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clubs. Frequent-flier membership doesn’t cost a cent, but it does entitle you to free tickets or upgrades when you amass the airline’s required number of frequent-flier points. You don’t even have to fly to earn points; frequent-flier credit cards can earn you thousands of miles for doing your everyday shopping. But keep in mind that award seats are limited, seats on popular routes are hard to snag, and more and more major airlines are cutting their expiration periods for mileage points—so check your airline’s frequent-flier program so you don’t lose your miles before you use them. Inside tip: Award seats are offered almost a year in advance, but seats also open up at the last minute, so if your travel plans are flexible, you may strike gold. To play the frequent-flier game to your best advantage, consult the community bulletin boards on FlyerTalk (www.flyertalk.com) or go to Randy Petersen’s Inside Flyer (www.insideflyer.com). Petersen and friends review all the programs in detail and post regular updates on changes in policies and trends.

Your Departure: Agricultural Screening at the Airports

All baggage and passengers bound for the mainland must be screened by agricultural officials before boarding. This takes a little time but isn’t a problem unless you happen to be carrying a football-size local avocado home to Aunt Emma. Officials will confiscate fresh avocados, bananas, mangoes, and many other kinds of local produce in the name of fruit-fly control. Pineapples, coconuts, and papayas inspected and certified for export; boxed flowers; leis without seeds; and processed foods (macadamia nuts, coffee, jams, dried fruit, and the like) will pass. Call federal agricultural officials ( 80 8/877-8757) before leaving for the airport if you’re not sure about your trophy.

Coping with Jet Lag

Jet lag is a pitfall of traveling across time zones. If you’re flying north to south and you feel sluggish when you touch down, your symptoms will be caused by dehydration and the general stress of air travel. When you travel east to west, as you do when going to Hawaii, however, your body becomes thoroughly confused about what time it is, and everything from your digestion to your brain gets knocked for a loop. Traveling east, say, from Kauai to Los Angeles, is less difficult on your internal clock than traveling west, say from Atlanta to Hawaii, as most peoples’ bodies find it more acceptable to stay up late than to fall asleep early.

Here are some tips for combating jet lag:

• Reset your watch to your destination time before you board the plane.

• Drink lots of water before, during, and after your flight. Avoid alcohol.

• Exercise and sleep well for a few days before your trip.

• If you have trouble sleeping on planes, fly eastward on morning flights.

• Daylight is the key to resetting your body clock. At the website for Outside In (www.bodyclock.com), you can get a customized plan of when to seek and avoid light.

• If you need help getting to sleep earlier than you usually would, doctors recommend taking either the hormone melatonin or the sleeping pill Ambien—but not together. Take 2 to 5 milligrams of melatonin about 2 hours before your planned bedtime.

GETTING AROUND

By Car

You need a car to see and do everything on Kauai. Luckily, driving here is easy. There are only two major highways, each beginning in Lihue. From Lihue Airport, turn right, and you’ll be on Kapule Highway (Hwy. 51), which eventually merges into Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 56) a mile down. This road will take you to the Coconut Coast and through the North Shore before it reaches a dead end at Kee Beach, where the Na Pali Coast begins.

If you turn left from Lihue Airport and follow Kapule Highway (Hwy. 51), you’ll pass through Lihue and Nawiliwili. Turning on Nawiliwili Road (Hwy. 58) will bring you to its intersection with Kaumualii Highway (Hwy. 50), which will take you to the south and southwest sections of the island. This road doesn’t follow the coast, however, so if you’re heading to Poipu (and most people are), take Maluhia Road (Hwy. 520) south.

Kaumualii