IF you're in something of a quandary about Cup Match plans this year, be assured you are not alone. The usual requirements are still in place . . . a destination not too far away, but still unique and out of the ordinary.

But this year has added two more considerations. . .safety from terrorism possibilities and fear of SARS, the disease that began last November in China and is unfortunately spreading around the world.

Add yet another complication... With an unusually large number of Americans choosing close-by driving vacations this summer, the destination of your choice could be a quick sellout if it's stateside. With the world in turmoil, it's anyone's guess what's ahead.

Remember, there's always the option of checking on your favourite Bermuda resort property to see about availability of resident rates. . .or perhaps discovering a corner of Bermuda less known to you for a relaxing stay.

But there are possibilities, perhaps a bit different than what you did last year. Yes, you could rent a car and drive up along the Hudson River visiting a long list of major attractions. . .head for the Lehigh Valley or rediscover sights and shopping possibilities of Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Washington, Atlanta, etc.

How about these alternatives? Especially if you have some extra vacation days available.

VISIT NEW US HEADQUARTERS OF COUSTEAU SOCIETY - I've enjoyed exploring the late Jacques Cousteau's headquarters at a historic waterfront palace in Monaco and it was fascinating. But now you don't have to travel that far for a very special experience. The Cousteau Society has opened a new attraction along Virginia's downtown Hampton waterfront.

It's US offices are located on the second and third floor of the former Hampton Visitor Centre and the main level will house a variety of interesting displays. . .models of famed research vessels Calypso and Alcyone, a collection of past and present diving equipment and a rotating gallery of world-renowned underwater photography.

Artifacts from famed explorer Jacques and Yves Cousteau's expeditions will be on display, along with a shark cage and hovercraft that welcome visitors aboard for photos. When in port, Alcyone will be docked at the adjacent Hampton Public Pier and it can be toured. There's also a boutique for purchase of videos, books, clothing, even marine related jewellery.

LEWIS AND CLARK AT JEFFERSON'S MONTICELLO - Brace yourself. Starting this year and continuing for several more, you're going to be reading, seeing and hearing a lot about the great adventures of explorers Lewis and Clark.

Activities are off to a start this year commemorating Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase. All this year, visitors to that President's justly famed, self-designed country home at Charlottesville, Virginia can see "Framing The West At Monticello: Thomas Jefferson and the Lewis and Clark Expedition". www.monticello.org.

Jefferson displayed many items those explorers brought back to him from that fabled trip. . .natural history specimens and weapons along with Native American artifacts. There's a great deal to see in this entire area, definitely enough to make it a worthy destination.

Richmond, Virginia's Historical Society will have a year-long exhibit commemorating both the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark's expedition. It will also focus on the half-century of exploration that followed. . .those by the US Army, Zebulon Pike and John Fremont.

Expect Virginia to do all this with dash and flair. Tourism in that state is a 12.9 billion dollar industry with tourism the third largest employer.

CONSIDER TRAVELLING WITH ELDERHOSTEL - Bermudians are familiar with the programmes offered at the Research Station in conjunction with Elderhostel. The world's largest education and travel organisation dedicated to people age fifty-five and over, it also welcomes children and grandchildren on many of its special trips.

What started very small twenty-eight years ago now offers ten thousand programmes in over one hundred countries as well as in the US Yes, they want you to have fun and see new sights. . .but a key element of these trips is also educational, to expand your horizons, stimulate your thinking.

Leafing through the two hundred and six pages of just their US and Canada summer programme reveals endless possibilities. Some involve housing on college campuses, others use hotels and resorts.

Some examples. . .the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in a historic five storey townhouse specialises in music lovers programmes from jazz to Andrew Lloyd Webber. . .Pennsylvania State University houses participants in a historic inn on campus. Their July 27-August 1 programme features "Living In Harmony" with emphasis on gardening, cooking, yoga and tai chai.www.elderhostel.org (877) 426-8056.

NEW YORK FOR YOUNGSTERS - Although current trends seem to be away from big cities, there are still those drawn to New York. This summer the Big Apple is launching a promotion with an assortment of travel packages. With 69,850 rooms, there are obviously many options. If you're travelling with children or grandchildren, a number of them have special programmes for youngsters.

Some examples: The Westin New York at Times Square, 270 W. 43rd Street at 8th Ave. (212) 921-9575 hosts a Kids' Club. Young guests receive a sports bottle, toys, colouring books, even a bedtime story. A Moulton Brown amenities box with baby wash, diaper hamper, step stool, etc. welcomes the really young set.

Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square, 1568 Broadway at 47th St. (212) 719-1600 have a playroom full of toys, games and puzzles while the Inter Continental's The Barclay New York, 111 E. 48th between Lexington and Park Avenue (212) 755-5900 features a backpack filled with a night light, baseball cap and other goodies, along with a guidebook on kids events citywide.

Ritz Carlton Battery Park, Two West Street at Battery Place. (212) 344-0800 has a Ritz Kid's programme that features a toy menu from FOA Schwarz, a telephone available for viewing the Statue of Liberty, even bikes to tour Battery Park with their parents. At day's end, a "bath butler" will prepare a super bubble bath and a teddy bear will be waiting on their pillow.

For families with twins or triplets, the Gorham New York, 136 West 44th Street at 6th Ave. (212) 245-1800 has two and three seater strollers available. There's also "The Beast", a high speed powerboat that looks like one. It takes visitors on a fast fun tour of the city's waterways.

CONSIDER GOING TRANSATLANTIC - Going strong and promoting hard is Cunard, with the QEII on its last trans-Atlantic season before launching of Queen Mary II. As a repeat passenger, tempting brochures have been arriving in my mail with some frequency and the prices seem to keep going down. They're arriving from both Cunard and groups who've bought space to create special packages.

Are you ready for this? A six day crossing starts at $1,745, but remember, a price like that is for an inside room in a location that's often just one step above shovelling coal! And your dining room throughout the voyage is determined by your cabin location and price range. But it doesn't take too many hundred more to opt for a better outside cabin.

One offering from Grand Circle Travel, who will work with local agents, actually includes a free week in London in a first-class hotel with breakfast, free one-week underground and bus pass, some city sightseeing, Thames bus tour, transfers and baggage handling, along with one-way airfare either coming or going via New York or Newark. It begins at unbelievable low prices. www.gct.com.

But studying their brochure and deck plan, a July or August sailing in a lower deck outside room is as low as $1,845 plus port charges of $275 and government fee $36.61 for eastbound daily??? and $48.61 westbound. $3,845 will get you way up top and in the priority Queens Grill. Your travel agent will be able to plan either a quick crossing only getaway, or a longer stay. It's definitely worth considering.

There's a lot happening in the travel industry. In addition to United now Air Canada, Hawaiian and Columbia's Avianca have filed bankruptcy and American was again a few millimetres away from it after revelations about executive bonuses as I wrote this Easter Week. . .but all are continuing regular schedules.

Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific temporarily grounded much of its fleet because of the SARS epidemic in China and Singapore Airlines was talking about similar action.

Good news is the emergence of US Air from bankruptcy and planned weekly seasonal Saturday service from Bermuda to Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood Florida. If that goes through without a hitch, it would open up some really interesting new possibilities.

Besides the usual sightseeing for which the state is noted, you could even consider a short cruise to the Bahamas or Mayan Riviera. A number of cruise lines feature short trips to those destinations, especially now with emphasis on closer to home travel. Prices are very competitive with bargains that almost make it seem cheaper to cruise than stay at home.

Plane arrival and departure times make it feasible to go direct from plane to ship and vice versa if you can find a good match. However, a fare of $673.70 quoted to me by reservations is on the high side . . . watch for airline promotion sales.

And of course, Florida golf packages are very much in evidence Sterling Resorts was offering some at their beachfront properties in Destin that included three nights in a one-bedroom condo, one round of golf per day with priority tee times, along with use of a cart, bag storage and range balls. Rates ranged from $305 to $342 for a unit including a full kitchen.www.sterlingresorts.com.

If golf is your thing, your agent will know about many more such offerings. Ritz Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Florida has one that includes two rounds of golf with deluxe accommodations for $189 per room. New in January 2000, this 295 room resort is on the quieter side of the state, an area where I've spent many a happy hour shelling along the shore (800) 241-3333.

ENCOUNTERING NAPOLEON IN NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans is an exciting destination at any time, but special attention will focus on its Museum of Art through August 31st. To mark the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase, "Jefferson's America and Napoleon's France" will focus on both cultures during that era.

It's eclectic, to say the least, gathering together personal items of both men. It ranges from elaborate weaponry used in Napoleon's military campaigns, his throne, and personal items belonging to Empress Josephine as well as a variety of Native American artifacts.

Assembled for exhibit from museums, private collections, archives and libraries in both the US and France, it's another of those once in a lifetime events. There will also be tours of New Orleans' French Quarter areas dating to 1803. In addition, twenty restaurants will feature traditional menus of that era, with the opportunity to receive a piece of porcelain dinnerware as a gift at each of them. www.noma.org.

(Next Week - Edinburgh's Military Tattoo Is A Summer Spectacular)