Expedia Sweepstakes

If you are a Facebook enthusiast and want a chance to win a “trip of a lifetime”, consider participating in the newly launched Expedia.com sweepstakes.

Available exclusively through Expedia’s Facebook page, the contest awards winners a trip to one of 13 destinations which they choose in advance.

Call yourself a pilot and invite 5 friends to join you.  Pilots and passengers are both eligible for the drawing and you may pilot as many planes as you wish.

To enter or learn more, visit Expedia.com’s Facebook page, or read about it in the In Transit blog post.

Tips from the Travel Show

Seth Kugel, the New York Times Frugal Traveler, shares bargain tips he learned from the Travel Show.

Some ideas worth checking out:

• Florida Discount cards such as the Orlando Magicard or Keys Kash.
• Be flexible with your choice of airport when traveling to Texas. It could save you big bucks.
• Visit Macau to see Giant Pandas for cheap.
• When in Rome, avoid the expense of hotels by renting an apartment through RentalinRome.com.
• Deals on Galapagos tours.

Which booth had the best amenities?  How about New Hampshire with its hugable life-size furry moose and all-you-can-eat candy bar.

New Flight Rules

The Practical Traveler column in the May 16, 2010 edition of The New York Times reported on the new passenger protection rules in its article,”Inside the New Flight Rules“.

Enacted by the U.S. Department of Transportation on April 29, 2010, the new rules enforce a limit on the amount of time passengers will be forced to remain seated in an aircraft on the tarmac.  After two hours, snacks and drinking water must be offered and after three hours, passengers must be given the option to deplane.  For the full text of the regulation, click here.

Other consumer friendly rules include the requirement that airlines publish customer complaint contact information on both their websites and e-ticket confirmations.

The DOT has also redesigned its website to make filing of consumer complaints simpler.  Complaints are reviewed and investigated, so don’t be shy about reporting abuses.

Another round of regulations is in the works that will focus on the fairness and transparency of  fees for checked baggage,  preferred seating and other services.

Worst Travel Experiences

Have you had a travel experience so bad that you want the world to know about it?  Visit the Titanic Awards website, dedicated to “celebrating the dubious achievements of travel” and compare stories.

Participate in the 2010 survey or browse entries from categories ranging from accommodations to  air travel to food to tourism and more.  Check out the list of disasters experienced by famous itinerants such as travel writers Pauline Frommer and Wendy Perrin.

Test the adage, “misery loves company”.

Photo of airport queue (cc) by Pete Ashton and republished here under a Creative Commons license.  Some rights reserved.

Volcano Travel Advisory

Looking for the latest information on travel advisories to/from Europe?  If you are one of the many travelers affected by the volcanic eruption in Iceland,  here are a few websites that may offer some insight into whether your vacation will actually begin or ever end.

The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office has created an advisory for passengers wanting to return to the UK both from inside and outside Europe.  Although geared towards British Nationals, the site offers current information on the crisis with helpful tips.

The Guardian news organization has also established a web page for travel alerts offering advice on airport closures, alternative travel options, accommodations and insurance coverage.

For specific flight status information, check directly with the individual airline.  A list of all airlines operating out of  Logan International Airport  is available on the MASSPORT site.  Aer Lingus, Air France, American Airlines,  British Airways, Delta, Icelandair, United,  Virgin Atlantic and most other airlines are posting frequent updates on service disruptions.

Photo of volcanic eruption by NASA Goddard and republished here under a Creative Commons license.  Some rights reserved.

Bargain Travel

Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel Magazine Arthiur Frommer’s Budget Travel Magazine online. Includes the features of this months print magazine plus a discussion board and city guides. The city guides include: Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Tokyo and more.

Current Travel Information and Trends

An online and in print bi-monthly magazine that gives the traveler lots of tips and information about the best travel destinations.

Travel News and Blogs

Airfare Watchdog www.airfarewatchdog.com Air fare Blog – inside guide to the airlines’ secret airfare wars and other bargains.

IGOUGO www.igougo.com A commercial site with travel reviews by travelers. Has a rewards program for writing a review. Recently bought by Sabre.

HERmail www.hermail.net International directory of women travelers. This is an information sharing site.

Thorntree/Lonely Planet http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/ Travel Forum. Travelers post questions on this forum and get lots of feedback!

Trip Advisor www.tripadvisor.com Unbiased reviews of hotels, resorts and vactions.

Virtual Tourist www.virtualtourist.com Travel blog with 400,000 members in 200 countries. members of this blog share their travel experiences and alert the reader of the blog to travel deals. You can also book travel reservations through this web site.