Good Winter Travel Season Deals Still Available

Before, during or after winter travel season, the nation’s regions offering ski adventure travel options have something for everyone. The idea of climbing, hiking, camping or trekking through diverse areas had many travelers planning a 2013 winter vacation about this time last year. But those with no plans have options too.

“Put in now for end-of-January trips, but don’t expect deals around Presidents’ Day weekend,” says travel expert Pauline Frommer in a Reuters article.

President’s Day, like many other holidays, is a popular time for leisure travel and a peak booking of snow and cold-related adventures. The best hotel and resort rooms and money-saving packages, offered far in advance to jump-start bookings, are gone. Other discounted promotions will be few but some suggested sources can help.

“Check ski package deals from Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines,” says Frommer. “They both offer good lift ticket and lodging deals – especially if you’re willing to go mid-week instead of weekend.”

Looking to go away from the snow and cold? Land-based resorts, some all-inclusive, are a possible choice along with cruise vacations where unpacking once, we see several destinations on our floating hotel. The winter season brings cruise ships from Europe and around the world to luxuriate in the Caribbean sun. Still, the Caribbean is not the only warm place open for business over the next few months.

“I’ve found some of the best values to be in Central America,” suggests Frommer. “There are fairly decent air fares there. They’ve risen less than other parts of the world. Guatemala and Belize have some good hotel deals and there are some great adventures to be had there.”

Want to find specific ski adventure locations? This video may help:


No Hassle Flying Act To Save Time, Safely, For Some

Cutting down on the hassle of flying internationally, the No-Hassle Flying Act of 2012 aims to eliminate excessive security screening of connecting baggage at U.S. airports. Currently, checked baggage on all inbound international flights has to be re-screened before being transferred to connecting U.S. flights. To help with holiday travel, congress has a plan.

“As thousands of Americans travel internationally this holiday season, too many will have to deal with the hassle of rescreening their luggage,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in an ABC News Report. “Requiring luggage to undergo the exact same screening process twice in one trip puts a burden on both our international aviation security system and travelers.”

The No-Hassle Flying Act of 2012 is not a one-size-fits-all move. If signed into law, TSA officials would have the ability to waive re-screening of luggage coming off some international flights, using their discretion.Baggage from some international airports undergoes the same high-level screening procedures used at U.S. airports. Right now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection performs U.S. border inspection and clearance of commercial air passengers at 14 airports in Canada, the Caribbean and Ireland. Baggage that has passed through the security system at those airports would not be required to have an additional screening before being transferred to connecting U.S. flights.

Not happy yet? Either is Dan Dicks of Press For Truth who went to the Buffalo International airport in an attempt to help raise awareness about what he believes are intrusive and invasive TSA procedures, as we see in this video:




[Photo Credit- Flickr user Inha Leex Hale]

Photo Of The Day: Across the Athabasca River

This Photo of the Day is titled “Across the Athabasca River” and comes from Gadling Flickr pool member James Wheeler. The image was taken in Canada’s Jasper,Alberta using a Nikon D5000.

James captions the image: “The Athabasca river is designated a Canadian Heritage river for its importance in the fur trade and the construction of railways and roads. It originates in Jasper National Park and has a beautiful blue color like many of the rivers in the Canadian Rockies.”

To get the image we see here, James used a Sirui T-2005X Tripod with K-10x Tripod Head, then processed the image with Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop and Topaz Adjust.

Upload your best shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorite images from the pool as a Photo of the Day.

Tips for getting featured: include the camera you used along with any other equipment or processing software that might help other photographers know more about your image.

[Photo Credit: Gadling Flickr pool member James Wheeler]

Photo Of The Day: Lost Lake Dock

This Photo of the Day is titled “Lost Lake Dock” and comes from Gadling Flickr pool member James Wheeler. The image was taken in Canada’s Whistler, British Columbia, using a Nikon D5000.

James captions the image: “in the summer this dock would be great for swimming but when I took this photo in November it was pretty deserted.”

To get the image we see here, James used a Tokina 12-24mm f/4 lens with a Nikon Polarizing Filter, along with a Sirui T-2005X Tripod with K-10x Tripod Head, then processed the image with Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop and Topaz Adjust.

Upload your best shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorite images from the pool as a Photo of the Day.

Tips for getting featured: include the camera you used along with any other equipment or processing software that might help other photographers know more about your image.

[Photo Credit: Gadling Flickr pool member James Wheeler]

Time-Lapse Video Captures Montreal On Fire

Time-lapse videos are a dime a dozen these days, but once in a while something unexpected is captured. In the above video by E Kital on Vimeo, a simple time lapse of Montreal turned into something much more dramatic when a fire broke out in the old city. As reported by NBC News, the blaze lit up the night sky and provided some eerie contrast against the serentity that’s usually core in a time lapse. It’s a great unique perspective on a very unfortunate event.