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All of a sudden there are lots of (free) reasons to visit Indianapolis.

The city has just opened its brand-spanking-new terminal at Indianapolis International Airport (IND), complete with free wireless Internet access, swanky shops and restaurants, and several million dollars worth of brand new public art.

Now museums, attractions and tourist destinations in town have banded together to offer free admission and other freebies, one each day, during the 12 days leading up to Christmas. The promotion begins Saturday Dec 13, with free admission to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum and ends on Christmas Eve with free admission to see Santa, a snow castle and other attractions at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. I have my heart set on flying in by Dec. 20th. That’s when there’ll be free tours at the Indiana Medical History Museum, which bills itself as the “nation’s oldest surviving pathology laboratory.”

(The “Anatomical Museum” room inside the Indiana Medical History Museum. Photo courtesy the IMHM.)

Here’s a link to more information about the 12 days of free events in Indianapolis leading up to Christmas.

Categories: Free Stuff, Museums, Wi-Fi
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It’s natural to wonder (or hope) that the bathroom scale is wrong when you weigh in each morning.

At the airport, it’s a different story entirely. Airlines have been getting strict about charging passengers for overweight bags to the tune of millions of dollars each year.

But last week, the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures did a surprise inspection of the scales used by Southwest Airlines and US Airways at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

According to this article in the Arizona Republic, both airlines got dinged. Southwest “had to shut down three of its 26 scales because they received red tags, the most serious violation, from the inspectors. The problem: The scales did not start at zero.”

Another reason to try to fit everything you need into a carry-on bag…..

Categories: Baggage, Carry-ons, Fees
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This week I got the fun assignment of putting together a quiz for the MSNBC.com travel section.

Some of the questions are about travel etiquette; others are about getting through the security checkpoint at the airport and then figuring out what to do once you’re on the other side. Take the quiz and see if you’re in shape for holiday travel.

Categories: Holidays
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Just in time for the holiday shopping season comes word that yet another local favorite has opened up a shop at Oregon’s Portland International Airport.

The airport already has a pre-security shopping street populated with branches of Powell’s Books, Made in Oregon, the Oregon Pendleton Store, Nike, and the Real Mother Goose.

Now Portland-based Columbia Sportswear Company has opened a shop at the airport. The company is well-known for apparel, footwear and outdoor gear and is a nice fit the other PDX businesses that feature Pacific Northwest products, foods and beverages.

If you’re heading that way, keep in mind that the airport has free wireless Internet access, that Oregon has no sales tax (on anything), and that during the airport’s annual Holiday Take Flight celebration, you can enter to win a pair of tickets on JetBlue. Not heading that way? You can also enter the PDX contest on-line.

See you at the mall…. I mean, the airport…

Categories: Contests, Deals, Shopping
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Greetings from Toronto, where travelers heading to Montreal, Newark, Chicago – and soon several other U.S. cities – are discovering they can skip the trek out to Toronto Pearson International Airport. Instead, an increasing number of folks are taking the short (really short; three minutes max) free ferry ride to Toronto City Centre Airport (TCCA), located on an island just off downtown Toronto.

TCCA is served by regional carrier Porter Airlines, which offers travelers a free downtown shuttle to the terminal dock, free ferry rides to the terminal, and a bevy of complimentary amenities inside the terminal, including a lounge stocked with free wireless internet access, complimentary coffee/tea/soft drinks, and a business center with multiple workstations.

Passengers are allowed to check two bags for free and in-flight service on the 70-seat turboprop airplanes includes complimentary drinks (including beer and wine), small meals and/or snacks.

In addition to a variety of Canadian destinations, Porter serves Newark Liberty International Airport and, as of this past Wednesday (Nov 12) Chicago’s Midway International Airport. They have plans to expand to other U.S. cities, so stay tuned.

It’s all very put together. Right down to the pillbox hats worn by the female flight attendants, whose uniforms were designed by Pink Tartan, a well-known Toronto and New York based fashion brand.

(Photo courtesy: Porter Airlines)

Categories: Free Stuff, Wi-Fi
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