How about taking time to plan a real or imaginery trip, just for the fun of it? Maybe you're spending your discretionary cash on gifts for the grandkids or like me...a new computer which wasn't in my budgetary plan. So why not give LP's Experimental Travel a whirl for fun & games.

There was an article in last Sunday's Oregonian travel section which started me researching. Lonely Planet does have a book to sell you but I found I could have a great time using their theory, suggestions, & my crativity. The basic definition of ET is any travel that deviates from the norm. The more inventive, spontaneous, adventurous, playful, the better. Your journey's methodology is clear but the destinations are usually unknown. While I found that the suggestions were sometimes quite contrived & a couple, downright dangerous, I did find lots of ideas to pursue, if only vicariously.

So I challenge you, Ziners, to expand on LP's ideas & plan an Experimental Travel journey.....& then tell us about it. ; Here's an idea starter from Lonely Planet's site Lyrical Tourism: Explore a city via the lyrics of a song that pays tribute to it. Travel to that city & recreate the various scenes from the song. Well, I'm changing the rules just a bit so you can play along. Guess the 1st song & then come up with the next scenario. Since I'm in the Western US I thought that I'd hop on a plane & jet to San Fran ...singing all the way....when I get there, I'm going to take the cable car to the top of the highest hill on a starry night, & sing out until the morning mist rolls in ........on the way back to the airport, I'm heart-broken, of course, because______________(this one's easy) Name the song that brought me to San Fran & you're on for the next one.

If that one's too easy, here's another W. coast of the USA, song.....little further south in the city of the famous rose parade & bowl. That might be too American....oh, well....I said it was harder. Since I'm 65 years old & a woman, I qualify to sing this Beach Boys' song as I drive my convertible, top down, along the CA freeway to the beach. And I'm singing.........

For more on this interesting way to travel, check out http://www.lonelyplanet.com

Carol Bailey, Central Oregon coast