CNN Travel has this great article about traveling to the Sahara Desert. There are 10 countries that are part of the massive desert, but it’s important to know which ones are welcoming. Libya, for example, has been known to confiscate travel visas at random, especially from Americans.
Morocco seems to be the most welcoming and cheapest country for your big Sahara trek. You can fly Royal Air Maroc from Washington D.C. or New York to Marrakech (or Marrakesh, if you prefer that spelling) for just $860. Tours are available for about $800 for eight days. That includes camel rides and camping on sand dunes.
I have yet to travel to Africa, but with these prices I’ll definitely have to check out the Sahara some time very soon.
Technorati Tags: travel, sahara, desert, tours
Goodbye hotel room, hello apartment. That’s what many travelers are now saying, as they abandon the cornerstone of the vacation in favor of lodging once reserved for semi-permanent residents.
The internet is the culprit behind this trend towards short-term apartment rentals. Landlords can post their apartments on a variety of sites, and in some cities they have no trouble booking an apartment for an entire season. Even though most renters only stay for a week, landlords can charge a much higher rate because vacationers expect to pay high prices for lodging. Think about it this way: a $100/night apartment translates to $3000 a month, or $36,000 a year. I’m sure that’s more than most landlords will make off an apartment with permanent tenants, but they have no trouble selling a full apartment for that price to families on vacation, especially when the alternative might be a cramped hotel room for a higher price per night.
Renting an apartment for a vacation can be a bit different than getting a hotel room. Reservations and payment usually need to be made at least a month in advance, several months for more popular destinations. It can also be harder to find reviews for an apartment than a large hotel, because only a small number of people have stayed there in the past. Some sites do have reviews for individual landlords, so look for that if possible.
Technorati Tags: travel, rental, short-term
Valentine’s Day became a nightmare for hundreds of JetBlue passengers when they were stuck on a grounded plane for 10 hours. The snafu was the result of empty jets freezing to the ground and blocking the gates for inbound flights. 10 planes were involved in the mess.
Passengers will be refunded their ticket price, but many lost much more due to travel and dinner plans that had to be averted. Some passengers reported that flight attendants on one of the planes joked about the overtime pay they’d be getting.
So much for JetBlue being the customer-friendly airline.
Technorati Tags: travel, jetblue, airline
I was just introduced to Farecast, a site that provides predictions of airline ticket prices based on a history of data. They currently only have data for 75 cities, as their database is limited.
Airline ticket prices can fluctuate wildly depending on demand for a particular date or even the day of the week you buy the ticket. Experienced travelers take advantage of these fluctuations to get the lowest price possible. With Farecast, even the novice traveler can try to get the best deal on their next flight.
Technorati Tags: travel, airlines, tickets, airfare, prices
Those traveling on British Airways will face a hefty fee if they have to check in more than one bag. The fee will be up to $236 per flight for each extra piece. That’s a lot more than it would cost to ship most bags overnight via UPS or FedEx.
This policy makes a lot of sense, with airlines getting squeezed by higher fuel prices. They are losing money, and the only way to make it back is charging more and reducing costs. This policy will work both ends, lowering their fuel costs with lighter planes and making more money with the extra luggage they do put on board. It sure beats serving us crappier meals.
Got 2 bags? It’ll cost you at British Airways - Travel News - MSNBC.com
Technorati Tags: travel, airline, british, airways, baggage
New passport laws that went into effect at the beginning of this year that could mean big money for U.S. territories like Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The new laws require that U.S. citizens who travel from the United States to a foreign country, including those in the Caribbean, carry a passport. In the past, Americans could travel to countries like Jamaica and the Bahamas without any passport problems. Those days are over.
Although many travellers will find it’s easy to get into foreign countries like the Dominican Republic without a passport, getting back into the United States will now be quite a hassle. They might have to resort to sneaking back in along the Canadian or Mexican border, a truly nightmarish scenario.
This is all great news for U.S. territories, which expect a boost in tourism revenue thanks to the fact that just 30% of Americans have an active passport, and costs for obtaining one range from $50 to $150 and require a visit to the county building in most states.
Technorati Tags: travel, passport, puerto, rico
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