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we've traveled frequently in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe and Central and South America. While inflated prices are keeping us away from some destinations, we still try to make our pension money and fading investment nest egg stretch as far as possible.

For instance, a charming little bed and breakfast on the canal in Amsterdam cost us $50 a night with a full breakfast in 1991, 1994 and 1997. Last year we paid $250, and breakfast, which we declined, would have been another $15 each. The owner moaned about his own inflation troubles and the dropping value of the U.S. dollar. We understand his plight, but won't stay there again unless his prices drop to something more reasonable for our already-stretched budget.

We've watched the changes in the tourist scene go from the relatively bucolic 1990s to the nervous, suspicious, dangerous 2000s. The fact that we're now elderly contributes to our fears that our safety while traveling could be threatened more and more as each year passes. We now consider ourselves no longer wide-eyed, trusting not-so-ugly Americans tourists, but a Mr. and Mrs. Sleuth for detecting the growing dangers out there.

Here are some of our well-weathered tips for keeping your money and your person less vulnerable while traveling:

1. Carry only a small amount of cash on your person at any time. Leave most in the hotel front desk or room safe. Buy with universal travelers checks and credit cards (with $1,000 limit). Don't walk the streets with a dangling handbag or wallet poking out of an outside pocket. Keep everything close, and be on the watch for pickpockets who use different devices to distract and then rob you.

In Rome, near the Vatican, friends were approached by a trio of well-dressed, cute little kids. When the tourists leaned down to admire them, two teens ran swiftly up behind them and took off with their handbags.

2. When returning to your hotel room late at night, if you feel insecure, ask for a security person to escort you to your room. My spouse, who rarely stays up beyond 11 pm at home, has a different schedule on our four-time-a-years visit to Las Vegas. After hours on the slot machines, she often returns to the hotel room at 3 or 4 am. Our rule is that she must call me to come down to the casino level and ride the elevator up to the room, together or if she's considerate enough to let me sleep, she requests a hotel employee to escort her.

3. If someone knocks on your hotel room door at any time of the day or night and says he/she

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