It’s a timeless magic wonderland. The park has been a fun area for more than 100 years, a quiet wooded haven for San Franciscans who need to get away from the stone, steel and cement and traffic-jammed streets. The 1,000-acre strip of lush green rolls from Stanyan Street to the shores of the Pacific.

Hike, jog and bike trails circle through the beautiful scenery. For the sports enthusiast, a nine-hole golf course beckons, as well as fields for football, soccer, baseball and lawn bowling. A riding academy offers horseback experiences. There's also a spacious greenhouse exhibiting hundreds of exotic trees and plants from all over the world.

On your next extended car or RV journey with your gang, instead of everyone spending all the time poking at their Smartphones, do some old-fashioned group singing. Before you go, research lyrics and print up pages for all car occupants. Choosing the best travel songs is a matter of who’s along for the ride. 

If the driver is grandpop and the passengers in the back are very young kids, the songs will likely be old traditional favorites, mostly campfire and Disney songs. If grandpop is old enough to prefer Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee and Bing Crosby songs to sing, he probably shouldn’t be behind the wheel at his advanced age.

If the driver is a graying 60ish, and the people in the back are into their 30s, the travel songs filling the air may be by the Beatles, Presley, the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Springsteen.

Ah, Paris! City of lovers! A comfy, intimate hotel room overlooking the Eiffel Tower ... and overlooking hiked-up pricing. We won’t go into names, but a half-dozen online travel agencies recently each quoted the same rate for a so-called upscale Parisian hotel.

Was it a coincidence that that they all listed the deal at $77 a night? It's a fantastic bargain, if that’s all you’ll pay. Of course, in another part of the promo, there were the real totals listed in much smaller type, and the $77 leaped up to $170 and more to be taken out of your pocket.

In many cities, guides must be licensed, while some are just locals trying to make a living. It's safest to deal with approved ones.

One couple told us they were in Marrakesh, Morocco, at picturesque Djemaa Al Fna Square, where the Americans were met by Ahmed. They asked to hit all the tourist spots in the Medina, the old city. He spoke basic English and promised he could guide them everywhere important.

Marrakesh is a maze of alleys and streets, and strangers have difficultly getting around without help. Ahmed took them to popular locations. It was a pleasant and safe experience. However, it could have been something else.

Here are tips if you decide to use local guides in foreign cities.