Full Body Scanners -- Second Annual Air Travel Survey Released by TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor releases its Second Annual Air Travel Survey where they asked more than 3,200 U.S. respondents dozens of questions about their air travel preferences. The topics ranged from airline fees to in-flight WiFi.

Here is what topped the charts:
-- Limited legroom and the need for more roomier seats
-- Fees, please no more! 55% of travelers said that checked
baggage fees where the most annoying current airline fee.
31% stated that seat fees would be added in 2010 and
peak date surcharges for additional top travel dates.
-- 74% feel that passengers of size should be required to
purchase tickets for two seats on their flights.
-- 30% would like in-flight WiFi but 61% would not be willing
to pay for it. 27% would be willing to pay $5 or less.
-- What about inappropriate web content access? 45% said
they would do nothing if the person sitting next to them on
the flight were accessing inappropriate content.
-- To avoid extra charges with luggage, 58% always or often
carry on their bag.
-- What about the Full Body Scanners? 79% of
travelers said they are comfortable with U.S. airports
using full body scanners that can see through clothes.
-- Small Talk- 73% of travelers said a little small talk with
seatmates is fine, but that they prefer to keep to
themselves for most of the flight.

Travel-Ticker.com -- Five Ways to Make Family Travel More Affordable this Fall

Barbara Messing of Travel-Ticker.com

Gives Advice on Travelling with the Family

An Avid traveler with stamps from over 50 countries on her passport, Barbara Messing applies her passion for travel to her role as vice president of Travel Ticker. She is a mom who works in the travel industry and is always getting questions from parents about how they can plan a getaway with the kids that won't break the bank. Barbara has found that the travel deals out there are better than she has seen in years, which makes this fall a great time to take a family vacation.

Barabara gives ideas to make family travel affordable this fall:

- Picking the right destination: Deals are abundant, but especially at family destinations this year, so now you just need to decide where to go. Occupancy levels at popular family resorts were already low, and with families back to school the hotels have even more empty rooms. If you can steal a break with the kids this Fall, San Diego, Orlando, Hawaii and Los Angeles all offer amazing value this season and plenty of entertainment for your family.

- Finding flights: Prices are great right now as airlines are trying to fill seats with earlier and more aggressive fares than normal fall sales. Airline prices change constantly, so look for these low fares now and when you see a great fare, book it immediately. A handful of airlines still offer child discounts, but as a general rule, you will find a better deal if you look out for the lowest fares you can find online and special sales. These are inevitably lower than the full-priced child fares. You can sign up for sale and fare alerts with your favorite airlines and travel sites.

- Consider All-inclusive resorts: All-inclusive resort vacations are a family's best friend and are offering some of the best discounts I've seen in years. Perfect for a cross-generational family beach vacation-everyone can eat, stay and play at an all-inclusive with one set price. Plus, most resorts offer a "kids camp" so that the parents can enjoy some downtime with a fruity drink and a book by the pool--a rarity on most vacations.

- Timing is everything: If you want to save even more money and score some incredible deals on flights or beach vacations, try between now and December 19th, when the demand and prices are low. The next few months before the holidays are a great time to visit Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean for some of the lowest rates of the year. Vacation packages will often offer rates at 4-star All-inclusive resorts that include airfare for around $100 per day during these low-season times. Often children under 12 are able to stay and eat for free at these resorts, so check around the best pricing.

- Booking holiday travel: If you haven't booked your holiday travel yet, I would suggest doing that now. October is a very good time to book travel because you will still see some good options on pricing and routes. I have a couple of recommendations to keep both your costs and stress in check. If possible, try to fly nonstop out of a popular airline hub. You will find more competition among airlines and thus better pricing. More importantly, by flying nonstop you will not get stuck at one of your connections with your tired and crankly family, nor will your luggage with all of the Christmas presents end up at the wrong airport. If you do have to make a connection, try flying on the off-peak days of the holiday and when picking your routing, avoid hubs that get frequent weather delays. Finally, treat yourself well. If you don't want to sleep on grandma's air mattress, check out the amazing hotel rates during holiday weekends. Business travelers who head home for the holidays leave empty hotels, which translates to great discounts to gain your business. Or even better, leave the kids on the air mattress and enjoy a hotel getaway for yourselves.

Southwest Airlines -- Fares are Falling!

Reduced Fares for Fall and Winter Travel

with Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines is offering Customers fares starting as low as $59 one-way to select destinations. Wow, fares are falling!

If you are planning to travel from October 13th through February 11th 2010 (excluding Fridays and Sundays) then check out the deals with Southwest. Fares must be purchased by October 15, 2009. Please see example fares below:

-- $59 one-way between Phoenix and San Diego

-- $69 one-way between Chicago Midway and Columbus

-- $89 one-way between Boston Area and Chicago Midway

--$109 one-way between St. Louis and Tampa Bay

"If you don't find the fare you're looking for right away, try using our Low Fare Calendar tool, Southwest Shortcut, to quickly find the lowest fare," said Michael Van Houweling, Southwest's Director of Online Marketing. "For travelers with flexible schedules, our Low Fare Calendar tool will show the lowest price available for each day using a monthly calendar view."

To read more about the falling fares or the Low Fare Calendar tool go to: Southwest Airlines

Americas Best Value Inn turns 10! Enter a Drawing for a Chance to Win Great Prizes!!!

Celebrate with Americas Best Value Inn

by entering aDrawing for a chance to

Win Great Prizes!

Everyone is invited to an online birthday party with Americas Best Value Inn. Those who visit www.AmericasBestValueInn.com can test their birthday knowledge by answering fun and quirky trivia questions, post their most memorable birthday experiences, and enter for a chance to win a Birthday-Party-In-A-Box. The party comes complete with a digital camera to record your own birthday memories and gift certificates for Domino's Pizza, soft drinks, and ice cream! Every 10 days, new trivia questions will be posted and new random drawing prize winners will be chosen.

"Birthday parties are a time of celebrationa nd we want to share our 10th birthday with the millions of people who have made us the fastest-growing hotel chain in the country," said marketing director Peter Frantz.

Guests have a chance to enter to win other prizes including $75 gift certificates, redeemable toward a stay at any Americas Best Value Inn, and a $25 ice cream gift card. The promotion runs until January 30, 2010 and complete contest rules are available at www.AmericasBestValueInn.com.

Holiday With Your Pet UK Style -- WeAcceptPets.co.uk

Pet Lovers take Notice -- WeAcceptPets.co.uk

offers Website Directory to

Holiday with Your Pet

WeAcceptPets offers a website to help those who want to travel with their pets.  The site list accommodations that are pet-friendly all over the United Kingdom.  The accommodations are  broken down into sections giving the user a chance to choose from different types of pets including dogs, horses and other small pets.  They can also search by accommodations and location.

It appears this seems to be a current trend to travel with your pet as travelers are not wanting to leave their pet at home or are just wanting to avoid paying the expense of a pet sitter.  Hotels and resorts are realizing that travelers are taking vacations with their pets and are welcoming them in numbers.  Check out the Top 10 Dog Friendly Resorts and Pet Friendly Cities in previous post.

WeAcceptPets uses the most technologically advanced software giving it the previously mentioned search capabilities and also gives property owners a chance to list specials offers or update their information at anytime.  You can view the site at: www.weacceptpets.co.uk

photos provided by www.freedigitialphotos.net

TripAdvisor -- Fall and Labor Day Travel Survey

TripAdvisor Announces results from its

Fall and Labor Day Survey

TripAdvisor surveyed over 2,400 U.S. travelers and found that 84% of travelers plan to take leisure trips this fall, up from 82% one year ago, and 43% said they will be traveling more this autumn than last. Also, 69% are likely to fly on a whim for a great deal and 70% will stick to the road.

In the past month, here are the top 10 regions that the millions of travelers on TripAdvisor.com have been browsing:

1. Coastal South Carolina

2. Jersey Shore

3. Florida Keys

4. Cape Cod

5. Southwest Gulf Coast

6. Florida Panhandle

7. Texas Gulf Coast

8. North Carolina Coast

9. Monterey Peninsula

10. Napa Valley

Here are the Top 10 most searched Cities in August currently with airfares under $199:

1. Orlando

2. Las Vegas

3. Fort Lauderdale

4. Tampa

5. Miami

6. Atlanta

7. New York

8. Denver

9. Fort Myers

10. Boston

Top 5 Fall Activities

1. View colorful Fall Foliage -- 44%

2. Visit a State/County Fair or Fall Festival -- 28%

3. Go Wine Tasting/Visit a Vineyard -- 26%

4. Go to a Football Game -- 23%

5. Visit a Beer Festival/Oktoberfest -- 14%

GoWaza.com -- Total Travel Planning Site

GoWaza.com New Travel Site 

helps ease the 

Frustrations of Planning

I love finding new travel sites and I must say they are getting better.  The options are amazing for us internet surfers as we can now experience great travel deals with the ease of one click.  At GoWaza.com you can put in your travel dates and up pops numerous hotels, flights, rental cars, events and restaurants for your choosing.  This site combines all of your travel items into one integrated dashboard and map.  

Since San Diego, CA is one of Orbitz top destinations for Labor Day weekend, I decided to input information for a mock up trip for the weekend.  Wow, the search provided numerous hotels, restaurants,flights, etc, all on one page.  This also included a map, with directions, to make it easier to plan the trip.  Also, by clicking on the events tab I was able to see that I had a choice of 19 events for the weekend.  Since I am an 80's kinda gal, I clicked on the AC DC tab and it brought me straight to the ticketing site to purchase tickets.

The site also offers another feature that allows you to build your trip on a map and then send your friends the entire trip.  This is a great feature for those of us who travel in groups and with one click everyone is in the loop.

Features in a nutshell:

• Search flights, cars, hotels, restaurants and contacts simutaneously
• Connect with your friends when you travel
• Multiple sites are searched to get you the lowest price
• See all of your travel information on one map

To give this site a try go to:  GoWAZA
  

Orlando Package Discounts -- Wyndham Orlando

Wyndham Orlando offers Package Discounts

Wyndham Orlando Resorts is offering the Wyndham Weekender and the Vacation Stimulus Package.

The Wyndham Weekender offers 50% a second consecutive night's accommodations for two adults or 50% off an additional room for the same night, allowing guest to stay a little longer or book an extra room for the kids. They also offer a breakfast package for two adults or you can skip the package altogether.

The Vacation Stimulus Package allows guest to pay for two consecutive nights and get the following two nights free, allowing for a half price, four-night stay for an Orlando Summer vacation.

The Wyndham Orlando Resort is just minutes from Walt DisneyWorld, Universal Studies, SeaWorld, and Wet'n Wild.

Go to: Package Deal to book the packages.

SeaWorld San Diego -- Spectacular New Dolphin Show

SeaWorld San Diego presents a Spectacular New Dolphin Show --

"Blue Horizons"

The new dolphin show a the SeaWorld San Diego offers visions of the sea and sky along with a theatrical Broadway performance that showcases majestic animals and spirited performers. "Blue Horizons" will feature energetic bottlenose dolphins, a colorful array of exotic birds and amazing acrobatic performers that is scheduled to open May 2010.

"We're delighted to bring "Blue Horizons'" to SeaWorld," says the park's general manager and executive vice president, Andy Fichthorn. "Dolphins are one of the most beloved adored animals in the world, and it's exciting to combine the grace and energy of such an amazing creature with a theatrical production that will be truly spectacular. We believe our guest will love this new and fantastic show."

The show centers around Marina, a young girl whose vivid imagination sets the stage for graceful dolphins, magnificent pilot whales and a rainbow of exotic birds to come together where the sea meets the sky.

SeaWorld collaborated with the entertainment industry's most inventive and artistic experts, to bring great theatrical performances of SeaWorld animals and trainers.

Check out the video below for additional information and dolphin performances.

Free $50 Family Adventure Gift Card

Angel Fire Resort is not only known for great skiing and boarding but also great activities for the summer. Take the family and get away to the mountains of Northern New Mexico. Angel Fire Resort is offering a Free $50 Family Adventure Gift Card if you stay 2 or more nights at the lodge between July 11 through September 4, 2009. With nightly rates starting at $89 you would be crazy to pass this one up. The Family Adventure Card can be redeemed for the summer scenic chair lift, summer dining, 18 hole PGA Championship Golf, disc golf, boat rentals, Eurobungy and much more. So if you are- tired of the heat take the kids to Angel Fire and enjoy your Free gift. For more information call 800-633-7463. (you will need to mention promo code: Family 50)