Take Off Some Pounds For That Visit To Scotland

Our group of four plans to visit Scotland in September and travel in a rented van. Any suggestions about how we can ease the dollar-versus-pound expenses?

Language lesson first: Ask for a "people carrier" instead of a van, or you'll probably end up with something you could move furniture in. But if your group doesn't have a ton of luggage, you might want to consider not renting a van at all. The tab for a Kia Sedona people carrier, for example, is $642 a week through the British car rental firm 1car1, compared with $356 for a five-passenger, manual transmission Vectra. (It looks like a Toyota Camry.)

Linda Daller of 1car1 said the Vectra should fit your group of four comfortably, assuming one piece of luggage each. Both rates include all taxes and fees, and the company offers a free meet-and-greet service at most U.K. airports. Call 1-866-362-3121 or go to www.1car1.us.

To trim lodging costs, stay in self-catering cottages rather than hotels, advises Jeremy Viray of VisitBritain, the United Kingdom's tourism office. These short-term rentals can be found in almost every region and usually house up to eight people. VisitBritain's online catalogue, for example, includes West Holmhead Cottage, on an organic farm above Loch Ken in southwest Scotland "surrounded by woodlands, rocks, flowering marshes, rivers and green hills, with wonderful wildlife." The 250-year-old stone cottage rents for $435 to $750 a week. Self-catering cottages also cut down on food expenses. You can search for them by city and region at www.visitbritain.us; click on "Accommodation" then "Short-term rental."

If culture is on your agenda, you'll find that admission to many of Glasgow's galleries and museums is free, including Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (the U.K.'s most-visited museum outside London) and Edinburgh's National Museum of Scotland. If stately homes are your thing, consider VisitBritain's Great British Heritage Pass, which allows unlimited entry to about 600 stately homes, castles and properties throughout the country. A four-day pass is $60; seven-day, $88; 15-day, $117; and 30-day, $157. Go to www.visitbritain.com/onlineshop.

My beau and I would like to spend a week of vacation on windsurfing lessons in Florida or the Caribbean. Ideas?

There's no shortage of windsurfing schools in either location. Windsurfing magazine (www.windsurfingmag .com) has a list of certified schools and shops in the United States, including 11 in Florida (two in the Tampa Bay area). In the Caribbean, good windsurfing destinations include Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Puerto Rico and, in the British Virgin Islands, Tortola.