check out these VirtualTourist Travel Guides to popular destinations in Europe and the United States:

Paris Travel Guide

London Travel Guide

New York Travel Guide

San Francisco Travel Guide

Las Vegas Travel Guide

Orlando Travel Guide

Los Angeles Travel Guide

Prague Travel Guide

Rome Travel Guide

Patricia Shultz’s 1,000 Places to See Before You Die has captured the wanderlust of many a traveler. The Travel Channel took note of the book’s popularity and developed a television show based on Shultz’s worldly advice. 1,000 Places premiers tonight at 9 pm on the Travel Channel. To satisfy the modern viewer’s appetite for reality television, the on-screen version follows two newlyweds from Colorado on a 14-week round-the-world journey to 13 countries and 100 of Shultz’s suggested destinations. First stop? Alaska.

European Union ministers approved the Open Skies agreement yesterday in Brussels. As a result, airlines flying between Europe and the U.S. have fewer restrictions about where they must depart and land. For example, only certain U.S. airlines are allowed to land at London Heathrow International Airport at present. The new agreement would open gates up to airlines that have traditionally lacked access to this busy airport. And European airlines will be allowed to fly to U.S. cities from locations outside their home nations. The way things stand right now, European airlines, say Air France for example, can only fly to the U.S. from an airport in their own country - in Air France’s case, from France.

What does this mean for travelers? A greater variety of flight options between the U.S. and Europe, as well as lower fares on popular routes. But don’t expect to see any changes right away. Originally slated to take effect in October, the date has been pushed back to March 30, 2008.

Students take note. STA Travel’s Blowout Sale is offering low fares on roundtrip tickets, hostels and other adventures in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and Asia. Basically everywhere but the U.S. and Canada. The sale runs through Thursday, March 22. Among the discounted deals:

- $913 rountrip airfare to South Africa

- $5 hostel overnight stays

- Round the world tickets from $1193

- Roundtrip tickets to Europe starting at $139

Ch-ch-check it out.
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And you thought your last hotel stay was a drag… Swedish authorities have cracked down on a hotel in Kiruna that was caught offering guests overnight lodging in wooden “sheds” (I’m thinking we’re talking closets) housed inside the hotel restaurant. The hotel’s uncommon practice came to light after an unsuspecting couple arrived expecting regular hotel accommodations and were show to their shed. Officials say the arrangement violated fire safety laws.

Shed in Restaurant Used as Hotel Room