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Getting Carded a Good Thing If You're Planning a Vacation

By: Kitty Bean Yancey, USA Today

May 13, 2005

What a hassle to arrange tickets for tourist attractions, stand in long lines at entrances and pay full price for everything you do and see.

Now, a number of companies are marketing cards and passes that can be ordered in advance and let vacationers whiz into multiple attractions in popular U.S. cities. Some throw in guidebooks and shopping and restaurant discounts.

The new Go Card, a pass to attractions in Boston and San Francisco, is rolling out to Chicago, Seattle, San Diego and Orlando in this month.

The card is bought in one- to seven-day versions and lets buyers into dozens of attractions in each city, with no advance planning required. Standing in line can be avoided in many cases; the card is embedded with info, allowing entrance with a swipe at a scanner.

In Boston, Go Card buyers can breeze into five dozen attractions, including the JFK Library and Museum. They can hop on and off trolleys, ride the Swan Boats in the Boston Public Garden and board an amphibious vehicle for the popular Boston Duck Tours. Cost for a one-day pass: $45 for adults; $25 for kids 3-12.

The card works much like a theme-park pass. "We sell days in a city and you can do as much as you want," says Cecilia Dahl, president of Boston-based Smart Destinations, which sells the Go Cards on its Web site.

Wooing time- and money-conscious tourists nationwide is the 9-year-old CityPass, a booklet containing tickets to up to six top attractions per city that can be used over a longer period. In many cases, buyers avoid entrance lines.

"You don't have to race around madly" trying to cram in multiple attractions daily, says CityPass spokeswoman Susan Wilson. The pass can be ordered in advance or bought at a city's tourist sites.

Meanwhile, savvy vacationers also check out deals, coupons and ticket discounts that are sometimes offered by visitors bureaus. For instance, the Orlando Convention & Visitors Bureau awards a free Magicard. It gives discounts at attractions, shops, hotels and restaurants.

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