Last-Minute Thanksgiving Booking Tips

The biggest-ever expansion at SeaWorld Orlando includes an entire new section devoted to penguins and Antarctica. There's no shortage of competition in the Orlando theme park market. Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened last year, to much fanfare. A new Legoland park launched in central Florida just weeks ago. Oh, and there's that other theme park giant that's always growing and adding new features. With all the other attractions in the Orlando area, it's easy for Shamu & Co. to get lost in the mix. It's also not surprising that ticket sales at both SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego have declined three years in a row. To jumpstart interest in the Orlando park, SeaWorld has announced its biggest expansion in history. According to the Orlando Sentinel, two new attractions will open next spring: TurtleTrek, featuring a 3-D movie theater and aquariums filled with sea turtles and manatees, and Freshwater Oasis, a swimming area SeaWorld's Discovery Cove where guests can relax in their bathing suits in close proximity to river otters and tiny marmoset monkeys. In 2013, the really big new attraction opens. Called "Antartica, Empire of the Penguin," it'll be an entirely new "immersive themed land" meant to look and feel like earth's southernmost continent. In early designs, guests will be able to board a sit-down ride that'll show the world through the eyes of a small penguin. SeaWorld designers are promising that it'll be cool, but also (wink, wink) the "coldest theme-park attraction in the world." MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: 12 Things You Didn't Know About Orlando Confessions of a Disney Cast Member The Completely Obsessive, Absolutely Indispensable Guide to Disney World

Over the past few years, Mexico has had quite the image problem: escalating drug violence, a swine flu outbreak, canceled cruises. And though tourism numbers are surprisingly up this year—the first eight months of 2011 have seen a 1.8 percent increase in foreign visitors over the same period in 2010—the Mexican Tourism Board is trying new tactics to revive the country’s reputation on the world stage. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('fefb1365-4613-4c51-9683-d56bfff84748');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info) This month, the tourism board has released a new ad campaign called the “Mexico Taxi Project." The premise is simple: hide a camera inside a taxi, pick up tourists as they return from Mexican vacations, record what they’re saying about their trip, and broadcast it for other potential visitors. Think of it as Mexico’s answer to HBO’s Taxicab Confessions—with decidedly less sleaze and markedly more references to how nice the sunshine is in Baja. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('e74d0d21-35d9-499e-b639-e5321895ab29');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info) You’ll hear visitors gush about the food, the weather, the golfing, the natural beauty, the nightlife, and everything in between. True, there’s something immediately compelling about testimonials from people who are so clearly unrehearsed. From a marketing standpoint, you can’t deny the power of authenticity. But you also have to wonder how many video clips of people complaining about Montezuma’s revenge have been left on the cutting room floor! What do you think of Mexico’s new tourism commercial? Does it make you more or less inclined to visit the country? MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Nonstop Mexico Mexico City Unmasked Readers' Best Mexico Photos

Few things feel more satisfying than a worn passport stamped-up with proof of your wide travels. But when that passport comes due for renewal, you'll have to kiss it goodbye. The government won't return it as a keepsake. It instead will issue you a new, high-tech one. The new one will have a RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag, which will store biometric and other information about you. In an absurd twist, some experts say this tag can be "scanned" by devices at a distance, making your information vulnerable. So, you may want to consider buying an RFID-blocking wallet or sleeve to protect yourself. To recap, RFID-enhanced passports have microchips and radio antennas that can track your location and send a unique identifying number to an electronic reader. But it's not just scanners at passport control that can read the information wirelessly. "Bad guys" can use scanners of their own to read your passport wirelessly from a distance. In other words, your passport may accidentally broadcast your citizenship, name and birth date, and biometric details to thieves or other troublemakers, without their ever taking possession of it. The government recognizes this problem and has built into the covers of its new passports "RFID shields," which seem to provide reasonably good protection on their own—as long as the covers stay closed. The shields are essentially aluminum foil inside a discreet wrapping. But some people may want to take more precautions and consider buying a discreet cover for their travel credentials that can shield their passport from data snatchers. Some top sources of RFID shield passport holders, wallets, and sleeves include: Travelon sells several RFID blocking sleeves, recently from $7 on Amazon. Stewart/Stand has a Leather & Stainless Steel RFID Blocking Bi-Fold Wallet, recently $65 on Amazon. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL The Lowdown on U.S. Passport Cards They want to know what?! A new passport questionnaire could get very personal How Safe Is Your Hotel Room Safe?

Eleven is a lucky number—or so some believe. Leave it to the hotels of the world to capitalize on this number's perceived significance by honoring the day 11-11-11 with a bevy of deals. Some of them were so good we couldn't help but to honor them ourselves with a blog post. Here are a few of our favorites: For starters, Sonesta Resorts Sint Maarten would like to commemorate this unique date by offering rooms at the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort & Casino and Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino for—yeah, you guessed it—$111 per room per night, plus additional taxes. The offer also works for $111 per person per room as part of an all–inclusive deal. Just book your stay between November 11 and 13 for travel through December 29, 2011. And you'll never guess what their promo code is: 1111. Oh, the creativity! It gets better. The Muse New York hotel is offering a special "Operation Give Back" package; for bookings made starting this Friday through December 31, 2011, 11 percent of the cost of the room will be donated to the U.S.O. of Metropolitan New York. You'll also get breakfast for two (or free parking) and two tickets to New York's famous Top of the Rock as part of the deal. The Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills is apparently offering a deal where rooms Friday night cost $11! All you have to do is book two or three nights, the additional nights of course being at 11% off regular prices. In case you were looking for more 11s, fear not—parking is $11 per day, as is continental breakfast, and there will even be $11 specials during happy hour. If you're looking for even more 11—centric prices, you're in luck. One hotel takes things one step further: The Reefs Hotel & Club in Bermuda will feature rooms on 11/11 for $11.11 if you book an additional three days at regular price. If you are active or retired military, ask for the extra 15% off in honor of Veteran's Day. Speaking of military discounts, a program called B&Bs for Vets is also featuring a special on Thursday, November 10, throughout the United States and Canada, allowing Veterans to stay for free and wake up at your choice of B&Bs on 11–11–11. Red Roof Inn is also offering 26% off rates on November 11, and 15% off throughout the month of November as a special thank you for serving our country. The last 11–11 special I came across was actually for a popular attraction instead of a hotel for a change. From now through Friday, the Skywalk at Grand Canyon West will deduct $11 from the cost of their daily Legacy Gold package—normally priced at $81 plus tax. If you can believe it, their promo code is 11 11 11. According to an article by the Los Angeles Times, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain Ski Resorts are also getting in on it, offering $11 lift tickets on Friday. An article by USA Today, as well as Fodor's, and a travel blog by The Vacation Gals list yet more hotel deals taking advantage of the date. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Thanksgiving Travel Myths Debunked Ticket Lottery Opens for National Christmas Tree Lighting 3 Lesser-Known Travel Websites Worth Knowing