Why bother with high gasoline prices and long lines at the airport when you can sit down in front of your computer screen and let a few keystrokes carry you off to a world where it's always summer, where everything is green and beautiful, and where you can transform yourself into anything or anyone you want to be?

That's exactly what you can do with Second Life, a virtual world where residents work, play and interact in lavishly rendered 3-D environments. Some 10.7 million people -- technically registered residents -- have made their way there, according to the Second Life Web site, with more than 40,000 visiting at any given time.

I spent a week there recently -- with occasional reality breaks for going to work and raking leaves in my First (re: real) Life. I kept a journal, which is designed to be helpful to people who are thinking about taking a trip in-world, as Second Lifers call their home.

Day 1

The first order of business is to create an avatar, or on-screen persona, that can be any shape, size or fashion statement you want. People spend a lot of time on their appearance here, but I didn't want to waste hours deciding on what physical attributes and clothing I wanted, so I chose one of several standard-issue avatars. (Days later, I ran into my virtual clone on an SL street.)

Newcomers should plan to spend some of their first hours learning how to walk without running into things. Nothing says Second Life newbie like falling down a flight of stairs or bashing one's head against the ceiling in an attempt to fly. It happened to me enough times on my first outing that I thought about looking for the SL emergency room. Happily, virtual-world injuries don't hurt a bit.

Anyway, why walk when you can fly? Just hit the "page up" button, and you're airborne. Better yet, for longer distances there's teleportation, which whisks you to a new location in a few seconds. There are vehicles too, but teleporting is the way to go; it was my mode of transportation for all points I visited in SL.

When I logged out or crashed my system, which happened frustratingly often, I automatically found myself back in the last place I visited when I logged back on.

Day 2

It's a big place -- limited only by imagination and the storage capacity of the servers. There is no litter in the streets, and everyone you meet is young, thin and stylishly dressed. Surroundings are rendered in amazing detail: Colors are intense, leaves stir on the trees, and you can hear breezes blowing and water flowing.

Avatars move in a complex 3-D environment here in Second Life. Many of the initial residents were creative types, and it shows. The spaces have a skewed perspectives that make me feel like I'm stepping into a surrealist painting. Although many streets and buildings are virtually deserted, residents I meet are generally friendly and welcoming.

The Second Life screen provides lots of information, including what you've collected in the way of Second worldly possessions, like cash or clothes. I decide to spend the week with zero Linden dollars (see Day 3) in my pocket, which isn't something you can get away with in any other tourist spots. And the only thing I collect is a few virtual business cards.

Day 3

Second Life has its own self-contained economy and currency: the Linden dollar. The exchange rate is fantastic: roughly 266 Linden dollars equals one U.S. dollar. So even though you may wonder why you're spending money on virtual goods, it doesn't end up costing all that much.

Real-life premium account holders who pay a monthly fee get a weekly stipend and can earn Linden dollars by selling goods or services. Residents can also buy and sell Linden dollars through their SL account.

Residents can buy virtual real estate and build homes, developments or communities. To own land, users pay a $9.95 (U.S. dollars) monthly fee via credit card, plus a land usage fee based on how much land is owned. Monthly land use fees range from $5 for 512 square miles to $195 a month for an entire region. If you're willing to depart with even more of your real-life dollars, you can buy your very own island -- about 16 acres -- for $1,675, plus a $295 monthly maintenance fee.

There's much more than land for sale: clothing, furniture, art. Second Life is the ultimate triumph of consumerism for its own sake.

Day 4

Halloween night seems like a good time to visit the clubs, since when you think about it, every day is Halloween in Second Life.

At my first stop, a DJ is standing around waiting for people to show up and a transparent little ghost is floating around the club ceiling. At another club I stumble into, no one is speaking English. Second Life is a global phenomenon, and English is not the mandatory language.

Second Life time is Pacific time, so if you're looking for night life, be prepared to stay up late, because at midnight here, the party's just getting started.

Day 5

There is plenty to do beyond virtual consumerism, such as dance performances, art gallery shows, concerts, poetry and readings.

At a poetry reading I attended, a small but supportive crowd listened to text-messaged poetry and offered polite feedback and applause to the readers. I went back the next morning and two people I had met the evening before were still sitting there. "Were you here all night?" I asked. "Too drunk to move," one replied.

Day 6

House hunting can be fun. People sell off their real estate creations, and touring them can be an adventure. I checked out a creative "Hobbit house." I passed on it, though. It was a little cramped, even for virtual living. I did see a perfectly landscaped beachfront property I couldn't afford, even in this fantasyland.

And there are tons of yard sales, where, just like in the real world, people sell stuff they don't want anymore.

Day 7

As I become a more seasoned traveler, I begin to check out virtual versions of real places. I spend some time in lower Manhattan, in the "NYC Sim" area. A woman comes up to me on virtual Bleecker Street and asks an odd question: "Do you want new hair?" I guess it is a hint. At least in SL, it will be easy enough to change it. There is even a cab waiting to take me to my next destination. But since it's Tokyo, I just teleport.

Other travel tips: Like any urban area, Second Life has unsafe aspects, which are documented on the Web site's "Police Blotter" section. Typical offenses include gambling, posting mature content outside of mature areas, disturbing the peace, verbal abuse and assaulting residents in designated safe regions. Actions taken include warnings and suspensions of online privileges.

You need to be 18 to have a Second Life account. There are plenty of adult-only attractions, although these are clearly marked. And as it is with much of the rest of the Wild West Web world, pornography has become an issue to cope with in Second Life.

For younger Second Lifers, there's a companion site, Second Life for Teens, which was created for users 13 to 17.

Once you overcome the obstacles, trips through Second Life can become a addictive, especially if you decide to go into the real estate market.

Among all the goods and services offered, I didn't see any addiction counseling services for Second Lifers who can't find their way home. Now there's an opportunity for some entrepreneur.