Budget Travel's Blog

The latest travel news, vacation tips & advice, travel apps, and more

Archive: November 2007
nov 30

Grand Central lights up

A free holiday light show dubbed Kaleidoscope returns to the beautifully restored main concourse of Grand Central Terminal on Saturday, December 1.
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1 by Kate Appleton Landmarks and Monuments, New York City
nov 30

50 readers slam the cruise lines

Many readers commented on Erik Torkells' blog post "Adding fees after you've already paid?!"
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9 by Budget Travel Questions and Opinions
nov 29

Confessions of a rental-car salesman

Hot tips on renting cars from Alex Frankel, author of Punching In and resident undercover Enterprise employee.
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5 by Sean O'Neill Rental Cars
nov 28

Fuel surcharges for the cruise lines

Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Princess, and Seabourn are charging fuel surcharges of $5 a day for sailings that depart on or after Feb. 1, 2008.
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9 by Budget Travel Cruises
nov 28

Movie Quest: Florida

It turns out that Florida's tourism office has created an online guide to movie-quest (and TV-quest) sightseeing in the Sunshine State.
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1 by Sean O'Neill Pop Culture and Travel, Florida
nov 28

Rare passport stamps

What's your favorite? We've collected some really cool ones—see them here.
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5 by Sean O'Neill Travel Gear
nov 27

Adding fees after you've paid?!

It's unheard of, right? You agree to a price and pay, and that's it. Not in the cruise industry.
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68 by Erik Torkells Cruises
nov 26

Spill your secrets about Denver

Help one of our staffers decide what to do that's low-key in Denver—any suggestions for the best coffee?
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61 by Budget Travel Questions and Opinions
nov 21

How to buy travelers' confiscated and lost items

TSA officials at airport checkpoints have confiscated millions of items annually; chain saws, fuzzy handcuffs, nunchucks among the craziest.
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11 by Kate Appleton Luggage
nov 21

Look at those goofy Europeans!

In a whirlwind of a trip, a few videographers captured quite a funny little clip—enjoy it here.
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1 by Kate Appleton Travel Video
nov 21

Dear traveler, It's not all about you

Remember that over the holidays, travel will be tough. Read one traveler's story about helping others.
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9 by Budget Travel Airlines
nov 20

Now you see this museum, now you don't

You know those sorta-bookish, sorta-edgy glasses Johnny Depp is always wearing? I became obsessed with them recently when I decided I needed glasses, so I did some research.
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0 by Beth Collins Museums
nov 19

Try taking just one bag

The ultimate website for packing well is OneBag.com.
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3 by Sean O'Neill Packing
nov 19

Spill your secrets about the Finger Lakes

Help one of our staffers plan an excursion to Finger Lakes—any wineries you like?
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89 by Budget Travel Questions and Opinions
nov 16

Will an express lane ease Thanksgiving travel?

It's one of the busiest flight times of the year—can the government ease the congestion?
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3 by Kate Appleton Airfares & Flying, Questions and Opinions
nov 16

Better care for bumped passengers

Travelers who are involuntarily bumped from a flight when it is oversold may start receiving better treatment next summer.
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2 by Sean O'Neill Airlines
nov 16

Environmentalists versus airlines

Are they unfairly targeting airlines? We talked to two experts.
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4 by Budget Travel Airlines, Eco-Green
nov 15

The craziest air travel story in 25 years

And it involves balloons—a lot of balloons. Read more in this hilarious excerpt.
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2 by Budget Travel
nov 14

Pope to visit the U.S. next year

Pope Benedict XVI will visit Washington, D.C., and New York City next year.
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0 by Sean O'Neill Spiritual Travel
nov 14

The Mile High Club: fact or fiction?

When two Brits researched their expose, they uncovered some hilarious, ghastly, and amazing stories.
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4 by Budget Travel Pop Culture and Travel
nov 13

You'll never call the hotel front desk again

Why call when you could email? One hotel chain is experimenting with this idea.
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0 by Sean O'Neill Hotels
nov 13

Traveling for the food

Regardless of who's traveling or where they're going, the couples and families we send on trips for our Trip Coach column eventually all ask the same question: Where should we eat?
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10 by Beth Collins Questions and Opinions
nov 12

Fill out that comment card!

While in Boston the weekend before last, my partner and I had a crummy hotel experience.
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10 by Erik Torkells Hotels
nov 12

Spill your secrets about New Orleans

You can help one staffer plan a trip to New Orleans.
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71 by Budget Travel Questions and Opinions
nov 12

Lawsuit over Segway use at Disney

The case: Three disabled people who like to use Segways are suing Walt Disney World in federal court.
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20 by Sean O'Neill Disney
nov 09

A new home for contemporary art in Beijing

Earlier this week, the city welcomed the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA).
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0 by Kate Appleton China
nov 09

Marking a milestone?

We're launching a new column for our magazine, Girlfriend Getaways, and we want to hear from you.
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8 by Budget Travel Questions and Opinions
nov 09

Passport fees: 90 readers sound off

Passport prices and Cuban travel make for titillating topics—read all the comments in our post.
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5 by Budget Travel Questions and Opinions
nov 08

Google Earth adds weather info

You can now see updated info on cloud cover, Doppler radar, temperatures, and weather forecasts for major cities worldwide—get all the goods here.
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1 by Sean O'Neill Helpful Websites, Innovations
nov 08

A tip at airport security: Go left

The reason why might surprise you, but the advice is sound.
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2 by Sean O'Neill Airport Check-in, Safety and Security
nov 08

Readers lament dumb travel websites

About 50 readers responded to our recent post, "Dumb websites are turning off travelers."
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0 by Sean O'Neill Questions and Opinions
nov 07

Southwest puts business travelers first

Discount airline Southwest has introduced a new Business Select fare that is $10 to $30 higher each-way but comes with a guarantee that the buyer will be among the first to board the plane.
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9 by Sean O'Neill Airlines
nov 07

What are the passport rules again?

Know before you go—check out our helpful rule redux, and you'll be traveling smart.
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4 by Budget Travel Packing, Travel Gear
nov 07

Pisa's leaning tower gets "toppled"

We see a showdown coming up—Italy takes on it's challengers in the Guinness Book of World Records.
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2 by Anthony Falcone Landmarks and Monuments, Italy
nov 07

Lock it up

Stay worry-free on vacation with the TravelSafe 100.
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3 by David LaHuta Packing, Travel Gear
nov 07

Mr. Bush, let us go to Cuba!

Every now and then it stuns me anew that Americans are not allowed to travel freely to Cuba.
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70 by Erik Torkells Cuba, Questions and Opinions
nov 06

Help support U.S. tourism!

Feel like doing some good today?
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1 by Erik Torkells
nov 06

The Great Wheel of China

This impressive new attraction will reach about 682 feet into the sky—do you dare take a ride?
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3 by Budget Travel China
nov 06

Feds gouged Americans for passports

And made a tidy profit to cover "other expenses." We want to know what you think.
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123 by Budget Travel Questions and Opinions
nov 06

A Chinese feast for all the senses

Food matters—the way it brings people together, gives us insight into other cultures, reminds us to slow down, or, when it's really good, completely stops us in our tracks.
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0 by Beth Collins Food + Drink, China
nov 05

Spill your secrets about Vietnam

Help one of our editors with her travel plans to Vietnam. Know of any good places to shop?
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35 by Budget Travel Questions and Opinions
nov 05

Best economy-class seats yet?

Cathay Pacific is adding better seats to its airplanes.
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9 by Sean O'Neill Airlines
nov 02

Windjammer cancellations continue

Windjammer Barefoot Cruises has long been known for a party-hearty philosophy (its first boat was named Hangover). But the company has recently been hit by various financial problems.
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18 by Sean O'Neill Cruises
nov 02

A super, newsy new Facebook tool

The social-networking site of the hour begats the NewsTracker.
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0 by Sean O'Neill Helpful Websites, Innovations
nov 01

Winter photography tips from a pro

Allen Birnbach, a professional photographer in Denver and Los Angeles, offers his tips on how to make your digital camera work for you.
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5 by Sean O'Neill Travel Photography