San Juan Family Package

The Holiday Inn San Juan in Puerto Rico is offering a family package.

The three-star hotel in the Isla Verde area, near Alambique Beach, is offering a summer deal that includes accommodation for two adults, free accommodations for two children 12 years old or younger when sharing a room with parents, welcome cocktail for adults, daily $10 food and beverage credit per adult per day, and $10 match-and-play coupon at a nearby casino.

The package is $87.50 per adult, per night, based on double occupancy and a minimum stay of two nights.

Visit www.hisanjuan.com

Hilton Launches New Pet Program

Hilton Hotels and Resorts plans to welcome dogs and cats into hotels in the Americas by this summer.

The brand later plans to roll out its Pet Friendly program to various hotels in its international portfolio. Each pet-friendly room is loaded with specially-designed amenities designed exclusively for Hilton by artist William Wegman (best known for his photographs of Weimaraner dogs) the Hilton Pet Friendly collection will include a stain-, water- and microbial-resistant pet bed, as well as food and water bowls with placemat, and an exclusive pet amenity kit complete with dog waste clean-up bags and treats.

The bed, placemat and amenity kits are produced by Crypton Fabrics and made with its patented performance fabric. For guests who want to recreate their stay at home, the pet beds will be available for purchase on www.HiltonToHome.com, alongside Hilton’s Serenity Collection® mattress and other exclusive, in-room amenities.

Participating Hiltons will also offer pet concierge service with information about local dog runs, veterinarian offices and pet boutiques. A select amount of Pet Friendly rooms will be designated in each participating Hilton hotel and along with the standard room cleaning procedures, the rooms will undergo a deep cleaning – including carpets, drapery and all upholstered furniture – after each pet guest has checked out.

All Pet Friendly rooms will feature a special door hanger alerting hotel staff to the furry guest within.

For more information on Hilton’s Pet Friendly program, visit www.hilton.com/pets

Carnival Year-Round Baltimore Cruises

Carnival Cruise Lines will launch the first year-round cruise program from the Port of Baltimore with seven-day cruises aboard the 88,500-ton, 2,124-passenger Carnival Pride beginning in fall 2009.

The new program kicks off Sept. 13, 2009, and encompasses two weeklong itineraries departing Sundays. The “Exotic Eastern Caribbean” cruises will call at Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Freeport, while the Bahamas/Florida departures will visit Port Canaveral, Nassau and Freeport.

Carnival expects that the Pride will carry more than 115,000 guests annually from the Port of Baltimore. Including its new Baltimore program, Carnival will operate from 17 North American departure points, including 11 year-round homeports, which it says is the most of any cruise operator.

Prior to the start-up of year-round seven-day cruises, Carnival Pride will operate a one-time six-day voyage round-trip from Baltimore Sept. 7 to 13, 2009. Featured ports on this voyage include Freeport and Port Canaveral.

Reservations are currently being accepted for the new departures from Baltimore.

Tips For Purchasing Travel Insurance

Great tool for those buying travel insurance - it can be complicated - Linda

Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison website, is offering tips for travelers when purchasing travel insurance this summer.

Squaremouth’s tips include:

1. Consumers should only buy policies that provide the coverage they need. If they do not require trip cancellation, enter zero for the trip cost. This will dramatically reduce the insurance premium.

2. Make sure the benefits meet minimum requirements. Each person’s requirements will vary depending on their destination, age or health. If a person is young, healthy and going to the Caribbean, their medical requirements will be low. The opposite will apply if they are older or traveling to far flung countries. Nearly 100% of products provide similar cancellation coverage, so if a traveler does not require any other coverage, choose the cheapest product.

3. Purchase the policy within the time limits to get maximum cover. If pre-existing medical coverage is required, consumers will need to purchase the policy within the time limits set by insurers. Most insurers provide this coverage if the policy is purchased within 14 to 21 days from the date of their first trip payment. A few insurers provide coverage if the policy is purchased before the final trip payment.

4. List reasons a trip could be canceled and make sure the policy covers them. Travelers may have a reason to purchase protection. It could be the illness or death of a relative or worries about hurricanes or terrorism. Make sure that coverage is provided for these circumstances. If reasons of concern are not listed, consider purchasing a policy with “any reason” cancellation.

5. Do not over insure. Many people mistakenly believe paying more for a product ensures a better policy or faster claim payment. The reality is that each company and product is aimed at a different demographic. If a product seems cheap you could be hitting the sweet spot.

6. Check the fine print to make sure there is nothing to restrict a possible claim. Squaremouth.com has easy drill downs for every benefit on every policy so consumers do not have to wade through the certificate. The certificate is one click away at any time should it be needed.

For more information, visit www.squaremouth.com

United Hikes Fares, Others Follow - NOT Southwest

NOTE: While other airlines are raising rates, Southwest Airlines has refuted any changes to their baggage policy - it still allows passengers to check up to two free bags when they fly with Southwest and the airlines has no plans to change that - Kudos to them! - Linda

BUT. . .

United Airlines initiated the 16th attempt to hike airfares late last week, and over the holiday weekend.

Continental Airlines, US Airways and Northwest Airlines matched, according to the airfare monitoring website FareCompare.com.

United’s fare increase ranged from $10 to $60 roundtrip. City greater than 1,500 miles roundtrip (750 miles one-way) have been increased by $30 or $60; city pairs between 800 miles and 1,500 miles roundtrip (400-750 one-way) have been increased either $20 or $40 and city pairs under 800 miles (400 miles one-way) have been increase $10 or $20 roundtrip.

American Airlines also increased what appears to be mostly Southwest overlap routes by $6-$8 roundtrip.
AirTran raised fares by $50 across the bulk of its route system in the same airfare distribution. Alaska Airlines matched the increase increasing airfares ranging from $30 to $60 roundtrip.

Frontier Airlines has also added a $25 fee for a second checked bag, and Midwest Airlines just announced that it will charge a $20 fee for customers choosing to check a second bag.

Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, said the timing of the increase, which came on the heels of low customer satisfaction, and American Airlines contentious $15 first check bag fee this week – is at best a bit tone deaf - underscore the desperate measures airlines are likely to take if oil prices continue rise unchecked.

Seaney said airlines have no choice but to pass on the cost of fuel to consumers and when passengers do begin to push back in significant numbers the airlines have no choice but slash capacity by that same amount.

However, he said that a bright spot for passengers is that airlines have to keep the planes completely full and that means those willing to travel on off-peak days like Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday and off-peak times of day can still get reasonably priced tickets if they don’t procrastinate and start shopping a few months before departure.

For more information, visit www.farecompare.com

U.S. Reports Americans Driving At Historic Lows

Americans drove less in March 2008, continuing a trend that began last November, according to estimates released by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

The FHWA’s “Traffic Volume Trends” report, produced monthly since 1942, shows that estimated vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on all U.S. public roads for March 2008 fell 4.3% as compared with March 2007 travel.

This is the first time estimated March travel on public roads fell since 1979. At 11 billion miles less in March 2008 than in the previous March, this is the sharpest yearly drop for any month in FHWA history.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimated that greenhouse gas emissions fell by an estimated nine million metric tons for the first quarter of 2008.

For FHWA’s “Traffic Volume Trends” reports, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/tvtw/tvtpage.htm

TSA Standardized List for Acceptable Travel IDs

As the summer travel season begins, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reminds travelers that coming to the checkpoint prepared for the security process will lead to shorter lines and less travel stress.

Travelers must show ID and boarding pass. Beginning May 26, TSA will use a standardized list of acceptable identification for airline travel.

Passengers who present a federal- or state-issued photo ID containing name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resistant feature that is free from evidence of tampering can expect to be expedited through the travel document checking process. Standardizing the list of accepted documents better aligns TSA with other DHS components and REAL ID benchmarks.

Passengers should remove their government-issued photo ID from wallets, plastic holders and other similar carrying cases, and present the ID along with their boarding pass at the start of the screening process. Hold on to the boarding pass until through the magnetometer, where it may need to be shown again.

Besides being prepared with their IDs, passengers can also prepare for going through security by being prepared to take off shoes and jackets and to take out liquids (in a baggie) and laptops.

For more information, visit www.tsa.gov

American Airlines Charging for One Checked Bag

Airline passengers are not happy today, and with good cause . . .

During the past few years, major airline have done away with meals, pillows and blankets in order to save money. And judging from customer complaints and on-time reports, the area of customer service is also lacking.

As the cost of fuel continues to rise, the airlines say they have to drop extras, and have fewer choices for new sources of revenue.

Let me suggest two areas of cost cutting - First, the million dollar salaries and bonuses top airline executives continue to make in good or bad times - no cost cuts there! And secondly, fuel is a commodity, and commodities are optioned - so it would be smart to option the cost of fuel at a certain price, and therefore stabilize the cost. Southwest Airlines has been doing this for years, and has saved millions on fuel costs.

Families are already having a difficult time with the $100 per piece charge for the 3rd, 4th and 5th checked bags when traveling on vacation with multiple family members.

Today American Airlines made an announcement that has passengers and the travel industry shaking their heads. Earlier this year, the major airlines started charging for second bag, but today American has become the first airline to announce a $15 charge EACH WAY for one checked bag.

Will the other airlines follow suit? That’s what normally happens, but a few may opt to not go along in order to attract more passengers. I’ve seen this airline dog and pony show too many times over the decades, and these type of charges usually become an industry standard.

I predict many customers will react to this new policy by trying to pack as much into their carry on luggage as possible. What this will serve to do is hold up lines with security personnel having to check more items, and it will also cause an issue with storing all that overhead luggage.

As usual these announcements do not include everyone, which only causes more confusion for travelers. In order to clarify this, here’s what is printed on American’s website today . . . Linda
______________________________________________________
The following customers will not be charged a service fee to check a bag provided the bag is within the weight allowance:

* For the first checked bag, customers who buy a ticket before June 15, 2008, or who fly before June 15, 2008

* For the second checked bag, customers who purchased a ticket before May 12, 2008

* Customers originating travel in the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico or Canada and traveling to an international destination beyond the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico or Canada

* Customers originating travel outside the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico or Canada and traveling to an international destination

* Customers who purchase full-fare tickets in Economy Class

* Customers who purchase Business or First Class tickets

* Customers flying on AA codeshare flights not operated by American Airlines, American Eagle or AmericanConnection®

* Customers traveling on government or military fares

* Military passengers on active duty

* AAdvantage Executive Platinum®, AAdvantage Platinum® or AAdvantage Gold® members

* oneworld Alliance Emerald, Sapphire or Ruby members

* Customers flying on the same reservation as an AAdvantage Executive Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum or AAdvantage Gold member or oneworld Alliance Emerald, Sapphire or Ruby member regardless of frequent flier status or fare type (not applicable to group bookings)

* AAnytime® Economy Class AAdvantage award tickets, MileSAAver(SM) or AAnytime First and Business Class AAdvantage award tickets

* First and Business Class upgrades confirmed prior to check in

* AAirpass travel

Source: American Airlines Updated Checked Bag Policies

Myrtle Beach’s Marina Inn Offers Gas Rebate

Marina Inn at Grand Dunes, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., is offering an aggressive gas rebate offer to help people enjoy cost-effective summer vacations.

Through the AAA Four Diamond resort’s new “Summer Fun Per Mile” deal, guests can save as much as $160 on a three-night stay.

Through the offer, a rebate of 10 cents per mile will be deducted from the final room bill to any guest arriving by vehicle. To be eligible, a three-night minimum is required, and guests must be within an 800 mile radius of the resort.

The rebate offer — to be based on a roundtrip Mapquest review of the originating address — is good through July 31, 2008. Room rates at Marina Inn at Grand Dunes start at $189 per night.

Old Bahama Bay - Preferred Boutique Collection

Old Bahama Bay on Grand Bahama Island, has been selected as a member of the Preferred Boutique hotel collection.

As a division of the world’s leading hospitality industry, Preferred Hotel Group, the Preferred Boutique collection of hotels and resorts celebrates distinctive travel experiences that offer style, service and personality on an intimate scale.

The property is also undergoing major advancements as Ginn Resorts has assumed operations of the area in January 2007.

For more information visit www.GinnSurMer.com

Payless Car Rental Launches iPhone, iPod Touch Website

Payless Car Rental has launched an iPhone and iPod Touch optimized website.

By pointing their iPhone or iPod Touch to www.PaylessCarRental.com, iPhone and iPod Touch users can book a car in just three easy steps.

The homepage of Payless’ iPhone interface also features a “Call to Book” button that, when pressed, will connect the customer to Payless’ call center, where the customer can book over the phone, instead of through the interface.

Another section includes links to the store locations’ contact information and maps — features that could come in quite handy while traveling.

Payless has collaborated with Arising Group, a software development team in New York, to enhance the Payless website using Web 2.0 features such as Web Standards and AJAX.

For more information, visit www.PaylessCarRental.com

Las Vegas Hotel Matcher

Las Vegas Online Hotel Matcher

VegasHotelSpecial.com has launched an online hotel matching service for Las Vegas visitors called Las Vegas Hotel Matcher.

The tool uses an exclusive algorithm and rating system to recommend from over 25 Strip hotels based on eight preferences: budget, casino, restaurants, pools, shopping, kid-friendliness, nightclubs and sports books.
Based on input from the user on these eight topics, the service will select the five hotels that will mostly likely suit the traveler.

Visit www.vegashotelspecial.com/las-vegas-hotel-matcher

Beaches - All Inclusive Family Caribbean Resorts

Beaches - Family Luxury Resorts
Absolutely everything is included in one up-front price.

Beaches Resorts includes all the fun, adventure, and luxury that families want most, elevating the family vacation to world-class standards on the Caribbean’s best beaches.

Beaches Resort Locations and Family Specials

Silverjet - Luxury Air Travel to New York, London & Dubai

Silverjet is a British airline with a highly talented management team drawn from industry executives with decades of experience running some of the world’s best airlines.

A Public Company listed on the London Stock Exchange, Silverjet aims to become the global market leader in exclusively business class ‘luxury’ long-haul air travel.

Check out Silverjet!

Beaches Family Specials

Book Now and Save 

Book 7 Nights and Get 1 Night Free! - For Travel 4/26 - 6/5/2008 - OR

Book 7 Nights and Get 2 Nights Free! - For Travel 9/1 - 11/4/2008

PLUS -Save an additional 45% - Booking must be made before 3/27/2008

Also check out Best Friends Forever Getaway from Oct 2-6, 2008, and Single Parent Fun Getaway

More info at Beaches Resorts 

Arizona Social Networking Travel Site

Arizona Tourism Launches Social Networking Travel Site

Arizona tourism leaders have partnered with GoSeeTell Network to launch GoSeeArizona.com, a new social networking travel website.

GoSeeArizona.com provides personalized recommendations for hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities for more than 200 Arizona destinations. The site offers ratings, reviews, photos, videos and other user-generated content created and shared by Arizona visitors and residents.

Recommendations are generated by identifying Arizona experiences that are highly rated by like-minded travelers. Partners on the project include the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Greater Phoenix CVB, the Tempe CVB, the Mesa CVB, the Metropolitan Tucson CVB, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, the Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce, the City of Chandler and the Arizona Office of Tourism.

In addition, the Arizona tourism community is offering visitors to GoSeeArizona.com the chance to win a prize package worth $2,500 as part of the Share Your Arizona contest, which runs through April 18.

For each posting of a favorite Arizona memory or recommendation about a favorite place to visit, website visitors will be entered to win an Arizona vacation that includes:

Three nights at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa in Tucson
Two tickets to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Pima Air & Space Museum, and Titan Missile Museum in Tucson
Tucson Attractions Passport, which offers savings on the city’s top attractions
Two-night stay at The Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix
Round of golf for two at the TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course in Scottsdale
$40 in playing cards at GameWorks at Arizona Mills in Tempe
$60 in dining certificates for John Henry’s Fine Dining in Tempe
Four tickets to the Arizona Museum for Youth, Arizona Museum of Natural History and Mesa Contemporary Arts in Mesa

Visit http://www.goseearizona.com

St. Regis Washington, D.C. - Affair to Remember

Located on K Street, with the White House and the Washington Monument literally at its doorstep, The St. Regis Washington, D.C. is at the capital’s most desirable location.

Discover the grand scale preservation and a reimagined St. Regis Washington, D.C. through the transformation of its 175 rooms and suites and experience bespoke service through the legendary St. Regis butler. In 2008, the hotel will introduce their signature restaurant and the 5,000 square foot St. Regis Designer Spa.

Make every celebration truly memorable with The St. Regis Washington, D.C. Whatever the milestone, An Affair to Remember will provide the gracious touch and discreet gestures that ensure indelible memories. While in residence, guests will enjoy with one of our premier suites:

* A bottle of Krug Grand Cuveee champagne
* A hand-crafted welcome creation from the pastry chef
* Breakfast in bed for two served daily
* A limited edition The St. Regis Washington, D.C. exclusive gift

Reserve by March 31, 2008 for stays through June 30, 2008. From $675.

St Regis Washington, D.C.

New Road to Connect Florida Mainland with Keys

 At last! Wonderful news for anyone heading to the Keys - Linda

Construction of a new road from the South Florida mainland (Florida City) to the Florida Keys is on schedule and the Keys portion of the $300 million project should open to traffic before summer 2008, according to transportation officials.

The 18-Mile Stretch project is expected to reach a major milestone by the end of May. The 1.4-mile-long, 65-foot-high concrete and steel bridge over Jewfish Creek in Key Largo is expected to be ready to accommodate one lane of traffic in each direction, as is the entire section of road from the Miami-Dade County/Monroe County border at mile marker 113 to the bridge.

Contractor Granite Construction recently installed the last support beam and is currently completing the road surface, a project that should move quickly.

The new 18-mile stretch is designed to enhance vehicular safety as well as benefit the environment. When completed, it will feature one travel lane in each direction, divided by a concrete median barrier to prevent head-on collisions.

Other enhancements include shoulders, outside shoulders and berms for stormwater treatment; wildlife box culvert crossings and elimination of a land causeway section over Lake Surprise to restore natural water flow.

The new 65-foot-high fixed bridge over Jewfish Creek is set to replace the outdated, 1944-built drawbridge there and eliminate the need to stop traffic for bridge openings for marine traffic.

For more information, visit www.fla-keys.com

Last Minute Deals

Big Savings - You can get away this weekend and save up to 70%!

Our flexible packages include a wide range of options and prices. Flight + Hotel packages usually start at less than $200 per person, while Flight + Car packages and Hotel + Car start at less than $150.

Find out more on Last Minute Deals 

Miami Party Pass

Skip the lines! Buy a Miami Party Pass to take advantage of jumping the queue at 12 Miami nightclubs. Don’t waste time waiting in lines on vacation!

As a Miami Nightlife Pass holder, you will also receive a “Where to Party” handbook listing the best parties of the week as well as listing the type of music and crowd at each nightclub. No more guessing “where to party” when in Miami, you will be guided to the best parties and clubs in town.

The Miami Nightlife Pass is valid for up to 7 days of partying, starting from $25.00 per person for a 1 day pass.

Nightclubs - The Miami Nightlife Pass is valid at 10 of the hottest Nightclubs/Lounges and Bars in South Florida:

• Montys
• Rooftop Lounge
• Tootsies
• Gem Nightclub
• Space
• Nocturnal Nightclub
• SOBE Live
• Automatic Slims
• Purdy Lounge
• The Office

Find out more info on Miami Party Pass, as well as tours and activities across the U.S. and globe.