Travel plan idea blog

Cheap hotel if you can sleep on the floor, close to home vacations, and resorts you can trust with your infant

Here are some things I meant to blog about a while ago but got lost...

First, a sale for those of you who are traveling to San Diego with a sleeping bag:

• Deluxe accommodations
• Breakfast for two

$219 per night*

OR...

• $199 without breakfast
• $179 without honor bar
• $159 without A/C or heat
• $139 without pillows
• $109 without sheets
• $89 without lights
• $59 without linens
• $39 without toiletries
• $19 without bed

Lastly, here's an article on close to home vacations that are not quite staycations. They typically involve a nearby restaurant, hotel, and spa. I don't know - I suppose if you throw in a show it would be a lot nicer. Otherwise if you're saving money you might as well camp out in your backyard roasting marshamallows and making smores. Personally, I'll be taking the nerdy route and trying the medieval campsite experience with a bunch of other nerds in costume. I just got my 32 pound stainless steel scale armor suit in the mail (won it on Ebay) so my costume is all set...

Posted by James Trotta at 5:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Father's Day vacation deals

If you were interested in getting a vacation package for your father, this article may help you out. We've got hunting in Alaska, fishing in New Mexico, Diving in Thailand (the only one of these things that sounds interesting to me), and golfing in Barbados.

If you're dad is single, here's another one from STI, $150 off an August 14-22 cruise in Italy. it says that prices start at $2,000 and I don't know if that includes the $150 off or what.

And this is totally unrelated, but since we were talking about flight attendants the other day, including how they handle kids, I thought this one on unaccompanied minors getting put on the wrong flights by Continental would be worth mentioning.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Deals and Guarnatees in Mexico

Mexico's tourism minister, Rodolfo Elizondo, thinks swine flu will cost Mexico 250,000 jobs and over 4 billion dollars. No wonder resorts are desperate. People are saying the best travel deals this summer may be to Mexico.

The most interesting deal or guarantee really might be from Secrets:

If a guest contracts Influenza A - H1N1 while staying with us, their next three vacations will be free of charge. In order to qualify, the guest must have reserved their stay between May 8, 2009 and June 30, 2009 for travel taking place between May 8, 2009 and December 20, 2009. This applies to new reservations only.

There are many strands of H1N1, therefore it must be qualified as Influenza A - H1N1. The guest must provide positive test results, taken within five days of departure from the resort, in addition to the certification of the doctor who performed the test in order to redeem the three free return stays. The guest must also not have been previously diagnosed with Influenza A - H1N1 prior to their stay.

The three return stays are valid for the original traveler plus one companion. One complimentary stay per year over the same travel period as the original stay.
Blackout dates and restrictions apply. Based on availability. Redeemed stays will be awarded for the same number of nights and in the same room category as the original stay.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Travel deals: Europe for New Year, Hotels.com Memorial Day sale

So I noticed something that sounded pretty good in my Kayak travel deal newsletter: New Year's vacation packages starting at $400/person.

So I clicked on the link to go-today and entered a thing for Dublin. Supposedly for $400 a person you can go to Dublin for New Year's - the price includes round trip airfare, 4 nights hotel, and charges (like fuel surcharges and whatnot). For the same price you can schedule the flight back up to Jan. 17th, 2010 (though hotel would certainly be extra). That would allow you to explore some more of Ireland and while I'm sure Dublin is cool, it's the castles and the countryside that I really want to see.

The cheapest hotel was Days Inn Talbot Street. I had recently gotten an email from a company that said they could help people choose the right travel deals by providing films of various hotels. You can see if the place is a dump or not I guess. So I went to their Dublin hotels list and found it a little confusing at first until I figured out to sort the hotels by name (alphabetical order) and then I was able to find the hotel. I don't see any video though - just a few pictures and I'm not sure they're any more helpful then you could find on the hotel's official site or a Google image search. I don't think tvtrip.com is all that useful in this case and I doubt I'll check back again because who knows when they'll have a video for the hotels they list?

Hotels.com also has a sale:

Memorial Day Weekend marks the official start of summer, and hotels.com is giving travelers the opportunity to kick off the season with a little budget-friendly fun in the sun. The hotels.com Memorial Day Sale offers savings up to 50 percent at more than 450 properties in some of the country's hottest vacation spots. To enjoy the hotel deals, guests just need to book by May 25 and travel between May 21 and May 27.

But that's not all: guests who book stays lasting three nights or more will receive a $50 prepaid MasterCard to supplement their summer fun. To get the $50 prepaid MasterCard, guests must book by May 25 and travel by September 15.

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Hotel rooms for $1, Immigration story, Sandals, Texas vacation ideas

I'll start with something nice and safe: hotel rooms for a dollar.

Bed for a Buck. The Alexander Inn in Philadelphia is offering five hotel rooms a night for $1 as part of its Guest Stimulus Plan, through June 11. The hotel hopes you'll reserve a room Sunday through Thursday for a dollar and spend what you save in lodging at Philly's restaurants, shops and museums. Call to book your $1 room at 8 a.m. EST 30 days prior to your arrival. The limit is one night at $1 per guest. 301 South 12th Street, Philadelphia; 215-923-3535 or 877-253-9466

Foolishly Good Deal. San Francisco's two LEED-certified Orchard Hotels are offering rooms for a dollar starting April Fool's Day, for the entire month. You won't find this offer mentioned on the hotels' website, but if you hit the site at 10 a.m. on April 1 and type in the promotional code "Fool!" you can score one of the two $1 rooms offered each night in April. Once the 60 allotted rooms are sold out, the offer will be closed. Additional nights begin at $159. 466 Bush Street (Orchard Garden Hotel) or 665 Bush Street (Orchard Hotel); 888-717-2881

Every once in a while I flirt with a political issue and hop the comments don't get out of hand. Today is one of those days. This article is the culprit - a same sex couple finds one partner being deported. Obviously that's going to be rough on a couple that has been together for 23 years but it's extra hard because they have kids. The problem, of course, is that since their marriage is not recognized by the federal government the American can not sponsor the foreigner for a green card. Having gone through the green card process for my Korean wife, I can certainly sympathize with the couple.

Here's an article on Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort & Spa. No surprise to hear that if you're in a suite with 2 butlers you get pretty good service.

Here we have some vacation ideas in Texas. San Antonio sounds pretty good:

The Alamo City's biggest annual party is Fiesta, April 16-26. Among the 108 events are the Fiesta Mariachi Mass, April 19; River Parade, April 20; and the magnificent Battle of Flowers Parade, April 24. On May 30, the River Walk expands from its historic three-mile length an additional 10 miles. The $279 million improvement takes you from downtown's shopping, dining and hotel zone to a variety of museums and galleries, as well as the restored Pearl Brewery complex.

Inside the old brewery building is the newest campus of the renowned Culinary Institute of America, where foodies can take part in an intensive program called "A Taste of Mexico: Flavors of Puebla and Oaxaca," offered May 27-29.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:16 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

$99 sale going on at bookit.com

Bookit.com is having a pretty goo sale right now until 11:59 PM EDT on Friday, March 27 or while inventory lasts. Travel dates vary by resort, but most are available through summer dates.

For example, the Majestic Colonial All-Inclusive Resort in Punta Cana is about 50% off at $99/night.

Hilton Papagayo Costa Rica Resort and Spa is also $99/night (normally $298) for an oceanview room.

Vegas is looking good too, with Trump International going for as low as $62/night midweek.

Posted by James Trotta at 7:25 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Good price for Vegas?

I'm not exactly sure when they booked, but my parents used hotels.com to book round trip airfare from JFK to Vegas for 2 plus 4 nights at the Palazzo for $1385 total. This is supposed to include all taxes and fees. They travel in April.

Is it just me or is that pretty good?

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Time to visit Moscow?

$240 round trip from New York to Moscow? Sure sounds like a bargain. Of course there may be other fees, there may be a fuel surcharge, and naturally you'll pay some hefty taxes. But I would imagine it's still going to end up being a good deal.

United's one way fares based on round trip purchase:

New York City ... $119
Boston ... $164
Los Angeles ... $167
Washington, D.C. ... $171
Chicago ... $178
Los Angeles ... $167
Denver ... $197
Jacksonville ... $216
San Francisco ... $225

I will be busy teaching so one of you will have to take advantage of this sale and tell me how Moscow is. Book by March 26 and travel on Monday-Thursday, March 29-April 30. 30 day maximum stay.

One of my dreams is to see fireworks above Red Square because it looks so great on TV. From this video it doesn't even look too crowded:

Certainly looks better than the crowds we dealt with for a mediocre view in London.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:14 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Traveling doctors and travel deals for Disney, Hawaii, and spring break

I don't know how many of us can actually use this information, but this article talks about how traveling doctors have a nice lifestyle:

Dr. Albert Breland Jr., a psychiatrist from Del Mar, has worked in Jackson, Miss.; Danville, Ill.; and Anchorage, Alaska, among other locations, since coming out of retirement to become a locum tenens physician in 2002.

“The nice thing about the business is that you get to select where you go and how long you stay,” Breland said.

This article says it's a great time to visit Hawaii because the economy is so tough that the crowds are gone. Plus there are deals available. Plus it's pretty high on my list.

Then we have a Spring Break sale: The Country Inns & Suites Spring Break 1, 2, Wheee! offer runs now through April 30 at many of the more than 450 Country Inns locations in the U.S. and Canada, including great spring break destinations like Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami, Nashville, San Diego, Phoenix and New Orleans, providing 33% off each night of a 3-night stay. That’s like getting 3 nights for the price of 2.

And another spring break sale:

SpringBreakRooms.com features destinations including Panama City Beach, Cancun, Miami and Daytona Beach and offers packages with luxury hotel accommodations and party packages with free entry into local hot spots. Trips start as low as $109 for a full week.

Spring break deals include, but aren’t limited to:

· Panama City Beach – Origin at Seahaven – 7 nights from $119/person
· Panama City Beach – Chateau Motel – 7 nights from $109/person
· Miami – Whitelaw Hotel – 5 nights from $119/person
· Daytona Beach – Plaza Ocean Club – 4 nights from $445/person

Posted by James Trotta at 11:06 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Disney deals, Bradd Pitt in Vegas, Malaysia struggles to attract more tourists, and a ruined honeymoon

Disney is offering discounts since attendance is down by 5%. Apparently you can get 7 nights in Disney World for the price of 4 (staying at a Disney resort). Disneyland has 2 night specials. Both have deals for military personnel and toward the end of the article they talk about how Disney's competition is also offering some deals: Universal Orlando Resort and Worlds of Discovery (they own SeaWorld and Busch Gardens).

Just the other day I wrote about healthy vacations and how spas were doing OK. Now I see an article about how spas may be in trouble.This article seems to be talking mostly about the Cleveland area but what they mention - people cutting back on spending and a large amount of spas competing for business - seems like it would apply to most areas.

Apparently Brad Pitt is taking advantage of the Vegas specials I wrote about recently. According to this article he stayed at the Hard Rock and saw a show (Kà by Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino). He was with his sons, Maddox and Pax.

This article from Malaysia talks about how the economic crisis is affecting tourism:

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) forecasts that growth in international tourism this year will be flat at best or may contract by 2%.

Similarly, Malaysia’s Tourism Ministry, acknowledging the global contraction, has also lowered its 2009 tourist arrivals forecast by 10% to 20 million.

Here's a story about a company worth avoiding: My Travel Ireland Ltd. (which trades as Panorama Holidays). The overbooked hotel I guess could happen to anyone but when they offered the couple whose honeymoon they destroyed a cheap voucher...

Posted by James Trotta at 9:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Vegas and Iceland discounts available

I wrote about Vegas deals about a week ago. Mainstream media agrees with me - Vegas is a good value right now. Iceland is also a good deal; not surprisingly, winter is their off season. That plus the collapse of their finance industry means they are working hard to attract tourists.

Posted by James Trotta at 4:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Time to get a good deal and to visit an empty Vegas?

Business in Vegas is down and has been for about a year now. In the past 12 months there have been new construction shut downs and casino employee's benefits cut. Everyone in Las Vegas used to always say that the "gambling business" was recession proof, now they know better.

With that being said, Vegas is still Disneyland for Adults. In some ways, from a consumers point of view, the strip has never been better or more affordable. Now business has been down and this is the Vegas dead period: January and February are their emptiest times... starts to really pick up around March madness time.

I spoke to someone who just got back from Vegas. Right now the pools are cold and empty. Restaurants are empty, tables are empty. Some restaurants are closed certain days of the week. Even at Ceasars!

So you could go now and it'd be cheap but you can also lock in sweet deals for a few months from now. I know one guy going for 4 nights in April (Thursday to Monday) for a family wedding and staying at MGM Grand for $316 total, plus tax. He had previously had Mandalay Bay for $400 for the same 4 nights but canceled when he saw the MGM deal.

His father in law emailed him with a deal for the Luxor - $226 total for the same 4 nights. I don't think he's doing that one; MGM is really nice and Luxor not so much - but, generally speaking, if you can make it to Vegas these days, I can't imagine that prices are going to get much lower than this.

I spoke to someone else on the email list for Mandalay and Venetian getting great rates emailed to him every week... the other day he got an email from Mandalay with rates from $65 a night at Mandalay and $85 a night at The Hotel.

I threw a few Vegas blog entry links in the blog above but I have more:

Vegas party and hotel tips
Vegas golf recommendations
Grand Canyon helicopter
Vegas timeshare comments
Vegas transportation (prices may be out of date)
Marriage in Vegas

Posted by James Trotta at 11:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ethiopian Airlines sale: buy one, get one free

Ethiopian Airlines has a sale to honor the “historic inauguration of President Barack Obama” - and it'a a big one. Buy one, get one free! I've never heard of anything like it in the airline industry.

Ethiopian Airlines flies direct from Washington Dulles to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Then, of course they connect to other places in Africa. I did a search for Washington-Dulles to Cairo departing Feb. 7 and returning Feb. 14 to see what kind of money we're talking about. They didn't have my exact dates but around that time was $1400 each. A free ticket would be pretty meaningful...

I don't know if this is only flights from the US to Africa or if the sale also covers flights to Africa departing from Rome, Paris, London, etc. - cities that Ethiopian says they fly to.

For more information, the website says to either call - 1-800-445-2733 - or email wascto@ethiopianairlines.com

If anyone has more info on the sale or has flown Ethiopian Airlines before, please share what you know by leaving a comment.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:48 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Luxury travel deals

Here's an interesting article that has me getting ready to contact my travel agent. They talk about how the economy is killing luxury travel and how airlines are cutting fares on business class seats (though not American Airlines apparently).

They talk about one hotel offering a good deal: Dublin's Merrion Hotel (199 euros instead of 455).

Then they talk about how luxury hotels are cutting back:

Ritz-Carlton hotels are substituting potted plants for the fresh flower arrangements

The recently renovated Plaza Hotel on New York's Central Park was forced to close its once-iconic Palm Court restaurant.

Hotels are reducing housekeeping staff

There'll be less extensive and elaborate room-service menus.

One luxury hotel recently switched to a cheaper brand of bathroom amenities.

They'll lay off switchboard operators and route calls to the front desk, which means you'll spend more time checking in because the front-desk people are overworked.

And one luxury hotel group recently dismissed its security staff. A decent reporter might have found out which hotel that was for us but Joe Brancatelli wrote an interesting article even considering that flaw.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Watch for travel deals, New York Times Travel Show, Massachusetts' Berkshires

This article sounds promising:

The bargains in 2009 could be very, very good. Jeffery DalPoggetto, a manager for Tamalpais Travel in Corte Madera, California, recently got a preview of what may be in store next year. British Airways offered a four-day sale on its first-class fares during the Thanksgiving holiday. "The usual round-trip, first class fare from San Francisco to London is $20,128," he says. "They cut it to $4,774 -- or about 75 percent off. Incredible."

Here's an article about the sixth annual New York Times Travel Show, to be held Feb. 6 to 8 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. It sounds like a neat opportunity but I won't be in New York:

Travel experts including Rick Steves, Arthur and Pauline Frommer, Stephanie Abrams and experts from the Travel Channel, including Andrew Zimmern and Samantha Brown, will take questions and offer tips in on-site seminars. Among the pavilions for specialty travel are: Adventure Travel, Luxury and Spa Travel, Cruise Travel and Products and Services.

Here's an article about the Berkshires in Massachusetts, "picturesque New England towns tucked among low, rolling mountains." It seems to be mostly a ski area but there's a colonial-style tavern and a spa or two.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

London, luxury hotel deals, tragedy in Israel

So in London I'll be staying at a Korean B&B: House of Elizabeth - the website is not English though. It's kind of like a hostel but they do have a "suite" that's going to cost us 90 GBP a night. It has a private bathroom. The location is supposed to be good - near Victoria Station. The food will be rice and side dishes in the morning. For dinner you can cook yourself Ramen noodles and they have rice. We're assuming we can bring our own stuff to cook if we want since the noodles aren't all that healthy.

And here are a couple of articles I thought were worth sharing:

Interesting article here about travel deals for luxury hotels as corporations and individuals are not going to fancy resorts like they used to:

For example, Four Seasons hotels in New York, Miami and Scottsdale, Ariz., have been offering a third night free. For Christmas, the Boca Raton Resort & Club in Florida has a family holiday package that offers two connecting rooms for the price of one (starting at $249 a night), as well as access to the resort’s kids’ camp, which normally costs $65 for each child. In Miami’s South Beach, the sleek Angler’s Resort is now offering rooms on the weekend of Dec. 26 for about $260 a night, almost $200 less than the price quoted a little over a month ago, while the popular Hotel of South Beach, which reported being completely sold out for that weekend a month ago, now has rooms available starting at $267 a night, rates more comparable to what the hotel charges in the off-season.

In the Caribbean, the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda, which rarely offers discounts during the high season, is offering 25 percent off through April for travelers who book its seven-night Reefing the Rates deal by Jan. 5. CuisinArt Resort & Spa in Anguilla is handing out $500 resort credits to guests who stay five nights between Jan. 4 and March 2009. Caneel Bay on St. John and Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda are offering a fifth night free from Jan. 3 through April. And Parrot Cay, on a private island in the Turks and Caicos, is offering seven nights for the price of five between Jan. 10 and March 12. That brings a weeklong stay in a garden-view room to $3,875, down from $5,425 — a deal that can be combined with an “early bird offer” of breakfast and dinner for the week at no extra cost, if booked by Jan. 31.

This article caught my attention because it's about travel agents hurt in Israel. Apparently the driver was trying to race another bus and lost control. I hope he gets in big trouble.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:48 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

NCL cruise deal for Florida nd New York residents

For a limited time, book an NCL 3- or 4-day Bahamas cruise leaving from Miami starting from just $99 per person. There's a bunch of fine print (of course) and I'm pretty sure I read that this is only for Florida and New York residents before my eyes started to hurt. If you're looking for a cheap winter cruise, you might as well check it out.

NCL's Resident Special gets you:
• Up to a 4-category upgrade
• 3rd and 4th guests starting from $49 per person
• 3- or 4-day cruise from just $99 per person on sailings in 2009 and 2010.

It's all happening aboard Norwegian Sky – the youngest ship sailing to the Bahamas from Miami. But remember, an offer this good won't last long. Offer ends December 28th.

Posted by James Trotta at 8:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Vacation deals and when to use a travel agent

Here's an interesting article on travel agents, their fees (and the reasons for them like why there's usually no fee to book a cruise but there is a fee for airline tickets), and when they are most useful. The author says they are most useful when planning trips overseas. I find that kind of interesting since I like dreaming up travel plans (the reason I started this blog actually).

We have some travel deals from the Washington Post here. Possibly the most interesting is this one:

The Yachts of Seabourn has discounted seven European sailings by 60 percent. For example, a seven-night Cote D'Azur & Spanish Isles cruise aboard the Seabourn Legend departing June 20 starts at $2,840 per person double, plus about $44 taxes. Brochure rate was $7,100. Book by Dec. 15; cruises depart April-August

Posted by James Trotta at 2:09 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Cool hotels, some travel deals, some timeshare stuff

In case you missed me, I've been working pretty hard to meet various deadlines with the book I'm publishing. I actually have no idea why the publisher is in such a rush to get the book to print - it seems to me that we're rushing things a little too much.

Anyway for tonight at least I'm a travel blogger. We'll start with an article from Forbes on cool hotels. James Bond fans might be especially interested in Goldeneye Resort:

This 18-acre Oracabessa, Jamaica, retreat is where writer Ian Fleming penned 14 of his James Bond novels, and the thatched-roof villas are named after some of the fictional spy's love interests. But stay at the writer's personal three-room house for a real treat: it features an outdoor claw-foot bathtub, sunken garden and mini movie theater. A floodlit tennis court and snorkeling on the nearby coral reefs give visitors plenty to do.

Speaking of affordable, the Daily News has some travel deals for us. There are a few good deals but naturally the one for Italy caught my eye:

TourCrafters is offering cash-strapped tourists a midweek Venice Supersaver package. The package includes roundtrip airfare from New York and Boston, four nights at the Hotel Hesperia - where guests can enjoy views of the Cannaregio Canal - daily buffet breakfasts, service charges and fuel surcharges. Upgrades are available at hotels such as the Carlton & Grand Canal and Luna Baglioni for an additional fee. Trip extensions to Tuscany, Florence and Ravello on the Amalfi Coast are also available. Holiday blackout dates may apply. The tour is available through March 31, with prices starting at $699, based on double occupancy (airport taxes not included).

Howard said he recently traveled to London, a very expensive city for hotel rooms. He paid $99 per night at a Marriott hotel, where the average room rate is $537 per night. "Probably 98 percent of my hotels, I book on Priceline or Hotwire," said Howard, who added that he's traveling about 100 nights a year.

In unrelated news, here's an article on a defiant timeshare company, Westgate. A jury just decided they were loathsome enough to have to pay $1,000,000. They claim that the people going to the timeshare sales pitches are the actual bad guys because they go for the free gifts (and not to buy). They also claim that the lawsuit is based on stolen information. Somehow, I doubt we'll see much sympathy for poor Westgate...

Posted by James Trotta at 10:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ski vacations: attractions and deals

This article talks about some ski vacation discounts, but also some interesting attractions:

A spectacular new feature debuts in December at Whistler-Blackcomb in British Columbia, the Peak 2 Peak Tram. Connecting the two mountains, it will travel a world record 1.88 miles unsupported between two towers at a world record 1,427 feet above the ground. The 28-person tram is the final component in Whistler's preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and for U.S. skiers it's especially affordable, as the currency exchange has turned favorable for Americans. The U.S. dollar now brings about 1.18 Canadian.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Did I imagine an ad for Cathay pacific round-the-world flights?

I was playing with Cathay Pacific's Oneworld system to see what kinds of fun itineraries I could dream up and what they'd cost.

I thought I saw an ad a week or two ago about Cathay pacific round-the-world tickets for around $2,000. That seemed like a possibly affordable way to visit family in New York, get some good pizza in Italy, and see Angkor Watt in Cambodia.

I couldn't find anything close to what I was looking for though. According to the website, a 3 continent Oneworld explorer package starting in the US would cost $3,900 for economy, $8,600 for business and $11,600 for first class.

Then the Global Explorer package starts at $4,500 for under 26,000 miles. I'm guessing that's tier 1: "Minimum of 3, maximum of 5 stopovers, with no more than 2 within any region." Doesn't seem like much of a deal but by this point I was a bit confused.

I'm not even sure what the difference is between the Oneworld explorer and the Global explorer packages. There must be a reason why they bother making the distinction but I didn't notice it explained anywhere.

By the way, blog entries should start coming more regularly soon. I'm still busy working on my textbook but a few other things should soon be over. I really need to finish my visits to the dentist. My teeth felt fine before I went and all I wanted was a good cleaning. They cleaned my teeth for 2 minutes and said I keep my teeth perfectly clean so there's nothing else for them to do. But they charged me $50 for the cleaning and found 3 cavities (which cost a lot more than $50 each). I'm done with 2 of them but I have a chunk of a tooth missing and Thursday I get my first ever gold filling.

And I still don't understand why I got cavities if my teeth are so clean...

Posted by James Trotta at 11:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Budapest offers winter discounts

I think this website is an official site from the city of Budapest which apparently is a well-priced destination in winter. I learned about this site in the International Herald Tribune - the article there said that lots of hotels and restaurants (and even the airport's duty free shops) offer winter discounts.

They could use a new editor for their site content. The message is good though:

Budapest is the city of thousand sites to be seen and things to explore. Sounds too much? Don't worry! You'll have an extra day to check them out.

Some fo you may remember I went to Munich for the Christmas market last year. Apparently Budapest has a Christmas fair. In some ways it seems similar:

During this time, between November 29 and December 24th, the square is filled with vendors and artisans offering hand made, unique arts and crafts, and Christmas trinkets all made from natural materials. There are a number of food stands offering mulled wine, and the fresh baked gingerbread spread the wonderful smells of cinnamon, pine and the overall feeling of the holidays. The square has a live stage with puppet shows and folklore musical and dance performers providing entertainment throughout the day.

Posted by James Trotta at 4:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Hawaii vacation deals & Halloween travel ideas

The economy is hurting Hawaiian tourism. According to this article, Hawaii has spent $12.5 million on "the state's flailing tourism industry" in the past few months. The article goes on to talk about some current Hawaii vacation deals. Does this make a hotel better than a condo?

Among the deals under the new theme of "Discover more of Hawaii for less than you imagined" are: Anywhere from 35 percent to 50 percent off hotel stays booked through Orbitz and Expedia, a $500 air credit, free breakfasts, a free rental car, even a $50 grocery certificate.

Changing subjects, this article taught me about Anoka, Minn., the "self-proclaimed Halloween Capital of the World." Never heard of that before but it sounds pretty grand.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

AIG employees go on vacation but TSA crook doesn't. Actually seems fair to me...

The biggest vacation in the news is the one mentioned in this article, the one AIG's top performers took that cost $440,000. I know that people who sell a lot of stuff get rewarded and I guess they should since they make money for the company. It happens in insurance, it happens in network marketing, and it probably happens in other industries as well. The timing here was pretty bad though...

This article mentions what I think is making people angry:

The retreat didn't include anyone from the financial products division that nearly drove AIG under, but lawmakers were still enraged over thousands of dollars spent on catered banquets, golf outings and visits to the resort's spa and salon for executives of AIG's main U.S. life insurance subsidiary.

Speaking of the economic mess, that does mean good deals on Caribbean vacations according to this article. Hopefully we'll see more great travel deals. I know some people won't be in a position to take advantage of them thanks to rising unemployment but all I can do is use that as inspiration to work harder, improve my job performance, and make myself too valuable to get rid of. If my school can't afford to lose me, then I figure they'll keep me. It's certainly not easy to make yourself that valuable but I'm trying...

Anyway, for example, here's a Sandals deal from the article:

Sandals Resorts has extended a promotion, first offered earlier this summer, which gives guests an airfare credit of up to $550 when they book a three-night stay by Oct. 23 for travel through Dec. 20. The all-inclusive resort, which caters to couples, is also offering additional perks like spa credits this year, says Mitchell Nover, media coordinator at Unique Vacations, which handles sales and marketing for Sandals Resorts.

Here's another story - in this one a criminal TSA agent wants to leave the country for his honeymoon and his lawyer makes a pretty funny comment: "Obviously, they could have waited until Mr. Brown returned from the Dominican Republic."

Why should we wait to begin punishing this guy who abused his TSA position and stole (and he has confessed apparently) cameras and laptops from travelers at Newark Airport? I wonder how much impact this will have on TSA's image, considering that readers here have already leveled plenty of criticism.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:56 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

A few travel deals and ideas including a cruise special in Norway

This article talks about Fall travel deals. A small (15-room) boutique hotel in Puerto Vallarta starts at about $150/night. I believe this is somewhat near Ajijic.

I heard that traveling in Norway is expensive, but this deal sounds amazing (and if you read this blog you know I save that enthusiasm for the truly impressive):

Hurtigruten, a world leader in exploration and educational cruising, is offering great savings on its Norwegian Coastal Voyages. The 12-day roundtrip from Bergen can now be booked at a 2-for-1 cruise price.
Rates range from $2,299 to $3,099 for two people instead of per person.

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St. Thomas travel deal

I wasn't able to find a whole lot for you today but I do have this article on an American Airlines deal to St. Thomas. You can also find hotel deals on St. Thomas and other islands:

The three U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas, offer a current promotion that gets visitors a complimentary fifth-night stay, a $50 to $100 resort credit, a $50 gift card, plus up to $200 in savings on a host of activities, tours and extras.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Caribbean resort vacation deals: book before October 31, 2008

I'm not sure if this article is legit or if it's some kind of ad or press release so I recommend critical reading here:

Savvy travelers looking to get a jumpstart on their 2009 travel plans should take advantage of SuperClubs' Early Booking Bonus Savings with up to 20 percent off rates at 11 resorts in Jamaica, Curaçao and the Bahamas. Guests who book by October 31 will reap the savings on travels January 2 - December 22, 2009.

1. Grand Lido Resorts & Spas: AAA Four Diamond resorts in Jamaica. Rates start at $152 per person, per night, based on double occupancy.

2. Breezes Resorts: Breezes Runaway Bay, Breezes Montego Bay, Breezes Bahamas and Breezes Curaçao. Rates start at $112 per person, per night, based on double occupancy.

3. Hedonism Resorts: Adults-only Hedonism I and Hedonism II promise a sexy vacation. Rates start at $135 per person, per night, based on double occupancy.

4. Starfish Trelawny: All-inclusive family-friendly accommodations. Rates start at $86 per person, per night, based on double occupancy.

5. ROOMS Negril or ROOMS Ocho Rios in Jamaica: these are not all-inclusive.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:27 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

A good season to look for travel deals

This article talks about how September and October are usually cheaper months to travel. This year gas prices might cut into that savings however.

One suggestion is to head to places before they become popular. Easier said than done? But after the article mentions South Africa it seems like common sense:

South Africa is a bargain at the moment. It might cost you more to go there, but the cost of living is much lower. The exchange rate is also very good. But from 2010 it will definitely be more difficult.

And that's about it for me. My wife and I sang karaoke for a couple of hours tonight and now I'm exhausted.

Posted by James Trotta at 3:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Several articles full of vacation deals

These vacation deals include the affordable:

New Mexico nights. Stay two nights and get a third night free at the Eldorado Hotel & Spa in Santa Fe. Rates start at $199 a night. Receive third night price adjustment upon checkout. Deal valid through Dec. 21. Mention promotional code PROSTA when booking.

Danube River deal. Save $2,000 per couple on a last-minute deal with Cross-Culture Journeys. The 14-night Sept. 16 Danube River Discovery Cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam has a limited number of staterooms available from $3,395 to $5,395 per person, based on double occupancy. (Original prices, $4,395-$6,395.) Meals, sightseeing and fuel surcharge included.

ITALIAN ESCAPE The Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan is offering a Milano to Lake Como package that includes accommodations in a double deluxe room, daily full breakfasts, a one-day trip to Como with a guided tour and lunch at a restaurant with panoramic views. Guests can also visit the hotel's fitness and beauty center and receive complimentary limousine service to the center of Milan. The neoclassical hotel is located near the La Scala opera house. Available through Sept. 30. Rates start at about $1,085 a night (taxes included).

The cost of a 17-day grand voyage to Venice has been slashed by almost half. Passengers taking the Voyages of Discovery cruise from Harwich on September 4 pay £1,299, including full board and entertainment, a saving of £1,280. The ship calls at Lisbon, Gibraltar, Almería, Nice, Livorno and Sorrento before reaching Venice, from where passengers fly back to Gatwick (or Manchester for an additional charge).

And if you've been thinking about Vegas, this deal seems like a nice price:

Stay at the Palms in Las Vegas Sundays through Thursdays in September for $79 and get a $25 dining credit. Book by Friday.

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Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa - Maui Film Festival special

This article showed me a $20,000 hotel package at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa during the Maui Film Festival - if that's per night then it may qualify for this list.

The Celestial Package = $450/night (plain room), $650/night (ocean-view)

2 passes to a film venue for screening, 2 passes to filmmakers panels, two passes to "Taste of Wailea", daily breakfast for two.

The Moon and the Stars Package = $20,000 ($13,000 tax-deductible) for a suite

Breakfast for two daily, limousine transfers, a luxury car rental, complimentary valet parking, special seating for two in a private golf cart within the VIP section at the Celestial Cinema, plus two VIP Film Festival Passes entitling guests to attend "Taste of Wailea," "Taste of Chocolate," a post-tribute "Green Room" photo opportunity with one (or more) festival honorees, access to any film venue as well as all filmmakers panels and tribute presentations, plus two invitations to the private Filmmakers VIP Soiree, the private oceanfront Very VIP Party, etc.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:53 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Gas rebates from hotels and extra charges from airlines

This article on vacation deals has an interesting theme - rebates or "gas credits" hotels are offering because they think the price of gas will deter travelers from taking road trips. A good number of hotels seem to be offering rebates between $25 and $100.

And for those of us who want to save money, this article talks about how hard it is to save money when you're flying these days. One paragraph reminded me of an old Mancunian article:

So you think you can fly to Chicago for just $359 round-trip? Not if you’re flying on a holiday weekend. Not if you want to leave at 8 a.m. and return at 5 p.m. Not if you want to fly nonstop. Not if you want an aisle seat or a window seat, on some airlines. Not if you want extra legroom or an exit seat, on other airlines. Not if you want an in-flight meal, a movie player or even a blanket or a pillow.

Speaking of airlines, I posted a long time ago about q-ups - supposedly a cheap way to fly first class. It sounds good in theory, but has anyone here made it work?

Posted by James Trotta at 5:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Summer vacation deals

This article recommends some warmer destinations as well as some ski resorts this summer - you save money going to a place like Scottsdale, Arizona or a ski resort in the summer. Just make sure the heat won't make you miserable.

One place mentioned in the article I link to above is the Sheraton Vistana Resort in Florida, which "features seven outdoor heated swimming pools, on-site car rental, free shuttles to all the Walt Disney theme parks, free wireless Internet access throughout, three arcade/game rooms, DVD rental library and restaurants."

Maybe that will appeal to some British travelers (or travellers for you Brits) who are advised to consider America instead of Europe this summer - the British currency is strong against the dollar but not so strong against the euro - this makes the US a better value.

Another interesting vacation deal is the "Escape! Earth Day" package from the Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort and Spa and the City of Palm Desert, California. During the month of April, the package starts at $399 a night and includes a stay in a standard guest room at the Desert Springs, two 50-minute organic date scrub spa treatments, use of spa/fitness facilities, breakfast buffet for two at the resort's Lake View restaurant (including an organic honey tasting) and a 'free' admission to Palm Desert's Living Desert (in exchange for turning in a used cell phone).

Posted by James Trotta at 11:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Vegas hotel deals and a few random links

First let me just say that this post on poverty tourism and rich people's morals has gotten a number of interesting comments in the last day or two - it might be worth your time to join the discussion.

Second, while this article changes subjects a few times I really like how the author shares some deals he received by being on mailing lists of well-known Vegas hotels:

ITEM: The Palazzo­the Venetian’s new deluxe sister hotel/addition wants me to stay for what is a really low $179 per night with free drinks, special VIP check in, discounts on dining, free desserts and other goodies. The rack rate at this hotel is around $300 at a minimum.

ITEM: Mandalay Bay has dates in April, May, and June during which a 3-day stay will only cost 2 day’s pay -- a serious savings indeed.

ITEM: MGM Grand is having a “sale” for upcoming dates for $99 per night.

ITEM: The Mirage is offering 15% discounts on regular rooms, and 20% off on Premium rooms, 25% off on De Luxe, and a whopping 30% off on Tower and Penthouse Suites­the ones that appeal to the highest of high-end travelers who, you’d think, they would not have to discount for at all, recession or no recession.

ITEM: Most telling, the admittedly not ultra-deluxe New York/New York has a 10%-off / $10 at Starbucks / $10 free gaming play deal in April, that escalates to 15% / $10 / $10 in May, then 20% off in June with 2-for-one breakfast at Il Fornaio, $15 off a spa treatment, free welcome drinks and a pass on the roller coaster.

I have no transition for my next link but this article has some interesting advice. I had never heard of the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers before but it sounds like a good idea. Basically they have a network of English speaking doctors worldwide in case you get sick on an international trip.

And that's what I have for you today - have a great one!

Posted by James Trotta at 11:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Combination passes / Museum Passes

Today I’d like to talk about these combo passes that you see in nearly every major city in Europe. I realize this topic has been covered many times over and the majority of people just don’t want to waste their time figuring out which pass is best. Still, I’d like to throw in my two cents worth.

I travel as often as I can as cheap as I can, because I was raised to be frugal, if not super frugal. This makes me sit down and actually go through each pass to see if I can save even a couple of bucks at any given point in my journey.

I am a constant planner and like to thoroughly go through several guide books and websites making sure that I know of every possible sight there is to see at my destination. I plan for weeks, if not months, knowing that when I get there one third of that plan is going out the window. The important thing to me is that I see everything I wanted to, because in the grand scheme of things I really don’t know if I’ll be back and my list of things to see elsewhere is constantly growing.

So, if you’re like me you can get your money’s worth out of nearly any of these combination passes, although it is increasingly difficult to do so with some of them. The major difference is who is selling the passes. Many cities (such as Rome archeology card, Paris museum pass, and Berlin SchauLUST pass) offer a pass sold at museums owned by the state that can save you a substantial sum if you are going to several museums. Alternatively, there are the types of passes offered by private companies or in combination with the local transit system which in most places are private companies. These transportation-inclusive passes or private passes usually offer very small discounts making it quite difficult to get your money’s worth. Examples of these are the city tour card in Berlin and Munich.

You can save money using all of the passes listed above, though it does take planning.

However, if you really can’t be bothered with going through each of the places you plan on visiting and figuring out if it’s worth it, I suggest sticking to the ones sold by the state owned museums and staying away from the ones that include transportation. As for transportation, I would stick with buying what the locals do, weekly tickets.

-Mike Richardson, The Professional Tourist

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Vacation deals: family resorts and just staying home

This article recommends some family resort vacation deals. I don't know much about family vacations except those for husband and wife so i can't say too much about the choices in the article.

I can comment on this article about staying home on vacation to spend time with friends and loved ones. As an educator I get more vacation than most so luckily I have time both for traveling and relaxing at home. I'll never criticize anyone for staying home on vacation. Staying home to cook for your wife if she's not on vacation, take your dogs for long walks, meet friends for luch, etc. can be a wonderful way to spend some vacation days.

Posted by James Trotta at 3:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Saving money on airfare and European vacations

This article has 2 parts - Rick Seaney talking about shopping for airfare and Rick Steves talking about saving money in Europe.

Here we have vacation deals ranging from cruises and the Caribbean to road trips & camping (no deals here but some recommendations nonetheless), Las Vegas, Washington DC, and New Orleans (anyone know if the restaurant I want to visit there is still open?).

Posted by James Trotta at 12:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Mobil travel guide, a few deals, cruise talk

I had never heard of Mobil Travel Guide before reading this article, but the author recommends the guide, which seems to be pretty exclusive: "A total of 41 lodgings, 17 restaurants and three spas earned five stars from Mobil."

I wonder if we can afford any of them...

Speaking of affordability, this article has a few deals including tours of Yellowstone (river rafting, horseback riding, hiking, canoeing and wildlife watching), Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate (poolside cabanas, zero-entry family pool, aquatic playground, 850-foot Lazy River, two Greg Norman-designed golf courses and a full-service European Spa), Occidental Hotels & Resorts (I think they were one of the resorts that never answered my email a while back), Viva Wyndham Resorts, and various resorts in Curacao.

What is a zero-entry pool anyway?

Here's an article on Voyager of the Seas from Royal Caribbean. It focuses on the health and fitness options, which my parents noted when they went for a free cruise on Liberty of the Seas.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:21 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

ABC vacation deals

This article comes in two flavors, video and regular article. The article part is set up kind of weird so I liked the video better but the information is the same:

Apple Vacations tour of Los Cabos, Mexico
3 night Royal Caribbean Cruise of Bahamas
The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida
The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin

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Single vacation deals for everyone

I blogged a while back about traveling alone even if you are not single and do receive requests for more articles geared toward single travelers. I do try to honor those requests, but don't see that many articles on single travel...

Anyway, here is an article on travel deals for the single traveler.

There are several resorts trying to attract solo travelers with special packages. These include the Arawak Beach Inn in Anguilla, Le Meridien Cancun Resort and Spa, South Seas Island Resort off Florida's Gulf Coast, Tortuga Bay in the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana actually - where I reviewed Sirenis), and Westin St. John Resort.

They also have a bunch of "activity" or "adventure" based vacation packages. Getting mentions here (on page 2 of the article) are Intrepid Travel's Solo Active program, Tauck World Discovery, "the gorgeous Villa San Michele's popular Single Is Beautiful and Tasty, Too! package", International Expeditions, and Country Walkers.

Finally, the article lists a few sites for people who are single and looking (not just solo travelers).

Posted by James Trotta at 9:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Vacation deals for Fort Lauderdale and more

The Washington Post has a lot of different vacation deals for us. They mention the American Express Going once sale, an all-Asia pass from Cathay Pacific, some hotels, and more.

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American Express "Going Once" sale

If you want some extra excitement and complication (as if booking your own travel wasn't complicated enough), American Express has a vacation package promotion for card holders on their Going Once website.

The promotion lasts from February 4 to 14 and works like this. Each day a different package goes on sale at noon. Every twenty minutes until 8:00 pm (or until the package sells out) the price drops.

So the longer you wait, the cheaper you get the vacation. However, the package could sell out before 8:00 if enough people want the package. There are also fixed-price packages.

So start thinking (assuming you have an American Express card) about how much you're willing to pay for each package. I'm also assuming that you have more money than I do.

Croatia (starts at $13,570 which is the retail price)
Tuscany ($9,000)
Alaska ($12,480)
Cabo San Lucas ($15,000)
Tanzania safari ($18,590)
Polynesia ($18,790)
Greece & Turkey
Buenos Aires
Hawaii

According to American Express, last year Going Once package purchasers saved an average of 32 percent off of retail prices. It's a significant discount, but personally I'd wait a bit longer and risk having the package sell out. They do show you the number of packages available (it says 10 for each right now).

Posted by James Trotta at 6:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Deals for Canada, Italy, more

The Washington Post has collected some good deals. Many of them are ones I'm very interested in and have blogged about before. There's a cooking tour in Italy, the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada, a couple of cruises, airfare specials, and more.

Posted by James Trotta at 3:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What do travelers have to be thankful for and useless travel trivia

This article on what travelers have to be thankful for wasn't particularly interesting except for one piece of useless trivia:

Moans and groans beyond counting and back injuries along with them have been averted because in 1987 a Northwest Airlines pilot named Robert Plath thought to put wheels on luggage and build in a retractable handle. Before that, the emphasis in the word "luggage" was definitely on the "lug."

The second page actually gets better (saving the best for last) with a mention of Rocky Mountaineer (I mentioned that once) winter train (I bet the views are awesome), and a trvel deal:

China for $1,699

In a trip open to anyone, the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce in New Hampshire is sponsoring a trip to China March 14-22 for $1,699 a person. Highlights include transportation to and from John F. Kennedy Airport, round-trip airfare from JFK, hotel stays, three meals daily, English-speaking tour guides, admissions, and airport taxes. Highlights include visits to attractions in Beijing, the Great Wall of China, Shanghai, Suzhou, and a lake cruise.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Travel deals and a jazz cruise

It's midterm week and I'm busy looking at students' papers so you might see fairly short entries the next few days.

Today I just have a few travel deals from AM New York. Deals to Grenada, the UK, and Thailand sound good, but not as good as this cruise:

A jazz cruise, Dec. 1-8, round-trip from Miami, with stops in Key West and ports in Mexico and Belize, will feature a jazz brunch with lecture by an expert in this field of music and nightly performances throughout the ship. Available staterooms are priced from $2,920 a person plus fees; shore excursions are extra. (888-799-4625; crystalcruises.com)

Posted by James Trotta at 4:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Arizona ranch vacation deals

This travel deal article talks about two ranches in Arizona.

Bison Ranch Resort Suites (see bison, fish, hike):

Couple packages, family packages
One- and two-bedroom condo suites (with kitchens and electric fireplaces)

"Suites Stampede" promotion lets guests reserve a condo stay through March 31, 2008, (excluding holidays) at rates from $119 a night and receive a second consecutive night or a second condo unit on the same night at half-price.

Autumn in the White Mountains means beautiful sunny days and cool crisp evenings. On Sunday-Thursday, arrivals rates start from $69 on the "Tree Huggers and Leaf Lovers" package.

The "Explore Northern Arizona" package includes a six-day self-drive tour of northern Arizona with a two-night stay at the Prescott Resort and Casino in historic Prescott; two nights of lodging in the stunning red rocks of Sedona at the Junipine Resort, and one night at the Bison Ranch Resort Suites. Rates vary by season, but start from $575.

Tanque Verde Ranch (a Travel Channel Top Ten Family Vacation Destination with all inclusive packages plus hiking mountain biking, horse riding, tennis, kids programs and spa): from $370 to $610 / night.

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Mancation vacation contest

This is an article about Mancations that has a cryptic reference to a contest for a free mancation:

If you win the Great Winter Escape Contest, the Winnipeg Free Press and Signature Vacations has a week-long holiday in the sun for two as your prize, with four possible destinations and vacation themes. (There is only one prize at the contest's end).

Posted by James Trotta at 11:37 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Very inexpensive driving tour of Ireland

In this list of vacation deals, we have one that sounds truly amazing:

Sceptre Tours is offering an eight-day Ireland Coast-to-Coast independent vacation package with rates starting at $499 per person. Travelers must book by Wednesday for travel from September through February 2008. The package includes round-trip airfare on Aer Lingus from New York to Shannon or Dublin; six nights' hotel accommodations, including two nights at the Clare Inn (Clare), two nights at the Breaffy House (Mayo) and two nights at the Green Isle Hotel (Dublin), and weekly standard car rental.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:22 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Vacation deals: cruises, resorts, rafting, Ireland, and more

Here's an article on vacation deals, including lots of cruise deals:

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line: Splendor of the Seas 7-night Greek Isles (Visit: Athens, Mykonos, Katakolon, Corfu, Split)

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line: Voyager of the Seas 7-night Mediterranean (Visit: Nice, Rome, Naples, Vallette, Palma de Mallorca)

Celebrity Cruise Line: Summit 7-night Southbound Alaska (Visit: Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait, Ketchikan, Cruise Inside Passage)

and 9 more...

Plus a few land package vacation bargains:

Resort Riu Palace in Aruba ALL INCLUSIVE 5 nights from $1175 per person

Paradise Island Harbor Resort in Bahamas ALL INCLUSIVE 3-nights from $699 per person

and 4 more...

For me the really weird part is when they say to call someone named Amanda. Is Amanda the travel agent for 3 on your side's vacation deals or something?

Here's an article on a British consumer's experience looking for a vacation bargain. This particular problem was with Thomson travel agency but the author makes it seem like a problem common to most British travel agencies.

This New York Daily News article mentions deals for a few places we've blogged about here, including white water rafting the Ocoee River and St. Maarten. The Irish history tour sounded pretty great too.

Here are some travel deals for our New Zealand readers. This one seemed pretty unique: "Herald Travel readers staying at California's Mendocino Hotel will find their Kiwi dollars are temporarily worth the same as United States dollars."

Posted by James Trotta at 8:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Alaskan cruise travel plan from last year and news + a travel deal today

On this day last year, I published a contest entry: Voyage of the Glaciers Alaskan cruise on the Sapphire Princess. I decided to do a news search today to see what's going on.

The first thing I found was unfortunate, a cruise ship run aground. There are a billion stories on this cluttering up my search results but I'm only linking to this one.

I needed to find some better news so I kept searching. Even though stories about the troubled cruise ship dominated the results I was able to find this blog entry on an Alskan cruise for seniors (55+) at a discounted price.

There's also an article on the fairly new law that Alaskan voters passed to curb the environmental impact of the cruise ships.

Posted by James Trotta at 4:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Health Magazine says try buying plane tickets midnight Tuesday to 1:00 AM Wednesday morning

Got this tidbit from Men's Health Magazine:

Here's how it works. Airlines usually release their deals late on Fridays, so you can troll for bargains then. But if you're willing to take a gamble, wait until the offers expire, often on Tuesdays. Tuesdays at midnight, unpurchased fares flood into the airline computer system. That 1-hour window from midnight until 1 AM Wednesday morning (in the city where the airline is based) is when you strike.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:14 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

How to make US dollars go further in Europe

Here's a good WFAA article (the Google news feed said it was subscription but I was able to follow the link without trouble - I hope you can also read this article - if you can't it is an AP article but I couldn't find it published anywhere else).

The article notes that while London is most popular with US tourists, it's also very expensive thanks in part to a weak dollar. They recommend getting deals in Croatia, Prague, or Germany (but I really want to visit Germany in winter). Then again, it does seem cheaper to fly to London than any other European city. You might try to get the best of both worlds by flying to London and then traveling around Europe a bit.

We have the London and Amsterdam travel plan, but Amsterdam was mentioned as one of the more expensive destinations. They don't mention the cost of visiting other British cities, but Oxford, York, and Scotland might be a nice addition and a little less expensive than London.

The article I linked to at the beginning lists some new flights but notes that prices are going up despite the greater number of seats:

Delta Air Lines Inc. is continuing to add new routes to second-tier international destinations, including flights from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Pisa, Italy, and Bucharest, Romania, as well as from Atlanta to Vienna, Austria, and Prague, Czech Republic. Northwest Airlines Corp. has several new routes and extra flights, including a new Hartford, Conn.-to-Amsterdam route starting July 1 and a second daily nonstop from Detroit to Frankfurt, Germany, operating from May 7 through Oct. 27. Austrian Airlines has a new Chicago-to-Vienna route set to start in May, and Air France will offer a daily Seattle-to-Paris nonstop starting June 11.

The article also mentions cruising as a possibility. Cruises typically charge US dollars so you won't get killed on the exchange rate. There are also a few hotels with special US dollar prices to attract American tourists.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:17 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Fairmont Hotel 2007 centennial special offers

To celebrate their centennial, Fairmont is offering a number of packages for $1,907.00 (or British Pounds, or whatever the local currency is). This make the Fairmont Dubai an afforadble $500 but London's Savoy quite a bit more for those of you with US dollars in your banks (or on your credit cards).

Here's a good article that explains a couple of the Fairmont packages.

The packages are valid through Dec. 30, 2007 according to the Fairmont website so there is time to plan!

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Discounts if you have a new passport

Most of you already have passports I'm sure. If you don't, there are a few Caribbean specials you might consider in addition to "no passport" vacation spots like Puerto Rico. The St. Maarten special reminded me of this crazy planes by the beach video.

Posted by James Trotta at 8:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sandals' Red Lane Spa or Resort $250 Credit Offer

A special notice for everyone based on an email I got from Sandals. They are having a special "$250 Red Lane Spa or Resort Credit offer to April 15th" and sent me this link to share:

Sandals' Red Lane Spa or Resort $250 Credit Offer - Click here to learn more and to access the discount code!

This takes you to their specials page. The $250 off I'm talking about is way down the bottom (if you're booking make sure you use the code they give you or you won't get the discount). The other specials are pretty interesting too. I didn't see anything for ones I've covered here like the Sandals Beaches Negril Resort & Spa in Jamaica.

Other Sandals related blog entries: Selling Sandals, Sandals and St. Lucia politics.

If you've experienced a Sandals or Beaches vacation, please share by leaving a comment.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Cruise deals

If you're reading this, my web hosting situation has been resolved. As things go back to normal, I thought I'd share some cruise deals being offered by the different travel sites out there:

Expedia.com is having its 2007 Cruise Getaways Sale through February, starting at $189 (for a three-night Carnival Caribbean cruise). You can get up to $100 onboard credit with Princess Cruises and, with Royal Caribbean, up to $200 off. If you go for the cheaper cruises, you get less money off.

Travelocity.com has a sale, through Feb. 15, with 56 daily sweepstakes prizes of $2,500 and a grand prize of $125,000. You can get such goodies as $400 off with Celebrity (Alaska), upgrades with Carnival, and shipboard credit plus an upgrade with Norwegian Cruise Line.

Orbitz.com has a Winter Getaway Sale with offers good through mid-February. If you book a cruise totalling $2,000 or more with an American Express Card, you get double Membership Reward points, good for assorted merchandise, and a free portable DVD player.

Well, there's something. I'll be blogging almost everyday now. I am flying back to America soon so I'll miss a couple of days in the middle of the week.

Posted by James Trotta at 7:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Vacation bargains from the Washington Post

Here's a Washington Post article from a couple of days ago that has travel deals from Hawaii, Grace Bay Beach on the island of Providenciales, Las Vegas, various cruises (Caribbean, Thames River in England), flights on AirTran and American, as well as packages to Venice and the Azores, a group of islands in the mid-Atlantic about 970 miles off the coast of Portugal.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:29 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Florida vacation deals: Miami, Disney, and more

A few days ago I was busy blogging about lines in Disney (thank you for the comments on that one) and Port Orleans vs. Caribbean Beach (again, we got some very useful comments). Today we have a nice range of Florida vacation deals. Deals include St. Augustine, Miami Beach, the Florida Keys, Daytona Beach, and Disney.

Toward the end are some deals for Hawaii, the Netherlands, Maine, and Provo in Turks and Caicos.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:17 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Vacation deals for Hawaii, Bahamas, Bali, Ireland, and more

This USA Today article talks about some nice island vacation travel deals:

Four nights in the Bahamas from $299
Five nights in Hawaii from $433
Seven nights at an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic from $569
Three nights in Ireland from $499
Seven nights in Singapore and Bali from $799
Six nights in Tahiti from $1,198
Eight nights in the Greek Isles from $1,299
Seven nights in New Zealand from $1,399

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Offseason and shoulder season Europe vacation deals

Here's an article on finding travel deals in Europe in non-summer months:

Europe's offseason, from late October through April, is full of deals for the smart traveler. Better yet, you'll avoid the crowds that can make a European vacation insufferable in the summer.

If you can't handle the offseason, try the shoulder season, right before the high season for "decent weather, smaller crowds and better prices."

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A nice variety of travel deals

The Washington Post has some travel deals for you, from Italian rail passes to the Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas. There are some package, airfare, and cruise deals too. One of the cruises sounds a little familiar:

Save $350 per person on a Mekong River cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia departing Nov. 7. Price on the Value World Tours trip now starts at $2,149 per person double plus $98 port charges. The tour includes three nights' hotel in Ho Chi Minh City; three nights' hotel in Siem Reap; most meals; seven-night cruise ; sightseeing tours; shore excursions; and guide. A Dec. 19 departure has been discounted by $250.

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US cruise and airfare deals

All AirTran Airways destinations are on sale with fares from $39 one-way. Book your tickets by Tuesday, October 17, 2006 and travel by February 1, 2007. AirTran serves many popular destinations like Las Vegas and New York as well as smaller places like White Plains (a suburb of New York)..

I've also got some cruise deals for you - all prices are per person:

Celebrity: 11-night cruise of the western Caribbean on the Constellation. Ocean view cabins $799, balcony cabins $999. Sail from Bayonne, NJ on October 27th.

NCL: 10-night cruise of the southern Caribbean on the Norwegian Spirit. Inside cabins $549, ocean view $799. Sail November 9th from NYC.

Holland America: 10-night Thanksgiving Cruise of the eastern Caribbean on the Noordam. Inside cabins $749, ocean view $799, balcony cabins $999. Sail November 15 from NYC.

7-night cruise of the western Caribbean on the Westerdam. Inside cabins $799, ocean view $899, balcony cabins $999. Sail December 31 from Ft. Lauderdale.

Carnival: 7-night Thanksgiving cruise of the eastern Caribbean on the Valor. Inside cabins $419, ocean view $519, balcony cabins $769. Sail November 19 from Miami.

Posted by James Trotta at 1:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Win a trip to Jacksonville to see a football game

If you're in or around New York than this vacation contest from JetBlue Airways and the New York Giants might interest you. Two lucky winners and their guest will win a trip to Florida to see the Nov 20th game against the Jaguars. The trip includes round-trip air on JetBlue Airways from JFK to Jacksonville, 2 nights hotel and game tickets.

Posted by James Trotta at 1:52 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Some more vacation deals

The Baltimore Sun has some travel deals, and they mention the same Air Jamiaca vacation deals I did yesterday. You'll notice that I give more detailed information...

Anyway, they have the vacation deals but most just don't sound all that special. Like this $350 off a $5,000+ vacation. Big deal:Save $350 on vacations priced $5,000 or more at United Vacations through Oct. 31. Savings of $200, $100 and $50 also available on lower-priced packages. Use promotion code FALLSALE. For information, go to unitedvacations.com or call 888-328-6877.You can also spend a couple days in a New Hampshire spa for $400+ a person, American Airlines has some good deals to Mexico and the Caribbean, there's a Caribbean cruise on a line I've never heard of, and some hotel and museum packages in Atlanta.

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Air Jamaica Caribbean vacation deals for winter 2006 (book by Oct. 12)

Air Jamaica Vacations offers packages to:

Jamaica: 3 nights, all-inclusive Sunset Beach Resort & Spa in Montego Bay starts at $655 per person from Atlanta, Baltimore, New York (JFK), and Philadelphia for travel Jan. 4-31.

Barbados: 7 nights, all-inclusive Sandy Bay Beach Club starts at $1,545 per person from Atlanta for travel Jan. 29-April 6.

St. Lucia: 6 nights, all-inclusive Rex St. Lucian starts at $979 per person from Atlanta, Baltimore, New York (JFK), and Philadelphia for travel Jan. 4-Feb. 2.

Curacao: 5 nights, all-inclusive Breezes Curacao Resort Spa & Casino starts from only $1,105 per person from Atlanta for travel Jan. 27-April 8.

You have to book by October 12 and there are some blackout dates. Other departure cities are available for a bit more money.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:29 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Inexpensive vacation destinations

The Boston Globe recommends 8 budget vacations: Minneapolis for the architecture; Maine's coast for windjamming and lobster feasting; Tunisia for beaches, Roman ruins, the Sahara Desert, sophisticated resorts, camel rides, jeep excursions, weavers, and traditional musicians; Sedona, Arizona for the nature and outdoors stuff; New York's Adirondack North Country for leaves changing color, Halifax and Cape Breton in Nova Scotia because its cheap during the offseason; Guatemala and Antigua for exotic destinations not too far from America; and Nashville for classical and country music.

This is a 14 page article (there's some detail on each destination) and to get past page 4 you need to register which takes a couple of minutes but is free.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:18 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Do the math when hunting for vacation deals

Here’s a good article about hunting for vacation deals. I’m sure we already knew that not all travel bargains are created equal, but consider this example:

The Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino in St. Martin, for instance, advertised a "Fourth Night Free Special," good through Oct. 31, on its Web site. With that special, the four-night tab for Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 totaled $630 for a Supersaver King room. The package beat the hotel's "best available rate" total of $760. But I could have paid only $500 using the resort's $125-per-night "Web rate."

No. 1 lesson: It's not the "free" night; it's the cost of the paid nights that counts. Effectively, I would pay $157.50 per night under the free-night special.

No. 2 lesson: "Best available rate" isn't always the least expensive.

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Cruise deals, European vacation deals

While searching for winter travel deals, I learned that business airfares are getting more expensive. I learned that there are some real bargains from British travel agents, especially for people going to Turkey. I'm not sure anything will save Turkey as a tourist destination until travelers are confident they'll be safe there.

I did find some cruise deals for the fall, including an NCL 7-night cruise to Bermuda on the Norwegian Crown. Inside cabins $429, ocean view $479 per person. Sail October 22 from NYC.

I did find a few European travel deals, which is really what I want, but they were also for the fall rather than the winter. Maybe it's too early to book my winter vacation; I'm not quite ready for Thanksgiving in Prague...

Posted by James Trotta at 1:48 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Adventure travel tour deals

I've listed a few of the adventure travel tour deals described in this USA Today article. If you're looking for an adventure travel tour, this is a must read.

Morocco: Atlas Panorama (8 days for $490 for U.S. travelers, plus a small local payment)

Sailing the Greek Isles on a 49-foot yacht (8 days for $695 plus a small local payment)

Cycling in Provence, French Alps (7 days for $1,469)

Guided hikes in Yellowstone (4 days for $624)

Snowshoeing in Eastern Europe (5 days for $590 plus a small local payment).

Comment saved from the old server

Hi,

In South Africa, there is some nice adventure tours as well.
- The Sani pass (highest pub south africa)
- Trail horse in Lesotho
- South africa is a nice playground !!

Posted by: Afrique du Sud at August 28, 2006 05:20 PM

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Saving money in expensive places

Here's an article on how to save money in select European cities like Venice, Athens, and Lisbon.

Another interesting article I found was on saving money on weddings and honeymoons. From destination weddings in Maui to cruise weddings to "shark feeding in Belize, swimming with dolphins in Hawaii, zip-wiring in Costa Rica, zorbing [rolling around in a giant hamster ball] in New Zealand" to Fleming Beach to Spain's Costa del Sol to a lot of other places, this is an interesting article. I especially like the part about honeymoon registries:

Honeymoon registries: Forget the department store gift registries. Honeymoon registries, whereby gift-givers pay for items such as airfare, hotel, upgrades and excursions, are the rage. The registries have raised some eyebrows in the etiquette set.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:27 AM | Comments (3)

Travel deals in the news

This CBS TV4 article on summer travel deals says that flying to Europe will be expensive this summer thanks to greater demand fueled by The Da Vinci Code. They say that cruises are still reasonable, especially if you book now.

The International Herald Tribue has some very reasonable airfares and some deals on fancy hotels:

LANGHAM HOTEL, Melbourne "Memorable Melbourne" package for 16,300 Australian dollars for two includes two nights in Presidential Suite; three-hour spa treatment; workout in the Chuan health club or run on the Tan Track with an Australian Football League star; half day of hands-on cooking with the chef Michael Lambie, with working lunch and refreshments, followed by dinner; half day shopping with the style guru Cindy Sargon; a BMW limo with chauffeur for the duration of your stay, including airport transfers.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:39 AM | Comments (0)

Reasons to visit Maine for vacation

If you plan on entering the travel writing contest for a chance to win 1,000 dollars in cash prizes, you have less than two weeks to email entries to jtrotta@gmail.com. Other comments about my blog here are also welcome.

One place you might consider writing about is Maine. Maine is a good choice for 2006 because the state is trying to boost a tourist industry that has been flat for the past 5 years.

The result is FreeStayMaine, a program that will give out free vouchers for accommodations on return trips to Maine. Vouchers are being given out this summer and fall. Cruise ship passengers will receive vouchers that can be redeemed for a free night of lodging at participating hotels and bed & breakfasts.

I'm sure there are lots of things to do in Maine but the thing I know best is that there are a bunch of outlets in Freeport Maine. I went once but am not much of a shopper. A couple of years ago, my wife, sister, and mother went and had a great time staying in Captain Brigg's House Bed & Breakfast and shopping all day. They recommend that bed & breakfast by the way. The current owners are selling but hopefully the new owners will keep up the great work.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:44 AM | Comments (11)

Cruise lines slash prices

Added capacity (think Freedom of the Seas) and reduced demand due to bad publicity has left cruise lines with nothing to do other than slash prices.

Royal Caribbean Cruises - has a deal on Bahamas, Mexico and Caribbean cruises: the third and fourth cruisers can sail for $99.

Carnival - has a seven-night eastern Caribbean trip beginning on Aug. 26 starts at $529.

Norwegian Cruise Line - has a Western Caribbean cruise leaving Houston on Oct. 21 is $439 per person for seven nights.

If the bad news hasn't spooked you, now is the time to get a good deal on a cruise.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:53 PM | Comments (6)

Buy Walt Disney World's Magic Your Way package, get dining package free

Disney is offering the dining package free for travelers booking their Magic Your Way vacation package for stays starting August 13 - September 30 (you have to book the vacation by June 4th). A family of four saves almost $100 per day!

I know one person going to Disney in September who had already booked the Magic your Way plan with dining through AAA. Yesterday the travel agent called to tell them about Disney�s promotion. My friend is now saving close to $700 by getting the meal plan free.

I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew about this, because if you are considering a Disney trip in August or September, this is the Disney vacation package for you.

Posted by James Trotta at 1:43 AM | Comments (6)