Canes make you look old. Hiking sticks, however, make you look athletic. Both aid balance so why look old?

If you've ever tried a hiking/walking stick over uneven ground, you know how much more secure and balanced you feel with one, or two.

If your travel is by car, go wild with a unique, hand-crafted wooden job. The trick is to pick one that fits your grip and height without being too heavy or cumbersome.

Tip:Physical therapists at Brooks Rehabilitation Center and the Jacksonville Orthopedic Institute recommend moving the stick simultaneously with your weaker side.

Flyers are limited to the retractable variety. Sports shops or outfitters usually stock several models in a rainbow of colors. These are adjustable, so height and grip are not an issue, but security is.  Test a stick for how much weight you can put on it before the twisted-in-place-adjusters loosen. If traveling to extreme climates, ask how cold and heat affect those closures and make sure you can return it if it doesn't perform as promised.

Tip: Measure your luggage before shopping for a retractable stick. I haven't been able to find a stick that fits in anything smaller than a 26-inch suitcase, so if you find one, please let us know the brand.  

Panama City Beach goes to extremes.

 You can almost touch the free-roaming deer at one end of the 27-mile-long strip and at the other you find hi-rise condos and a new take on shopping/entertainment centers. In between - a sampling of ocean-side tourist attractions over the past 60 years.

 St. Andrews State Recreation Area on the east end is the gem where the deer roam. Well-managed facilities bring 21st century comfort to a day spent in this preserved paradise.

Tip: Gently sloped ramps and nearby parking make beach assess a snap for Levelers.

 You'll find Margaritaville, Ron Jon Surf Shop, JC Penney, Target and a city of specialty shops and restaurants at Pier Park, a Simons project, in turn-of-the-century style buildings painted in beachy pastels on the west end.

 It has become the post sunset hot spot but for pre-sunset, don't miss Schooners, supposedly the last local beach club on the strip. In a long-standing tradition, sunset is celebrated each evening by firing off a cannon. Pours of adult beverages are generous and fairly priced at this on-the-beach spot. Tip: The marquee tells you what time sunset occurs each day.

Bayfront accommodations are a good compromise for boaters, fisherfolk, families, golfers and shellers. The condos at Reflections at Bay Point. for example, offer the amenities of golf, dining, spa and pool available to guests at Grand Residence by Marriott at Bay Point and the convenience and economy of a well-equipped kitchen without sacrificing spectacular views.

Regularly scheduled expedition boats will take guests to the prisitine Shell Island for a few hours or the whole day. Fishing charters are nearby as are all the oceanfront attractions as well as Publix and Winn-Dixie grocery stores. 

Tip: This is a great travel destination for Levelers. Steps are few and when they aren't, ramps are at hand. Even excursion boats are easily accessed.

     If you've always wanted to cruise on a high-end line, now's the time to get serious. According to Johanne Jainchill in today's Travel Weekly cruise edition, luxury lines are offering some remarkable deals.

     Crystal is offering a $2,000 per couple onboard credit on many cruises, including some starting at $3,240 oer person.

     Seabourn has reduced some of its European cruises as much as 65 percent off the published brochure fare. A seven-day Mediterranean cruise starts at $2,999 per person - and that's inclusive, liquor and all. 

     Silversea  Cruises has taken 50 percent off of its fares to the Arctic and Antarctic as well as to Europe.

     SeaDream Yacht Club even has a promotion for tax accountants, a nine-day Caribbean cruise leaving San Juan April 17 priced at $2,999, considerably lower than the brochure rate of $7,400.

    If that works, perhaps they'll offer a break to the hard-pressed clients of those tax pros who have to pony up money to Uncle Sam.

    As usual, these deals are available through travel agents. If you don't have one, find a cruise specialist at www.cruising.org.

     Haven't hit a hill worth the name during a wonderful week of traveling in Florida and Georgia, which is reason No. 1 why these are primo Leveler destinations.

     Take for example Apalachicola - Apalach, to old-timers. It's in Florida's Big Bend area at the confluence of the Apalachicola River and Bay.

     Tip: You Snowbirds need to detour off of I-75 for this area to see the real Florida of tranquil rivers and aqua blue bays. Better be quick, though. US 98 is fast becoming a sea level version of California's Coastal Highway 1. A few more seasons of storms and the Gulf of Mexico will be coming up under the pavement.

     Turn-of-the-century buildings house boutiques and book shops, hostelries and purveyors of all things maritime.

    That's where you wander to work off a lunch or dinner of what many consider the world's sweetest and best oysters. The fish is good, too, but Apalach is known for its oysters: 10 percent of those consumed in the nation, 90 percent of those slurped down by Floridians come from these waters.

    Visitors were waiting in line for a table at Apalachicola Seafood Grill located on Market Street at the historic town's only traffic light. This popular spot claims the biggest fish sandwich and best prices but I was totally satisfied and sated at Boss Oyster House overlooking the riverfront piers on Water Street.

     You'd think an oyster basket would contain a lunch-sized portion but here it brimmed with TWO dozen two- and three-bite fried oysters. Plus the best cheese grits around, cole slaw and, as if you'd have room, several corn fritters. Yumm.

     Tip: I skimmed the shops until reaching Riverlily on Market Street. It's loaded with things you don't need and a lot more that you'll want. The Baekgaard line of colorful leather goods perfect for traveling caught my eye.

      Amsterdam gets most Netherlands-bound tourists, but The Hague is well worth a day or two's visit. It's easy, too.

      Levelers will appreciate its relativeness flatness if not its cobblestones. Lots of cobblestones, so pace yourself.

      If you like art, Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery, in the city's center, is the place to go for Vermeers and Rembrandts; it has three Vermeers, including Girl with the Pearl Earring. There are 16 Rembrandts, 13 paintings by Jan Steen and major works by Hals, Ruysdael, Memling, Rubens.

       ''The smallest of the great museums, the greatest of the small museums'' was how docent Jane Choy described the home-turned-museum that was originally opened to ''people dressed properly and without children.''

      Tip: There are stairs, broad and fairly easy to negotiate, but use the elevator if you prefer. Choy said the best time to see  the Vermeers is at 11 a.m. on a sunny day to take advantage of the natural light from the room's tall windows.

      Smaller and more intimate than most museums, Mauritshuis' size makes it perfect for studying the impressive collection rather than dashing through it. Like most museums, it has a cafe and gift shop.

Whoops. Didn't mean to ignore all you Levelers for so, long but had a good excuse. Got WellsWords.com, a site where you can go to read the whole story on what catches your interest here, up and running.

Meanwhile, reviewed notes taken during a typical week-long Caribbean cruise - San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, USVI; Antigua; Tortola, BVI; and Nassau, Bahamas - on Carnival's Liberty out of Ft. Lauderdale. Decided to share some impressions, tips and warnings in case you are planning to flee winter by cruising south.

 San Juan. Arrival a little before 5 p.m. and departure at midnight didn't leave much time for sightseeing, but I had a mission. I wanted to see the cathedral where Ponce de Leon, "discoverer" of Florida, was buried and sample a Pina Colada at Barrachina Restaurant, where the drink was supposedly invented in 1963.

Tip: Having a mission - something to see, find or do - at a destination livens up a trip. Even if it proves less than memorable, getting there and back usually is.

A $7 cab ride - they give printed receipts! - took me to a high spot - literally - in Old San Juan, which turned out well because everything else was downhill. 

One mission accomplished, I headed to Barranchina, a pretty if touristy place to idle where the bartender was from New Jersey!

Warning: Don't gawk and walk at the same time. Sidewalks and streets in scenic Old San Juan are cobbled, cracked and anything but level.

I come by that advice firsthand. I did try to walk and gawk, took a bad spill and had to spend the rest of the night on board RICEing (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).

It did, however, require hitting another fun place, Puerto Rico Drug Co., est. 1850, a 9,500-square-foot emporium of rum, cold beer, groceries, electronics, souvenirs and, whew, Ace bandages.

Tip: If the Duty Free shop in the ship terminal is having a sale, don't miss it. Bought a bottle of my favorite perfume for half of their price.

 St. Thomas. "Bustling" is the word for this port, "shop, shop, shopping" for its downtown. We took a three-hour excursion to an overview from which we saw Charlotte Amalie, capital of the Virgin Islands; to the Northside for a look at Drake's Passage; to Mountain Top, supposedly home of the banana daiquiri, then to Emerald Beach for lunch and, as it turned out, a wedding.

That left all afternoon for shopping - the ship departed at 6 p.m. - but I found the prices a bit high. With three other ships in port, it was crowded and perhaps the merchants had made enough sales they didn't have the incentive to bargain.

Tip: The island is mountainous so see it by safari van. They'll drop you off downtown, which is flat, and you can take a jitney to the ship terminal. Don't forget, though, there is invariably a hefty hike before you reach yours. If you are tempted to take a boat excursion or try out a water sport, this is the stop to do it.

Antigua. This is the place for history buffs. Antigua was the Caribbean base for the British Royal Navy in its heyday; Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson met Lady Hamilton here.

Most van tours hit the high - literally - spots, Dow's Hill Visitors Center,  the Blockhouse and Shirley Heights Lookout. The views are great but save yourself for Nelson's Dockyard, the world's last Georgian naval dockyard still in use. History comes alive in these fascinating buildings. You'll want to wander the docks, too, where today's well-heeled sailors tie up.

Tip: Antiguans are sweet, even when you tell them no. Found the best prices here, too. Head back to the ship early enough to sit at a cafe near the terminal entrance, sip a cool beverage and watch the street performers. Between their antics and those of returning cruisers, it's the best entertainment in town.

Tortola: This may be the dearest, sweetest island of them all. We took a four-hour excursion around the island with Elroy, owner, driver and raconteur of Elroy's Pleasure Tours which again, hit the high-up spots. He told us the island was named for its turtle doves, not sea turtles, that the frequent speed bumps were called "silent policemen" and described Bomba Shack, a jumble on the side of a cliff that had been thrown together from hurricane debris, as the island's "most powerful restaurant."

After this last hurricane season, it was probably blown down but I hope also rebuilt.

Tip: If your ship, like ours, arrives in the morning and leaves mid afternoon, you won't have time to tour the island and shop downtown. If you can snag Elroy, tour.

Of all the islands we hit, this is the one I'd go back to first.

Nassau. Winds kept us from docking in Nassau, but having been there before I really didn't miss it. There are a few fun things to do, kids love to tour and swim at Atlantis on Paradise Island and you can finish any leftover shopping, but relax on a beach or enjoy the ship is my recommendation.