QUESTION: I will be visiting Vietnam and Thailand for a vacation. With all the news about bird flu, do you think I should cancel my trip?ANSWER: So far, there are no restrictions regarding travel to any of the areas where avian flu is a concern, including Vietnam and Thailand. However, there's some basic advice to follow if you're traveling to Southeast Asia, which we found on the Web site for the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov).Most of the known cases involving humans have resulted from direct contact with poultry, so avoid touching chickens and ducks, even those that appear healthy, and surfaces that might be contaminated with poultry feces or secretions.Wash your hands often to kill potentially infectious material. If soap isn't available, use an alcohol-based hand gel.If you're going to eat chicken, make sure it's been thoroughly cooked; flu viruses are destroyed by heat.After you return home, monitor your health for 10 days; call your health-care provider if you become ill with fever and develop a cough or have difficulty breathing.There is not yet a vaccine for avian flu, but the CDC, based on limited data, has said that the anti-viral medication known as Tamiflu may be effective in preventing and treating avian flu. Ask your doctor.For more information, check the CDC and World Health Organization (www.who.int/en) sites.

QUESTION: I'd like to take my two small dogs on board with me when I fly to Denver, but the airlines say I can't unless they're puppies of the same breed. Any ideas?ANSWER: Some possible solutions: Find a traveling companion (you can each board with a dog), purchase two seats and put a pet under each seat, or take one dog on board with you and put the other in cargo. If you choose the last option, it will cost you $180 each way ($80 for the dog that stays with you, $100 for the one in cargo) if you fly United.By the way, the airlines say they're just following Department of Agriculture guidelines, which say that puppies 6 months and under from the same litter are more compatible in the same crate than adult dogs, who could find flying together stressful.