Holiday on the beach

IN the past, travel during the holidays has been frowned upon in favor of hearth and home. But an intrepid group of wanderers have made the holiday season their favorite time of the year for travel.

For Frank and Recy Tatum, who own a waterfront restaurant in Maryland, travel is one of their passions, and the holiday season has become their preferred time to travel.

"We shut the restaurant down and travel, and we look for warm locales," says Recy Tatum. "It has really expanded our focus," says her husband, Frank. The avid golfers, who have been married for 20 years, and who often travel with their 16-year-old daughter, Jasmine, have celebrated Christmas around the world. They have enjoyed the warm weather and golf in Malaysia, Cape Town, South Africa, Brazil, Spain and the Canary Islands.

When the pair first began to travel during the holidays, Recy Tatum says it was hard to leave the holiday traditions at home. "Frank has four children from his first marriage, and I didn't want to travel while our daughter was small," she says. After their daughter's 12th birthday, she says, they started to travel during the holidays. At first, they were homesick for the holiday traditions. "We used to carry a little Christmas tree in our luggage," she says, laughing, "and set it up wherever we were. Now we go with the holiday traditions of the country we are in." Her husband agrees, adding, "We also decided that we would celebrate Kwanzaa wherever we are on our trips." The couple inaugurated a new family tradition by taking a family photo in front of a Christmas tree wherever they find themselves on Christmas.

Christmas travel is also a favorite of noted Chicago attorney James , his wife, Pauline, and their six children. "We found that there was very little business being conducted between Christmas and New Year's, and that was the easiest time to travel with small children and teenagers, so that was the best time for our family vacations," Pauline says. They have continued this holiday travel tradition now that their children are grown, she says, and the pair has traveled to Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Mexico. Pauline is from Jamaica and that is usually their first travel choice during the holidays. Including their adult children in their holiday travel, she says, has begun another tradition. "It's been a lot of fun having them around again," she adds. The family, who also enjoys skiing, has had several ski vacations during the holidays.

"My husband taught all the children to ski," she says, "while I was the only one who preferred to stay in the chalet."

The s still trim the family Christmas tree and put up lights during the holidays, but they also take their holiday traditions with them when they travel, exchanging gifts while on vacation. Pauline says there are still several places she would like to vacation. "I would like to experience the holiday season in Ghana and in Germany," she says. Both the s and the Tatums recommend holiday travel for the rest, recreation and beautiful scenery it offers.

And they have some tips for those who are wary about traveling during the holidays:

* Plan summers or other special times to spend with family, because they may balk at your leaving during the holidays.

* Check State Department listings for any terrorism travel alerts for the country you intend to visit.

* Learn two or three key words in the language of the country you are visiting. "Good morning," "good evening" and "thank you" go a long way.

Veteran travelers often choose cruises for festive holiday celebrations. The Disney Cruise Line (with the cruise industry's only full-service nursery) features a festive holiday sailing celebration on its holiday sailing with Christmas caroling on deck and a ship-wide New Year's Eve party.

So when the traveler wants to celebrate the holidays on sunny sand rather than blustery snow, pack the shorts and sunglasses--summertime temperatures and beachtime fun is always on the itinerary.