Budget Travel's Blog

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

Archive: January 2010
jan 29

Cruise news: Norwegian offers studios for singles

The Epic will set sail in July, with a studio cabin option for solo travelers.
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6 by JD Rinne Cruises, Innovations
jan 29

Readers' Choice: Favorite and least favorite airlines?

Make your case! Our October 2010 Readers' Choice issue will be devoted to what you tell us about this and other travel topics.
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220 by Budget Travel Airlines, Questions and Opinions
jan 29

Belize: Answers to your vacation FAQs

A Q&A with Eric Wechter, editor of Fodor's Belize, 4th edition. Learn where to traipse around Mayan ruins and how to dive the Blue Hole.
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11 by Sean O'Neill Belize
jan 28

London: Best places for afternoon tea

A handy cheat sheet to High Tea.
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9 by Alex Robinson Art + Culture, Food + Drink, United Kingdom, London
jan 27

Ithaca, N.Y.: A travel deal for teachers

About 5,000 school teachers and their family members will show up to enjoy buy-one-get-one free snowshoe rentals, half-off restaurant meals, plus free tours and workshops.
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8 by Sean O'Neill Ithaca, New York City
jan 27

San Francisco: Good food, fast

A mall food court near Union Square serves up gourmet burgers and Vietnamese fare.
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3 by Justine Sharrock Food + Drink, California, San Francisco
jan 26

London: Mamma Mia! The Abba exhibition opens

Rock on, with 70s hit pop group Abba.
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2 by Sean O'Neill Museums, Pop Culture and Travel, United Kingdom, London
jan 26

FedEx and UPS win as airlines hike checked bag fees

Shipping your luggage—instead of checking your bag for your flight—has become more affordable.
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43 by Sean O'Neill Airfares & Flying, Airport Check-in, Luggage
jan 26

New York City: 5 best February values

See a free fashion exhibit, tour Central Park, and more.
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3 by JD Rinne New York City
jan 25

Paris airport rolls out free strollers

A small innovation that will be a big relief for overburdened parents.
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6 by Kate Appleton France, Paris, Airfares & Flying, Family Travel
jan 25

Vancouver 2010: Not too late

A last-minute round of ticket sales just began, and while scouting things out we found availability to a bunch of events, including hockey, skiing, speed skating, and more.
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3 by Brad Tuttle Professional Sports, Canada, Vancouver
jan 25

Rome: Snacks for any craving

Stave off the hunger that comes with intense sightseeing by snacking on pizza by the slice, fried rice balls, or gelato.
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7 by Katie Parla Food + Drink, Italy, Rome
jan 22

Readers' best reflection photos

Thanks to all the readers who submitted photos of reflections along with thoughtful, fascinating captions. You blew us away!
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12 by Kate Appleton Travel Photography
jan 22

Park your RV for free in New Zealand

A new service in New Zealand allows you to park an RV in dozens of locations at no charge other than a reasonable membership fee.
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3 by Brad Tuttle Camping, New Zealand
jan 22

San Francisco: Get a taxi fast

Taxi Magic, a free iPhone app, connects directly to cab companies.
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1 by Justine Sharrock California, San Francisco, Innovations
jan 22

Readers' Choice: Favorite national park?

Make your case! Our October 2010 Readers' Choice issue will be devoted to what you tell us about this and other travel topics.
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137 by Budget Travel National Parks, Questions and Opinions
jan 21

TSA 'humor': Where'd you get this baggie of white powder, miss?

Everybody knows that at TSA checkpoints, you're not supposed to joke about drugs, bombs, or pretty much anything, right? Well, everybody except for one TSA agent, that is.
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7 by Brad Tuttle Airfares & Flying, Airport Check-in
jan 21

London: 4 restaurant chains that are affordable and homegrown

The lowdown on cheap eats.
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17 by Alex Robinson Food + Drink, United Kingdom, London
jan 21

Kudos to American Airlines for its help for Haiti

American Airlines has been a model of a responsible company during the Haitian relief effort, donating time, manpower, money, and supplies.
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1 by Sean O'Neill Airlines
jan 21

New York: Secrets and savings in Central Park

Borrow a free activity kit to entertain your kids in Central Park by visiting one of these visitor centers. Plus, info on free walking tours.
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0 by Danielle Lipp State Parks, New York City
jan 21

London: A new center at the Natural History Museum

A clever tribute to Darwin, with a bar.
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0 by Alex Robinson Museums, United Kingdom, London
jan 20

San Francisco: Google maps famous, favorite places

Google's Favorite Places map gives a quick picture of local celebs' beloved hangouts.
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1 by Justine Sharrock Food + Drink, California, San Francisco
jan 20

Pack a gun to protect your valuables?

What do you think about packing a firearm with your most valuable items in a hard-sided case, and checking it for your next domestic flight, to receive special care during transport?
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2 by Sean O'Neill Packing, Safety and Security
jan 20

Rome: A new exhibit celebrates Caravaggio

A much-anticipated exhibit at the Scuderie del Quirinale brings together works from museums around the globe.
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7 by Katie Parla Art + Culture, Art + Culture, Italy, Rome
jan 19

Checked bag fee update

American has hiked its its fee for checking your first bag to $25 each way, up from $15. All of the other major airlines have already hiked fees, except for Southwest and JetBlue.
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18 by Sean O'Neill Airlines, Airport Check-in
jan 15

Readers' Choice: Best food city in America?

Make your case! Our October 2010 Readers' Choice issue will be devoted to what you tell us about this and other travel topics.
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190 by Budget Travel Food + Drink, Questions and Opinions
jan 15

Istanbul kicks off a culture-packed year

The European Capital of Culture for 2010 has big plans, including new museums and exhibits, theater and music festivals, and late-night hours at restaurants in Beyoglu.
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2 by Kate Appleton Art + Culture, Turkey, Istanbul
jan 15

Slate asks: How to fix airport security?

Seeing as the TSA hasn't been able to come up solutions, Slate asked readers to offer their suggestions for how to fix airport security. Of the hundreds of ideas submitted, a few were singled out as winners.
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57 by Brad Tuttle Airfares & Flying, Airport Check-in
jan 15

Help a reader! Know of a travel-ready detergent?

Readers sound off on the best way to carry detergent on a trip.
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23 by Sean O'Neill Packing, Questions and Opinions, Travel Gear
jan 15

Italy: An Umbrian hilltown gets a modern art space

Two Italians have transformed their Umbrian winery into 7,000 square feet of galleries, sculpture gardens, and performance space.
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4 by Sara Morrow Art + Culture, Museums, Pop Culture and Travel, Europe, Italy
jan 14

Mikey, age 8, is on TSA watch list

“I understand the need for security,” says Mikey's mother. “But this is ridiculous. It’s quite clear that he is 8 years old, and while he may have terroristic tendencies at home, he does not have those on a plane.”
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7 by Sean O'Neill Airport Check-in, Safety and Security
jan 14

London pub guide (part 1)

What to look for--and ask for--so you're a good punter (customer).
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7 by Alex Robinson Food + Drink, United Kingdom, London
jan 13

Contagious TB patient violates federal "do not board" rule

You've heard about the government's no-fly list for suspected terrorists, but did you know there's a no-fly list for people with contagious diseases? 88 people are on it.
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5 by Sean O'Neill Health and Hygiene, Safety and Security
jan 13

What's next for airline baggage fees?

As Continental and Delta jack up their fees for checked luggage, Southwest, the lone two-bags-free airline still out there, is asking customers how they'd respond if they too had to pay to check bags.
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9 by Brad Tuttle Airlines
jan 13

North Korea welcoming U.S. tourists year-round

Five-day tours start Friday, from $1,000.
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1 by Sean O'Neill North Korea
jan 13

San Francisco: MoMA's 75th

Anniversary events include special museum talks, plus free admission all weekend.
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0 by Justine Sharrock Art + Culture, Museums, California, San Francisco
jan 12

Radiation and whole-body scanners

Now that travelers will be X-rayed, not just their luggage. We review the scientific views on whether these machines theoretically pose a cancer risk.
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8 by Sean O'Neill Airport Check-in, Health and Hygiene, Safety and Security
jan 12

New York City: Book now for Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week is January 25 through February 7 this year.
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5 by JD Rinne Food + Drink, New York City
jan 11

San Francisco: Street food made simple with Twitter

Follow these vendors for food on the go.
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5 by Justine Sharrock Food + Drink, California, San Francisco
jan 11

Ask Trip Coach: Vacation rentals

If you've ever had questions for any part of the vacation rental process, from figuring out what sources to consult to ensuring you get your deposit returned, now's your chance to ask them.
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63 by Brad Tuttle Trip Coach, Hotels, Vacation Rentals
jan 11

How should the Newark scare guy be punished?

If Jiang pleads guilty to trespassing through a Newark Airport restricted area to smooch his sweetheart, how severe should his punishment be? Plus, see the video of his action.
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125 by Sean O'Neill Airport Check-in, Questions and Opinions, Safety and Security
jan 08

Readers' best wildlife photos

See a fabulous Florida flamingo, gorgeous butterflies in Japan, king penguins in the Falkland Islands, and a rarely photographed lion in Kenya.
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15 by Sean O'Neill Wildlife Appreciation, Travel Photography
jan 07

Video: If air travel worked like health care

"Hello! Thank you for calling Air Health Care, the airline that works like the health care system. My name is Cynthia. How can I give you travel care today?"
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0 by Sean O'Neill Pop Culture and Travel
jan 07

Get money back when prices drop

Say so long to overpaying. This week, Travelocity and Yapta each found new ways to put money back in your pocket if a package price or airfare drops after you've booked a trip.
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2 by Sean O'Neill Airfares & Flying, Helpful Websites, Innovations
jan 06

New York City is America's most visited city

The Big Apple saw more than 45 million visitors last year, making it the number one travel destination in America.
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5 by JD Rinne New York City
jan 06

Airport security update

A quick checklist of what to expect now at the airport security line.
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2 by Sean O'Neill Safety and Security
jan 06

Top sites Yapta and TripIt team up

One site lets you get cash back when your fare drops after you book it. The other tracks your itineraries. Together, Yapta and TripIt are powerful tools.
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3 by Sean O'Neill Helpful Websites
jan 06

Video: The Manhattan Bridge turns 100

December 31 was the 100th anniversary of the official opening of the Manhattan Bridge, and here's a clip of the celebration.
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1 by Sean O'Neill New York City
jan 06

Sonoma: New free, wine-themed tours

Some wineries in Sonoma, part of California wine country, are now running free, self-guided walking tours.
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1 by Amy Chen Food + Drink, Walking Tours, Wine, California, Sonoma
jan 05

CNN: What can scanners see?

A CNN report on airport whole-body scanning machines, with some funny pop culture moments.
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1 by Budget Travel Safety and Security
jan 05

Chart: Airplane violence over time

The chances of dying from airplane related violence has been pretty steady since the 1930s.
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0 by Sean O'Neill Safety and Security
jan 05

This week: Fares drop to L.A. and to Florida

In the past week, roundtrips to Los Angeles have dropped between 26 and 34 percent compared with last week's prices. Roundtrips to Florida's cities have plummeted in price by a similar amount.
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0 by Sean O'Neill Airfares & Flying, Helpful Websites
jan 05

Since when did $67 a day for a car rental become a deal?

Lately, a lot of the car rental specials don't seem all that special.
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42 by Brad Tuttle Rental Cars
jan 05

Map of the world's most remote spots

It turns out that less than 10 percent of the world is more than 48 hours of ground-based travel from the nearest city.
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5 by Sean O'Neill
jan 04

World's newest tallest tower: Burj Dubai completed

The $1.5 billion tower tops out at more than 2,700 feet.
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4 by JD Rinne United Arab Emirates, Dubai
jan 04

London: 5 free things to do on a winter's day

The sweetest things... in the world's 27th priciest city.
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8 by Alex Robinson United Kingdom, London