Timing it right: How to save money on airfare
Timing is everything when it comes to getting the best airfare. This applies to when you decide to travel — and when you buy. In the past, prices might drop as the departure date approached in order to fill seats. But higher fuel prices and fuller planes mean that now you’re less likely to score a last-minute deal. But don’t fret. Here’s what you can do to find a good deal on airfare.
Uh-oh Heathrow! Long lines, waits hit travelers months ahead of Olympics
There is a very big problem at London’s Heathrow Airport. Planes land but it sometimes takes hours of waiting in line before travelers are let in.
On April 22, I arrived from New York City to complete chaos. It was a Sunday morning at around 6:30 a.m. and I was tired after a seven-hour flight.
A crush of humanity greeted me in the immigration hall. Lines didn’t just wind around, they stretched back outside the waiting area down into unknown, never-before-seen corridors. Travelers wore looks of shock, horror and fury depending on how much time they had already logged waiting.
Marriott revives free-night promo this summer
Marriott is reviving last year’s free night promo this summer that lets Marriott Rewards members earn up to three free nights.
To earn a free night, members need to make two paid stays between June 1 and August 31.
Your free night can be used to stay at one of Marriott’s hotels in categories 1, 2, 3 and 4, which includes hotels under Marriott’s Autograph Collection, Renaissance, Marriott, Courtyard and SpringHill Suites brands.
While you can earn free nights by staying at Marriott’s Ritz-Carlton hotels, the category limit means you can’t use one of your free nights to stay at one.
How to get a free upgrade
I have a long, transcontinental flight coming up. I dread being cramped in a coach seat, but I can’t afford first class. What are my chances of getting bumped up for free?
They’re actually better now than ever. To cut costs, some U.S. airlines have been offering fewer flights in recent years, and coach can be overbooked. If a carrier bumps passengers, it’s frequently required to provide either a substitute flight or a refund or both, per government regulations. The airline may not want to bump people if first-class seats are available. So how do carriers select the lucky few who get ferried to first class? It’s all about the miles. Computers track frequent-flier and program miles and upgrade passengers automatically, based on who has earned the most. About 95 percent of those in first class on domestic flights last year were upgraded or used frequent-flier miles (sometimes with an additional fee), according to Joel Widzer, author of “The Penny Pincher’s Passport to Luxury Travel.”
Angry Birds Land set to debut at European theme park
The first official Angry Birds Land will open Saturday at Sarkanniemi Adventure Park in Finland with rides and games themed to the popular smart phone app.
Located about two hours north of Helsinki, Sarkanniemi has partnered with Finnish-based gamemaker Rovio to bring the virtual world of battling birds and pigs into the fantasy world of a theme park.
With more than 500 million downloads, the iPhone and Android cellphone game challenges players to launch birds at towering pig fortresses in hopes of destroying the defensive structures and recovering pilfered eggs.
The centerpiece of Angry Birds Land is a multi-level climbing tower with slides and ladders that recalls the fortresses protected by the Green Pigs in the game.
Toys on the go: Kiddies in car? Take kitties to keep them company
You can keep the kiddies occupied while they keep the kitties occupied with Playmobil’s Take Along Pet Clinic.
The company’s popular play sets open on hinges, revealing a kind of stage set on the particular theme. In this case there’s a fully furnished and decorated two-story doll-house-like pet clinic, complete with an exam room, toy surgical equipment and monitors, recovery cages and medicine holders.
Grand Canyon preps for eclipse party
Grand Canyon National Park is one of the more interesting venues being touted as a view spot for the annular eclipse of the sun May 20.
Ranger-assisted opportunities to view the eclipse will be provided on both rims. On the South Rim,NASA scientists and amateur astronomers will share their telescopes for views of the eclipse and of the night sky afterward. The Park Service says the largest concentration of telescopes will be behind the Grand Canyon Visitor Center on the South Rim, but telescopes will also be at Lipan Point, at the benches just west of the Desert View Watchtower and on the deck of the Watchtower itself.
For safe viewing, consider buying eclipse glasses in advance. Solar viewing cards will also be sold for $1 in all park bookstores while supplies last. Viewing the eclipse with the naked eye, or through a camera viewfinder, is extremely dangerous.
Travel insurance can protect your health or wallet on vacation
“Insurance is for pessimists” seems to be the attitude of many people planning a vacation overseas. No one wants to dwell on the mishaps that might land you in a foreign hospital or, worse, require an emergency air evacuation from your dream vacation.
Travel insurance is worth considering, however. For a relatively modest outlay, you can buy coverage that protects you if you have to cancel before or during your trip because you, your traveling companions or even a family member not traveling with you becomes ill and requires care. (These policies also cover cancellations for non-health-related reasons, such as a weather-caused flight delay that makes you miss a cruise launch.)
