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MEXICO ROAD TRIP DESTINATION: SEA OF CORTEZ, BAJA PENINSULA, MEXICO TRIP NOTES: The Sea of Cortez is a traveling-paddler's fantasy. Crystal clear waters in the Pacific inlet of Mexico's Baja Peninsula contain hundreds of tiny islands be explored. Kayak is definitely the ideal mode of transport. Plan on camping by palapa, fishing for your dinner, watching stars and having dolphins woke you from your paddli dreams. If you don't wont to go solo: Kayak Port Townsend, 877-KPT-BAJA, 853-2252, www.kayakpt.com/baja.htm. March through April, 8-11 days, US$695-845 including two nights in a hotel in La Paz, and kayak and cooking gear. Trips are cooperatively catered: the group buys groceries together and splits the cost, usually between US$30 and US$60 per person. Bajaquest, 011-52-112-353-20, www.bajaquest.com.mx. March to April, six days, US$850 including food, guide and gear. Boot Notes: This inflatable is perfect for traveling to a destination where you'll do numerous short day paddle excursions. In its deflated state it pocks neatly into a large backpack (2,700 cubic inches, just over 35 pounds). It's pretty heavy but a lot easier than carrying a full-length kayak on your bock! It is very stable, durable, seaworthy and easy to navigate compared to some other inflatables tested. Like all inflatables, this boat locks the paddling grace of its hard-shell cousins. But what it lacks in groce, it makes up in convenience of transport and fun. Innova, 425-776-1171, www.innovakayak.com. $699 Length: 12 feet 6 inches Width: 30 inches Weight: 35 pounds ( TRIP TYPE: ) ONE-DAY PADDLE FROM REEF TO REEF ( DESTINATION: ) PUERTO RICO TRIP NOTES: Puerto Rico is a quick three-hour flight from New York City and boosts same sublime kayo king destinations. Circumnavigate the small, sleepy island of Culebra, inhabited mostly by foreign expats and Puerto Rican artists. Explore the teeming marine life of the coral reefs by diving right off your boat! At night, the water is lit with bioluminescent plankton. If you don't wont to go solo: Tropical Adventures of Puerto Rico Nature/Adventure Eco-Tours, email: tropicaladventuresofpr@usa.net http://www.infohub.com/TRAVEL/SIT/sit_pages/4747.html. year-round, US$75-$100, including gear, safety course and transportation. Recommended Boot Aire Sea Tiger Boat Notes: The Sea Tiger, on inflatable touring kayak (complete with a rudder!, is designed using inner tubes mode of airtight urethane, which are wrapped and sealed with a PVC-coated polyester material for wear-and-tear protection. At 18 feet, this kayak is a steady, stable paddler that can be set up to function as either a one- or two-person boot. Should a wove cotch you by surprise, the boot's light weight makes it easy to right. Although these features alone are worthy of note, the real bonus lies in the fact that the boot can be easily rolled into the size of a piece of airline luggage (0 carrying case is sold sepa- rately), making it a significantly more manageable travel companion than a fiberglass boot. And the self-boiling floor means you don't have to pock the bilge pump. Ideal for day or multi-day tours, storage bogs can be tied into the bow and stern. Just in case that swordfish does decide to drill a hole in your new boot, the Sea Tiger comes with a 10- year warranty. Aire, 208-344-7506, wwwaire.com, $1,850 Length: 18 feet Width: 35 inches Weight: 62 pounds 76