Virgin America launches 7-hour fare sale to say ‘thanks’ to flyers

by Melanie Nayer on

Update: Due to the overwhelming response from travelers, Virgin America has decided to extend this sale by an additional seven hours! Tickets must now be purchased by 11:59pm PT tonight.

Everyone says ‘thank you’ in their own special way, but Virgin America is saying “you really like us!” with a last-minute fare sale.

Clearly overwhelmed with gratitude from being honored as “Best Domestic Airline” in the Travel + Leisure Annual World’s Best Awards readers’ survey, the airline is thanking the readers with ridiculously discounted fares. The “Three-peat” seven hour fare sale for travel starts today at 10:01am PT and ends 4:59pm PT at 11:59p.m. PT.

You must travel between August 25, 2010 and October 6, 2010. Fares start at $33 for short-haul flights (San Francisco to Los Angeles) and $113 for long-haul (New York to San Francisco, for example).

Maybe now is the time to finally book your summer vacation plans?

Take a cycling tour with Trek Travel

by Kraig Becker on

If you’ve been watching the Tour de France this week, you’ve no doubt seen Lance Armstrong and the rest of Team Radioshack riding their beautiful Trek bikes as they’ve rolled across the Netherlands, Belgium, and of course France. Perhaps it has even motivated you to dust off the Huffy and hit the road yourself. But did you know that Trek offers cycling tours to exotic places around the globe? Tours that would put you on one of their amazing bikes, while exploring a country like you never have before.

Trek Travel offers adventurous and active cyclists a host of options to pedal their way across Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. These trips have a little something to fit everyone’s needs, including private tours, group excursions, and custom made itineraries. Additionally, the tours can be geared for families, as well as riders of a wide variety of skill levels ranging from beginner up to avid cyclists. Accommodations can be at the luxury level or a simple, no frills option to fit a variety of budgets too.

One of their most popular offerings is the Lance in France Tour which are actually going to be taking place during the Tour, as fans of the sport follow Armstrong and the other riders on two different legs, one in the Alps, and the other a ride from the Pyrenees to Paris. The highlights of those two tours include not only getting to watch the Tour de France, but ride some of the popular stages in the mountains as well.

Of course, it is too late to sign up for either one of those rides, but other cycling tours include the Tuscany Explorer which sends riders on an amazing trip through Italian wine country, and the Yellowstone and Tetons Multisport, which combines cycling and kayaking in one of the most iconic national parks in the U.S. My personal favorite would be the mountain biking tour through South Africa and Zambia.

One of the best parts of these tours is that you can be as active or inactive as you want. You decide how much you want to ride on any given day, and if you’re feeling a little tired (or hung over!) from the night before, you can take it easy on the team bus or at your next lodge, while your companions spend the day in the saddle. You’ll also get to ride some of the best Trek bikes in their catalog. The road tours will put you on a Madone, not unlike what Lance himself rides, while mountain bikers will be treated to a similar level of off road machines.

If you’re looking for a unique and active way to take a trip, perhaps a cycling tour is just what you need. It truly is a perfect way to see the sights while cruising through some of the world’s best landscapes. Check out the Trek Travel catalog for some excellent travel opportunities.

[Photo credit: Trek Tours]

American Airlines misroutes, loses guns belonging to Israeli PM bodyguards

by Scott Carmichael on

When a team of bodyguards for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu checked in for their flight from New York JFK to Washington D.C, they followed all the correct procedures – notifying the TSA that their Glock handguns were present in the suitcases, and allowing security staff to seal the bags.

Sadly, correct procedures did not prevent stupidity, because American Airlines misrouted the bags to Los Angeles instead of D.C.

To make matters worse, when they finally retrieved their bags, one of the guns was missing, and is presumed stolen.

A police report was taken for the theft of the gun, and I’m sure the TSA will be working overtime to review security video footage to track down the culprit.

The whole thing makes a mockery of U.S. airport security, which is even more embarrassing, since the Israeli system is considered one of the best in the world.

While the Israelis have mastered the art of profiling and terrorist detection, we can’t even find security staff that can keep their sticky fingers out of luggage containing handguns. Of course, this also means a gun is now missing inside the secure and sterile part of the airport, pretty much defeating all the millions spent on airport X-Ray equipment.

[Photo from Flickr/Smarter’s Photos]

California campground closed due to the plague!

by Kraig Becker on

The Los Alamos Campground, located in the Angeles National Forest, has been closed after a ground squirrel found there tested positive for the plague. Let me say that again, it tested positive for the plague!

The park was officially shut down on Saturday and will remain closed for at least ten days. During that time, officials will dust the squirrel burrows in the area for fleas in an attempt to prevent the spread of the disease. The plague spreads when infected rodents are bitten by fleas, who then go on to bite humans, passing along a bacteria that can bring on a severe fever, the chills, and a blood infection. In rare occasions, it can also lead to the pneumonic plague and possibly even death.

One form of the plague is the bubonic variety that spread across Europe in the 14th century, killing in excess of 25 million people.

But health officials have been quick to point out that there have been four cases of plague in Los Angeles County since 1984, and none of those were fatal. But just to be sure, they recommend visitors to the Angeles National Forest avoid squirrels and chipmunks while visiting the park, and wear insect repellent, preferably with DEET, to keep the fleas away.

When we consider the dangers of heading out into the wilderness to go camping, we usually think of bears or possibly exposure to weather conditions. I don’t think I’ve even once worried about the plague. Crazy!

[Photo credit: Benefactor123 via WikiCommons]

Daily Pampering: Relaxed French dining … in Brooklyn

by Annie Scott on

Sometimes, the lap of luxury pops up in unexpected places. Moutarde, Le Bistro de la Rue, a fine French restaurant in Brooklyn, is a perfect example of this phenomenon.

Previously known simply as Cafe Moutarde, the Park Slope bistro has recently received a makeover and new moniker inspired by Parisian neighborhood bistros. Moutarde, Le Bistro de la Rue hopes to bring the relaxed and familial, yet extravagant feel of French dining to the foodies of Brooklyn and Manhattan and beyond.

Despite the cosmopolitan concept of the restaurant, you’ll find the menu surprisingly affordable, with items like escargot appetizers at just $6.75 and homemade crème brûlée for just $6.50. Entrees will run you $16-$20.

This is a terrific way to “travel” to France on a budget: just go to Brooklyn and pretend. Moutarde, Le Bistro de la Rue is a fantastic new place to do so. Not all luxuries have to cost arms and legs.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

[Photo credit: See-Ming Lee]