Thursday, November 6, 2008

We're heading into the busiest travel period of the year, which means more potential for delays, lost luggage, security mishaps, and other headaches. Here's our advice for smoothing the trip—plus the latest news about controversial security policies.

• Travel Safety: Tricks Criminals Use
• Buying TSA Contraband: Fuzzy Handcuffs, Eskimo Chopping Blades, More
• Trouble in Paradise: What to Do If a Country Implodes During Your Vacation
• Traveler's First-Aid Kit: 11 Must-Haves

From the Blog:

• Security: Do New TSA Body Scans Violate Your Privacy?
• Be Aware: Electronics Can Be Seized at Customs
• Have TSA Employees Stolen From You? and The TSA Responds

Irish-owned budget airline Ryanair plans to launch flights to the U.S. starting at about $13 each way, plus taxes. The flights will probably connect London's Stansted Airport and Dublin's Airport to New York City, Orlando, L.A., San Francisco, and Boston. Ryanair, infamous for its no-frills service and extra fees, aims to set off a price war with major airlines like British Airways. read post

• Election 2008: Who Did the Airlines Vote For?
• This Weekend: The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Reopens in NYC
• Midwest Airlines: Are They Repeating Schlitz's Big Mistake?
• Mammoth Mountain Opens Early for Skiers, With Deals and New Flights
• Video: When a Stand-up Comedian Loses His Luggage

Halloween Parade 2008: Fiends of New York Greenwich Village celebrated the only way it knows how: with a stream of the paranormal, the gruesome, the campy, and the just plain weird… Fly Right to the Beach Choose your origin city and our new tool instantly shows you nonstop routes to the Caribbean… Photos: From Cartagena, With Love Colombia's vibrant seaside city is experiencing a rebirth.

Where else but in charmingly offbeat New Mexico can you find people living in "earthship" homes or a Wild West town where outlaws—and ghosts—are said to have roamed? Read the story and check out photos of everything from Pueblo cemeteries to gorgeous natural dams. read more

• Coolest Small Towns: Truth or Consequences, N.M.
• Road Trip: Arizona's Navajo Nation
• Road Trip: Southern Utah

The dreamy Hawaiian islands rely on tourism and have seen the number of visitors plummet. That means empty hotel rooms that need filling—and some great deals. These air/hotel packages for Oahu and Maui start at $470. why they're a deal

• Legendary Surf Towns: Haleiwa, Oahu
• Trip Coach: Waikiki and Beyond
• Maui: Friendly, Quirky, and Full of Soul
• Plus: Been to Hawaii? Share your photos, Travel Journals, and videos at myBudgetTravel—you'll be entered to win a trip to Fiji!

Save up to 50 percent on your next visit to Brussels or Brugge, producers of some of the world's finest art, beer, and chocolate. These hotel rates start at $88 a night. why they're a deal

• Face-lift: The Atomium in Brussels
• Drink Beer Better: Breweries in Belgium and Beyond
• Europe, Day 4: Amsterdam to Utrecht

Alabama's state park system offers rustic family-friendly cottages from $99 that are a great base for hiking, golfing, and bird-watching, even in winter. Look out for eagles, cormorants, pelicans, and woodpeckers. why they're a deal

• Road Trip: The Mississippi Delta
• Coolest Small Towns: Tuscumbia, Ala.
• Trip Coach: Bird-watching in Costa Rica

When you really need a long weekend away, you don't want to waste a lot of time getting there. Here's a great escape in every state.
read more

• Poll: Vote for the World's Most Romantic Places
• Blog: So Many Friends, So Little Vacation Time

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