Even more Cyber Monday hotel and travel deals

by McLean Robbins on
Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren’t just for holiday shopping. You can get great deals on holiday travel too. Writer Melanie has already tracked seven great Black Friday travel deals and Chris found some awesome Black Friday cruise and general travel promos but there are more floating in every day. Peruse the list below, and let us know if we’re missing any – we’ll add it right in!

Best Western
Purchase a $100 Best Western Travel Card online and receive a bonus $20 gift card reward for yourself. Cyber Monday shoppers can choose a $20 Best Western Travel Card, or a $20 gift card from participating retail partners. The Best Western Travel Card can be used like cash to pay for accommodations at more than 4,000 Best Western hotels worldwide. BWR members will be able to take advantage of this special offer now, through Monday, Nov. 28 at 11:59 p.m MST.

Abercrombie & Kent
The luxe tour company is offering independent departures to 10 of their most popular destinations at up to 50% off during the Six Days of Holiday Savings, from November 28 at 9 a.m. to December 3 at 1 p.m. CST.

Cape Resorts Group
Starting Friday and going to midnight Monday, purchase $100 in gift cards and receive a $20 bonus gift card. With every additional $125 purchased received additional $25 on your bonus gift card. The card is valid at all Cape Resorts in Cape May, NJ.

Marriott’s Florida Hotels
JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Renaissance Florida hotels and resorts are joining in on the e-shopping spree with up to 25% savings on Cyber Monday with rates starting from $95 to $186 per night. The one-day only online sale is available for those who book on Monday, Nov. 28, 2011 for stays through Jan. 8, 2012.* For reservations, visit www.marriott.com/floridacybermonday (live on Cyber Monday) or visit www.marriott.com and enter the promotional code DOD.

Omni Hotels & Resorts
The Omni Hotels & Resorts “Holiday Treat” limited time offer is back for a second year, offering travelers exceptional values on wonderful winter destinations. From Black Friday through Cyber Monday, rooms across the brand will range from $79 to $119 in favorite Omni destinations such as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, New York, San Francisco and more. Plus, in honor of the official kick-off to the holiday shopping season, Omni will give away 100 room nights to 100 followers at Facebook.com/OmniHotels.

InterContinental Hotels Group
IHG’s (InterContinental Hotels Group) is offering a Twitter-exclusive travel deal with their “Gotta Get 100” promotion. Followers of @IHG_Deals who uncover the “Gotta Get 100” link and register for the promotion Nov. 1 through Nov. 28 will be eligible for $100 off of any flight on any airline to any destination, when they book two consecutive weekend nights (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) at any IHG hotel throughApril 29, 2012. IHG is also giving away a $100 prepaid gift card for every day of the “Gotta Get 100” promotion. For more details visit www.ihg.com/get100rules.

Viceroy Resorts
A variety of deals are available for Cyber Monday, detailed at viceroyhotelgroup.com/cybermonday. Many involve social media offers and include hotels in Palm Springs, Santa Monica, St. Luicia, Aguilla, Snowmass, Abu Dhabi, Miami and more.

Hotels.com
hotels.com® is starting its annual Four Day Sale at midnight on Black Friday with more than 300 properties half off their original costs for travel through January 2nd in most destinations. The sale runs through 11:59 p.m. on Cyber Monday.

American Airlines
Beginning Nov. 23 and running through Jan. 2, 2012, customers traveling on American’s Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft can enjoy 30 minutes of free access to special discounts and in-air exclusives at top retailers with the Gogo Fly & Buy Holiday Store. Purchase a two-pass holiday pack for $14.95 and use the passes any two days until Jan. 3, or buy a three-pass holiday pack for $19.95 and use the passes on any three days through the same promotion period.

Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways is offering savings of up to 25% on roundtrip flights from the USA to over 100 destinations worldwide through Cyber Monday.

[Flickr via Dan Shouse]

Chicago’s loop in HD

by Jessica Festa on

Want to spend a lazy day riding around on an architecturally-scenic elevated railroad in Illinois? Now, you can. Watching this high definition video by Michael Salisbury, listening to the dreamy, relaxed sounds of Boards of Canada, you will be transported to The Loop in Chicago. Glance out your window at the commercial style architecture, the impressively complex rail tracks, and some of the city’s tallest buildings (the 110-story Willis Tower, which is 1,454 feet high, is not only the tallest building in Chicago, but in the United States, as well).

If you don’t have time to head over to the Windy City to see The Loop for yourself, you can check out this video:

Tips for choosing the right hostel

by Jessica Festa on

Hostels are well-known for being budget-friendly and filled with backpackers. However, not all hostels are created equal, and choosing the wrong one could put a damper on your trip. Before booking, read this list of tips to help you decide which hostel is your perfect fit.

Create an itinerary

In the city you’re visiting, what are the must-see attractions on your to-do list? Are there any sites or regions that you’ll be going to more than once? Once you have this narrowed down, pull out a map or do a Google search and see which neighborhood(s) you will be spending the most time in. If you want convenience, choose a hostel that will allow you to walk to the places you will be spending the most time in. Now if this area happens to be a major city, you will probably end up paying extra. If you’re more interested in saving money, choose a property in a smaller neighborhood and make sure that there is a metro or bus within walking distance of the hostel that will give you easy access to where you need to go.Know your personality

Like people, hostels also have personalities. Are you a party animal who likes to stay up all night? Look for a property with a bar or club on premises and no curfew. Do you like to meet new people or would you prefer a lot of alone time? Hostels with common areas like game rooms and kitchens tend to be more social in nature than those without. Are you a flashpacker who carries a lot of electronics? Making sure your hostel has security and lockers is a must. Before booking, just make sure to search through the amenities of a hostel to choose the one that offers the features that will make your trip better.

How much are you willing to spend?

Budget is a big factor in what accommodation you will choose. With hostels, there are a few ways to cut costs. As mentioned previously, if you’re willing to stay outside of the major cities and use public transportation regularly you can save quite a bit on your room. Choosing the dorm with the most beds is also cheaper than taking the room with more privacy. Moreover, certain amenities may be free at one hostel but cost money at another. For example, a hostel that includes breakfast can be worth looking into if you’re the type who likes to start their day off with a meal. Checking to see if things like linens, towels, lockers, airport/train pickup, tours, hot showers, and baggage storage are included can also be helpful if you plan on using these services. Bonus: If your hostel has a kitchen, you can save money by cooking meals instead of eating out.

Get a second opinion

Of course, if you’re reading the hostel’s website it is going to look like a luxury resort, with pristine rooms and a friendly staff. This is not always the truth, however, and before booking it is important to do your homework. There is a wealth of resources on the internet to help you get answers. You can try perusing the well-known hostel booking sites that have been around for awhile, like HostelBookers and Hostelworld, that will give you property descriptions and traveler reviews. Newer booking sites, like inBed.me and GoMio, incorporate a social aspect to the booking process by allowing you to connect and interact with other travelers who have been to certain places or will be there in the future. Websites like Ajungo, which is basically a social network for travelers, can allow you to ask other people similar to you what their experiences were at certain hostels and see photos. You can also check out the site’s “Places” feature that allows you to see hostel recommendations made by people in your network.

Safety first

Before booking a hostel, make sure that you are keeping your safety a priority. Get information on the crime in the neighborhood the property is in, check how close the nearest metro or bus stop is, and see what kinds of security measures the accommodation has in place. Do you need a key or code to get in the front door? Can anyone come into the hostel or only people with a room booked? Is there someone at the front desk 24 hours keeping guard? Are there lockers provided to store your valuables? Keep these questions in mind before booking.

Tracing Twitter to 16th century Rome

by Melanie Renzulli on



The ugliest statue in Rome is not easy to find. Tucked away in an alley off of Piazza Navona, blending in to the unremarkable stone façades of the buildings behind him, Pasquino, a human-shaped stump of marble resting on a pedestal pasted with notes and cartoons, hides in plain sight from most tourists who saunter past on their way to this district’s many renowned restaurants, bars, and cafes. But what is hardly a landmark for travelers is for Italians a symbol of free speech.

I have been thinking about Pasquino a lot lately as I read stories about social media and pseudonyms, the so-called “nym wars.” Social media websites, such as Facebook and Google Plus, have faced criticism for banning users from using pseudonyms on their sites. On the other hand, Twitter has all but embraced anonymity and fake accounts on its service, allowing users to pose as fake politicians, CEOs, and other public figures as a form of satire or a way to air grievances without reprisal. In light of the recent irreverent online reactions to the Italian debt crisis and the resignation of long-time Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, some Italian bloggers have referred to Internet critics as “Pasquino digitali,” a term that can be traced back to that ugly statue and its role as a tool of protest during the 16th century.Pasquino, the most famous of Rome’s “talking statues,” has been sounding off against the church, political leaders, and local affairs, for more than 500 years. Uncovered in 1501 in the Parione district, the 3rd-century B.C statue began to speak in the early 16th century shortly after a cardinal affixed some epigrams to its torso and pedestal on the occasion of St. Mark’s Day (April 25). Not long after, Roman citizens, especially those displeased with the corruption of the papacy, took a cue from the cardinal and began secretly to leave poems and verses on Pasquino decrying the actions – or inaction – of those in power. These verses, written in Latin or Roman dialect, came to be known as pasquinate, or pasquinades in English, after the ancient statue (whose own name is of unknown origin). One of the best known pasquinades ever left on Pasquino was directed at Pope Urban VIII Barberini, who is known for ordering the Pantheon stripped of its bronze tiles, which were subsequently melted down and used by the artist Bernini to create a grand baldaquin for St. Peter’s Basilica:

Quod non fecerunt barbari, fecerunt Barberini
(What the Barbarians didn’t do, the Barberini did.)

Pasquino’s success as a bulletin board for anonymous witticisms prompted more statues in Rome to begin talking. At least five other statues in Rome are known to have engaged in “conversations” with Pasquino. The most famous of these copycat statues was Marforio, who regularly posed questions to Pasquino about current events. When the statues’ conversations proved too satirical for the church, Pope Innocent X had Marforio moved to the Capitoline Museums, where he rests silently today.

Almost 500 years have passed since Romans first posted their handwritten protests on Pasquino. Even in the age of digital media, Pasquino’s base is still covered in anti-government poems, snarky asides about enemies, and complaints about community affairs. Many of these are now collected on the blog pasquinate.it and shared @pasquinateblog. But travelers who are also passionate about Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus would do well to pay Pasquino a visit on their next visit to Rome to see social media in its earliest form.

Photo by zak mc/Flickr

Zimride announces new route to Lake Tahoe

by Kraig Becker on

Just in time for the start of the ski season, ride sharing website Zimride has announced the opening of a new route between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. To celebrate this new option, they’re also giving away free gas and partnering with local resorts as well.

Launched back in 2008, Zimride is an interesting mash-up of carpooling meets social media. The site allows drivers to sell the empty seats in their cars to passengers who are traveling along the same route, saving everyone some cash in the process. Touting the economic and environmental benefits of ride sharing, the company says that it has helped facilitate more than 26,000 carpools, covering over 100 million miles, at an estimated cumulative savings of $50 million.

The San Francisco to Lake Tahoe route is expected to open on Thanksgiving Day, which is often seen as the unofficial start to the ski season as well. To commemorate the new route, Zimride is giving away a free tank of gas ($40 value) to the first 500 drivers who successfully book the new route between now and the end of the year.

Lake Tahoe has long been considered one of the truly great ski destinations in North America. Nestled high in the Sierra Nevada mountains along the border of California and Nevada, the region is home to more than a dozen resorts, such as Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley. Travelers who stay at either of those resorts, or one of Zimride’s other Lake Tahoe partners, will will also be entitled to discounted lift tickets, VIP parking, and more.

I’ve never personally used Zimride, but it sounds like a great way to not only save a little cash, but also take a road trip with some like minded people. It sounds like fun to share a ride from San Fran to Tahoe for a weekend on the slopes. Considering the price of gas these days, it never hurts to split the costs either.

Find out more at Zimride.com.