Hut, Hut, Hike
If you're still feeling guilty about Y2K extravagances, repent by ensconcing yourself in lowfalutin style in one of three hut-to-hut trail systems. A March foray—before the spring thaw and the summertime hordes—gets you a sufficiently snow-blanketed and secluded backwoods bunk for $8 to $24 per night. Most huts, like the four operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club (603-466-2727) in New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest, come equipped with kitchens, outhouses, and woodburning stoves, and are a convenient three- to seven-mile ski or snowshoe from the nearest trailhead. Two other good bets are the Sierra Club huts in California (508-426-3632) and the 10th Mountain Division trail system in Colorado (970-925-5775).
Nights and Days in Tunisia
April is when cool Mediterranean winds relieve Tunisia of its sweltering heat, so now is the time to book a no-frills, 14-day, 485-mile bike-riding, oasis-hopping, and troglodyte culture-exploring adventure in the arid North African country for just $1,190—about half the cost of higher-end land tours. Seattle's nonprofit International Bicycle Fund (206-767-0848; www.ibike.org) leads two annual trips through grasslands, sparse forests, and a slice of the Sahara, departing this year from Tunis on March 29 and April 10. As an added bonus, 20 percent of the trip's cost is tax-deductible. And for discounted airfare to boot, travel to Tunis through Rome on Continental Airlines (800-231-0856), only $900 round trip from New York—a savings of about $1,000 over other European routes.

Photo: Lorne Resnick/Tony Stone