An analysis of congressional trips by the Medill News Service in partnership with American Public Media's Marketplace radio program and American RadioWorks found that private interests have spent about $14.4 million since Jan. 1, 2000, to send House and Senate members on more than 4,800 trips.

Frank went on 45 trips, the third highest number in the House. In the overall cost of travel, $59,677, Frank ranked 48th out of 472.

"If I want to have fun, I want to do it on my own time," Frank said when asked about how he selects his trips. "It's what advances my public policy agenda."

Most of Frank's travel involved giving speeches. He said he chooses trips based on whether they will help him achieve his goals -- either directly through the group he is speaking to, or indirectly by helping a colleague. Frank said giving speeches at the request of a fellow lawmaker can be "helpful when you want to get things done legislatively" down the road.

Frank, who is openly gay, noted that many of his speeches were to gay and lesbian organizations, and that he tries to accept invitations from groups in locations where "gay people may feel somewhat beleaguered."

Frank also traveled for his work with the Financial Services Committee, including to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum earlier this year, and to Dusseldorf, Germany, in 2001, sponsored by the International Management and Development Institute.

Committee work also was the primary reason for most of the trips taken by Rep. William Delahunt, D-Quincy, said his chief of staff, Steven Schwadron.

Delahunt traveled six times at a cost to his sponsors of $10,154. This ranked him as tied for 198th place among the 472 House members in number of trips, and 297st in cost of the trips.

Three trips to Cuba, two sponsored by the Lexington Institute and one by USA Rice, were related to his work on the International Relations Committee.

The Quincy congressman also was involved in a trip to Guatemala sponsored by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute earlier this year.

Schwadron described adoption as "a significant legislative priority" for Delahunt, noting that for his office there is "no way to deal with this without going there and seeing this."

Schwadron said the congressman's visit to Guatemala lead to a public forum in Quincy, which helped inform potential adoptive parents.

There is "nothing inherently bad about travel, quite the contrary," Schwadron said. "When it is useful, it is extremely useful."

"Frankly there is some travel that is not very useful and you don't do it," Schwadron continued, adding, "I guess some people do."

Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-South Boston, only went on one trip, which cost $2,421. Like Delahunt, Lynch also traveled to Cuba, paid for by the Lexington Institute. Lynch ranked 416th in dollars spent for travel.

Matt Ferraguto, Lynch's press secretary, said the congressmen gets fewer travel offers because he is a junior member, and that Lynch has turned down trips because of time constraints.

"Mostly because of his schedule and trying to get back to Boston, he hasn't been able to do any of the other trips he's been offered," Ferraguto said.

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