Deals

Are you a “vulture tourist?”

Deals

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The ailing economy is fueling some unusual and unprecedented deals at hotels, restaurants and attractions and sparking some hard-to-ignore airfare sales.

Some of those offers are so enticing that you may feel like a “vulture tourist” just by taking advantage of the great deals. But hospitality experts say don’t worry too much about that: when times are bad, whatever you spend will be appreciated. And besides, when times are good, prices will quickly go back up.

So I’ve been eating out a lot more lately and taking a few extra plane trips.  And, as I explain in my most recent Well-Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com, I have lots of company.

Tidbits for travelers: airfare refunds, prizes, free stuff and special deals

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Here’s a quick round-up of recession specials for air travelers and other tidbits you might find useful:

American Airlines has kicked off a Milestones contest: One first-place winner will receive 275,000 AAdvantage miles; 10 second-place winners will each get 1,000 AAdvantage miles.   To enter: register and post an interesting tidbit about a cool place somewhere in the world.  Winners will be announced on or around May 15, 2009. Details here.

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Jet Blue Airways has announced a promotion offering to refund (most of) the price of your ticket if you lose your job between the time you pay for your ticket and the time you’re scheduled to take your trip.  Here’s a link to the offer and the restrictions.

Canada’s WestJet is celebrating the fact that U.S. President Barack Obama is visiting Canada by offering a little one day discount sale. Use the code “Obama” to book a ticket today (Feb 19th) and get $50 off.  Details here.

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And travelers passing through New York’s LaGuardia Airport will now find organic foods, healthy treats, fruit, vegetables, deli items, sandwiches, salads and other items at Angelina’s Metro Market, pre-security in the Central Terminal. Angelina’s Panini Bar, a satellite of the Metro Market, will open post-security at the B Gates,  later this month.

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See anything fun, new, interesting or strange while you’re stuck at the airport?  Let me know and we’ll add it to the blog.

Tools for travelers: Inc.com’s Quick Hits blog

Deals, Free Stuff, Well-Mannered Traveler

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Inc.com has a new blog –  Quick Hits – filled with tips, discounts and freebies for business-related tools, services, and products.

Looks like travel tips are on the agenda as well:  this week’s blog entries include a review of the pricey Visa Black Card (it includes concierge service) and a link to my recent MSNBC.com column  Money Saving Tips for Tightwad Travelers.

Shop the snusidor at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport

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There’s a big, new tax and duty free shopping area in Terminal 5 at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport that looks pretty snazzy.

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Larger than six tennis courts, the shop carries all the standard upscale offerings, plus a few new items.  Arlanda is the first airport to offer two Swedish-based brands: Make-Up Store and Mackmyra Whiskey, the first Swedish malt whiskey.  Set up as a collection of “worlds,” including the World of Cosmetics, the World of Perfume, and the World of Chocolate, complete with chocolate-making demonstrations, the store also boasts the world’s first “snusidor.”

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At first I thought this might be one of those much sought-after napping-nooks. But then they would have named it a “snoozidor.”   No, the “snusidor” is actually a walk-in, refrigerated display area for snus – a traditional Swedish smokeless tobacco that accounts for about 50% of all the tobacco sales at Arlanda airport.

(Photos by Jonas Borg, courtesy Stockholm-Arlanda Airport)

Head to an airport for sales, Santas and songs

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(Yummy stuff from Phoenix Sky Harbor Int’l Airport)

It may seem unnatural to blend a holiday shopping excursion with a trip to the airport, but this season many airports are working overtime to court you and your gift-buying dollars with prizes, promotions, festive décor, and lots of top-notch entertainment.

(A TSA choir -really- will perform at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport)

There are plenty of other reasons to shop for holiday gifts at an airport. Over the past few years, airports have been steadily upgrading the quality and variety of their concessions. Stores generally open early and close late to accommodate travelers’ wacky schedules. And many airports impose a “street pricing” policy, which means that the prices charged inside the airport must closely match the prices at local malls. Besides, if you travel by air, you’re already spending a lot of time hanging out in airports. So you may as well be merry while you multi-task.

Where are the best deals? At the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Sacramento International Airport you can pick up discount coupon books. Oregon’s Portland International Airport has a holiday festival with food sampling, demonstrations and a drawing for tickets on JetBlue. (You can enter on-line.) And check out the Frankfurt Airport’s Web site for a chance to win a big diamond.

There’s lots more information about airports offering holiday shopping specials and entertainment in my “At the Airport” column posted today on USAToday.com

Holiday shopping discounts at Minneapolis-St. Paul Int’l Airport

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Heading to or through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) this holiday season? Be sure to leave some time for shopping.

The airport is giving out holiday coupon books with discounts, freebies, and gift-with-purchase offers from more than 60 airport shops and restaurants.

The coupon booklets will be available at the airport information booths and downloadable from the MSP Web site. Valid dates: November 26-December 31, 2008.

But why wait? Here’s a copy of all the coupons and offers.

Win tickets and go tax-free shopping at Portland International Airport

Contests, Deals, Shopping

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…

Spend on airfare; save on lodging?

Deals, Lodging

The high cost of airfare and the unsteady economy is forcing would-be travelers to get more creative. And chummier. Especially when it comes to finding a place to stay on vacation.

Some folks are befriending – or suddenly reconnecting with – folks who own second homes in hopes of securing a weekend invitation. Others are trying to stretch their travel dollars by renting a condo or an apartment instead of a hotel.

In my Well-Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com this week, I share stories about what can go right – or very, very, wrong – when renting or borrowing someone else’s house and offer tips on how to avoid some classic pitfalls.

Sleep fast and stretch your travel dollars at the airport

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When you’re stuck at the airport, wouldn’t it be great if there was a place where you could take a shower and a nap or just close the door and watch a movie or get some work done?

In some airports there are. A great example is the YOTEL, the short-stay hotel located inside the South Terminal at London’s Gatwick airport.

The brainchild of Simon Woodroffe, a brash British entrepreneur who also created a conveyor belt-style chain of sushi bars called YO! Sushi, the 46-room Gatwick YOTEL offers rooms that are a cross between what you might find in a Japanese pod-hotel and an amenity-rich first-class airplane cabin. But these rooms also include full showers, flat-screen TVs, wireless Internet access and room service.

Travelers can book a YOTEL room for as little as four-hours. So it seems ideal for those times when you’ve just come off a long flight or have a super early departure in the morning. Prices start at about $50 for a standard cabin for the minimum four-hour booking, but during August, to celebrate the GATWICK YOTEL’s first anniversary, overnight stays will go for under $100.

Not traveling through Gatwick? There’s a 32-cabin YOTEL in Terminal 4 at London’s Heathrow airport and another YOTEL scheduled to open at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport later this year.

So sleep tight – but sleep fast!