[Tappy Tibbons]

Check out the Ricoh Caplio R7. 8 mp, 7x optical zoom, and more importantly, a wide angle lens. You'll appreciate the wide angle lens while everone else is backing up 300 feet to get a major landmark to fit in the viewfinder. It's also compact and under $300. I have the R4, and will never buy a travel camera without a wide angle lens again.