Go to Orlando, but don’t pay for it

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The “Bundles of Free Smiles” gig is exactly what you need in this dismal economy. Instead of settling for a disappointing “staycation” (oh, how we all loathe that expression) or digging deep into your pockets for regrettable recreation, the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau is giving you six months to pack your bags and get out of town.

From now until the end of June, you can check out bundlesoffreesmiles.com to get some pretty amazing deals on hotels, theme parks, flights and just about everything else you might want to do in Orlando. Highlights include:

  • Orlando World Center Marriott – Book 4 nights and get the 4th free or book 5 nights and get the 5th night free
  • SeaWorld Orlando – Adults at kids prices
  • Walt Disney World Resort – Buy a 4 night vacation package and get 3 nights free including theme park tickets
  • Southwest Airlines – Book a flight + hotel Southwest Airlines Vacations package of 3 nights or longer to Orlando and save $100

So, instead of burning vacation time in your living room, kick around a short jaunt to Florida. A short flight can have you by the pool or hangin’ with Mickey in no time!

The Best Holiday Light Displays Around the World

by Annie Scott on


Travel and Leisure compiled videos of the best holiday light displays around the world into one handy album right here. If you wish to feel inferior about your outdoor decorative efforts, look no further.

Actually, these displays are far too fantastic to even inspire envy. Most, like the Brussels and the Tokyo (Roppongi Hills, above) ones, will inspire awe and wonder. So get your coffee, sit back, and let other people take care of the cheer for a little while. It’s beautiful!

[via Travel and Leisure]

AirTran expands service to Columbus offering another way south

by Jamie Rhein on

Finally, a less expensive airline has decided that Columbus has a gaping hole to fill–two in fact. After first Skybus and then Jet Blue pulled out of Columbus, and other carriers cut down their service, the options for heading out of Columbus have become more expensive and less frequent.

AirTran Airways’ non-stop flights to Ft. Meyers, Orlando and Atlanta that began this week are an answer to people who want to get out of central Ohio for warmer climates, or to visit their relatives who have moved south. I know a few people who were disappointed with Skybus’s demise because their options for visiting loved ones on a regular basis had ended. There are several other flights to other destinations, but those require a plane change in Atlanta.

Unlike Skybus, that fair weather airline that overextended itself, AirTran’s reputation is one of a cautious, steady airline that is not likely to leave Columbus in the lurch.

AirTran is not one to offer less expensive seats and then charge people for every little item either. The first checked bag is free. The second costs $25. Flights also have complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and snacks. Hooray!

Another detail I noticed is that the airlines seems to understand that Columbus has something to offer people looking for an affordable getaway. The AirTran Airways’ Website page for Columbus has a photo of one of Columbus’s gems–the Columbus Museum of Art, for example and there is also a link to Columbus’s GoGuide that lists where to sight see, shop and eat. I second the recommendations.

Orlando Gets Closer to Brazil

by Josh Lew on

In the past, most people flying from Orlando to Brazil, or most other country in South America for that matter, had to first catch a connecting flight to Miami. Therefore, the recent announcement by Brazil’s top airline, TAM, was a welcome one. The airline will provide a direct flight from Orlando to Sao Paulo. Given major airlines’ current aversion to adding new flights, this is big news, especially for Orlando.

As I wrote above, many area residents have to go to Miami, a hub for American Airlines, before continuing to their international destination. Though the TAM Orlando-Sao Paulo route seems trivial when compared to the numerous flights heading abroad from Miami, it’s always nice to see a mid-sized city sticking it to a big city hub that is controlled by a major airline. Perhaps more foreign airlines will begin looking to mid-sized cities to boost their business.

TAM was drawn to Orlando after it found the city to have ample demand, a willing airport and a complete lack of competition. So next time you are in Orlando, sweating away your holiday in a theme park, just remember, Sao Paulo is only a flight away.

AirTran Airways to come to Columbus. It’s not Skybus, thankfully.

by Jamie Rhein on

Yesterday’s news brought the welcome breath of new life to Columbus ever since Skybus did us wrong, jilting us like an uncaring, unfeeling lover.

I heard in a radio news broadcast that AirTran Airways will begin flights between Columbus and Atlanta, Fort Myers and Orlando starting November 6. As the news commentator noted, this does not mean there will be a rush on low cost airlines to Columbus. Jet Blue, for example, has been there and done that.

Still, when I think of how Jet Blue used to be here before Skybus RUINED IT, I feel like Kate Winslet, almost frozen to death, floating on that piece of wood after the Titanic sank, hoarsely crying out, “Come back. Come back.”

I’m glad that AirTran has noticed that Columbus is a viable market for folks going to Florida. If you’ve ever been in Columbus, Ohio between January and April, you’ll know why folks are eager to get out of here and head south. The gray skies make this a place to leave if ever the chance arises.

If only AirTran wasn’t bailing out of Newburgh, New York and would make that a Columbus connection as well, I’d be ever so thrilled.

According to this article in the Columbus Dispatch, AirTran has been one of the best managed airlines in the past nine years. Skybus was exactly the OPPOSITE. I’m still stinging from the break-up.