It's a girl for 'Frugal Traveler' columnist Matt Gross!

Matt Gross is one of my favorite travel writers. He's the master of finding high style on a tight budget and for The New York Times he gets to travel the world and write up his experiences in the regular "Frugal Traveler" column. Gross's wife recently gave birth to a baby girl and now his stories of adventure involve a new character. Be sure to check out a video he produced about traveling to Venice with his daughter when she was only six weeks old.

Where are America's unsung food heavens?

New York, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans--these are the cities most people might rattle off if you asked, Where's the best food in America? But there are also plenty of cities and towns that don't receive all the attention their bigger, flashier neighbors get, but that serve as the hidden gems of the foodie world. Portland, Ore., with its community of cutting-edge chefs who have left behind pricey NYC and S.F., might be one. Bridgeport, Conn., with its surprising mix of ethnic joints might be another. I'm currently working on a column highlighting our country's unsung food cities. I'd love to hear about your favorite places that dish up delicious food but don't get enough credit.

Ultimate packing list for traveling with kids

Packing for one person is a job in itself--and then when you have kids the work becomes almost overwhelming. Diapers, socks, kids' sunblock, hats, baby wipes...How do you ever remember to stuff it all into the suitcase? Enter the "Pack Me...On the Road Again," a packing list featuring everything you would ever need to bring on a trip for you and your family. You can buy a full pad of 50 lists printed on recycled paper online at Lobotome.com for $9.95.

Take advantage of ridiculously low airfares

Airlines are in the midst of a major fare ware--and travelers are benefiting with ridiculously low airfares. Even summer fares are dropping.

According to a recent article in The Los Angeles Times: "Fares for summer trips are often among the highest of the year and start rising in the spring, but not this year. With business travel plummeting, airlines are pulling back and offering some of the lowest-priced plane tickets in recent memory."

Southwest Airlines was the first to drop its fares, cutting rates through August 14. United, American, and Delta followed suit.

Example: With taxes and fees, a round-trip flight from LAX to Baltimore-Washington International Airport in late June was being offered at $218 on Thursday by Southwest. United and US Airways quickly beat it by offering a fare of $211.

For more: check out the LA Times article by clicking here.

Photo credit: Los Angeles Times/Mel Mellcon

Yes, there are still lots of spring break deals out there

Still trying to decide whether to go on a break vacation? It sounds as if there are lots of deals to be had.

According to an article in USA Today, "College students and families are waiting longer to book spring breaks, and destinations are baiting the hook with better deals than usual."

The article mentions the following popular spring break destinations as places where you can find great deals:

• South Padre Island, Texas (pictured above)
• Disneyworld, Orlando, Florida
• Colorado ski resorts
• Las Vegas
• Manhattan
• Panama City Beach, Florida
• Palm Springs, California
• Branson, Missouri
• Hawaii

My 10 best tips for traveling families

1) Leave at the right time. If your children nap, depart for your road trip just before they're ready to fall asleep, and you might buy yourself a few hours of bliss in the car. This can also work on long flights, especially red eyes.

2) Consult a packing list. You can easily find a list geared specifically to families online, so you don't forget to bring the Children's Tylenol, baby wipes, and most importantly the teddy bears your kids need to fall asleep.

3) Make your kids carry their own luggage. Even a 4-year-old can roll a small suitcase on wheels through an airport. There's no reason that mom and dad should have to schlep their little one's stuff. You'll save your back and teach your kids some responsibility.

4) Create an art pack. Fill a small canvas bag with crayons, pens, scissors, and paper. This will keep the kids occupied in the car, on the plane, at the restaurant, in the hotel.

5) Pack tons of snacks. It's not easy finding inexpensive, healthy snacks for kids when you're on the road. Stuff your suitcase with nuts, granola bars, and dried fruit--and bring twice as much as you expect you'll need.

6) Pick a hotel with a pool. A swimming pool provides a family with endless free entertainment.

7) Buy travel journals. Your kids can fill them with postcards, ticket stubs, and brochures, and they can keep themselves busy writing down their memories from the trip.

8) Find time to run around. If you're on a road trip, stop every two hours, even if it's to just let the kids chase each other around the car. Plan delayed? Nearly every airport has a children's play area--go find it.

9) Never come home on a Sunday. The last thing you want to do the morning after returning from a relaxing trip is wake up at the crack of down to get the kids to school and yourself to work on time. Return home on a Friday afternoon or Saturday and the family some time to transition back into everyday life.

10) Have the right attitude. If you're stressed, your kids will pick up on it and become fussy. But if you're confident and upbeat, they'll take everything in stride.

Best Western: 10-Hour 'Countdown to Savings' Promotion

Due to the tremendous response to Best Western’s “Countdown to Savings” 10-hour sale in February, The World’s Largest Hotel Chain is bringing back the discount extravaganza. From Monday, March 9, through Friday, March 13, a new “Countdown to Savings” clock will alert visitors when the two-hour window to book travel will begin. The specials, which will only be available through www.bestwestern.com, will be offered at properties highlighted in categories such as “popular spring break destinations,” “most walker-friendly cities” and “sports fan havens,” among others.

On Monday, folks can put spring break back on the calendar with exclusive bargains to popular spring break destinations including Cabo San Lucas, Lake Havasu, Ariz., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. On Tuesday, Best Western will feature deals to North America’s most walker-friendly cities as listed by walkscore.com. Among these are San Francisco, Chicago and Nashville, Tenn. Wednesday will feature savings to popular family-friendly destinations such as Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Hershey, Penn., and San Antonio, Texas, while on Thursday, sports fans can score a great deal to see their favorite team on an away game. Friday will round out the week of savings with a “grab bag” of family-friendly packages that will include tickets to local events and attractions at dozens of cities across the U.S. and Canada.

“The overwhelmingly positive response to our first “Countdown to Savings” initiative highlighted the fact that travelers love finding good deals, and we’re happy to help fulfill their desires,” said Dorothy Dowling, Best Western’s senior vice president of marketing and sales. “Everyone deserves a vacation and we’re excited to offer them the opportunity to take one without breaking the bank.”

For those who visit the Best Western Web site outside the “Countdown to Savings” daily promotion window, a message will advise them as to when the next offer will be available.

These special Internet-only deals will be based on hotel availability. To view them, guests can visit www.bestwestern.com/countdown beginning March 9. Most reservations booked through the Countdown will be prepaid, though guests can obtain refunds for any reservation that’s canceled seven or more days prior to arrival.

Top budget travel destinations for 2009

Budget Travel recently released its annual list of the top bargain destinations for the year. Here's a rundown of the list along with the magazine's reasoning on why these destinations are hot and cheap now. To read the full article—with tips on everything from events to restaurants in all 10 spots—click here.


1) Austin, Texas

For years, the capital of down-home cool (and Texas) has been working to become the nation's capital of pop culture—at least among cities of a similar size. This city of 1.6 million residents has succeeded in its mission, especially as a venue for indie rock, bluegrass, and country music. Its largest music festival is South by Southwest, a multi-day, 1,700-band extravaganza that draws serious music fans nationwide (sxsw.com, Mar. 18–22, 2009). Austin's economy, meanwhile, is well diversified between public and private sectors, which means that Austin is poised to weather the economic downturn reasonably well, says University of Texas at Austin economy professor Daniel S. Hamermesh. So it should be full speed ahead on spending for free and affordable cultural events. A bonus: In the past year, discounter JetBlue has added flights to Austin. Rival airlines are feeling the pressure to keep airfares low.

2) Washington, D.C.

It's not just the presidential inauguration, the Capitol's freshly minted visitor center, or the recently re-opened National Museum of American History—all reasons enough to drop by D.C. in 2009. It's also the built-in, year-round cost containment: Free admission to national monuments, the Smithsonian's many world-class museums, and the Smithsonian National Zoological Park make the capital a perennial choice for an affordable family vacation. (For other ideas, check out Destination DC's list of "100 Free (And Almost Free) Things to Do in D.C.")

3) Budapest, Hungary

Budapest has become the sort of expat haven that Prague was in the '90s, back before the Czech capital's cafés started charging $4 for an espresso and tour groups suddenly outnumbered locals. Recently, the U.S dollar has surged in hard-hit Hungary, gaining 30 percent against the declining local currency, the forint. In addition to savoring the city's glorious art nouveau architecture, anchored by the imposing Museum of Applied Arts in the center of town, you can shop in the well-preserved Great Market Hall, explore the miles of caves under Castle District (former hideouts for soldiers during wartime), and catch a show at the Hungarian State Opera House, where standing-room tickets go for only $2.

4) Reykjavik, Iceland

The dramatic collapse of Iceland's currency, the kronur, has hung a 48-percent-off sign on virtually everything for American tourists. A hot dog (an Icelandic specialty) in downtown Reykjavik, for example, runs about 210 kronur—that's $3.50 in U.S. dollars at last year's exchange rates, but about $2 today. Meanwhile, in a bid to lure tourists, Icelandair has recently rolled out steep airfare discounts. Published fares to Iceland for early 2009 are down 22 percent from a year earlier, says Expedia.

5) Mexico

Our southern neighbor has always been relatively affordable, but this year is special. The U.S. dollar's exchange rate against the Mexican peso is at its most favorable point in 15 years. Prices should be down across Mexico, including in high-profile destinations like Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Cancun. Resort destinations that have become newly popular, such as Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) should be positively cheap this year.

6) Berlin

It's the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Plus, the city's been on a long construction spree: Berlin now has one of the world's most dynamic skylines, thanks to innovative buildings such as the swoopy O2 World stadium and the city's vast, sleekly modern main train station. Despite all the moving and shaking, Berlin remains a bargain. Even in the financially flush year of 2007, four- and five-star rooms averaged €130 a night; comparable rooms in Paris and London priced out at more than twice as much.

7) Vancouver, B.C.

Americans heading to Canada finally have the U.S. dollar back on their side. Exchange rates have rebounded to 2005 levels. And fares into Vancouver for the first three months of 2009 are down 24 percent from a year earlier, says Farecast. Meanwhile, the city has been busy glamming itself up to prepare for February 2010, when it hosts the Winter Olympics. It's spent lots of money to retool infrastructure and unveil cool new venues. The Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, for instance, is now topped with a six-acre rooftop garden of 400,000 native plants and wild grasses that are partly irrigated by a sophisticated rainwater collection system.

8) Cambodia

It's no longer a backpacker's secret. In 2008, the country drew about 2 million visitors, more than 10 times the number it drew a decade ago. Cambodia's still off the radar for most Americans, but it's poised to take the same path as its better-known neighbor Vietnam, which saw a similar number of visitors nine years ago and now draws roughly 4 million visitors annually. Look for independently owned guesthouses because the major resort chains haven't built much here yet; and by all means, go before the crowds get too thick.

9) Panama

Panama has led tourism growth in Central and South American countries for two years running, posting back-to-back 20 and 30 percent gains in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Last year, the country surpassed the one-million-visitors mark, welcoming 1.2 million leisure travelers. That's about how popular Costa Rica was in 1999—before it emerged as a solidly mainstream destination. Compared with Costa Rica, Panama has more animal species and a larger amount of preserved terrain filled with colorful macaws, monkeys, and endangered shore birds.

10) Hawaii

The Aloha State received positive, high-profile press coverage when president-elect Barack Obama recently visited, but it's still hurting from the downtown of the national economy. This always-popular destination saw about a 10 percent drop in visitors in 2008, a statistic that represents a tourism drought for Hawaii. Tour operators are responding by aggressively discounting un-booked rooms and car rentals and bundling them into packages. As we enter 2009, there are remarkable package deals, air inclusive, from both the west and east coasts.

Spring skiiing: Hit the slopes before the snow melts!

Winter is coming to a close, but there's still plenty of snow. Actually, spring can be one of the best times to hit the slopes because the weather's warmer, the prices often lower, and the lines shorter. A recent Associated Press story pegs Vermont and Colorado as two of the best states for spring skiing.

Vermont

Nearly 85% of the state's ski trails have been open for the entire month of March over the last three seasons, according to Ski Vermont. It's also a way to save money, because lift ticket prices are lower. More than 10 ski areas offer tickets for $39 or less. Details on March deals at SkiVermont.com

Colorado

March and April offer sunshine, blue skies and lots of snow, along with plenty of special events on the slope. Among the events: Powderhorn hosts "Young At Heart" parties for skiers and riders 50 and over, March 5, 12 and 19. Telluride has free concerts March 5, 12 and 19, 3-5 p.m. at Heritage Plaza. On March 14, Copper Mountain hosts a resort street party, the O'Fuego & St. Patrick's Day Celebration, with entertainment, a parade and fireworks. End-of-season events include Springalicious at Steamboat, April 11-12, Sunsation at Copper, April 11-12 and 18-19, and an Easter egg hunt at Arapahoe Basin, April 12.

How to survive a theme park with one adult and mulitiple kids

Call me crazy! I'm planning a solo trip to Southern California with my two kids. We're taking Amtrak from Oakland, Calif., to San Diego, stopping in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Anaheim, and San Juan Capitstrano along the way.

The big highlight for my children is Disneyland. When I shared with them our spring break plans, I thought I had discovered a new alternative energy source. They were so excited and bursting with energy that I was tempted to connect them to the dishwasher. They were giving off at least 100 kilowatts, I'm sure.

What about mom? Is she energized? Well, yes, of course, we're going to Disneyland—the happiest place on earth. But my enthusiasm is overshadowed by a sense of dread because my partner in parenting—my husband—is staying at home. I'm certain our day will be filled with fun but also long lines, lots of tantrums, and disappointment when we're told a family of three can't all sit together.

This is why I took comfort in reading The Unauthorized Legoland Guidebook author Bridget Smith's blog. Smith has tackled Disneyland, Seaworld, and Legoland with three kids--yes, one...two...three. If she can do it with trio of kids, I can certainly make it with two. In her blog, Smith offers up the following tips on how to survive a theme park with one adult and multiple little ones.

• Plan ahead. Know the age and height restrictions for the various rides. Try to have some rides and attractions in mind that the whole family will enjoy. My book, The Unauthorized Legoland Guidebook includes pull out sections that give detailed ride suggestions for every age group. There are many great web resources for other themeparks. If you do some digging, theme park websites also have this information.
• Prep your kids. When I am going solo, I make sure that my nine year old knows that there will be some activities that we won’t be able to enjoy due to our parent kid ratio. I make sure that everyone knows that the goal for this trip is to have fun as a family. I try to have a future “Mom date” visit planned, so Justin can look forward to enjoying a few more thrills at some point.
• Take a picture of your kids using your digital camera before entering the park. That way if they get lost, you have an up to date picture to share with the theme park staff.
• Have a family motto. Ours is “The Smith Family Stays Together.” This is our travel mantra. We repeat it often throughout the day.
• Enlist your older children’s help in keeping an eye on the little guys.
• Bring a stroller. It’s a great place to store your stuff and make a quick exit during that end of the day tantrum.
• Bring a friend if possible. A theme park is actually a great place to have a playdate, and you can switch kids, if your family is like mine half timid/half brave.
• Bring a big kid buddy. Believe or not some of my most fun adventures came with bringing four kids to Legoland. Since Justin had a buddy he could ride some of the big kid rides, and both boys were helpful in wrangling the little ones.
• Pack lots of snacks. You never know when a break or a bribe will come in handy.