The Raphael, a boutique hotel across from Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, is marking the near completion of its restoration with a “renovation celebration.”

The package includes a night in one of the newly finished rooms, a $10 dining certificate for…

Monasterystays.com says it can find travelers a safe, friendly place to room in authentic monastery and convent guest houses that provide bed-and-breakfast accommodations in Italy.

The lodging is billed as “a great way to experience a real slice of Italian life…

TripAdvisor.com says Internet searches about travel to Mexico have dropped 50 percent in the past week, apparently because of concern about swine flu.

In contrast, inquiries about Caribbean travel have increased about 30 percent over the same period.

Trip.advisor also said it…

At first glance, Justin Cord Hayes’ new book, “747 Things to Do on a Plane” ($10.95, www.adamsmedia.com) seems like a good idea. Everybody’s been bored to tears on a long flight.

But No 240 sounds like a bad idea, if you’re…

The official Chicago Architecture Foundation river cruise season opens May 2, but tickets are available now.

The architecture river cruise is offered aboard Chicago’s First Lady Cruises cruising yachts, with open-air decks as well as air-conditioned interior seating.

The cruises depart from…