Our Travel-Expert-in-Residence, Rudy Maxa, has a new deal aimed at getting more of us overseas in the new year.

Trafalgar, a large tour company, has teamed up with American Airlines to make the following offer: Book a tour to Europe before December 31st and a companion flies from any American gateway city to Europe for only $100 roundtrip.

Sound too good to be true?

Well, this offer represents real, hard-dollar savings. For example, consider this "Best of Switzerland" package. It's a 9-day, 7-night tour from Zurich with visits to Liechtenstein, St. Moritz, the Italian Lake District, and then Zermatt, Geneva, Berne and Lucerne. You can depart the U.S. beginning April 11th through early October. And, priced for two, the trip starts at $2,744 from New York, a savings of about $500. From Los Angeles, the same tour would cost $2,934, a savings of about $700. Again, that savings comes from paying only $100 on the companion airfare. The price includes a buffet breakfast daily, five dinners and Zurich airport transfers.

And, there are many other destinations in Europe included in the discounted airfare offer, including a tour of Germany and the Romantic Road through the gorgeous Black Forest, and even a European highlight tour that does six countries in 10 days.

Most trips kick off in spring and go through early October. But the deal, of course, is that you must book by the end of this year to get the $100 airfare offer for the second person.

So, contact most any travel agent and ask about the Trafalgar Europe deals, or visit Trafalgar.com.

»Savvy Resources: For info. on the Trafalgar Europe deals, visit www.trafalgar.com http://www.trafalgar.com. To receive a Trafalgar Tours brochure, call 800--648-1638.