Want to plan a Europe vacation without breaking the bank?
Jeanenne Diefendorf, the Orbitz Travel Insider, has some tips to help you dodge unfavorable exchange rates and advice on finding the cheapest times and places to travel.
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Just in time for the holiday season, Orbitz is making your travel easier with new, one-touch access from your BlackBerry.
Just download the free Orbitz launcher and put the icon on your screen for instant access to:
Start your download:
Orbitz Launcher for BlackBerry OS 4.2.1 or higher (BlackBerry Pearl, Curve, Bold - 81xx, 88xx, 83xx, 9xxx): http://www.hostj2me.com/d/7770/OrbitzLauncher.jad
Orbitz Launcher for BlackBerry OS 4.1 (BlackBerry 8700 and older): http://www.hostj2me.com/d/7769/OrbitzLauncher.jad
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It’s easy to go green when you travel. Jeanenne Diefendorf, the Orbitz Travel Insider, has some quick tips for environmentally friendly vacations.
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Big cities and sunny destinations top the list of popular travel destinations for Christmas 2008.
Orbitz travelers booked more rooms in Las Vegas hotels this Christmas season than in any other city, making Sin City the top spot for holiday travel. And while New York hotels and Chicago hotels also are popular this season, our list shows that many travelers prefer warm-weather destinations in California, Florida and Hawaii.
This year’s list of most popular travel destinations is based on hotel reservations and vacation packages booked on Orbitz for stays from December 20-29.
Top 10 destinations for Christmas travel
1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Orlando, FL
3. New York, NY
4. Honolulu, HI
5. Chicago, IL
6. San Francisco, CA
7. San Diego, CA
8. Anaheim, CA
9. Lahaina, HI
10. Miami, FL
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Hotel resources:
If you’ve booked your flights and are planning to travel this Thanksgiving, here’s some information to help you stay in the know and on time when you go.
The Orbitz Insider Index has identified the airports expected to be the busiest this Thanksgiving, based on airline ticket sales for travel between November 22-30. Las Vegas McCarran International Airport has taken the top spot, pushing former number-one Chicago O’Hare down the list. And it looks like more people have booked Thanksgiving flights to Miami and Seattle; this is the first year those cities’ airports are on our busiest list.
Top 10 busiest airports for Thanksgiving 2008
1.Las Vegas, NV — McCarran International Airport (LAS)
2.New York, NY — LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
3.Chicago, IL — Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
4.Los Angeles, CA — Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
5.San Francisco, CA — San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
6.Dallas, TX — Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport(DFW)
7.Newark, NJ — New York Newark International Airport (EWR)
8.Miami, FL — Miami International Airport (MIA)
9.Denver, CO — Denver International Airport (DEN)
10.Seattle, WA — Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
As for the best days to travel, here’s our list:
Least busy:
Busiest:
No matter when you travel, trust OrbitzTLC to keep you up to date with travel news and flight delays. You can sign up for Orbitz TLC Alerts to have information delivered directly to your phone, computer or PDA. And Orbitz Traveler Update
has parking and transportation tips — even up-to-the-minute
information about security wait times — from fellow travelers to help make your trip easier.
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Whether you’re taking the extended for the holidays or celebrating as a couple for an anniversary, there’s a world of insider knowledge that can help make for an extra-special Disneyland or Disney World vacation.
Here are a few insider tips:
• For birthday boys and girls, don’t forget to pick up a birthday button at Guest Services, which gets you special recognition from cast members and characters.
• In-room baby-sitting services or resort-based child-care programs, such as Mouseketeer Clubhouse or The Neverland Club, are a great option for parents looking for a night out without the little ones.
• A theme-park "rider switch" policy gives both mom and dad a chance to enjoy the latest attractions without the double wait. A parent who waits with a young child while the other parent rides the attraction can get on the ride with minimal wait time once the first parent comes off.
• Young guests can don a chef’s jacket and toque for a quick culinary lesson in the free Junior Chef Program at Epcot and many of the Walt Disney World restaurants. Chefs assist kids in tossing a salad for their family, for instance, or decorating their own desserts. To participate, just ask a server.
Visit www.orbitz.com/Disney for more advice and tips from the Disney Insiders.
Celebrate Disney at a discount: Orbitz has launched a sale offering $150 off qualifying Disney Resort flight + hotel packages. Trips must be booked between October 20 and November 23, 2008, for five or more nights for travel between October 20, 2008 and January 31, 2009. Travelers should use promotion code ORBDISNEY150 to take advantage of this offer. For full terms and conditions, visit www.orbitz.com/Disney.
Orbitz Instant-Win Disney Giveaway: Orbitz is giving away five customized 5-day/4-night vacations to Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort at www.orbitz.com/Disney. Entrants also will be eligible for one of 55 secondary prizes, including 15 Disney vacations and 40 round-trip airfare vouchers.
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Daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday in November.
In 2008, it will end on November 2 at 2 a.m. local daylight time, when clocks will be set back an hour to 1 a.m. local standard time.
That means travelers will get an extra hour of sleep before checking out of their hotels or catching flights.
In 2009, daylight-saving time — also known as daylight savings time — begins on March 8 and ends on November 1.
Note that some areas don’t observe daylight time, including Hawaii and most of Arizona.
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By Samantha Chapnick
Programmers and accessory makers have had a few months now to strut their newly pimped iPhone stuff. After having a ball testing them all, I finally had to sit down and write up my favorite choices for travelers who want to enhance their iPhone experience, become more productive or just bring procrastination to new heights.
FUNCTIONAL
First we’ll look at a few small apps that make everyday tasks easier.
Toodledo
Toodledo is a to-do list maker’s dream come true. It completely eliminates any excuse for not knowing what you had to do, whether you are at your desk or on the road. With almost every to-do list feature anyone could need (including folders, prioritization, multiple viewing options, a notebook, goal-setting, and even a guilt-inducing productivity analysis feature) AND three easy ways to synch on the road, it’s the most comprehensive, simple and free tool out there. With a pro subscription (less than $50 a year) you can collaborate with others, keep completed tasks accessible forever and have an encrypted connection. It also seamlessly hooks into iCal, Google Calendar, Jott, Twitter and other common programs.
I selected Toodledo not only because of its full feature set, but because of the flexibility of accessing it from your iPhone. You can simply go to the mobile version of the site. If you prefer not to have to be online (especially useful for fliers), download Appigo’s ToDo program.
Easy Task Manager
If you want a simpler task manager with all the basic features and no collaboration with others, Easy Task Manager is an easy choice. It is a full-featured to-do list with nothing extraneous — just tasks, prioritization, folders and notes.
Stanza
Stanza is a simple way to read great books and your own documents (all free) from your iPhone. At its most basic level, this fabulous program makes it easy to read books on your iPhone. While it doesn’t have the special screen contrast features of a specialized eReader like the Sony or Kindle, its scroll-free design, intelligent navigation and Open eBook standard makes it by far the best iPhone reader there is.
For business travelers who regularly read docs on the road, it offers another major benefit: By using the app in conjunction with the desktop version, almost any document can be converted to the ebook format. Translation: those cumbersome reports and pdfs suddenly become very iPhone friendly.
ABOVE AND BEYOND
These apps make such good use of the iPhone’s essence that they extend it beyond its basic uses. This is really where the device and apps shine.
Urban Spoon
Saying Urban Spoon is the way coolest, most awesome app I’ve used on the iPhone would really sum it up if I weren’t getting paid to write these reviews.
Imagine using a slot machine to decide where to go to eat and you basically understand Urban Spoon. Upon launching, it automatically detects your location (city) or you can enter it manually. Three columns appear: neighborhood, type of cuisine (e.g. Italian, Mexican) and budget ($ to $$$$). Under each is a lock, click any combination or all and shake the iPhone. The slots will spin (with an accompanying sound effect), and a suggested restaurant will appear along with a rating from other Urban Spoon users. Click the name and you’ll get details including full reviews from both popular media (e.g. New York Times) and users.
Beyond being one of the most unique interfaces out there, the content is actually very good. It almost always comes up with restaurants we like, and more importantly doesn’t seem to have any glaring gaps. It even helped us find two restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina that we didn’t know existed.
By Kimberly Myles
This past August I tagged along for a family reunion photo shoot at Glacier National Park in Montana. The chance to experience the great outdoors and bond with family is an excellent excuse to visit one of the most beautiful parks in the National Park Service system.
My friend Jenny, an area professional photographer, captured the 20-member reunion using stunning Going-to-the-Sun Road backdrops.
We caravanned around the park, stopping on cue for classic views such as the mountain-framing St. Mary’s Lake, crystal clear Lake McDonald, and the top of the world at the Logan Pass Visitor Center.
Going-to-the-Sun Road tips
To stay connected with separate vehicles and to stick to the shoot schedule, we communicated via walkie-talkie. Since the park does not have cell phone coverage, it’s a good idea to either rent or bring a two-way radio with you to stay in touch. With over 1 million square miles of natural park land, do what you must to stick together.
Going-to-the-Sun Road has some of the best scenery in North America, along with sharp curves and higher altitudes. Always bring plenty of water to stay hydrated and stop to rest if you feel dizzy.
Try to schedule your family vacation in Glacier National Park for the summer months of July or August. This is the best time to ensure the part of the park you want to visit is open. Watch out for mid-September, since Logan’s Pass may close unexpectedly for an early snow.
Flathead Lake
Going-to-the-Sun Road is gorgeous, but other photogenic spots are well worth the stop, such as the stunning Flathead Lake. Flathead is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi and is framed both with fir forested hills and rugged grasslands.
East Glacier
The more rugged east side of the park also hosts spectacular views. Be sure to stop for a photo next to the statue of John F. Stevens, who braved extreme conditions to found a route through Marias Pass for the railroad. This location also boasts an obelisk monument to President Theodore Roosevelt, who made land conservation a national priority and marks the site of the continental divide, where water falling from one side of the Rockies drains all the way to the Pacific Ocean and on the other drains into the Atlantic.
Group activities
Keep your family entertained with scheduled activities. Some tour companies will take both small and large groups on combination trips that include rafting, horseback and fishing or your can pick and choose the activity you want and schedule it with different companies. With a little planning, your family can join a cattle drive with a local working ranch.
Huddle together for a sleigh or wagon ride depending on the season. In the winter, most of Glacier Park is closed, but you can schedule a group downhill ski trip to nearby Whitefish or take the family cross-country skiing in certain areas of the park.
Trail rides
Tackle the beauty of Glacier National Park up close with a guided horseback ride. No matter what your family’s skill level, there’s a ride that will fit your group’s needs. We enjoyed a two-hour trip along the Sperry trail with Swan Mountain Outfitters in Apgar. We meandered along the glacier-fed Flathead River and rode deep into the Lodgepole forest.
Dude ranch
For a more in-depth horseback experience, you can schedule a family vacation to an area dude ranch. Join a cattle drive, camp out under the stars for either day trips or overnight adventures.
By Joe Brancatelli
Hilton Hotels is making some changes to its HHonors frequent guest plan. For starters, beginning January 1, elite status will now have to be earned in a calendar year rather than on a rolling, 12-month basis. It is also standardizing elite-status benefits at its Hilton, Conrad and Doubletree hotels worldwide. HHonors Gold and Diamond members can choose one of three options: an upgrade to the executive floor, free Internet access or 1,000 bonus points. The latter change takes effect immediately. … Frontier Airlines has joined the Big Six in trying to beat revenue from its most loyal fliers. Effective September 15, claiming an EarlyReturns award will cost $25. Awards claimed within 14 days of departure will also require a $75 "expedite" fee. And there’s more: domestic round-trip awards will cost 5,000 miles more and all other rewards will cost an additional 5,000-10,000 miles. … Also worth nothing: Effective October 1, American Airlines is raising the cost for upgrade awards in the AAdvantage program. A domestic upgrade will cost 15,000 miles and a $50 fee. Most international upgrades will now cost 25,000 miles and $350. And upgrades to India will cost 40,000 miles and $350.
HOTEL HOT SHEET
Another burst of new hotels and flag switches: If you’re wondering who’s going to be staying at all of the new hotels that are opening, you’re not alone. So are the hotel companies, who’ve admitted that occupancy rates and room rates are softening along with the economy. So maybe some bargains are in the wind. … Meanwhile, here’s what’s new from Starwood: a 117-room Four Points in Victoria, British Columbia, and a new aloft property in the Mill District of Minneapolis. … Over at Hyatt, the first purpose-built Hyatt Place has opened in Malta, New York, near Saratoga Springs. All of the other Hyatt Place properties are conversions from Amerisuites. … At InterContinental, there are two new Hotel Indigo properties in New Jersey: one in Rahway and one in Basking Ridge. And a 102-room Candlewood Suites has opened in Houston. … Hilton has opened a 757-room property in Baltimore, just a block from Camden Yards. It’s also connected by pedestrian walkway to Baltimore’s convention center. … There are notable conversions, too. The old Fresno Hilton in California has become a Holiday Inn while the former Hilton in Lake Placid, New York, has undergone a renovation and emerged as the High Peaks Resort. The iconic Equinox resort in Manchester, Vermont, has become part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection. After a $12 million renovation, Hilton picks up the Key Largo Grande Hotel in the Florida Keys. The 200-room beachfront resort was most recently an independent property and is probably best known as the former Sheraton Key Largo. … Finally Dorchester, the luxury group built around the eponymous hotel on Park Lane in London, will now manage two more hotels in the United States. It has taken over at the New York Palace and the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.
NEED TO KNOW
On-the-road intelligence to help you travel smarter: Effective September 2, United will eliminate free snacks for coach passengers on more of its domestic flights. Effective October 1, it will stop serving meals in coach on flights from its Washington/Dulles hub to Europe. Instead, United will sell snacks, salads and sandwiches. And the prices will increase. Shelf-stable items will rise to $6 from $5; fresh buy-on-board (BOB) choices will increase to $9 from $7. If you’re sitting in business class on a domestic flight, you’ll still get a free meal, but you’ll have to choose from among the BOB options United is peddling to coach passengers. … Virgin America will charge up to $100 for the privilege of choosing a seat in a bulkhead or exit row. The seats have extra legroom (38 inches) and the new charge, dubbed "Main Cabin Select," includes complimentary food and beverages as well as free pay-per-view entertainment on the seatback audio-video system. … Remember Maxjet, one of the all-business-class trans-Atlantic carriers that tanked just before last Christmas? Several months ago, a sports-charter company had struck a deal to buy the carrier. Now the deal has tanked, too.
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Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers.
Copyright 2008 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use
We love to travel, and we love to talk about it. The Orbitz Blog is another way we can share our expertise, advice and the occasional random thought.
Check back often for fresh insight from Orbitz staff and contributors about cool places to visit, fun things to do and smart ways to save.