News services report that many Mexican resorts, including Cancun, now offer what they call “flu free guarantee” deals. Since the swine flu outbreak and widespread panic it’s causing, tourists have been staying away and cancelling vacations in the Mexican coastal resorts.

In an attempt to get vacationers back from the U.S. and elsewhere, the offer is for those visitors who actually catch the H1N1 disease while in Mexico. If they can provide medical proof of their ailment, they get their next three vacations in Mexican resorts free. Of course, that is assuming they’ll recover and be healthy enough to take advantage of those free deals.

Many visitors to the Grand Canyon would like to take one of those picturesque mule rides down from the South Rim to the bottom of the Canyon. It is a great adventure, but visitors can’t just go over to the corral at Bright Angel and join the parade that day.

It requires a reservation made at least six months in advance, and for summer vacation times, it may take a year or more to get on the list. For information, call 1-888-297-2757. Another note of warning. Many people get their names on the waiting list, and show up hoping there will be cancellations. That doesn’t happen often, so your best bet is to plan your Grand Canyon trip after you have a definite mule ride reservation.

Closed off to the public since 9/11/01 because of fears of another terrorist attack in New York City, the crown of the Statue of Liberty will finally reopen. With all patriotic symbolism, bands, political speeches, flags and fireworks, the official reopening ceremony will be held July 4.

Despite the fact that several weeks ago, a clueless Washington bureaucrat sent Air Force One soaring too close over the statue and scared the hell out of New Yorkers, all of Miss Liberty is now considered perfectly safe for visitors. First, after a boat ride from Manhattan, they take the elevator from the statue’s base, then climb the 168 steps to the observation platform.

The area has room for just 30 people at a time, and when the crowds are large, guards move everyone along so that each gets only a few moments in the crown. There they can stare 15 miles out of the 25 windows at the harbor, Ellis Island and a calmer New York City.

We’ve been getting emails all week since Vice President Joe Biden frightened the hell out of travelers by telling them not to fly or ride the subway because of the new flu bug. Then, a couple of days later, the White House flack said Mr. Biden had “misspoken”. We guess that meant it’s very dangerous to fly or ride the subway with Joe Biden.