Budget Travel editors: Let me refer you some recent Budget Travel articles filled with advice for those traveling to Cuba: Inside Cuba, Travel to Cuba: Essentials, Travel to Cuba: Highlights, Ask BT: Traveling to Cuba. The articles are filled with information on how to get to Cuba, and what not to miss while you're there.

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Knoxville, TN: Our family of four will be traveling through England and Scotland this spring. Which would be most enjoyable (least hassle) considering luggage--traveling by train or a potentially small rental car?

Budget Travel editors: Considering the size of most European rental cars, there's a good chance your family of four (with luggage) might be in for a tight squeeze if you decide to rent. However if you limit the number and size for your bags, a car is probably your best option. Try Europe By Car or Auto Europe for deals on car rentals.

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Tustin, CA: I'm planning a trip to Hawaii for April 07. When would be best to purchase airfare; now, or wait for later?

Budget Travel editors: That all depends. When purchasing airfare, it's important to be an informed consumer, meaning you should constantly shop around for the best price before you buy. How do you do that? First subscribe to online newsletters like Airfare Watchdog which notifies you of unadvertised fare reductions and other airfare sales for domestic and international travel. Another good idea is to check your preferred carrier's website daily for deals or special promotions. SAS, for example, is currently in the midst of it annual holiday sale unveiling a new low fare to Scandinavia everyday in December. Is it a flight to Hawaii? No, but the more investigating you do, the better your chances are of finding a cheap ticket. That said, expect to pay around $400 for a roundtrip ticket from California to Honolulu in April when pre-summer deals begin to appear.

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Saint Petersburg, FL: I will be traveling to Costa Rica during the last week of January. I need to renew my passport which has expired. How long does it take to get it back? Is it six weeks or more? I can't find this information anywhere. I know that I can pay for expedited service but would rather not have to if I don't need to.

Budget Travel editors: The best resource for passport information is the US state department's travel website. US citizens are able to renew their passports by mail if they meet certain requirements, which you'll see clearly listed on the site. Assuming you meet them, under normal circumstances, the mail-in renewal process should take six weeks from the moment you send your passport away until the time you receive the new one. With the expedited service, you get your passport within two weeks--and pay $60 more, plus overnight delivery charges. The website does include the following warning, however: "During busier times, such as the summer travel season, we encourage customers to expedite their applications if traveling in less than eight weeks." You may not have travel plans during the summer months, but you are sending the passport to be renewed with less than eight weeks notice in the middle of the holiday season. Save yourself an ulcer and use expedited service.

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New York, NY: I will be in New York at the Marriott on 42nd Street in early January. Where I can find cheap 24 hour garages? Marriott's rates are too high.

Budget Travel editors: We've recently run across a very useful website (nycgarages.com) that lists all New York City parking garages between Houston Street and 96th Street by daily and monthly parking rates. You can search by address, neighborhood, attraction, or cross street. Enter in the dates you'll be arriving and departing the garage and the website will calculate each garage's rates for you. Happy hunting!

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Budget Travel editors: Thanks for all of your questions!

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