Of the dozens of ghost towns in the Death Valley National Park, Panamint City is one of the best known. A rootin’, tootin’ place in its heyday of the 1870s, it was said to have been first started by bad guys on the lam from the law from all parts of the West.

Someone claimed to have found silver in nearby Surprise Canyon, and legend has it that the bad guys put down their guns and took up shovels. In 1874, there were 2,000 people in the town, and a certain percentage of them had their mug shots on post office walls all over the West.

It seems to happen every time. We check out of a hotel, knowing our online travel agency has booked us a great room for a special deal of $98 each for three nights. So, the bill should be $294. Right? Wrong! The desk clerk hands you a bill for $387.

It’s the same with that cruise bargain you bought, five nights round trip from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas. When you boarded, you even got a free upgrade to a better cabin. The price quote from your agency was $835. When you checked out, the bill was for $1,127.

Israel is expected to welcome a new wave of luxury cruise ships this autumn, beginning when the 2,500-passenger Royal Caribbean ship Vision  of the Seas docks in Haifa and Ashdod during an 11-night tour.  Also, Celebrity Cruise's Celebrity Equinox will anchor in  Israel during a series of nine cruises in October. For more information, check with your hometown or online travel agency.

With the 64th anniversary of the end of WWII on September 2, many seniors may want to relive some of their memories of that historic era. Here are some sites worth visiting this autumn:

The mighty Navy aircraft carrier, USS Midway (CVB41), is permanently anchored at San Diego’s seaport. It was named for the critical 1942 battle in the Pacific when American forces defeated elements of the Japanese fleet around the island of Midway, and marked the turning point that led eventually to the US winning WWII. The carrier Midway had a long and distinguished career in combat and operational actions throughout the world before being retired to become a permanent museum in San Diego.