Kudos to TripAdvisor for including fees in its new fare search tool
Already a popular site for hotel reviews, TripAdvisor hopes to win an even broader fan base with its new airfare-search tool. What makes its tool such a welcome innovation is that when you search for plane tickets, the site fetches fares that include the estimated fees for baggage and other services in the price quoted. The site trolls the Web for fares from airlines and online travel agencies, such as Travelocity. Users are then forwarded to those sites to make their purchase.
Even though its owned by Expedia, only TripAdvisor is including fees in its fare quotes. Let's hope that Expedia offers fee-inclusion as an option soon, too. Ditto, for other travel websites. Having the fee info included in fare quotes makes it easier for travelers to make apples-to-apples comparisons.
NYC & DC: Pretend you're in Hungary
Get a taste of Hungarian culture by attending The Extremely Hungary festival, with events taking place all year long in New York City and Washington, D.C. Highlights include—improbably—a mustache competition at a Brooklyn beer garden. New York This weekend, break into a grin by watching often satirical and startling short art films by Hungarian and Hungarian-Americans at Manhattan's Janos Gat Gallery (March 6–7, 6–8 p.m., free). You can also enter to win a trip for two to the Hungarian capital of Budapest by participating in a culturally appropriate competition: a mustache-growing contest. Submit a photo of a freshly shaven face. Then on April 16, show up with an expertly coiffed 'stache at Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for judging. Notably, the contest is open to men and women. D.C. Between March 17 and April 19, American University Museum will exhibit paintings, drawings, and collages by Lajos Vajda, one of the most famous Hungarian artists of the twentieth century, alongside contemporary photos and videos inspired by his work (free). Visit extremelyhungary.org for the full schedule. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Why Budapest is one of the top ten budget travel destinations for '09
Paris: Michelin restaurants for the rest of us
This week brought the release of the new Michelin Red Guide, prompting foodies to run and see which chefs had been awarded stars—the top honor in restaurant criticism. The guide, whose English edition arrives mid-May, sells 1.3 million copies a year in its various editions. Its star system rewards expensive restaurants, of course. But the guide also has a lesser-known rating for affordable restaurants. Toward the back of the guide, there's the "Bib Gourmand" section in which Michelin recognizes places that offer excellent three-course meals for less than €35 ($44) each. This year, 47 Paris restos are on the Bib Gourmand list—a record. Many of these spots are new additions to the list. My favorites include: • Le Baratin,, 3 rue Jouye Rouve, 20th arrondissement, 011-33/1-43-49-39-70 • Le Bistrot Paul Bert, 18 rue Paul Bert, 11th arrondissement, 011-33/1-43-72-24-01 • La Cantine du Troquet, 101 rue de l'Ouest, 14th arrondissement, 011-33/1-45-40-04-98. • L'Entêtée, 4 rue Danville, 14th arrondissement, 011-33/1-40-47-56-81 The above restaurants are not open every day of the week, so call ahead to confirm and to see if reservations are needed. EARLIER London: A sneak peek at Michelin's '09 picks for affordable restaurants Read more from our Affordable Paris series