A Freebie Friday Double Header: Free Bus Rides and Free Gas for a Year

 Just in time for the holidays, Megabus is rolling out a slew of new routes. And for stocking stuffers, its going to be giving away 11,000 free rides on these new routes.

Here's the scoop: starting December 15, Megabus will be driving between New York City, Hartford and Amherst. To publicize that new route, 1000 freebies are being given away on the Megabus site. Use code NEWNYC at the Megabus site.

The chances for scoring a free ticket are even greater for Washington, DC residents. For them, 10,000 free seats are in play for travel between DC and Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Knoxville, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg (PA), Hampton (VA), Christianburg (VA), Richmond (VA) and Toronto. Whew! The code in this case is ILUVDC.

Photo by Robert Couse-Baker

 As in the past, the free tickets will be given out until they're gone, so head over quickly to the site to snag one of your own. Good luck!

Free Gas

For those who prefer to drive themselves, MapQuest is giving away a year's worth of free gas to one person, every day in December. Simply go to the Mapquest site to register for the drawing (which is free). And once again: good luck!

Deals on Reno Skiing, Slashed Fares from Alaskan Air and More Good News About Google Maps



Photo by Jesse Cuizon

 100 Fares on Sale from Alaska Airlines
This is also being called the "Hot Deals on Ice"sale--an excuse to show photos of hunky Appolo Ohno. Who knows? That may be a good business strategy. Apparently, one of the new most popular names this year is Appolo, and if the handsome skiier has been able to sell that name to Americans, well-priced flights should be a cinch.

But I digress. You'll find all the details of the sale at the Alaska Airlines site, but in a nutshell tickets must be purchased by December 6 for travel through March 10. A 7-day advance purchase is required and a lot of dates are blacked out, including all Fridays and Sundays. Among the best prices are round-trips for $200 between St. Louis, Austin, Boston or New York and Seattle.

Google maps add biking directions in Canada
In March of this year, Google made news by adding biking directions to a number of major destinations within the US. This week, it cycled across the border, adding bike routes to maps for Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and a number of other major Canadian cities. What's there to say except "Thank you Google!"

Reno Ski Season Discounts
Most of the resorts surrounding Reno are now fully open, and though there's been no new snow in the last 24 hours, a 30-inch base, on average blankets the ground. And as many schussers know, Reno offers the delightful combination of gaming, shows and skiing meaning that when conditions are not ideal, one can still be entertained.

Currently, a number of resorts have posted deals that include both a bed and lift tickets. Among the best values:

• Circus Circus Reno: From $65 for lift tickets, hotel room, free play ticket and food vouchers. Deal requires a two-night minimum stay and covers weekdays from now through Feb. 28
• Silver Legacy Resort and Casino: A two-night minimum stay from now through Apr 30 may get visitors one lift ticket per adult, and one per child, and a $7 food credit plus a room starting at $115 a night.
• The Peppertree Inn (in nearby Tahoe City): Weekdays from Jan 3 through Mar 31, guests will receive a room, and complimentary breakfast and lift tickets for $133 a night.

CabCorner.com Takes You Where You're Going For Less

Such a brilliant yet simple idea: a website that allows users to hook up with other folks going in the same general direction, so both can save on cab fares. That's the concept behind CabCorner.com, and I'll note that its not only good for riders, but good for the environment.

Users head to the site and see if anyone in their vicinity is looking for a share at about the same time they are. If no-one is, they post a departure point (where the cab will pick them up), a time of departure and a destination. The site supplies the user with estimated costs for the trip and suggestions of when to post requests (earlier works better than last minute). It also ticks down to the time of departure, so that the rider isn't late to meet his or her cabmate.

(Photo by Josie Showaa)

For those nervous about the safety of riding with strangers, the site lists extensive tips including picking departure and drop-off points in well-populated areas; keeping personal information private during the ride; and how to best work out payment, tips and the like.

For those having trouble deciding which area to pick for a departure point, I'd suggest another website/app called CabSense.com which uses historical data on taxi routes to alert users to the best places to hail taxis.

I haven't yet heard from anyone who's used the service (apparently its available in cab-rich cities across the US), but I'm hoping to do so in the near future. I'll post my experience when I do.

Euro falling in value against the dollar, higher airfares in 2011

The recent bailout of Ireland doesn't seem to have assuaged currency traders. In fact, fears that Portugal, Spain, Italy and even Belgium might need cash infusions has driven the euro to levels it hasn't seen since mid-September. At one point today, it was trading at $1.29 to the dollar.

Since the money woes of European governments won't be cleared up any time soon, it seems a likely bet that the euro could be weakened even further, good news for North American travelers hoping for their dollars to go further abroad. Stay tuned!

Airfare Predictions for 2011
In less positive news (at least for travelers on the American side of the pond) the New York Times today published an article predicting a significant uptick in travel costs in 2011. Using corporate travel planners as their "canaries in a coalmine", they examined what sorts of contracts these folks were able to get for their clients.   In general, airfares will rise 3% to 7% varying by destination and class of service. Hotel rates are also expected to rise a bit, though since they've been at record lows for nearly two years, that increase doesn't seem as worrisome. Read the article for the full story.

Cyber Monday's Here! Some of the Best Sales So Far for Travel

Barbados (photo by David Blakie)

I have a feeling I'll be hovering over this blog all day, logging in the CyberMonday deals being announced via various methods. Three just crossed the Twitter transom, and they're so mouthwatering, I had to start early:

JetBlue's Top Secret Sale: Gotta love a deal where the cost of airfare and three nights' hotel stay comes to far less than the usual cost of airfare alone. So what that you don't know which hotel you're getting! At these prices, you can always switch hotels once in the area if you're really, really particular (my guess is the hotels will be just fine). JetBlue is selling air/hotel packages of three nights, to such far-flung destinations as Barbados, Las Vegas and Cancun from as little as $99 total (well, almost total: hotel taxes and fees are included, airline ones are not). The travel window is short (Dec 5-14), the booking window even shorter (by midnight tonight!). The $99 deals are to St. Lucia, Barbados, Las Vegas and Tampa from New York City and in some cases, Boston. Just $10 more buys Orlando or a beachfront property in Barbados. Cancun starts at $175. Click here to get full details or book.

Virgin America's Cyber Monday Sale: Not quite as impressive as JetBlue's, but likely a lot more doable. That's because though the sale's starting today it ends December 6, and covers flights all the way through May 11. The come-on price of $39 is for flights between San Francisco and either Los Angeles, San Diego or Las Vegas. But there are also impressive fares on much longer hops (such as cross-country flights starting at $109 between New York, Orlando or DC and Las Vegas, San Francisco or LA). Flights from Toronto to Los Angeles or San Francisco are being reduced to $129 on many dates. For full info, click here.

Frontier Airlines: With this one, fares start at less-than-most-bus-trips rate of $29 for flights between either Branson and Milwaukee, Kansas City and Columbus (OH) or Alburquerque or Colorado Springs and Denver. Salt Lake City, Appleton, Omaha, Flint, Grand Rapids, Madison, Green Bay, Austin, Durango, Phoenix and Indianapolis are also on the cut-rate flight roster. With all, travel must be completed by Feb 9 and Sunday flights aren't included in the sale. For full info, click here. Tickets must be purchased by end of day today, so move with all due speed.

A New Addition: Cruises

Online Vacation Center: Its prices are already among the lowest. Now Online Vacation Center is promising to pay all onboard gratuities, and pay for one meal at an on-board specialty restaurant for those customers who book a RCL cruise for anytime in 2011 by 8pm today. The cabin must be oceanview or higher. For more details, click here. 

Cyber Monday and Remaining Black Friday Travel Deals

Shell Hospitality Resort, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Thankfully, there's no fighting the crowds when it comes to post-Thanksgiving travel sales. You can shop in peace from your home computer and, if you can act quickly, you might pick up a worthwhile deal or two. Here are a few that are worthy of consideration:

• Sonesta Hotels: 50% off 2 night stays through the end of the year at all 32 properties.The sale is in effect through Monday at midnight. Go to Sonesta.com.
• Gate 1 Travel: Packager Gate 1 (it has money saving air/hotel deals to top destinations across Europe and South and Central America) is offering $50 off to anyone who books $500 worth of travel today, and uses the code BlackFr50. Save $100 with purchases of $1000 (BlackFr100), $250 with purchases of $2000 (BlackFr250) and $500 with purchases of $4000 (BlackFr400). Go to Gate1Travel.com to book.
• Starwood: 250 properties are taking part (many in such warm-weather destinations as Hawaii, the Bahamas, or the Caribbean) offering 50% off the cost of a suite from January 1 through April 30. To find out which Sheratons, St. Regis and Westin properties are taking part. Rooms must be booked by end of day on Monday. All details are at Starwood.com
• ChinaSpree: Sale prices on many of its tours for those who book by end of day this Sunday. Go directly to Chinaspree.com for more details.
• Shell Hospitality: The name behind a number of quite nice resorts (including a terrific one just off the Las Vegas Strip) its offering 50% off at 23 resorts around the US. For complete information on the sale, which runs through Monday, click here.
• Club Med: You have until 10pm ET tonight to get in on this sale which discounts a number of the company's resorts from December 4 through January 29. Go to www.clubmed.com for full information and do it quickly!
• Travelocity: Targeting warm weather destinations, mostly, its sale shaves 45% off its regular rates in many cases. Before booking though be sure to check the competition (some of which may come in cheaper, even with the additional discount). Booking deadline is Dec 4, go to Travelocity.com for full info. 
• Travelodge: This is for anyone traveling to Spain or the British Isles (Scotland, Wales, England or Ireland) in the next few weeks. The European version of Travelodge (slightly nicer properties than the American ones, often located on the sides of highways) is having a sale through Sunday night dropping the price of rooms to as little as 10 GBP. That's a remarkable price for a room in these areas. I've stayed at Travelodges in the past and can vouch for their cleanliness and comfort.

We'll also likely see a lot of deals pop on Monday on Twitter and Facebook, particularly from the airlines (a pattern we saw last year on CyberMonday). So search for your favorite carrier and you just might get lucky.

French Tourism Officials Announce London's a Better City Than Paris

I know, I know. The headline  sounds likeone from the Onion. But its absolutely true. Recently, the Paris-Ile de France Regional Committee commissioned a survey to explore ways to increase international visitation and the report ended up ranking world cities. And Paris didn't win.

London was seen to be better in all categories from restaurants (sacre bleu!) to transportation to the appeal of its major landmarks. Paris tied with Amsterdaml, though the study was, of course, done before it was announced that the Dutch were going to stop selling pot to tourists (see post below), which might have affected Amsterdam's, er, lure.

Paris lost the most points on its public transportation (old, dirty metro according to the investigators) and the quality of its hotels (small rooms).

This is London's second win (well, third if you count the Olympics) in the world tourism stakes. At the 2010 World Tourism Awards it beat Paris once again, as well as New York City and Sydney for the title of "World's Leading Destination".

Ready, set, go! Kate and William Set a Date, You Should Book Your Travel

Photo by Esther

Its official! William, Prince of Wales will marry Kate Middleton on April 29th at Westminster Abbey.

Why should you care, North American reader?

That date will shape your travel plans if you're going anywhere near London in the next six months.

Some 600,000 visitors streamed into London for the wedding of Charles and Diana. They were, arguably, a more popular couple. But they wed long before the proliferation of cable news stations turned even the most eccentric events into media frenzies (remember balloon boy?). My guess is that W & K's wedding will draw upwards of a million gawkers to London. If you're crowd-averse, you'll want to give the city a wide berth from about April 15 through May 10.

If you want, conversely, to be part of the action (or at least part of the crowds along the procession route), make your hotel reservations TODAY. There will literally be no room at the inn if you wait.  Even before the date was set, hoteliers were talking about how they'd manage the crowds and bookings. Some will be throwing parties for guests in the lobby, though I'm guessing these festivities will add significantly to the cost of rooms.

A good alternative to hotels is to book a private B&B through such companies as LondonHomes or AirBnB. If you shoot off an email today, you may be able to catch the owners before they realize they should be raising their rates.

The same goes for airfares. I wouldn't be surprised if the airlines don't start slapping holiday surcharges onto flights taking off from mid-April into early May. Those rates haven't been set yet, but could be in place by the end of the day, so move quickly!

Opting In: More Thoughts on the TSA Brouhaha

Hasn't this gone far enough? MSNBC.com is now reporting that a TSA agent was punched today by a passenger in Indianapolis angry about the new security measures. In other airports, workers are being subjected to extreme verbal abuse, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, the union to which  the TSA employees belong.

And its only going to get worse, not only for workers but for travelers. On Wednesday, the biggest air travel day of the year, protestors are asking travelers to "opt out" of going through scanners and engage in other sorts of civil disobedience to disrupt security procedures at airports. Because pat downs take far longer than going through scanners, protesters expect to be able to get a lot of attention for their cause by holding up the lines. They'll probably succeed. The Associated Press is reporting that even small protests on that date could cause huge delays and create massive security lines. They quote Paul Rudin of the American Society of Travel Agents as saying "Just one or two recalcitrant passengers at an airport is all it takes to cause huge delays." Some passengers may even miss their flights home for the holidays. 

What will be accomplished? Damned if I know. Because though people are up in arms about the idea of being patted down in sensitive areas, or scanned with a machine that will show a naked photo of them, none of the protestors has put forward alternative methods that will keep the public safe. None have addressed the sad fact that just last Christmas a man hid explosives in his underwear and was nearly successful in blowing up a plane. At that time, many voices were raised in anger that we didn't have scanners that could detect the pouch in his underwear. Where did those angry voices go?

 My father has an excellent piece on the lack of concrete alternatives being suggested right now, and the unsustainable costs of the methods being proposed. Rather than repeat his arguments, I'll urge you to read the blog. 

And I'll also urge you to "opt in". Protesting on Wednesday is irresponsible. It will cause widespread chaos, affecting travelers who rarely set foot on airplanes--the families who are traveling for Thanksgiving. A protest during a normal business day would be more to the point as it would bring the issue to the attention of those who'll be most affected by enhanced security: the frequent flyers. 

And it would be the kinder action to take. Do we really want to stop average folks from getting home for the holidays? I didn't think so. 

Have a heart. Opt in.

A Major Buzz-Kill for Dutch Tourism?

On Wednesday, Ivo Opstelten, the Dutch minister for Security and Justice, announced the cessation of tourism to Holland.

Just punking you, reader. But the announcement he made may well have near the same effect. In an effort to crack down on drug abuse, the government is going to be banning the sale of hashish and cannabis to foreigners in the country's famed "coffee houses". These are, without hyperbole, one of the country's top 5 touristic draws, behind the Rijksmuseum and Red Light district, but likely ahead of tulips. No date has yet been set for when this ban will go into effect, according to Reuters.

Dutch News is reporting that the government is talking about enacting a "pass system" to keep track of who goes into and out of coffee shops. In effect, the coffee houses would become private clubs, open only to local members.

The situation is Holland has always been an odd one where the law is concerned. Coffee shop owners are legally allowed to sell small amounts of hash and pot (up to 18 ounces), but to obtain it in the quantities they need to sell the stuff, they, in effect, break the law. In recent years, according to the BBC, Dutch police have been cracking down on marijuana producers, leading to a steep uptick in the price of a toke.

Though I haven't yet read reports of the coffee shop owners planning some legal action to stop the ban, I'd be surprised if that isn't in the works. And I'd be even more surprised if some in the travel industry--hoteliers, restauranteurs who specialize in munchies--don't get involved as well. The fights just heating up, and where there's smoke...well, in the Netherlands, there's likely someone trying to sell it. Stay tuned!

Arriba! Arriba! Mexican Vacations For Cheap

Last year at right about this time, I was in Cozumel. The sun was shining, and I was spending my day swimming in underground rivers (called cenotes), ATVing through the jungle, lounging on the beach and gorging on anything with pipian sauce (ground sunflower seeds, my favorite). It was, in a word, idyllic and the only fall-out I felt from the Mexican drug wars were the lower prices and lighter crowds on the beach. I was literally a thousand miles away from the troubled areas of Mexico where the violence was occurring and I felt perfectly safe. 

If I wasn't tethered to my computer with deadlines, I'd go back there tonight! But though I can't, there's no reason you shouldn't. There are extraordinary deals to the Cancun area in the coming weeks. Here are just a few:

• Flamingo Resort, Cancun: 6 nights' hotel and airfare from Miami: $477 including all taxes from Vacation Travel Mart (other gateways available for reasonable add on fares)
• Canto del Sol Resort, Puerto Vallarta: 3 nights hotels, all meals, most acitivities and airfare from New York City just $459 from BookIt (again, other gateways are available at a small uptick in price)
• Avalon Reef Club, Isla Mujeres: 6 nights and airfare from Dallas/Fort Worth fo $570 including all taxes from Expedia (again, other gateways are certainly available; and Isla Mujeres is a quiet little paradise, great for folks who really want to get away from it all)

Can you feel your skin tanning right now? I certainly can. Just a small taste of what's available for those who have the time to get away before Christmas. Prices will likely rise after the first of the year, so I'd suggest you go sooner rather than later. 

 

Two Good Air Sales from a Betrothed Pair

William and Kate are a done deal, but the marriage between Air Tran and Southwest? That's still up in the air, no pun intended. Air Tran's shareholders have yet to give the union their blessing. And members of the Department of Justice's anti-trust division requested even more info of the two on Monday, leading some industry watchers to speculate the match may not pass the watchdogs.

In the meantime, this dynamic duo are offering twinned sales. The values, for the most part, are good. 

Southwest's one-way fares on this offer are starting at $59 one-way, for travel from Dec. 1 through Feb 16 (with some blackouts). Tickets must be booked by Nov. 22. Sorry DC-residents and (some) Floridians: the sale excludes Dulles Airport and Fort Myers. Click here for full details.

AirTran's rates start at just $44 each way but they disappear sooner--at midnight on Nov 18. Lowest fares on this sale will be found Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from now through Feb 9 (again with some blackout dates). For full info on that sale, click here. 

Apologies

Bronchitis has me in its thrall. So I will not be blogging today. Terribly sorry.

Puritan America Rears Its Ugly Head: The Full-Body Scanners Debate

At a time when hundreds of Americans are being illegally foreclosed upon because their records have been lost or are in such disorder no-one knows who owns what property anymore; when thousands more are out of work and have no hope of finding work; when cholera is decimating the now-forgotten population of Haiti; and when countless other really terrible things are happening in the world, what has raised the righteous anger of the American people? The idea that someone, without knowing who they are, might see a picture of their private parts.

Yes, it seems that airport scanners are such a pivotal civil liberties issue, that videos of travelers bravely standing up to TSA agents are going viral. And the members of the New Jersey Legislature have seen fit to head to Newark Airport to announce they're going to try and ban the use of scanners in Jersey.

Really?? Really? With all that's going on in the world its scanners that are upsetting people? Have they forgotten that just last Christmas a man came near to blowing up a plane by stuffing explosives in his underwear. Do they not know that the new scanners would have detected that powder before he'd ever been able to board?

Obviously, the scanners are not perfect. The terrorists will come up with other ways of getting explosives on board in the coming years. That's simply the nature of the cat and mouse game we're currently playing with Al Quada. But the deployment of the scanners to our nations airports will have a positive effect. They'll cut down on some of the methods that terrorists will be able to employ in the future. And that's a step in the right direction. A big step.

As for the radiation issue: I'd urge everyone to read the important recent article on uranium mining in Colorado that the New Yorker ran. In it the author talks about recent scientific data showing that exposure to small doses of radiation may not actually be harmful (and may not cause a build-up in the body). I'm not a scientist, so that's all I'll say here. Please read the article, its an eye-opener.

Freebie Friday: Wifi In the Air, a Holiday Gift from Google

(Photo by Sarah G.)

Google is re-gifting, good news for vacationers flying AirTran, Virgin America and Delta in the coming weeks. They'll get free  wifi on all domestic flights between November 20 and January.

Sure, Google did the same thing last year, but who's complaining? Last year, the company also unleashed free wifi at 47 airports, but that hasn't been announced yet for this year.

Google, are you listening? We greedy folks want that, too. And while you're at it, can you wire my Aunt's house by Thanksgiving? I could use some distractions between the creamed onions and the pie.

And a bonus freebie


I'll also mention that the massive hotel discounter, Hotels.com is throwing in free breakfasts during the upcoming holiday period (November 22 through 29), for those who book before November 25.

Before you surf over to the site though, read the fine print. Only "participating properties" are going to scramble your eggs, and you may have to stay longer than you wanted to get that pancake (there are minimum stay requirements on some properties).

My advice? Look at what Hotels.com has to offer and then compare it to discounted rooms you may find through the more broad-ranging search engine HotelsCombined.com, compare and contrast and then book with whatever property offers the best value. Remember: the free breakfast served at some hotels consists of little more than a tiny box of cereal, oily coffee, sour orange juice and, if you're lucky, a pastry or two. Don't book a place just because of free breakfast; you may do better simply heading for some oatmeal at the Starbucks down the road.