(MONEY Magazine) – High-season sale

The priciest part of a summer vacation to Europe can often be the trip over. So consider this strategy for finding a low-priced flight. International airlines that fly from the U.S. to Asia and the Middle East generally stop first in Europe to refuel and pick up passengers. To fill empty seats on the transatlantic leg, the carriers turn to consolidators, and those fares can go for $500 to $600. In late winter, the lowest published fares to Europe in June, July and August fell between $800 and $900. For that same period, Air India has round-trip flights between New York City and London for about $510 (call Air and Cruise Line Travel at 212-689-9455); Singapore Airlines charges $620 from New York to Frankfurt (Travel Point; 212-967-1766); and Royal Jordanian has $610 New York-to-Amsterdam fares (Zohny Travel; 212-953-0077). Remember: Consolidator tickets are nonrefundable and nonendorsable.

Southern exposure

Not only have Australia and New Zealand been especially affordable in 2001, but now off-season discounts are kicking in. And even though our summer is their winter, mild temperatures are the norm (except in the mountains). From May 1 to Sept. 1, an eight-day package to Sydney from Discover Wholesale Travel (800-576-7770), including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles and five nights accommodations, is $1,030 per person, assuming double occupancy (mention code ANZ13A when booking). An eight-day trip to Auckland, including flight from L.A., five nights in a hotel and a rental car, is $935 per person, double occupancy (code ANZ14B). One caveat: For contractual reasons, the company can't sell packages in Oregon or Washington.

Digital deal

Now that it's looking likely that Napster fans will have to pay for music downloads, finding a bargain on an MP3 player is that much more critical. The new Intel Pocket Concert Audio Player (right) comes with 128MB of memory, enough for four hours of music, and an FM radio, and lists for $300, the lowest price you'll pay for that much memory (Creative's popular $280 Nomad II, for instance, has just 64MB). For another $50, Intel's player comes with the audio accessory kit, which lets you listen to MP3 tunes on your home or car stereo.

At-home tech support

Is your PC a bit sluggish? A new utility program called Tweak-Me can help Windows users (95 and 98 as well as Me) get rid of useless files and cookies, calculate how much RAM is free and speed up their Web browsers. At $19.95, it's a great alternative to the similar $39.95 Norton CleanSweep. You can download a 14-day free trial at www.totalidea.com.

Free directions

Vindigo, the personal digital assistant software that helps you find a restaurant, store or movie time, has long been one of our favorite Palm add-ons. Yet until recently, the free program, which runs only on the Palm platform, was available for just five cities. Now it covers 20, including Portland, Ore., San Diego and the Twin Cities. Coming later this year: subway directions in New York City and London. To get Vindigo, go to www.vindigo.com.

Reported by Brian L. Clark, Nick Pachetti and Natasha Rafi