F2 WHAT’STHEDEAL?
Thisweek’s best travel bargains around the globe.
LAND lSeveral hotels, resorts and condo rental companies in PanamaCity, Fla., are offering AmericanExpress gift cards of up to $200.With theReal Fun Rewards deal, stay three nights and receive a $50 card per room; four nights, $100; and five nights, $200. Sample nightly rates:Bay PointMarriott, from $127, plus $14 taxes; Legacy by the Sea, from$109, plus $15 taxes;BeachTowerResort Motel, from$79, plus $10 taxes. Travel throughAug. 31. For a list of participating properties: 850-233-6503,
www.visit
panamacitybeach.com.
lKapaluaVillasResort, on the northwest coast ofMaui, is offering a $150 resort credit for stays of four ormore nights. With theVillasValue deal, book aGoldVilla and receive one card per room, good towardmeals, spa treatments and activities. With taxes and the $25 daily resort fee, a four-day stay comes to $1,139.Valid throughDec. 21. Info: 800-545-0018,www.
kapaluavillas.com.
lTheNationalPark Service is waiving entrance fees atmore than 100 parks onAug. 14-15, Sept. 25 andNov. 11.Admission normally ranges from$3 to $25. In addition,many park concessionaireswill offer discounts, such as the “buy one, get one half-off” special on SharkValleyTramTours in EvergladesNational Park. For participating parks:
www.nps. gov/findapark/feefreeparks. htm. For concessionaire deals:
www.parkpartners.org/Special- Offers-for-2010.html.
AIR
lVirginAmerica has sale fares fromWashingtonDulles to Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and LasVegas. Fares start at $239 round trip, including taxes. Sample fares: San Francisco, $239; Los Angeles, $259; SanDiego, $294; LasVegas and Seattle, $301. Purchase byAug. 9; travel on Tuesdays,Wednesdays and Thursdays,Aug. 17-Nov. 17. Other airlines arematching on select routes. Info:
www.virgin
america.com.
BIGSTOCK
The sights of Cairo include ElMuallaqa, a Coptic Christian church with a history that dates back more than 1,000 years.
SEA
lCarnival has a Fun Saver rate on its five-night cruise fromNew York toCanada, departing Sept. 6.Rate starts at $449 per person double, down from$524.The catch:The cruise line picks your cabin location. (Passengers, however, still select cabin category, such as interior, ocean- viewor balcony).Add $70 per person in taxes.TheCarnival Glory visitsHalifax,Nova Scotia; and St. John,NewBrunswick. Info: 888-227-6482,www.
carnival.com.
PACKAGES
lGrandCircleTravel and OverseasAdventureTravel, which organize trips for travelers age 50 and older, have 15-day guided tours to Egypt at discount prices.GCT’s trip starts at $2,595;OAT’s,which features smaller groups, starts at $2,995 (prices are per person
Submit travel deals to whatsthe
deal@washpost.com. Please include your phone number and e-mail address. Priceswere verified Thursday afternoonwhen the Travel sectionwent to press, but deals sell out and availability is not guaranteed. Restrictions such as blackout dates and advance purchasemay apply.
double and include taxes).Trips include round-trip air from WashingtonDulles toCairo, ground transportation, hotel and river ship accommodations, mostmeals, guided tours and cultural activities.Multiple departures fromJanuary to June 2011. Purchased separately, air starts at $925, hotels from $90 a night and cruises from $120. For info on theGCTtrip: 800-959-0405,
www.gct.com/ egy. For theOATtrip: 800-493-6824,www.oat
travel.com.
—K.C. Summers
EZ
EE
KLMNO DOUBLE-CLICK With this app, you’re still traveling by the book BY NANCY TREJOS Imagine vacationing in a city
you’ve never been to and leaving your guidebooks behind. Now you can, with Lonely
Planet’s launch of its “Discover” e-book series for Apple’s new iPad. The electronic guidebooks, priced for a limited time at $14.99, are available for five Eu- ropean destinations: Great Brit- ain, Italy, Spain, France and Ire- land. Lonely Planet was one of the
first companies to begin deliver- ing travel-related content on the much-hyped touch-pad gadgets. The first effort was a digital version of its “1,000 Ultimate Experiences” guidebook, reimag- ined as a deck of 1,000 photo- and video-filled cards for readers to flip through.That application ini- tially got mixed reviews, partly because of the $19.99 price tag (later dropped to $3.99). With the “Discover” e-book
series, the company is promising more: an interactive tool with mapsandmorethan 3,000hyper- links. “Our quest is to continue to reinvent the travel guide,” said JohnBoris,Lonely Planet’s execu- tive vice president. “Reinvent” might be a bit of a
stretch: The content isn’t any different from that of the tradi- tional “Discover” guidebook se- ries. In fact, it will appear on your iPad in linear fashion, with a cover, a table of contents, chap- ters and even a glossary. We recently got to test the France guide, available now on the iBookstore in the iBooks app.
What we liked: Clicking on a hyperlink took us directly to a map or the Web site of a hotel, restaurant or other attraction.On Page 582, for instance, in the chapter titled “France’s Top Itin- eraries,” we clicked on the hyper- link for Chateau de Chenonceau and it took us to
www.chenon
ceau.com. We also liked that we could bookmark pages, take notesanddoGoogle or Wikipedia searches for more information. The color photos were clear and beautiful. (The photo of the Ro- man amphitheater in Nimes and the Cathedrale Notre-Dame in Rouen made me want to hop on a plane.)
What we didn’t like: The maps were a missed opportunity. Sure, they had embedded points of interest, and we could enlarge them, but there was no simple way to get directions. A Lonely
Planet spokeswoman told us we could easily access Google maps, but we’re hoping that at some point we’ll be able to connect the e-book to a GPS device, some- thing the iBooks app doesn’t cur- rently allow. We were also con- fused by the fact that certain words were highlighted in the same color as the hyperlinks. And some of the hyperlinks took us to other sections of the book that weren’t terribly useful. For in- stance, while reading about the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, we clicked on the word “boulevard.” That led us to page 225 and a description of “Opera & Grands Boulevards,” not even in the same area. We also found the search engine for the actual e-book to be a bit slow, and unlike Google, it didn’t auto-correct when we mis- spelled Montmartre. Finally, we yearned for some videos.
Bottom line: After years of sheep- ishly pulling out a guidebook in a foreign city, we like the idea of acting like a tourist without look- ing like one. But the “Discover” e-book isn’t much more than a book that fits into a machine. Here’s hoping for more interac- tivity once the technology ad- vances.
trejosn@washpost.com
SUNDAY, AUGUST ,8 2010
COMING&GOING
Mexicanairlines, carry-onfees andpet safety
Down onMexican air safety TheFederalAviation
Administrationrecently downgradedMexico’sair safety rating. Its standing dropped from
Category 1 to 2 because, the agency explained ina statement, Mexico “lacks lawsor regulationsnecessary to overseeair carriers in accordancewithinternational standards” or “its civilaviation authority isdeficient inone or more areas,” suchas technical expertise, record-keeping or inspectionprocedures. (TheFAA doesnot release specific reasons for the demotion.) Despite theunnerving
language, experts say that the decisiondoesn’tmeanthat Mexico is flying dangerous aircraft. If thatwere the case, the agencywould banthe planes fromlanding onU.S. soil. “This isnot a blacklist,” said
LauraBrown, anFAA spokeswoman. “This is about assessing the country’s civil aviationauthority.” Inresponse to the decision,
U.S. airlines canno longer offer code-share serviceusing Mexican-based airlines andmust remove those flights fromtheir reservationsystems. (The ruling also preventsMexico from startingnewservice to theUnited States but doesnot affect existing routes.)Anexplanation:Before the announcement, anAmerican airlinewould list its code share number onall legs of the journey, evenonthose portions flownby Mexicancarriers.Now, itwill rebook passengerswiththe flight number of the foreigncraft.The ticket reflects this change. Travelerswill still book the entire itinerary throughtheU.S. carrier, check their bags throughto their final destinationand collect frequent-fliermiles onall segments. “Fromthe customers’
perspective, itdoesn’t change howwe ticketor transport
passengers,” saidDavidA. Castelveter, vice president of communications at theAir TransportAssociation. “Itwill be virtually seamless.” AddedDelta spokesmanKent
Landers inane-mail, “For future reservations,Delta customers wishing to travel onAeroMexico cancontinue to book these flights throughDelta and other ticketing channels eventhoughDelta code- share flightswillno longer be available.” Mexico doesn’thave to stay a
Category 2, of course; theFAA said it “is committed toworking closelywiththeMexican government and providing technical assistance to regainits Category 1 rating.”AndMexican officials said ina statement that theywouldworkwiththe agency to correct the oversights,which they blamed inpart onthe rapid expansionof the country’s aviationsector. Inother south-of-the-border
news . . .Mexicanahas filedfor bankruptcy.The airline also suspended anumber of routes, suchasGuadalajara to Sacramento, and reduced the frequency of select flights, suchas MexicoCity toMonterrey.For a list and otherupdates:
www.mexicana.com.
Pay-per-Spirit Airlines Lastweek, SpiritAirlines
beganchargingpassengers for carry-onbags.Could charging to talk to a gate agent benext? Spirit chief executiveBen
Baldanza raised the idea during aninterviewwithABCNews last Tuesday.Acompany spokeswomanlater said that therewereno immediate plans to impose sucha fee.But the low- cost carrier isnot ruling it out if the technology to check in passengers via airport kiosks becomes available. “Ifwe are able to do [this] ina
cost-effectivemanner that allows us to lower fares evenfurther, thenwewill look at this possibility,” said spokeswoman MistyPinsoninane-mail. Spirit chargesup to$45 for
carry-onbags that don’t fitunder a seat, the only airline to do so thus far.The feehelps the airline
keep fares low,Pinsonsaid. “Our customersunderstand
that it’s the total price that counts,” she said. She said thenewfeehas led to
fasterboardinganddeplaning andshorter security lines, and evenpositive customer feedback. AnewTripAdvisor poll,
however,would indicate otherwise.Of 1,937 people polled onAug. 4, 91 percent said that theywouldnot bewilling to pay to carry a bag onboard. If it’s any consolation, Spirit
has ruled out at least two other kinds of fee. “No,we arenot going to charge for onboard bathrooms or install standing-roomonly seating,”Pinsonwrote.
Pet owners, beware Animal owners, youmaywant
to think twice before putting your pets inthe airplane cargohold. LastTuesday, sevenpuppieson anAmericanAirlines flight to Chicago died, apparently from excessheat inthehold, said
Petfinder.comco-founderBetsy Banks Saul. AmericanAirlines is
investigating the incident,which occurred ona 6:30 a.m. flight fromTulsa.The airlinenormally doesn’t allowpets to travelwhen temperatures are forecast to rise above 85 degrees. Saul said pet owners should
decidewhether it’s really necessary to take their pets along ona vacationthat requires air travel.And if they choose to fly withtheir pets, they should evaluate the airline’s pet policies andhistory. “There’s a reasonwewouldn’t
fly our kids incargo, and one of those reasons is that they’re out of our control,” she said.
PetFinder.comrecently
released its list ofmost pet- friendlyairlines.They are:Pet Airways, the first airline for pets; JetBlueAirways;AirTran; and Frontier.Americandidnotmake the list.
Reporting: Andrea Sachs,Nancy
Trejos.Help feed CoGo. Send travel news to:
cogo@washpost.com.By mail: CoGo,Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St.NW, Washington,D.C. 20071
Three Family~Fun Attractions For One Low Price!
THESUMMERBOUNCEPACKAGE
Starting at just $232 per night, per family of four* includes Nightly accommodations and daily breakfast at the WilliamsburgWoodlands Hotel&Suites •
THREE~IN~ONETICKETS for general admission to ColonialWilliamsburg Historic Area and museums PLUSBusch Gardens®andWater Country USA®** •
Complimentary transportation to and from attractions† To learn more or to book your package,
call 1~8oo~447~8679 or visit
colonialwilliamsburg.com/np.
Extend your stay! FREE!
Buy 3 nights, get 2 nights
*Valid through December 19, 2010. Restrictions apply.
Be part of the story.
*Rate quoted is starting rate per night, based on afamily of four (two adults and two children ages 6~17 years old) at the Williamsburg Woodlands in astandard guest room (two double beds). Stays must take place between May 3o and September 2, 2o1o.Three~night minimum stay. Includes continental breakfast at Woodlands. Pricing varies with room type. Limited availability. Reservations are required. Taxes not included. Rates are not applicable for groups or on negotiated group rates. **Valid for seven consecutive days. † Service begins July 1.
Call 800.266.2444 to plan your vacation.
wintergreenresort.com
©2o1oThe ColonialWilliamsburg Foundation
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152