Budget Beef

When the money spent on a trip involving a two-night stay gets up to $500 and more for two persons, you might as well rename the box found in your accounts of weekend excursions “Money Is No Object.”

I have a similar complaint about your overseas reports. Let’s take Europe. Your paper gives the impression that one must spend an average of $100 or more per night. But there are plenty of alternatives. Not just youth hostels or obscure hospices that you tend to banish into separate columns, but real options for the average not-so-fussy traveler.

LORENZ RYCHNER

Sherman Oaks

My husband and I look forward to your weekly “Weekend Escape” articles, which vary greatly in subject and focus, from posh resorts in Palm Springs to family camping trips in Yosemite. We read with some amusement John Lybarger’s letter to the editor on June 19 (in which he described his own weekend visit to Santa Barbara, which cost him and his wife about $127).

It is hard to imagine critics like Mr. Lybarger requiring any guidance for their journeys other than a map with markers indicating the location of the nearest fast-food restaurant. For many of us, “indulging” in the unique local offerings of food, wine and atmosphere is one of the great joys of travel. It need not be costly, but it does require a willingness to adventure beyond the closest Be Bop Burger.

And if one wants to see a movie, it’s infinitely cheaper to stay home.

G. WALSH

Anaheim