Be on the lookout for these six travel 'gotchas'

       The November issue of Consumer Reports' ShopSmart magazine warns against a half-dozen travel gotchas -- those oh-so-common gimmicks that can make your trip cost more than you ever thought it was going to. The gotchas:

FARE JUMPING: You click on a great deal, and the site says it’s no longer available. On Expedia, a flight from Miami to Montego Bay, Jamaica, suddenly rose by 40%; on Travelocity the price of a hotel room in Chicago suddenly rose by $110. So don’t bank on getting a juicy rate online until you click through to book it. 
ADDED FEES: Many travel products include taxes, fees, and surcharges. But not all are posted, so you might not find out about them until you get to the hotel or airport. Instead, go to the travel provider’s website for fee info to avoid surprises.   
OVERPRICED PACKAGES: When you book a flight online, you’re asked whether you’d like to add a hotel room or rental car. But packaged deals aren’t always bargains. So take the time to price a package’s components. Also check out DealBase, which does the math and lists good and bad deals. 
PRICE GUARANTEES: The ads promise you’ll get the lowest rates or you get a refund. But ShopSmart found so much fine print that it concluded that claiming a refund is a long shot. You should ignore price guarantees and find the best deals on your own.  
DYNAMIC PRICING: This means that different people might get different prices online for identical searches. To avoid this, erase traces of searches by resetting the browser preferences and deleting cookies, or use two different browsers to check prices.
HIDDEN BARGAINS: Major travel sites sometimes make it difficult to find the lowest prices. If you search for a car on Expedia, for example, no initial sorting tool allows you to see all rentals in price order.  Don’t book until you’ve reset search preferences to find all the deals. Also visit sites of individual travel vendors if they’re missing.   

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Trivial question

      In what country will you find Ticos? (Answer somewhere below.)   

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$100 off and a 100% snow guarantee

       Rail Europe Inc., Switzerland Tourism and the Swiss Travel System will offer $100 off every booking of $200 or more that contains a Swiss Pass.  You get the discount by entering promo code SWISS100 when booking online through RailEurope.com or MySwitzerland.com/train.  Or you can call 888-382-7245 and mention promo code SWISS100. In addition,  Alex Herrmann, director of Switzerland Tourism North America, says “Switzerland’s winter resorts are on average at higher altitudes than those of other European countries. We can therefore promise a 100 percent snow guarantee.” 
     For more winter ideas go to www.myswitzerland.com/winter

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Fabulous fact

      Qantas is an acronym for: Queensland And Northern Territories Air Service. 

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Take me out to the ball game ... in Israel

     Here's a rare chance to play baseball with the Israeli National Team. The Jewish National Fund is planning a trip May 29-June 4 that includes games, clinics, and a tour of the Holy Land. The land-only price, with hotel stays, begins at $1,000, and participation without a hotel stay is $325. For details, click here.

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Trivial answer

      Ticos are found in Costa Rica. Tico is simply the  name used to refer to the native inhabitants.

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Three Las Vegas travel deals

       During the current slump, Las Vegas and environs are  wooing visitors with a variety of deals. Here, from Vegas.com, are three of them:   

Buffet Special: Book a minimum two-night stay at selected resorts between now and Nov. 15  for stays between Nov. 1 and Dec. 29, and get a 24-hour buffet pass valid for unlimited visits to seven of Vegas' best buffets.Details here.

 Free Seat Upgrade: For a limited time, guests can get mezzanine seating at balcony prices when booking selected Jabbawokeez show tickets on vegas.com. You save up to $11 per ticket. Details here.

50% Off: Book a stay at Boulder Station, near the Strip, between now and Dec. 28 for selected stay dates between now and Dec. 29 and receive 50% off Sunday-Thursday. Details here. 

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What's gnu on TV? National Geographic's 'Great Migrations'

        One of the great sights of my life was a seemingly endless stream of wildebeest (gnu) migrating from Tanzania's  Serengeti plains to the hills of Kenya’s Masai Mara -- a distance of  over 1,800 miles -- in search of rain-ripened grass. So you can be sure I'll be hunkering down in front of my TV to watch  the National Geographic Channel’s "Great Migrations,"  a seven-part series premiering in the U.S. on Nov. 7.
     The series will spotlight the arduous journeys that millions of animals undertake to ensure the survival of their species. Shot from land and air, in trees and cliff-blinds, on ice floes and underwater, "Great Migrations" will tell the stories of many of the planet’s species and their movements, while revealing scientific discoveries. Among the sights:
      * The  red crab migration on Christmas Island, which has been termed miraculous.
      * Flying foxes in Australia and army ants in Costa Rica.
      * Wildebeest, great white sharks, zebra and Mali elephants. 
      * Microscopic plankton and jellyfish in Indonesia. 
      * The first radio transmitter attached to a monarch butterfly. 
      * The first film crew on the ground in Sudan in 25 years, there to capture the migration of the white-eared kob. 

        The National Geographic Great Migrations team spent 2 1/2  years in the field, traveling 420,000 miles in 20 countries and all seven continents. I'm impressed.

Photo/National Geographic

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Trivial question 

    Millions of people have visited Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa. But what was its original purpose? (Answer somewhere below.)

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$99 one way, Boston to LA, on Virgin

      Virgin America has  cut West Coast fares from Boston to $99-$129 each way. Sample fares:  Los Angeles, $99;  San Francisco, $119;  Las Vegas, $129; San Diego, $129.
Travel is valid Nov. 1 - Feb. 15 but you must book by 2:59 a.m. Eastern Time Nov. 2. Not surprisingly, the lowest fares are for travel Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

     Visit www.virginamerica.com. I gave it a try this morning and did indeed find a $99 fare (plus fees) to LA on  Tuesday, Nov. 9.

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Fabulous fact

     The "you are here" indicator on a map is officially called an ideo locator.

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The wonderful world of the Web

     Starting today (Oct. 26),  TripAlertz.com goes live to offer impulse getaway packages with prices that it says are 30 to 50 percent below the leading public online travel sites. Members, who sign up for free,  will have access to  deals in destinations like Miami, Orlando, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, and Cancun. Visit 

www.tripalertz.com. 

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Terrible travel joke

     You know you're on a no-frills airline when before takeoff the flight attendant asks you to fasten your velcro and the captain makes a plea over the loudspeaker for passengers to chip in for gas.

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Trivial answer 

    The Leaning Tower of Pisa was designed  to be a bell tower, not a tourist attraction filled with trinket salespeople.

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Utah resort thinking of singles on holidays

Guests who find themselves alone for the holidays might be interested in  the Signature Package at Red Mountain Resort & Spa in St. George, Utah. The package, which starts at $269 per night single occupancy, nightly accommodations, three meals a day, unlimited fitness classes, healthy life classes, daily guided morning hikes, personal discovery activities, cooking demos, and use of the resort's amenities such aspools, bikes, walking trails, and strenght-and-cardio studios. People who book a three-night stay will receive a $125 adventure and spa credit, and those who book a five-night stay will receive a $200 credit. Package details can be found here.

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