Budget Travel's Blog

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

Archive: November 2008
nov 26

Hotels on sale, from Black Friday to Cyber Monday

Hotels.com has a sale on 500 properties starting on Friday and running for four days.
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1 by Sean O'Neill Hotels
nov 26

Zagat rates the airlines and IBM (oddly enough) checks for rip-offs

Zagat picks the best airlines.
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2 by Amy Chen Airlines
nov 26

This weekend: Downtown Indianapolis lights up

The city will celebrate the Circle of Lights this Friday with a huge party.
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1 by JD Rinne Indiana, Indianapolis
nov 25

Plus Paris, too!

Air France has announced that passengers can now stop over in Paris for free on all flights to Europe, Middle East, India, or Africa.
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2 by Laura MacNeil France, Airfares & Flying
nov 25

New York gets its first "fake ice" skating rink....But is it skate-able?

We test a synthetic ice surface at the American Museum of Natural History.
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8 by Alison Rohrs Museums, New York City, Family Travel
nov 25

Share travel news you like with the world

Travel Off the Cuff is a travel-news aggregator—a bit like the Yahoo! homepage. It relies on its readers to post the news they find interesting. If you ever run out of things to read at BudgetTravel.com, check it out.
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1 by Thomas Berger Pop Culture and Travel, Helpful Websites
nov 24

A few good links: Finding serenity at the airport

Cheap eyeglasses in Shanghai, Thanksgiving at Plimoth Plantation, and France's feeble café culture.
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1 by John Rambow Pop Culture and Travel, China, Shanghai, Helpful Websites
nov 24

Australia.com relaunches with fresh tourism info just in time for new Nicole Kidman flick

The official tourism website is better than ever. Plus, info on how you can re-live key scenes in the new Nicole Kidman movie Australia.
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1 by Sean O'Neill Australia & South Pacific
nov 24

Disabled and severely obese travelers to get extra seats for free in Canada

Passengers in Canada who require extra seats soon won't have to pay for them.
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11 by John Rambow Canada, Airfares & Flying, Airlines, Innovations
nov 24

Experience Narnia in Philadelphia

Get your fill of all things Narnia at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia when "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition" opens on Friday.
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1 by Danielle Lipp Museums, Pop Culture and Travel, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
nov 24

Texas: Travel is booming

For example, travelers are paying 15 percent more this year to rates stay at Houston hotels between October and December than they did a year ago.
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1 by Sean O'Neill Texas, Houston, Hotels
nov 21

New York: Avid travelers, meet Idlewild Books (with a sale this Sunday)

Everything in the new, travel-themed bookstore goes on sale this Sunday, Nov. 23.
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0 by Sara Morrow Literary Travel, Shopping, New York City
nov 21

D.C. American History Museum reopens

Opening its doors after two years, the National History Museum revealed a fresh look in its central area today, thanks to a $85 million makeover.
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0 by Alison Rohrs Museums, Washington, D.C.
nov 21

RV campgrounds get rated

Nearly half the nation's independent parks have been rated by users in an online survey.
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0 by Sean O'Neill State Parks
nov 21

New York: A cool hotel for under $100 a night is adding rooms

At The Jane, $99 rooms have a bed with built-in drawers, free Wi-Fi, an LCD television, a DVD player, and an iPod docking station. There are 60 such rooms now, 140 more arrive in the New Year.
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1 by Beth Collins New York City, Hotels
nov 20

Should churches have gift shops and coffee shops?

To raise funds for repairs, some churches are pushing aside pews to open up cafés.
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130 by Sean O'Neill Questions and Opinions
nov 20

Seeing NYC, Berlin, and Paris by bus

DIY sightseeing tours for some major cities.
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1 by John Rambow France, Paris, Germany, Berlin, New York City, Local and Public Transportation
nov 20

Video: Q&A on Cartagena, with our writer who recently went there

Colombia's vibrant seaside city is experiencing a rebirth. The attraction for Liz Ozaist was deeper: She went to discover the place that first enchanted her father 20 years ago.
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1 by Budget Travel Colombia, Cartagena
nov 20

Airports debut new runways today in Chicago, Seattle, and D.C.

But don't expect delays to disappear or fares to drop right away.
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0 by Sean O'Neill Illinois, Chicago, Airfares & Flying
nov 20

Holiday travel: Tips from Yahoo's travel expert

Pablo O'Brien, who oversees day-to-day activities at Yahoo! Travel, has offered his tips to save a little dough (and maybe sanity?) this holiday season.
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1 by JD Rinne Airfares & Flying
nov 20

Get e-mail alerts when a frequent-flier seat becomes available

In a free service that debuted this week, Yapta will send you e-mail notices if either the fare drops or an award seat becomes available for booking on a route you want to fly
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3 by Sean O'Neill Airfares & Flying, Frequent Flier Miles
nov 20

Tix on sale for 2009 Frank Lloyd Wright (and friends) house tour

The 2009 house walk in Oak Park, Ill., featuring rarely seen Frank Lloyd Wright houses, will take place on Saturday, May 16. But you need to get your tickets now.
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3 by Sara Morrow Landmarks and Monuments, Illinois
nov 20

Italy: Decoding those tempting gelato flavors and pizza toppings

A cheat sheet of words to know for your next gelateria or pizzeria stop, plus our handy Italy Menu Decoder.
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9 by Budget Travel Food + Drink, Italy
nov 19

Megabus gives away 100,000 free tickets

Starting today, Megabus is giving away 100,000 free seats on its express buses for trips between Jan. 14 and March 18 on all Megabus routes.
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5 by Sara Morrow Local and Public Transportation
nov 19

Paris: "C'est Arrivé!": The Bojo is upon us

Beaujolais nouveau makes its appearance in France tomorrow, and that means fireworks, feasts, and, of course, lots of tastings.
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1 by Meg Zimbeck Food + Drink, Pop Culture and Travel, France, Paris
nov 19

France: Stay chez a celebrity

Actress and dancer Leslie Caron wants more Americans in Burgundy. She's cut rates at her riverside inn to €99.
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3 by Kate Appleton France, Hotels
nov 19

This weekend: Remembering JFK in Dallas, Tex.

The Sixth Floor Museum on Dealey Plaza is commemorating the 45th anniversary of the President's death.
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1 by JD Rinne Texas, Dallas
nov 18

New flights to the Windy City

Last week the Canadian short-haul regional airline began flying roundtrip from Toronto to Chicago.
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1 by Laura MacNeil Illinois, Chicago, Airfares & Flying, Airlines
nov 18

Gear giveaway alert

Post a comment on the blog TrustyPony and you might win free travel gear. Plus, travel gear suggestions for the holidays.
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2 by Sean O'Neill Travel Gear
nov 18

Cell phones replacing boarding passes

American, British Airways, Delta, Northwest, Southwest, Air Alaska, and Air Canada are rolling out paperless, mobile-phone check-in.
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16 by Budget Travel Airport Check-in
nov 17

Stay at Disney World for three extra days for free

Purchase a four-day/four-night Magic Your Way hotel and ticket package, and Disney will add three days in the parks and three nights of hotel accommodations for free.
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2 by Sara Morrow Disney
nov 17

A few good links: Ryanair's racy calendar

Barack Obama's Chicago, saving Tin Pan Alley, horse-betting in Beirut, and fitting in with the locals in Berlin.
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2 by John Rambow Pop Culture and Travel, Germany, Berlin, Illinois, Chicago, Airlines
nov 16

Los Angeles: Thanksgiving sushi, as bad as it sounds?

A sushi restaurant in Los Angeles takes the Thanksgiving feast in an unexpected, slightly disturbing direction.
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1 by Budget Travel Food + Drink, California, Los Angeles
nov 15

Internship at BudgetTravel.com

Are you an undergraduate or master's degree student in journalism with housing in New York City? Then why not apply for a spring internship with us?
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3 by Sean O'Neill
nov 14

Puerto Rico Trip Coach

Whether you're visiting for an afternoon (as part of a cruise stop) or staying up to a week, Stephen Keeling has the answer. He just spent two months writing a guidebook there.
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2 by Budget Travel Puerto Rico
nov 13

London: Free art in the streets

On Friday in London, a graffiti artist's helpers will distribute 1,000 screenprinted paintings all over the city. The works are free for the taking.
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0 by Sara Morrow Pop Culture and Travel
nov 13

Quantum of Solace--We interview the director--Plus a video clip of Bond in action

Off the screen, how can you visit the sights where Bond has been? We're on the case.
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3 by Amy Chen Pop Culture and Travel
nov 13

Airline quality survey results

A new survey picks the best and worst airlines. Researchers found that overall airline performance continued on a five-year downward spiral.
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5 by Alison Rohrs Airlines
nov 13

Paris: Eating on the wild side

Our Paris embed reports on the restaurant scene.
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4 by Meg Zimbeck France, Paris
nov 13

Movie Quest! Q&A with editor of On Location Vacations

We get the inside scoop on movie location travel from Christine Bord, editor of a blog that highlights where movies or TV shows are currently filming.
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6 by Amy Chen Pop Culture and Travel, California, Massachusetts, Boston
nov 12

This weekend: Mile-high fun in Denver, 150 years young

Denver, the town of Buffalo Bill and Rocky Mountain highs, is celebrating its second annual Art Week, beginning this weekend.
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0 by JD Rinne Colorado, Denver
nov 11

Worst blog post ever

We take all of our least-favorite words and phrases, and turn them into a blog post to remember.
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9 by Budget Travel Pop Culture and Travel
nov 11

Best "letter to the editor" of the year?

A husband remembers travels taken with his wife.
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25 by Sean O'Neill Pop Culture and Travel
nov 11

"Cash out of your United mileage points by March," says Peter Greenberg

The NBC travel journalist says United may fail by March.
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19 by Sean O'Neill Airlines, Frequent Flier Miles
nov 11

Save $3 on United's first-checked bag fee by prepaying it online

By paying online at united.com through Jan. 31, you'll pay $12 instead of the usual $15.
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0 by Amy Chen Airlines, Airport Check-in, Luggage
nov 10

A few good links: Waiter-approved restaurants in NYC

Michelle's portrait on exhibit, a jet-lag killer, and American military cemeteries abroad
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1 by John Rambow New York City, Airlines
nov 07

Fare sales arrive! But where can you find them?

The fare sales will be the biggest the airline industry has seen in the past 18 months
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1 by Justin Bergman Airfares & Flying
nov 07

What's the best airport for making a romantic connection?

Love is in the air whenever flights are grounded.
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7 by Sean O'Neill Pop Culture and Travel, Airfares & Flying, Questions and Opinions
nov 07

Affordable new HP laptop arrives at Best Buy

Best Buy and HP team up in an effort to create a laptop for budget-conscious travelers.
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8 by Sean O'Neill Travel Gear
nov 06

Obamarama: 2Afrika adds new tour in honor of our 44th president

The tour operator just announced the Presidential Heritage Safari.
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15 by JD Rinne Pop Culture and Travel, Kenya
nov 06

Video: Tips on holiday travel

Watch a chat on CNN with a BudgetTravel.com editor about how to survive your time at the airport.
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1 by Sean O'Neill Airport Check-in
nov 06

Paris on the half shell: Two great places for oysters

Paris in the fall: a great time and place for a glass of wine and an order of raw oysters. Here are two two places worth seeking out.
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7 by Meg Zimbeck Food + Drink, Wine, France, Paris
nov 05

Expedia has deals whether you're attending or avoiding the presidential inauguration

Deals on hotels in D.C. and Las Vegas.
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55 by Sean O'Neill Hotels
nov 05

Video: When a stand-up comedian loses his luggage

What would you do if all that was left of your bag on a baggage carousel was the metal handle?
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1 by Sean O'Neill Pop Culture and Travel
nov 05

This weekend: A war hero comes home--the Intrepid Museum (re)opens in NYC

The ship is renowned for helping to win WWII; its museum will reopen after nearly two years of renovations.
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6 by JD Rinne Museums, New York City
nov 04

Who did the airlines vote for?

We track the political action committees of the major U.S. airlines, and their contributions in this election cycle.
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3 by Sean O'Neill Pop Culture and Travel, Airlines
nov 04

Orbitz offering 10 percent savings tied to the latest Bond film

Save 10 percent off selected hotels with a promotion code.
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0 by Sean O'Neill Hotels
nov 03

Mammoth Mountain already open for skiing

A weekend storm blanketed eastern California with 18 inches and kicked off ski season early.
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0 by Kate Appleton Skiing, California
nov 03

A few good links: Saving some cash in Boston, and more

Kentucky's bourbon trail, 50 decent budget hotels, and Boston on the cheap.
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2 by John Rambow Nova Scotia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Boston, Hotels
nov 03

Halloween Parade 2008: Fiends of New York

Last Friday's NYC Halloween Parade brought out the ghastly as well as the funny.
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5 by Budget Travel Pop Culture and Travel, New York City
nov 03

Transatlantic flights for $13 (each way, plus taxes) may arrive in 3 years*

Irish budget airline Ryanair will launch service to London from major U.S. cities, launching a price war with British Airways and other competitors. Early-bird fares will start at about $13, starting around at year end.
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19 by Sean O'Neill Airfares & Flying, Airlines
nov 03

Can a PSP be the only travel gadget you need?

A test of the Sony Playstation Portable as an all-purpose travel tool comes up with mixed results.
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8 by Budget Travel Travel Gear
nov 01

Midwest Airlines: Are they repeating Schlitz's big mistake?

Will raising prices and cutting down seat size mean the end of Midwest Airlines? Or save it?
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6 by Budget Travel Airlines