Family travel: California theme parks deal

I've written a story on Bermuda for BT's May issue, and much of it is about how Bermuda has loosened up in recent years. I'll never forget how, the first time I visited the island 10 or so years ago, I was reading a guidebook on the plane when I came across a bit how gay travelers weren't particularly welcome (I can't remember whether being gay was against the law at the time). So it was with great pleasure that I just saw in the news about how Bermuda's premier, Ewart Brown, took a stand against bigots on the island who thought that Rosie O'Donnell's R Family Vacations cruise ship should be turned away. He said, "If we discriminate against a cruise ship, then we would have to send a homosexual detection unit to the airport." I met Dr. Brown maybe six months ago and was incredibly impressed with how pragmatic he was. Charming, too--we had lunch, and as we walked through the streets afterward, he said hello to just about every single person who crossed his path. While we're handing out gold stars, here's one for Disney: The company is now allowing same-sex couples to participate in its Fairy Tale Wedding program at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and on the Disney Cruise Line ships. Better late than never.

That's the question posed by K.C. Summers, the longtime editor of the Washington Post's Travel section, on our partner blog, Travel Log. She wonders "if travel guidebooks have become irrelevant -- outdated before they even hit the shelves." Budget Travel has compared the pros and cons of guidebooks, user review sites, and other sources of information in an article called "When Everybody's an Expert, Who Can You Trust?" Anonymous user-review websites are increasingly popular alternatives to guidebooks, of course. But like guidebooks, they also have flaws. Zagat reviews, for example, are powerfully influential. But this SmartMoney article accuses Zagat of grade inflation. What do you think about guidebooks and their alternatives? Feel free to add your two cents below. For another helpful resource, you can turn to the anonymous user-review websites, such as Trip Advisor.com. But with these "vox populi" sites, you need to be wary of what you read. BT's standard advice for making the most of such sites is to ask the following questions: "What if the reviewer is simply someone whose taste you wouldn't care about if you ever met him or her? Is the information in the posting even accurate?" In short, before you trust your money and your hard-earned vacation time with the advice of strangers, try to surf around online and use other sources of information to confirm any information you get from a user-review site.

One of the best bloggers covering budget-conscious travel is Tim Leffel, and today he spotlights a Spirit Airlines sale on flights to Guatemala from Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles. Fares on this sale are as low as $176, plus taxes and fees. That's roughly $250 off typical fares on these routes, says Tim. Click here for details. And for the best vacation packages all over the world, check out our Real Deals, which you'll find by clicking here.

One in ten leisure travelers go on vacations alone, says a new report from the Travel Industry Association. Finding fellow travel-mates can be difficult. Budget Travel's assistant editor Naomi Lindt has rounded up some resources for women who'd like to travel on their own or with other women. Feel free to post any advice of your own below.