Travel deals abound for the holidays: Go for that dream vacation

by Jamie Rhein on

The downward slide of the economy is creating an upswing of excellent opportunities for less expensive travel. Because people are holding off on making their holiday plans, the travel industry is cutting prices to attract customers. That’s true whether you are into luxury travel or the budget version.

That’s the buzz as reported in this article from The New York Times. Reading the article is like a trip to the travel candy story.

Want a ski vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming? Other places in the Colorado Rockies? There’s a deal. How about a luxury beach vacation in Bermuda? To St. Lucia? Perhaps Las Vegas entices you. Or Miami. What about Aruba, Mexico or the Cayman Islands? The article outlines details about each.

Sure, you have to have some money in order to plop down dough for a plane ticket and a hotel room in the first place, but bargains range from free nights, and are along the spectrum of several dollars to 30% off. One popular reduced rate offer is that if you stay in a hotel on the actual holiday, the holiday is free. That means if you’re in the hotel for Christmas Day, Ho! Ho! Ho!, Santa has brought you a present.

The hitch is you have to bookend your free night with nights you are paying. Still, bring out the spiked eggnog and give yourself a toast to your good fortune on at least one day of the year. Many deals also apply for Thanksgiving.

The article points out one adage that I’ve also found to be true. Don’t assume a trip is beyond your means unless you check first and check often. If you can wiggle around dates and desires, a vacation could happen.

A couple years ago, we flew to Ft Lauderdale, Florida for much less than it would have cost to drive there, about $160 per person RT from Columbus. I just happened to check airfares on a whim about this time of year and was pleasantly surprised. Our hotel room, complete with an efficiency kitchen, was $75 per night. That flight costs about $100 more today, but I bet the room rate still holds. Ft. Lauderdale does not hit tourist season until after the holidays. If a bargain could happen for us, it could happen for you.

Brave the hurricanes for cheap cruises this month!

by Grant Martin on

If you’re willing to risk choppy water, September is actually a decent time to snag some great prices on cruises in the Caribbean. Demand drops off pretty steeply in the fall because many people are concerned about the weather — and as a result many cruise companies drop their prices.

One of the more outstanding prices that I’ve seen lately comes from Royal Caribbean for one of their four-night Bahamas cruises. For under $150 per person, you can depart from Port Canaveral, Florida for a brief stay in the island nation then jet back to East Florida in time for the weekend in Orlando.

Check out Royal Caribbean’s promo website to get in on some of the specials going on.

Incidentally (or maybe for the same reason), plane tickets into Florida have been remarkably competitive lately. So if you’re considering taking one of these cruises from one of the other 49 states you might be able to get a deal on airfare too.

In case you’re worried about hurricanes, you have little to fear about running into a storm. Ships are often rerouted in the case of inclement weather and can easily get around any inbound trouble. Granted, you might get wet and it might be choppy — but you did pay $150 per person for a four night cruise, right?

It’s a cruel world – departing Continental Airlines CFO gets free airport parking for life

by Scott Carmichael on

The airlines giveth, and the airlines taketh away. This has never been more true than in recent years. From pretzels and pillows to in-flight movies, we have all been robbed of the few things that made flying bearable.

But none of this applies to the airline executives that helped create the current situation. Most retiring executives leave the airline with hefty retirement packages, often including free flights and free medial care for life.

Departing Continental CFO Jeffrey Misner is clearly more creative than any of his colleagues. As part of his retirement package, he has secured a lifetime free executive parking spot at Jacksonville airport “in a lot that is the same or similar to the lot available to airport-management personnel”.

He’s also taking a cool $3 Million in unrestricted Continental stock with him, which is ironic since that is the same amount of money CO lost in their second quarter.

It’s all spelled out in his retirement agreement posted online by the SEC. None of the other juicy details were described, but one can expect a pretty healthy chunk of our ticket money to head his way for years to come.

Misner joined Continental in 1995 and became their CFO in 2004. During his tenure, shares of the airline rose to the upper $40’s in 2006, only to plummet back into the single digits in 2008.

So, next time you spend $26 a day for parking at the airport and another $20 for a snack on the flight, think of poor retired Jeffey Misner.

Source: Footnoted.org

Photo of the Day (5-28-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

This photo that woofboy111 calls “Giant Swimmer” is an example of a photo taking technique that works well when taking pictures of monuments. Choose an interesting angle. Taken at Daytona Beach in Florida , this reminds me of a scene in an Esther Williams movie or Beach Blanket Bingo. Seeing just part of this scene draws me in wanting more.

Are you seeing life at an interesting angle? Send the photo our way to Gadling’s Flickr Photo Pool.

Where Disney and real nature meet

by Jamie Rhein on

There’s the Enchanted Tiki Room version of the bird world found in the Magic Kingdom of Walt Disney World. This is a place where mechanical birds talk and sing. Then there is Disney World’s real bird world. These are not the birds put here on purpose as part of an exhibit, but birds that just show up. These birds don’t talk, at least not in human speak, but they do sing.

When I was at Disney World winter before last, I wasn’t paying attention to the real bird kingdom while I was hoofing it between attractions in the Magic Kingdom. According to this article in the Dallas Morning News, the lakes in Disney World’s parks attract migrating birds. They stop here for a rest during their journey between South and Central America and points north. Some birds like Florida so much, they use Disney World’s parks as nesting grounds. As the article points out, 45 square miles of Disney World are protected for wildlife.

The best place to bird-watch is at Seven Seas Lagoon, Bay Lake and on the Maharajah Jungle Trek in the Animal Kingdom. It’s not uncommon to see exotic birds hanging out with the other wild life. The photo by Conspiracy of Happiness is of a pair of white ibis at Bay Lake.

Here are some other birds to look for: Sarus cranes, mallard ducks, egrets, and herons. When you’re packing for your Disneyland experience, tuck in a bird guide and binoculars. While you’re waiting in line, birdwatching might be something to do. It’s also free. For the tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room song, click here, although something funky is going on at the end of it.