Travel Savings

New York Times Practical Traveler has come out with a list of 19 recommended websites for saving on travel expenses.

The list is organized by categories such as flights, hotels, rentals and miscellaneous.  Here are the recommendations:

Flights

• AirfareWatchdog.com
• Kayak.com/explore
• Itasoftware.com
• Bing.com/travel
• Yapta.com

Hotels

• Biddingtraveler.com – helps with bidding strategies on Priceline.com
• Hotels.com
• Luxurylink.com

Rentals

• HomeAway.com
• Airbnb.com – accommodations in private homes
• Wimdu.com – similar to above with European focus
• Jetsetter.com/homes – luxury rentals; membership required
• Homeexchange.com – house swap; membership required

Miscellaneous

• YipIt.com
• Autoslash.com – car rental discounts and coupons
• Cayole.com – deals on cruises

For more details, read the full article.

TSA Help Line

For travelers with disabilities or medical needs, TSA has launched a new toll-free help line, TSA Cares, at 1-855-787-2227.

The call center is open Monday-Friday from 9am-9pm (except Federal Holidays) for “questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the security checkpoint… specifically for passengers with disabilities, medical conditions or other circumstances or their loved ones who want to prepare for the screening process prior to flying”.

It is recommended that questions be placed 72 hours prior to travelling.

Questions can also be emailed to TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov.

For more information, read the Press Release.

Gift List for Travelers

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for that special someone that is always on the move?

Check out this list of Gifts for the Compact Traveler prepared by the Practical Traveler.

Items include a lightweight carry-on, a collapsible lunchbox, the perfect wrap dress, and a plush animal backpack/blanket combo.

See the complete list of 12 items here.

Smart Phone Boarding

New York Times Practical Traveler,  Susan Stellin,  took her smart phone on a test drive recently to see if e-boarding passes have arrived.

She met with some success, but there were a few glitches it would be helpful to know before trying it out yourself.

First, not all security checkpoints are equipped with required readers, particularly those at smaller airports, so it is wise to check on your carrier’s website to see if your departure points are e-ready.

Make certain that the image is visible and scannable.  One frequent flyer recommended taking a photo of the boarding pass to present at the gate, rather than downloading the pass itself.

Other suggestions include arrive with a fully charged phone (or have a charger with you) and increase the brightness on the screen to make it more easily read.

View the whole article here.

Wi-Fi or No Wi-Fi

Follow this link for a quick check of domestic airlines and where they stand on Wi-Fi availability. Current status and future plans are given.

Compiled by Brett Snyder, The Daily Traveler from Conde Nast Traveler.

Choosing a Travel Agent

Do you need help planning that trip of a lifetime?

Are you looking for some expert recommendations on which are the best cruise lines? or the best time of the year to travel to Asia?

Choosing the right travel agent may not be as stressful as choosing a new dentist, but in case it makes you uneasy, try this travel planner tool from Traveler magazine.

Search by specialty or destination or area of interest to generate a list of recommended agents among 175 professionals the magazine has rated as the best in their field.

Click here to access the site.

Cheap Flight Search

Sitting in a dreary London hotel room wishing you were in the South of France?

Check out the options for cheap flights at skyscanner.net, an online search engine that includes Ryanair and other European discounters in the search results.

The site offers some cool tools like a quick start guide, cheap flights map, and a whole month option.

Not too picky about the destination?  Try the everywhere search to find a bunch of bargain travel suggestions.

Listings for cars and hotels are also searchable.

Leaf Peeping Planning

Planning to take visiting friends or relatives on a fall foliage drive?

Consider visiting the YankeeFoliage website from Yankee magazine.  View the live map with frequent updates which lets you know which areas of New England are peaking, past or yet to blaze with color.

Click on the camera icons to view actual photos  and the latest reports submitted by readers.

Photo of Fall Foliage Delights by Christopher S. Penn and republished here under a Creative Commons license.

T & L World’s Best Awards

What do Bangkok, Thailand and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge in Orlando, Florida have in common?

They both win top honors in their categories (best city and best family hotel, respectively) by Travel & Leisure Magazine in their 2011 World’s Best Awards.

Check out the top ten list in all categories (hotels, cruises, islands, family travel and spas) here or read the article in print in the August 2011 issue of Travel & Leisure available at the Newton Free Library.

Rooms for You

The September 11, 2011 Practical Traveler column researched several websites that promise to customize your hotel room search to meet your individual preferences.

Personalizing Your Hotel Search compares five hotel search sites summarizing the best and worst features of each.  Here is a quick recap of the five:

• Google.com/Hotelfinder - in the experimental phase, this google site offers a room rate history to help you assess how much of a bargain you are really getting. It also lets you geographically narrow your search down to a neighborhood.  Searches are limited to U.S. destinations.
• Hipmunk.com - color coded dots indicate relative room cost (from cheap to pricey). Hotel listings are linked to tripadvisor and “heatmaps” delineate area amenities such as restaurants, nightclubs and historic buildings.
• CheckYourRoom.com – few bargains here.  Focusing on boutique hotels in Europe, this site lets you use a keyword search to find the amenities you are looking for, such as “Romantic View Paris”.  Results include price range, detailed description, several photos and a map.  A fee-based service with the “room concierge” is available for those looking for more individual assistance with their hotel search.
• Room77.com – this site offers floor plans and insider tips on individual rooms at major hotels. Searches can be narrowed by price, floor (high or low) and proximity to elevator.  Best  for comparing rooms within a particular hotel.
• Oyster.com  – search results include real “undoctored” photos of rooms and common areas taken by employees of the website, not the hotel.

Photograph of hotel room by diebmx and republished here under a  Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.