Every week, as I read the Travel Section of the New York Times, I take an imaginary trip to "far-off places with strange sounding names." The travel writer transports me, with his words and descriptions, to vicarious situations and experiences far from the Island of Long. I am exhausted when I lay down the newspaper.

Recently I have been involved in discussions on the best way to travel in the hope of seeing and being in a foreign milieu. Let me list a few of my points of contention.

1. Air Travel - Airplanes get you there quicker! You are at your destination sooner, but at 30,000 feet above the ground, you have not seen very much. The topography is comparable to a relief map in an atlas. No names are supplied for meandering rivers, towering mountain ranges and lovely hamlets. Flying, strapped in your seat in cramped quarters, eating boxed food testifies that only the final destination is important.

2. Train - Railroad travel is usually more genteel and refined. The train has its own aura. It is a comfortable place going to another place. One can walk around, speak to fellow passengers, eat in an elegant dining car and not be constrained by seat belts. The countryside unfolds as a panorama and can be viewed close-up.

3. Bus - The bus is a bit slower and grittier. You will definitely meet more people. Traffic conditions on the highway become a factor. Red lights and auto accidents will slow your trip. The dining sports will not have the same ambience and luxury as on a train. You will see more, meet more fellow travelers and yet have a feeling of confinement.

4. Automobile - Driving your own car is the ultimate in freedom. You control your own destiny. "Go and stop anywhere you please." Planning, however, is more essential to an automobile trip. Getting lost in foreign lands due to foreign road signs is not unheard of. Good map-reading skills are a must. You can stop if something interests you and you can go back to something you previously enjoyed. The driver is fully in charge and it can become tedious as the tour goes forward.

5. Boats - Cruises are luxurious. The ship is part of the destination. During the day you charge into the port where you are tethered, see as much as you can, as fast as you can and return to the safety and plushness of your boat. A cruise is actually two separate vacations - the boat and the ports you stop at. Only tiny views of a country and/or port are appreciable in these short bursts.

I have given my jaundiced view of various methods of travel. I have not mentioned the "Combination Plate." Fly to one place and rent a car. That's fun! Take a train, get off and take a guided tour. Also good!

Use your own sense of comfortability and ease to make your travel plans. I have only asserted my prejudices on you, my lovely readers.

Bon voyage! Gute Reise!

P.S. Send me your ideas on traveling - shgreenbug@aol.com