R.I.P., Windjammer?

Name: Budget Travel LLC
Price range: $

By Sean O'Neill

October 3, 2012

Bye-bye, Windjammer? As an earlier blog post noted, Windjammer Barefoot Cruises ceased sailing operations in September. But it continued to sell cruises scheduled to launch in November. None of those November sailings happened.

Paul Motter, the editor of Cruisemates, is warning people not to give Windjammer any money, even though the company has not yet declared bankruptcy. That sounds like good advice, and it's shared by Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of CruiseCritic.com.

[Update 12/17: On my first posting, I mistakenly said that Paul Motter was editor of Cruise Critic. I regret the error. Here's the latest news on Windjammer.]

This news is a blow to budget travelers because Windjammer's four yachts and schooners offered laid-back Caribbean itineraries on small ships for only $1,000 to $2,000 a week per person, including meals and taxes. If you need a refund, see this helpful webpage.

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Spain was 2007's hottest spot

978,567 Americans visited Spain between January and October. That is a remarkable 22 percent increase over the same period last year, given that the dollar doesn't go very far there right now. If the trend continues through the end of the year, American traffic to Spain could hit a record. The last record was set in 2000. And among all of the major destination for American tourists, Spain seems to have enjoyed the biggest jump in American visitors. The Spanish government credits its recent marketing campaign. Budget Travel's November issue includes a fun story on Chueca, which was one of the Madrid's most run-down neighborhoods, but is now one of its most fashionable. THE BEST PLACES YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF: La Cerdanya. EARLIER Free bikes in Spain.

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Hotels '08: The Bjorn Prediction

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Vote on new Travel Channel shows

Viewers can offer feedback on eight TV pilots that The Travel Channel is considering. Visit travelchannel.com/pilot-week to vote. The shows premiering the week of December 17 include: Feasty Boys Eat America, Hamburger Paradise, 10 Things You Don't Know About: Florida, 10 Things You Don't Know: Hawaii, 25 Mind Blowing Escapes, Extreme Hotels, Art Attack, and The Deal Hunter. If one can judge a show by its title, 25 Mind Blowing Escapes seems the most interesting to me.

It seemed like a good idea at the time?

Here's the bad idea of the day, from AP/Yahoo.com: "A man nearly died from alcohol poisoning after quaffing a liter (two pints) of vodka at an airport security check instead of handing it over to comply with new carry-on rules, police said Wednesday. The incident occurred at the Nuremberg [Germany] airport on Tuesday, where the 64-year-old man was switching planes on his way home to Dresden from a holiday in Egypt." The report says he's at a clinic. Here's hoping he'll recover.

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