Blues Travelers

It seems like every worthwhile destination is overcrowded and overpriced around the holidays. Can you recommend some reasonable ways to avoid overpaying? Christmas and Hanukkah are wholesome family holidays, when most people want wholesome family destinations. So one idea is to be contrarian and go where demand is weak. Consider heading to a party town like Las Vegas or New Orleans. The Big Easy has a long tradition of offering discounted hotel rates, free concerts, and free cooking demos during the first three weeks of December; check out fqfi.org/christmas for event schedules and special hotel deals. Deluxe king rooms at the Lafayette Hotel, a landmark property right outside the French Quarter, cost $219 over New Year's but only $79 the week before. Likewise, discounts are widely available in Vegas's 140,000 or so hotel rooms until around December 29: Rooms at the Excalibur start at $201 on New Year's, while they're just $41 a few days earlier. These are random examples; you're likely to find similar deals at most major hotels in Vegas or New Orleans. Are there any dates around the holidays that are less expensive or less crowded? Flying on the holiday itself—Thanksgiving or Christmas days in particular—is a surefire way to beat the crowds and pay less. How much less? Find out for yourself by using a flexible date search tool on one of the booking engines. Just about every site now offers a flex tool, where you can retrieve fares for a few days before and after a specified date; I prefer Kayak's, mostly because it involves very few clicks. In a recent sample search, from Denver to New York LaGuardia for Thanksgiving week, dozens of options appeared in seconds: The cheapest flight for prime dates (Tuesday to Sunday) was $509, but you could score a ticket for about half that ($279) by traveling Thanksgiving Day and coming back the following Tuesday. The surest way to snag a deal is by skipping the prime holiday weeks entirely. In the week or two right after New Year's, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and other previously packed—and pricey—destinations are suddenly uncrowded and discounted. (During such times, hotels and resorts typically announce deals at the last minute, so my advice is to pick up the phone two or three weeks before your travel dates and just ask for one.) Somebody has to hold down the fort in the office during Christmas week, so you might want to volunteer for duty if it means you can take time off later and enjoy a quiet beach or empty ski slopes. What are some tips for surviving the airport experience on the busiest days? Because big crowds and long security waits are out of your control, it's important to take advantage of every time-saving, hassle-avoiding technique at your disposal. The day before you fly, check in online, print boarding passes, and pay for checked luggage at your home or office. Airport parking lots are expensive and often full during holiday periods, so park off-airport (find options at airportparkingreservations.com). Ship gifts ahead instead of dragging them on the plane; if you're organized and can send them a week in advance, it's probably cheaper than flying with them anyway, depending on airline fees and what you're shipping. If you are bringing gifts on the flight, don't wrap them—you may have to tear off the paper at security. Know the TSA's rules concerning liquids, carry-ons, and prohibited items (study up at www.tsa.gov/travelers), and wear loafers or other shoes that can be slipped on and off easily. (But do wear socks! You really don't want to pick up a fungus and spend the holidays scratching your feet maniacally.) Also, throw a few extra quart-size zip-top plastic baggies into your carry-on, just in case someone in line forgot theirs. 'Tis the season for giving, after all. I'm debating whether to fly or take the train. What are the pros and cons of each? If you're even considering the train, it's probably the better option. As a rule of thumb, for shorter trips (five hours or less by train), always ride the rails on busy travel days. When taking the train, you can weather a storm more easily (and you're less likely to be affected by bad weather in another part of the country). Plus, there are no security checkpoints, and you can forget about outrageous change fees or last-minute fare hikes. Amtrak also has discounts that most airlines don't—such as the rules that kids ages 2 to 15 pay half price and seniors 62 and older receive 15 percent off. How do I minimize the chances of a flight delay or cancellation? I always try to get on the first flight out, before delays have a chance to wreak havoc across the country. And don't count on the fact that the skies are clear to reduce your risk of a late departure or other scheduling problems. Last December, extreme weather was responsible for less than 2 percent of delays at airports across the U.S., while plain old late-arriving aircraft accounted for 8 percent to 11 percent. My biggest piece of advice: Do everything you can to book nonstop flights. Saving a few bucks with a connection just isn't worth it around the holidays. There's too much at stake. AIRPORT DIVERSIONS BNA Three stages at Nashville International host live local country, rock, bluegrass, and blues music. IAD At D.C.'s Dulles, a Smithsonian Store sells everything from Native American jewelry to astronaut-themed chessboards. JFK Six XpresSpa outlets offer spa treatments (manicures, massages, facials) in as little as 10 minutes. ORD At Chicago O'Hare's Terminal 2, the "Kids on the Fly" play area has a tot-size air traffic control tower, a helicopter, and more. OAK Fentons Creamery, in Oakland, is an outpost of a 115-year-old Bay Area ice-cream temple. Try the Swiss milk chocolate flavor. THE WAITING GAME Don't spend your time stuck in the airport being miserable. Amuse yourselves with this game that's a mishmash of a treasure hunt, I Spy, and plain old nosy people-watching. Here are five things you're likely to see while waiting for your flight; the first person in your group to spot them all wins. • Adult wearing Crocs • Person on a Bluetooth headset • Traveler wearing a neck pillow • A love connection at the bar • Parent with a child on a leash AIRPORT DELAY SCORECARD There are 25 major hub airports in the U.S., and if you're making a connection, chances are good you're heading through one of them this holiday season. Reduce your risk of delay by targeting the five best ones by on-time departure (and avoiding the worst). Best: Hubs with the highest percentage of on-time departures 76% Charlotte 75% Houston Intercontinental 72% D.C. Reagan National 71% Cleveland 70% Phoenix Worst: Hubs with the lowest percentage of on-time departures 57% Newark Liberty 59% Chicago O'Hare 61% Seattle 61% Portland 62% San Francisco Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

BINOCULARS Splurge: Released this year, the Nikon Monarch X binoculars allow you to see more color in low-light conditions thanks to a first-of-its-kind "dielectric high-reflective multilayer prism coating." Translation: With these, you'll be able to spot that rare bird at dawn—while others can't. nikon.com, $600. Save: The Bushnell Legend Ultra-HD actually beat the Nikon Monarch X in several categories: They're 13 percent lighter, and the field of view is wider. From a distance of 3,000 feet, for instance, these binoculars will show a 340-foot-wide swath of landscape; with the Monarch X, you'd see 330 feet. bushnell.com, $300. HEADPHONES Splurge: A new gold standard in noise-canceling, the Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones were unveiled in August. Earlier versions had a single microphone in each ear cup to detect sound that made it past the physical barrier. The QuietComfort 15 adds a second microphone outside each earpiece. bose.com, $300. Save: Remarkably lightweight and compact for noise-canceling headphones, especially ones of this quality, the Panasonic RP-HC101 Slimz filter out 83 percent of the rattle and hum of a typical airplane engine—nearly as much as devices three times this price. panasonic.com, $100. CAMERAS Splurge: With a weather-resistant magnesium-alloy body, the Pentax K-7 14.6-megapixel DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) has automatic bracketing that combines three exposure levels into one image to extract detail from shadows and light. The K-7 (priced here with an 18–55 mm lens) also records HD video. pentaximaging.com, $1,500. Save: At 16 ounces, the Nikon D3000 is about half as heavy as the average DSLR—and less than half the price. The sensor on the 10.2-megapixel camera compares your exposure conditions with a database of 30,000 scenarios and adjusts accordingly. The D3000 has a 3.1-inch screen and comes with an 18–55 mm lens. nikon.com, $600. WATCHES Splurge: As if an altimeter, a barometer, and a digital compass weren't enough, the top-of-the-line Suunto X10 adventure watch also has a GPS receiver, reducing the risk that you'll ever get lost again. After your hike is over, connect the watch to your PC with its USB cable, and Google Earth will plot your trek. suunto.com, $599. Save: The do-it-all Highgear Axio Max covers the adventure basics: a digital compass, an altimeter, a barometer, a hydration alarm (it goes off at regular intervals to remind you to drink water), and a thermometer. Best of all, it's water-resistant to 164 feet and has a highly durable resin wristband. highgear.com, $150.

Best for the plane: HP Mini 110 Just an inch thick and weighing less than three pounds, the Mini 110 has a nearly full-size keyboard (92 percent) and an LED antiglare display that's good in bright and dark conditions. High-definition audio plays through built-in stereo speakers, so you can listen to your personal playlist in your hotel room. Another nice touch: The Mini 110 comes with software that lets you automatically synchronize music, videos, and other files with your primary computer when you're logged in to your home network. hp.com, $330, in black, pink, or white. Best for kids: Disney Netpal by Asus The company that kicked off the netbook trend two years ago, Asus, released the Disney Netpal this summer. The tiny machine, just 2.65 pounds and about the size of a hardcover book, has a spill-proof keyboard and parental controls that allow you to specify which websites and e-mail addresses your kids can access, as well as limit the hours they can surf the Web. The Netpal comes with a large, child-friendly touch pad and a customizable, Disney-themed desktop interface. disneystore.com, $350, in pink or blue. Best for the long trip: Toshiba Mini NB205-N325 Yes, it's priced a little higher, but what really sets the Toshiba apart is its nine hours of battery life (most netbooks last between three and six hours). This 2.9-pounder has a full-size touch pad and special key commands that allow you to zoom in and out on images and Web pages. A USB port charges gadgets even when the computer is off, and if you drop the machine, a Hard Drive Impact Sensor minimizes damage by instantly separating the moving parts inside. toshibadirect.com, $400, in brown, blue, pink, or white.

1. Gogo is the go-to network One network, Gogo Inflight Internet, supplies Wi-Fi to the four main U.S. carriers currently offering the service: AirTran, American, Delta, and Virgin America. A competing company, Row 44, recently got FCC approval and has signed up Southwest and Alaska Airlines. 2. Costs are the same no matter the carrier Gogo charges $6 for Wi-Fi on flights of up to 1.5 hours, $10 on routes between 1.5 and 3 hours, and $13 on flights over 3 hours. Those are laptop rates; it's $6 to $8 if you're surfing with a smartphone. Row 44 is letting the airlines that use its service set their own rates, so we've got our fingers crossed for price wars with Gogo. 3. Monthlong Wi-Fi passes are only valid with one airline A $50 pass gets you 30 days of access to Gogo Inflight on AirTran, Delta, or Virgin America (but only one of them, alas). 4. The connection is good Gogo's service is fast and consistent, about the same quality as you'd expect from the Wi-Fi in a coffee shop. 5. Hotspots don't extend beyond U.S. borders If Wi-Fi is offered on flights to Mexico or Canada, you won't be able to surf once the plane flies out of range. In fact, even if your destination is a U.S. airport, Wi-Fi may not operate if your plane crosses into Canadian or Mexican airspace. That's because Gogo is a land-based network, which means connection requires proximity to its towers—and those are located solely within the continental U.S. 6. You can sign up in advance To save hassles, create an account and register your credit card ahead of time at gogoinflight.com. This way, buying a session is just a click or two away as soon as you're above 10,000 feet—the threshold for "approved electronic devices." 7. No phone calls; no porn Let's dispense with the biggest moot concern. While flying, you can't make calls via the Internet using Skype or other VoIP services—they're blocked. Also, most airlines have instructed Gogo to put filters in place to block obvious porn websites. 8. Just because the airline has Wi-Fi doesn't mean your flight will Only AirTran and Virgin America currently have Wi-Fi on all planes in the U.S. Other carriers are ramping up, but it's still hard to know if your flight will have service. Your best bet is to call and ask. 9. Airline seats aren't made for laptops Sitting in coach gets even more cramped when you open your laptop, especially if the passenger in front of you has tired of the "full upright position." Consider paying extra for a bit more space (AirTran's upgrades to an exit row start at $6) and, if possible, use a more compact netbook (see "Slimmer Surfers"). One helpful industry trend is the addition of in-seat power outlets. Check seatguru.com to find out which rows are wired. 10. International access is on the horizon Unlike Gogo's land-based network, Row 44 uses satellites. That means its service could easily extend beyond U.S. borders—once the technology is installed on carriers that fly overseas, that is. AIRLINE WI-FI GUIDE Airtran Airways 100 percent of planes flying domestic routes have the Gogo service. Alaska Airlines All planes flying routes within the U.S. will be outfitted with Row 44. American Airlines Has Gogo service on 15 of its 767-200s (primarily used on cross-country flights) and later this fall will have it on 150 MD-80s (the airline's workhorse, used on all kinds of routes). Delta Air Lines The entire domestic fleet is expected to be outfitted with Gogo by the end of this year. Southwest Airlines Will begin installing Row 44 on all of its planes in early 2010. United Airlines Has signed on with Gogo to outfit 13 of its planes—those flying transcontinental routes—beginning late this year (i.e., right about now). US Airways Plans to start installing the Gogo network on 50 A321 planes in early 2010. Virgin America Gogo service is up and running on all planes flying routes within the U.S.