Weekly round up: Europe's Rising stars, NYC hotel for under $100 a night???, JetBlue getaways and more.

Another eventful week in the travel business. So I thought today I would catch you up on some of the deals, news, stories and articles that came out this past week.


Jetting for less: JetBlue currently has a 40% off select getaways that include such destinations as Aruba, Cancun & Nassau. These "beachy keen" deals include 4-star accommodations and nonstop flights from such locales as Boston, New York & Orlando.For more information head on over to JetBlue.

NYC Hotel for $89/night???: Whoa...recession pricing is in full effect with this great deal from TravelZoo and Best Western. The new Bowery Hanbee Hotel, which is located in the hip and trendy SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, is offering a jaw dropping special. For select dates through April, travelers can enjoy a great room for only $89/night! In order to get this low rate you must book with TravelZoo's special code, which is...well..."TravelZoo"...not hard to remember. Click here for more information. Hurry because you must book by March 9.


Luck of the Irish: While not "new" news, it is worth mentioning the current sale and prices that Ireland's most popular airline Aer Lingus currently has on their website. Sales at a stunningly low $199 each way to/from Ireland in the spring and $229 in the summer. Simply amazing considering how expensive flights to Europe were just 8-12 months ago! But Aer Lingus is not just good for flights to the Emerald Isle. In fact they have dozens of European cities at lower than normal prices right now. I booked a 3 week trip to Krakow in June for about 40% lower than the competition. More for information on the Ireland sale click here, to check out all of the other great destinations that Aer Lingus flies to click here.

(Another)Southwest sale: In what seems to be a regular occurrence these days, Southwest is offering a sale. But this sale is unique as it covers all of the airline's destinations. Some of the cities that the low cost airline flies to include New York (Long Island Islip), Ft. Lauderdale, Chicago (Midway) and Seattle. The Nationwide sale has fares that range from $49-$129 one-way. Check out Southwest for more information. Hurry though, this sale ends Monday March 2.

Europe's other great cities: Fodor's has a great article about "Europe's Rising Stars", which includes a look at such amazing, yet sometimes overlooked, cities like Galway, Ireland and Valencia, Spain. These particular cities offer all of the same excitement and culture of their more popular neighbors, but often times To check out the full article, click here.




So much is going on these days in travel. Airfare sales seem to pop up every 7 minutes (or at least it feels that way) and hotel prices are plummeting worldwide. Who would have thought a year ago that you could stay in a nice hotel in Manhattan for under $100/night? Madness. It is safe to say that the term "Staycation" is officially retired. To that I say, GOOD RIDDANCE!

Amtrak's Acela prices to drop by 25%

It is nice to wake up to some good news for a change. I checked my inbox to find a lovely e-mail from Amtrak this morning.It read:

"Book early and ride the Acela for surprisingly low fares. Save up to 25% when you purchase a ticket on Acela Express."

Here is how prices will change on some popular Northeast routes with Amtrak's Acela service:

New York - Boston, $99 (down from about $130)
Boston - New York, $79 (down from about $110)
Washington DC - Philadelphia, $73(down from about $100)

Now while this frugal traveler still feels that these prices need to lower even more to be worth the upgraded service, I will definitely take lowering prices over rising prices when it comes to travel. I personally love using the rails for trips, but Amtrak's prices have been just too high for such mediocre service. Why does it take roughly a day to go from New York to Chicago when I can drive there in traffic and with red lights in under 11? We are so far behind Europe and Asia's lighting fast rail services. Hopefully something will change with this new administration...but I will believe it when I see it.

By the way these lower prices are through June 26, 2009 and require at least a 14-day advance purchase.

Amtrak's newly adjusted Acela prices and full route information can be found by clicking here.

How low can they go?

Airline prices are drastically dropping left and right for both domestic and international flights on what feels like a daily basis. I mean holiday weekends are not even expensive these days. I checked today on the price of a NYC to Chicago round-trip for this Valentines/Presidents weekend and got back a price of $159 (taxes and fees included). That's madness my frugal friends!

Here are some other delicious deals that you should take a second look at before springtime comes and prices eventually go up.



United has some "draw-droppingly" low deals this Spring. You must book by this Friday (Feb 13) however to lock in the prices. Some of the one-way fares include:

* Charlotte to Chicago, $47
* Denver to Los Angeles, $57
* Washington, D.C. to Miami, $86
* New York City to San Francisco, $107

Click here for more details and fare options.





Another sale that ends this Friday is from American Airlines. They also have tons of routes at prices not seen this low in years. Some one-way fares include:

* Boston to New York City, $47
* New York City to Washington, D.C., $47
* Philadelphia to Miami, $57
* Washington, D.C. to Boston, $67
* New York City to Orlando, $77
* Boston to Chicago, $85
* Washington, D.C. to St. Louis, $87
* New York City to Seattle, $97
* New York City to San Diego, $107

That New York/Seattle route is tempting. But with three trips already planned for '09, I may have to slow down...but oh no tempting. These fares again must be booked by Friday and you must fly by May 13. Blackout dates do apply. Click here for more information.


Flying overseas as little as 6-8 months ago was seen as a real expense and with the dollar so weak against the Euro, it had seemed like the days of U.S. travelers hopping on a last minute flight to Europe was no longer a viable option. But rejoice American travelers, because airlines like Virgin Atlantic are offering stellar deals right now to many of the top European cities. One such deal with Virgin is to London, where fares come in as low as $156 one-way. Check out their website for more deals to Jolly Old England from such cities as Miami, Orlando, San Francisco and more.

There are bound to be more deals coming within the next few weeks. But like I mentioned earlier, they will not last for long and as the weather gets warmer, expect the prices to go higher. Book now for travel later!

You can contact me at: NomadicAndy@ymail.com & andy42880@yahoo.com