Q: We're going to be in London this summer and would like to make a side trip to Mykonos. I'm trying to figure out which airlines fly nonstop from London to the island and how much fares would be, but it's not particularly easy to do. Can you help? Also, if there an official Mykonos tourist site?

A: As far as I can make out, British Airways (www.ba.com) flies this route nonstop from London's Gatwick Airport only, with fares as low as $130 each way, but many dates are completely sold out for travel in July and August, and only the higher fares are available on days when there are seats. Also a possibility is Astraeus (www.flystar.com), which I believe offers nonstop charter flights from Gatwick, and charter operator XL Airways (www.xl.com), also from Gatwick. As a side note, other airlines flying nonstop from European cities to Mykonos are TUI, Condor, and Transavia, among others. You can find route maps for these and dozens of other airlines on the Airfarewatchdog.com route maps page. Visit the island's Web site at http://www.mykonos.gr/DefaultEn.asp and you'll find some reviews of Mykonos on TravelPost.com.

Q. Why doesn't Travelocity allow a flexible search to international destinations, like Cancun for example?!

A. Travelocity doesn't allow international flexible searches because the US Department of Transportation objected to their practice of not including fuel surcharges and other fees in their fare results. As you know, these can amount to hundreds of dollars. So the DOT told them to stop providing international flex fares. You can use zuji.com which is owned by Travelocity to find all kinds of international fares on a flexible date basis, over a range of 330 days from today, or Orbitz.com for searches over any 30 day period.

Q: Perhaps you can explain this anomaly to me: I wanted to buy a ticket to Cali, Columbia from Boston. I was quoted a fare of $1034 roundtrip. But then I discovered that the fare from Boston to Miami was $234 round trip and then the fare from Miami to Cali was $381 roundtrip. The airline rep at Continental said I had to buy a through ticket and couldn't split the fare. Why not?

A: It's maddening and confusing, but sometimes it's cheaper to buy a "split fare" like this rather than a single through ticket. The only way you can tell is by pricing the seats separately. This is something a clever travel agent would have figured out for you. Too bad so many of them have been put out of business by the Internet. There's absolutely no reason why you can't buy two separate fares and save a bundle. Just make sure there's plenty of time to make the connection in Miami, and realize that there may be different rules for checked baggage (international rules may be more stringent than domestic). Also, should you miss your connection for whatever reason in Miami, the airline will be far less sympathetic than had you bought a single fare.

Q: We've heard that Suriname is an interesting and inexpensive place to visit. Where is it and how do we go about arranging a trip there? Also, do we need a visa and if so how much does it cost?

A: Suriname borders the Atlantic Ocean, Guyana, Brazil, and French Guiana. It's indeed a cheap and enchanting place to visit, with wildlife-filled rain forests and great beaches. You can fly to Suriname from Miami via Curacao on American Airlines. A visa is required and costs $45. To apply or for tourist information, visit surinameembassy.org.

Q: We will be visiting Vienna in August for three days and are wondering if there is a travel or visitors pass for the city. Also, where we can get discount tickets to the Vienna State Opera?

A: The Vienna Card costs approximately $20 and offers unlimited free travel by underground, bus (excluding night buses) and tram for 72 hours, and discounts or special promotions to 150 museums, theaters, concerts, shops, restaurants, cafes and wine taverns. In addition, you can use the card to get a discount on the shuttle bus between the airport and city. Among the attractions listed in the Vienna Card are the Dali-Exhibition, Sigmund Freud Museum, National Theater, Otto Wagner's Court Pavilion, Stadtbahn Pavilion and Residence and more. A 72-page coupon book lists the attractions and benefits. The Vienna Card is available from your hotel, at Tourist Information Offices, at the Vienna Transport sales counters and information offices or visiting europeancitycards.com, where you'll see that dozens of European cities, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, and Zurich offer similar cards. If you're hoping to catch an opera, you're out of luck since there are generally no opera performances in July and August. There are, however, concerts featuring the work of Mozart this August. For more information about Vienna, visit www.wien.gv.at/english.

Q: We'd like to visit Aruba but we've found that most rental car companies won't rent to people over 70, an age group to which we belong. Can you find us a rental car company and if not can you recommend a beachfront hotel that's within walking distance of the main attractions?

A: Since Aruba is so compact (19 x 6 miles) and public transportation and taxis are easy and cheap to use, you may not need a rental car at all. Plus, rental cars on Aruba can be expensive, especially when you add the taxes and insurance. Honestly, I'd just choose a centrally located resort, such as the Brickell Bay Beach Club. For more information about Aruba, call 1-800-TOARUBA or visit www.aruba.com.