Travel Briefs

WASHINGTON

Many Americans have ordered passport cards

Nearly 740,000 Americans have ordered passport cards, a new document being offered by the State Department to speed border crossings by U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Beginning in June 2009, travelers will be required to present documents proving both citizenship and identity when entering the U.S. through a land or sea border. For Americans who drive to Canada or Mexico or cruise regularly to the Caribbean, but who do not expect to fly abroad, the passport card is a cheaper, smaller, more portable alternative to a conventional passport book.

The card is especially popular with Americans who live in border states where it's not unusual to drive back and forth to Canada or Mexico. Residents of four border states -- Texas, California, Michigan and New York -- lead the country in the number of residents holding passport cards, according to Rima J. Vydmantas, spokeswoman for the State Department's Consular Affairs Bureau.

The passport card is the size of a credit card or driver's license, and has a photo and identification information printed on it, like a driver's license. It also contains a chip with a unique number that allows border officials to instantly retrieve your data from a government database.

It's not valid for air travel.

Passport cards are good for 10 years and cost $45 ($35 for children under 16). Applications can be made at any passport-processing site. If you already have a passport but want the card anyway because of the convenient size or quick scanning, it's only $20 and can be ordered by mail.

For details on how and where to get a passport card, visit www.travel.state.gov.

Processing time for applications for both passport books and passport cards are about three weeks for routine applications. Expedited service is not available for passport cards, but for passport books, expedited service takes about two weeks.

BISMARCK, N.D.

Places to enjoy winter in North Dakota

North Dakota had record snowfalls in December and the state's tourism agency has come up with lots of ways to enjoy winter there. They include:

• Marked and groomed snowmobile trails, 1,800 miles of 'em; details at www.snowmobilend.org.

• Four downhill ski and snowboard areas: Bottineau Winter Park, Bear's Den at Fort Ransom, Huff Hills at Mandan and Frost Fire Ski and Snowboard Area at Walhalla; www.skibwp.com, www.skibearsden.com, www.huffhills.com, www. frostfireskiarea.com,

• Cross-country ski trails, with some of the best in North Dakota's state parks and even on golf courses: www.parkrec.nd.gov/recreation/activities/ski.htm.

• Sledding: Sledding hills at Turtle River State Park and Camp of the Cross near Lake Metigoshe; dog-sledding at Prairie Isle Dog Trekking and Paw'tastic Dog Sledding at Binford, www.prairieisle.googlepages.com.

• Ice-fishing: For northern pike and walleye at Devils Lake, Lake Sakakawea, Lake Audubon and Lake Metigoshe, among other places; www.gf.nd.gov/fishing.

• Forts: Events recalling prairie winter days, pioneer-style, at Totten, Union, Buford, Abraham Lincoln and Abercrombie forts; www.history.nd.gov/historicsites.

• Parks: Snowshoeing, wildlife and winter scenery at places like Cross Ranch State Park, where you can see ice flowing by on the Missouri River; www.parkrec.nd.gov.

• International Peace Garden, U.S.-Canadian border, near Dunseith; www.peacegarden.com.

For more information, visit www.NDtourism.com or call (800) 435-5663.

BERLIN

Plenty of activities in Berlin for 2009

Berlin marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in October, but there are plenty of other cultural events going on as well. Here are a few of them:

• "Long Night of Museums," when 100 museums open their doors from 6 p.m. Saturday until 2 a.m. Jan. 31 and Aug. 29. With one ticket, patrons get admission to all participating venues and events and a shuttle bus to take them around; www.lange-nacht-der-museen.de.

• The 59th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), Feb. 5-15, with up to 400 films screened, many of them European premieres; www.berlinale.de.

• Berlin Carnival Costume Parade, Feb. 22, with a million spectators and participants.

• Festival Days at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, April 4-12, for fans of classical music, with a staging of Wagner's "Lohengrin" opera as one of the highlights.

• Extended Opera and Theater Night, April 25, when half-hour events are offered from 7 p.m. until 10 a.m. on 60 Berlin stages. Shuttle buses will carry visitors from theater to theater on seven different routes. The starting point and meeting spot is the Bebelplatz with an open-air stage, central box office, and information stand; www.kulturprojekte-berlin.de .

• Carnival of Cultures, May 29-June 1, with a parade of 100 groups and 4,000 performers from 80 nations; Children's Carnival May 28.

• Berlin's Lesbian and Gay Street Festival, June 20-21, and Christopher Street Day, June 27, the German equivalent of gay pride events in the U.S.

• Fete de la Musique, June 21, free concerts on more than 50 (mostly open-air) stages throughout Berlin.

• Jewish Cultural Days, Aug. 29-Sept. 6, at the Rykestrasse Synagogue, Rykestrasse 53.

• Classic Open Air Berlin, July 2-6, at Gendarmenmarkt square, with opera, classical and contemporary music performances.

• Berlin International Beer Festival, Aug. 7-9, when Karl-Marx-Allee turns into the world's longest beer garden and bar, with 190 breweries from 72 countries offering beer along a mile-long stretch.

• Real Berlin Marathon, Sept. 19-20, a 42-kilometer run that attracts athletes from around the world.

• Festival of Lights, Oct. 13-25, with fireworks, lightseeing tours, illuminated buildings and light shows.

• JazzFest Berlin, Nov. 5-8, with big bands and American and international jazz stars.

The year ends, as always, with the city's holiday markets leading up to Christmas.

NEW YORK

Luxury hotels offering third night free

Nine luxury hotels in New York City are offering a third night's stay free after you book and pay for two consecutive nights between Jan. 9 and Feb. 27.

Details of the program are at www.nycgo.com/thirdnight.

The luxury hotels participating in the program this winter are Jumeirah Essex House, Loews Regency, the London NYC, the Sherry-Netherland Hotel, Trump International Hotel & Tower, Waldorf Towers, The Plaza Hotel, The New York Palace and the Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel.

EAGLE ISLAND, Aruba

New water park opens in Aruba

A new water park has opened in Aruba.

The 28,000-square-foot Morgan's Island park opened in December near the La Cabana resort on Eagle Beach. The park features slides and rides with twists, dips and funnels, and a freefall, one-person water slide with a 69-foot vertical drop.

Other attractions include giant double wave pools with a wraparound lounging area for families, and a kids-only pool area with water spouts and slides. Showers, changing and locker rooms, a game parlor, food and an infirmary are also on site.

Morgan's Island is open daily from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Details at www.arubamorgansisland. com.

For general information about vacations in Aruba, visit www.aruba.com.