A cornucopia of bargains

After 30 years of searching for travel values, it still feels goodto stumble upon an extraordinary bargain. In fact, it makes meecstatic. What follows is a cornucopia of recent discoveries. The Cheapest Round-the-World Airfare: It's $1,163, as packaged byAvia Travel, 441 California Ave., Palo Alto, Calif. 94306.

A little agency near Stanford University, Avia uses barely knownairfares, discounted fares, various bucket-shop devices and fairlyweird airlines (Royal Nepal Airways, Aeroflot, Czechoslovak Air, ThaiAir, but TWA, too) to undercut the $2,100-plus round-the-world faresof United Airlines and others.

You fly a combination of carriers, enjoy fewer stops than on thecostlier plans, but still hit all the highlights on one of a dozenitineraries (some of which require 30 days advance booking, whileothers are capacity-controlled or available only on short notice).

It's all explained in an ingenious, do-it-yourself chartsupplied free by Avia to persons mailing in a request. An example ofwhat you can do for $1,163: Los Angeles/San Francisco-Vancouver-HongKong-Manila-Bangkok-London-San Francisco/Los Angeles. For $1,550,it's LosAngeles-Tahiti-Auckland-Noumea-Sydney-Djakarta-Singapore-Delhi-Moscow-Amsterdam-NewYork-Los Angeles. The Cheapest One-Way Airfare: Considering the distance, it'sIcelandair's "Get Up and Go" rate of $149 from New York toLuxembourg, $159 from Baltimore, $184 from Detroit, $189 from Chicagoor Orlando, Fla. - but reservations can be made only within 48 hoursof departure.

You can buy a round-trip ticket at the same time for double theabove prices, but your return ticket is "open" - reservations can bemade only within the two days before use.

While the one-way People Express rate of $99 between New Yorkand San Francisco is a contender for cheap honors, that fare isn'tnecessarily available beyond mid-September, as Icelandair's is. The Cheapest Major Sightseeing Attractions: They're in Washington,D.C. - the eight museums of the Smithsonian Institution, allclustered on the Mall between the Capitol and the WashingtonMonument. All are free.

Where else are so many world-class museums packed into so smalla space? Where else are admission charges waived to attractions ofsuch importance?

They range from the historic space capsules of the National Airand Space Museum, to the uniform worn by George Washington at theNational Museum of American History, to the masterworks and exhibitsof the Freer Gallery of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and SculptureGarden, the Smithsonian Castle, the National Museum of NaturalHistory, the Arts and Industries Building, and the National Galleryof Art. The Cheapest Trans-Atlantic Ocean Crossing: This one goesfrom the island of Antigua to Southampton or Portsmouth, England, orto Cherbourg, France, utterly free. What you have to do is work as"crew" (setting sails, cooking, cleaning) on any of the yachts orsailing ships returning home after "Race Week" in Antigua.

Usually scheduled for late April (check with the Antigua TouristOffice, 610 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10020, for exact dates), theevent attracts large and lavish vessels from Europe, whose crewsbreak up when the race is finished and scatter. So new hands areneeded for the return trip.

In English Harbor, Antigua, you need only check the bulletinboards or ask around. Most boats carry a crew of four to eight forthe delivery home, and some are amateurs; a pleasant personality andwillingness to work (so they tell me) are more important than sailingexperience. The Cheapest High Fashion Clothing on Earth: Head for the Rue Alesiaon the outskirts of Paris (metro stop Alesia), to which many of themost famous French couturiers send the styles that haven't sold inthe six months or so they've been on sale.

From No. 76 to No. 117 on that distinctly nondescript street,in a workingpersons' district of Paris, discount outlets bearing thefinest tradenames are lined side by side.

Their windows display dresses for $80 that sold, just shortmonths earlier, for $500. Blouses, skirts, coats, both men's andwomen's suits, and other clothing is marked down as much as 60percent.

Early in June, in a sea of plain pipe racks, my daughterpurchased a cocktail dress priced at $700 when manufactured. We gotit for $110; in it, the Frommer fille outshines the British royalfamily. The Cheapest Gourmet Feast: It's the four-course, weekdayluncheon sold for $10.50 (not including wine or tip) at Commander'sPalace in New Orleans, which some consider to be that city's finestrestaurant.

In the evening at the same establishment, you'll pay well over$80 for two, for a glorious dinner featuring Creole specialities. Goat lunch instead, Monday through Friday, and you can be a thriftyepicure, paying as little as $8.50 for the "light luncheon" of twosucculent courses with coffee (without wine or tip). Try the grilledredfish.