Airline Deals - Travel Deals

As someone who spent a significant amount of time and money studying history in college, as well as a significant amount of time trying to find an employer who would actually hire a history major, I have always harbored a great jealousy towards the great explorers throughout history.

Genghis Khan, Magellan, Christopher Columbus, Charles Darwin…these guys had the life. Sure they faced a lot of danger and uncertainty, but they also explored during a time when not much was known about the world. They traveled in a time when it was impossible to pick up a travel guide for a far away land or to check out message boards for valuable travel tips. Their world was largely a mystery and their job was to solve it.

These days the world is a small place and finding a location that hasn’t been explored already is a challenge. There is a well beaten tourist path in even the remote corners of the globe, which makes it easier to plan a trip but also takes away from some of the excitement.

Even with this being the case, doing an around the world trip is something that will lead to new discoveries. No, you won’t discover a new land or have a country named after you, but you will discover something just as valuable. You will discover what is inside you, and that is one of the most important discoveries any of us can ever make.

Could there be a more perfect promotion than one involving a free trip to Iceland and vodka? No way. Here are all the details. If you win, you will have to take me as one of your 9 friends. Don’t let that discourage you from entering. I am perfectly fine to travel with, especially if I have enough vodka around.

Iceland is a land of puffins, volcanoes, eco-friendly Vodka and amazing music festivals.

In honor of Iceland’s 63rd birthday, Reyka Vodka and Iceland Naturally have just announced a once in a lifetime contest for 1 lucky winner and 9 friends to fly to Iceland for three days and 2 nights of partying, soaking in the Blue Lagoon, sight seeing and to attend the world renowned Iceland Airwaves Music Festival.

Any US or Canadian resident over 21 can enter to win here:

http://www.icelandnaturally.com/Reyka/

The Iceland Airwaves Festival runs from October 17-21 2007 and the Lineup includes:

Bloc Party * Of Montreal * !!! * Best Fwends * Mum * GusGus * Buck 65

Bonde de Role* Annuals & Others to be announced soon

Ahhh, super cheap flights to Central America. Round-trip airfare from Miami for $150. That must mean these are flights to Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. Right?

Wrong.

TACA Airlines has forgotten that the airline business exists to punish our wallets. They are guilty of offering up some of the best deals to the other Central America – Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras – that you will likely see in a long, long time.

For my money, Central America is one of the best regions in the world to travel to. It is close to the United States, you can literally get by on a few dollars a day in many areas, and there is more than enough to see and do. Beyond that, places like Nicaragua and Honduras are not overrun with tourists. Unless you try really hard, you will be able to meet plenty of locals who will greatly appreciate having you in their country. The travel may be a little more arduous than what you’ll find in Western Europe, but a little bit of effort will lead a whole lot of reward.

The catch on this incredible deal is that you need to fly from Miami. You also need to book a ticket by June 29, 2007 and fly before Novemeber 30, 2007.

Forget about going to Mexico during your winter break or during spring break. The cheapest time to head south of the border is right now. Prices on flights to Mexico are about as cheap as they will be all year. In this case, it certainly pays to travel to a hot place during the hottest time of the year.

Mexico is, of course, a rather large country with no shortage of interesting places to visit. The cheapest airplane deals, unsurprisingly, are on flights to those popular resort towns like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco. One option that is taken by those who follow the road less traveled is to fly into Merida. It is the capital of Yucatan, the part of Mexico at the bottom of the map that is curled up like one of those worms in the bottom of a bottle of tequila.

Merida is a historic city that was founded by the Spanish in 1542. It is called the “White City” because that is the color of most of its buildings and because it is one of the cleanest cities in all of Mexico. It is the perfect place to base yourself while you explore the Yucatan peninsula, an interesting and pretty part of Mexico.

Beijing is booming. The capital of China continues to churn along towards the 2008 Summer Olympics where the eyes of the world will be looking upon it. The global event, coupled with an economy that has been growing at a breakneck clip for the past decade, has led to a transformation of the city. For better or for worse Beijing is losing its older buildings and a part of its history every day. At the same time, the city is gaining new buildings, new infrastructure and a new personality.

Right now is an excellent time to visit Beijing. By making a trip in 2007, you will avoid the large crowds flocking for the Olympics. You’ll also be able to see one of the great modern transformations while it is still happening. How many times in your life will you have the opportunity to be in a city that is changing as quickly and as rapidly as modern day Beijing?

The same can be said for all of China. It is a country whose traditional ways are butting head to head with the demands for modernity. It is a fascinating place and a fascinating time for a visitor to experience it.

For the best deals on flights, hotels and hostels, as well as information to help you plan your trip to China, visit the Beijing Travel Guide.

If you have been looking for deals on cheap flights to Europe this summer you know that they are harder to come by than the proverbial needle in a haystack. Why anyone would look for a needle in a haystack is beyond me, but I can relate to those of you scouring the interwebs for affordable flights during the summer months. After all, summer is the best time to travel for so many of us.

If you can delay your trip a little or come up with another trip entirely, you could save some serious money and some serious hassles. For example, Icelandair will fly you to London, Berlin, Paris and other hot Europe destinations for a lot less as long as you travel between August 20 and October 31, 2007. In addition to the money you can save by traveling during the “off-season”, if there is any such thing these travel crazy days, you will also find that there will be less tourists around snagging up all the good rooms at the hostels and hotels.

Indeed, the fact that it is expensive to travel to Europe this summer might work out to be a good thing in the end if you can figure out a way to turn that summer vacation schedule into an early fall one.

Icelandair fall Flights to Europe from $364 (ends 6/22)

The airline named after the 49th state has announced that it will have service to the 50th state starting this fall. Alaska Airlines will have daily flights between Seattle and Honolulu, and Seattle and Lihu’e on the island of Kauai. If you have never been to Kauai you really should give it some consideration. It is arguably the most beautiful of the Hawaiian islands and one that can still be visited without feeling like you are in one big tourist playground.

Alaska Airlines also will have seasonal flights between Anchorage and Honolulu. By seasonal, one can only mean that it will be in the winter time when you know all the people in Hawaii will be eager to escape to the great white north. Just kidding. Alaskans will be stoked to have another option for flights to Hawaii. In fact, I think the two states should form a partnership where citizens from each get to visit one another for free.

For the rest of us, Alaska’s foray into Hawaii just means an increased likelihood of competitive prices on flights to paradise. Find the best deals on airfare to Hawaii and other helpful information to plan your trip to the islands.