Questions about Vancouver 2010?

By Budget Travel
October 3, 2012
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Courtesy City of Richmond/Cannon Design

Want to cheer on medalist Apolo Anton Ohno or catch big events like figure skating and ski jumping at the next Olympics?

What key questions are on your mind: Ticket buying? Where to stay? Other logistics? Let us know, and we'll try to answer them!

UPDATE: We've answered the questions that readers posted as comments below in a new blog post: "

Answers to your questions about attending the Winter Olympics

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Inspiration

Kudos to Canada for making Toronto's airport cheaper for flights

The U.S. government isn't the only one in the world spending money to help the travel industry. The Canadian government has announced that it will cover more of the costs to run Toronto City Centre Airport—for this year, at least. Why does this matter? Well as reporter Brad Tuttle points out, if you're flying into that airport later this year, you won't have to pay the current high airport fee that is automatically added to your plane ticket. Why does that matter? Well, Porter Airlines currently has to tack on capital improvement fees, which add $12.25 to a ticket, because it flies into Toronto City Centre. Other airlines, which fly into an alternate airport, don't have to charge passengers those fees, giving them an unfair competitive advantage. Once the fees have been equalized across airports, Toronto City Centre Airport will look especially attractive, given that it is the closest airport to downtown. To recap from Brad's recent BT story, "Flying Under the Radar," Porter flies 70-seat turboprops to six Canadian cities, Chicago-Midway, and Newark. This year, it may add service between Toronto and Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. EARLIER Four Upstart AirlinesYou may not have heard of them (yet), but these four upstart airlines are starting to descend on American cities, just as the big boys are pulling out.

Inspiration

This weekend: Butterflies flutter by at the San Diego Zoo

Who doesn't like the friendly butterfly? Starting this weekend, the San Diego Zoo will have thousands of the colorful insects on display at the Butterfly Jungle. The zoo's Wild Animal Park will play host to the Hidden Jungle, an aviary that looks like a South American rain forest. Guests walk through as thousands of species of butterfly, including the blue morpho pictured here, flit from plant to plant, looking for pollen. A close encounter is almost guaranteed, as the butterflies often mistake people for flowers. Although butterflies are the stars of the show, no pollinator will go uncelebrated—this year's theme is Pollinators of the Animal Kingdom, including birds, bugs, and bats. A Discovery Station in the park will have educational displays about bugs and the ecosystem; there's even a bat cave with live bats. The event is great for kids, with crafts, puzzles, games, a Butterfly Wrangler performing, and a daily butterfly costume parade (so those leftovers from Halloween will get a second use). Through April 26. Free with the cost of admission, which is $35 for adults and $26 for kids 11 and under. You can buy tickets online. PREVIOUSLY Zoo Babies: Where Are They Now?

Inspiration

London: The first Slow Down Festival arrives soon

Londoners are being encouraged to put down their Blackberries, stop racing from one thing to the next, and take part in the first-annual http://slowdownlondon.co.uk/" target="_blank" >Slow Down London festival. Starting April 24, the informal 10-day series of events includes wine tastings, poetry readings, and meditation workshops, according to the Financial Times. The festival starts with The Big Slow Walk across London Bridge at rush hour on April 24 at 5 p.m., leaving from Embankment Gardens (free). On April 24, poet Miriam Nash will lead a Snail Mail workshop, persuading people to use pen and paper for occasional personal letters instead of sending e-mails or texts. (2 p.m., The Gallery, Foyles Charing Cross, (free). On Sunday afternoon May 3, sample at leisurely pace the fare for sale the Slow Food London Market at the stalls at Southbank Centre Square, all afternoon long. Then at 7 p.m., drop by the National Portrait Gallery for a quirky lecture from David Rooney, curator of timekeeping at Greenwich’s Royal Observatory, who helps set time for the world (free). For details, visit Slow Down London.