Thursday, September 27, 2007

You may qualify for free perks at your hotel—without even knowing it! Members of hotel reward clubs get better service, fewer hassles, less paperwork, and great freebies. So before you book a room, join the loyalty club, even if you're only planning on staying at the hotel once. Check out our comprehensive list of the goodies available through the major hotel chains. read more

• Hotel Reward Clubs Get Personal
• 39 Affordable Hotel Chains Only Locals Know

Gracious! America's most genteel city is behaving like a frisky debutante these days. Geraldine Campbell rounds up the details—from the best shrimp and grits to Thursday night roller-skating—that make it a place unlike any other. read more

• An Interactive Google Map of Charleston Locations


Plus: For our upcoming 10th anniversary issue, created entirely by readers, we're including a story on 25 Reasons You Love New York. So tell us! What specifically do you think makes New York so lovably New York? The less obvious, the better!

HomeAway has been taking great strides in becoming the go-to source for vacation rentals, posting classified listings for some 240,000 properties worldwide. From time to time, con artists manage to post fraudulent listings on HomeAway's websites, just as they do on other websites. To combat this fraud, HomeAway is rolling out a guarantee. If you book a rental on one of HomeAway's websites and it turns out to be fraudulent, the company will offer you a refund of up to $5,000 in rental fees. That's the strongest protection we've seen yet from any company in this industry. read post

• Pet Travel Tips
  Editor Erik Torkells writes, "I got a call from a reader who read my letter about my pug…"
• Get the Best Seat on Southwest
  New rules make it more advantageous to pay a fee to jump to the front of the line…

This air/cruise/hotel package combines a visit to Zagreb, Croatia's capital, and a sailing adventure along the Adriatic coast, with tours of hotspots such as Split, Brach, Hvar, Korcula, and Dubrovnik, from $2,295. why it's a deal

• A View With a Room: Lighthouses in Croatia
• Scouting Report 2007: Croatia's Baranja Region
• The Next Croatia: Montenegro

A rundown of discounted rail passes from $299—just in time for Canada's fall-festival and leaf-peeping season. why it's a deal

• Trip Coach: Canada By Train
• From Montreal to Halifax By Train
• My Montreal Is Better Than Yours

Airfare on Delta and seven nights in an air-conditioned beachside cabin along the Caribbean Sea, from $939. why it's a deal

More on Central America:

• Dream Trips: The Blue Hole, Belize
• Secret Hotels of Costa Rica
• Nicaragua's Bargain Spanish Language Programs
• Real Deals: Panama Air/Hotel, $1,168

Write your best caption for our latest Signspotting photo—and then come back on October 2 to vote for your favorite entry.
submit your caption

OpenTable (opentable.com) is a free service that lets you make restaurant reservations all over the U.S. Most reservations are worth 100 points, but some are worth 1,000—if you choose those, it's easy to rack up 5,000 points, which entitles you to a $50 gift certificate to any restaurant on the site. —Lisa Silverman, Valley Village, Calif.
read more

• Find More Dining Tips, Recipes, and Restaurant Recommendations

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