The Eleventh Annual Weblog Awards (“The Bloggies”) are upon us! For those of you who don’t know about The Bloggies, once each year they set out to discover the best blogs on the web in a variety of categories (sort of like the Academy Awards for bloggers). The Bloggies began in 2001 and have grown to be the longest-running and one of the largest awards for blogs.

The Eleventh Annual Weblog Awards (The Bloggies)

Last week I learned that Hole In The Donut has been chosen as a finalist this year in the Best Travel Blog category. I am thrilled, not only to be chosen, but also because I am in the company of four other finalists who are masters of their craft: Gary Arndt’s Everything Everywhere; The Vacation Gals, written by Jennifer Miner, Beth Blair and Kara Williams; Kristin Luna’s Camels & Chocolate, and my good friend, Donna Hull, who writes the quintessential baby boomer travel blog, My Itchy Travel Feet.

Being selected as a finalist is certainly a validation of my hard work over the past four and a half years, but it’s especially nice that a lot of new readers will be exposed to my writing and photography through the awards. The Internet is a vast and complicated network – there’s a reason it’s called the web – and it’s not always easy to find gems amidst the mountains of trash in cyberspace. The Bloggies make it easy to find great new reads. For example, Ruth Pennebaker of The Fabulous Geezersisters has been a long-time favorite of mine, yet she never really got the notoriety she deserved. However Ruth has also been named a finalist this year in the Best Writing category, so she’ll begin to reach a much wider audience.

If, like me, you’re always on the lookout for quality, thought provoking writing, I encourage you to browse the list of finalists in all the categories for this year’s Bloggies Awards. Whether your interests lie with travel, sports, politics, fashion, science, religion, computer technology or even gossip, you’re sure to find some great new talent. And if you’re so inclined, you can also participate in choosing the winners in each category, as the general public is invited to vote for their favorite blogs between now and February 20th. Unlike other contests, you do not need to register, sign up for anything, or agree to be on a mailing list to vote. Just go to The Bloggies Awards website and scroll down until you see the various categories. To vote, click on the small gray circle at the bottom of your favorite blogs, then scroll down to the bottom and enter your email address, type in the two words that prove you are a human rather than a robot, and click on the “Submit your nominations” button. You’ll receive a confirmation email, with a link that you must click on to confirm your vote. That’s all there is to it.

Thanks so much for your support over the past years as I pursued my dreams. And happy reading!

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Travel Insights 100, a panel of travel experts selected by UpTake.com (the travel search engine that helps travelers decide where to go, where to stay, or what to do) were recently asked to name the dumbest moments in travel during 2009.

The experts ranked the airlines as the dumbest industry, citing events such as ramping-up of all kinds of airline fees, the NWA Flight 188 pilots who overshot the Minneapolis airport during a landing approach because they weren’t paying attention, the ‘United breaks Guitars‘ fiasco, and TSA threatening travel bloggers. However airlines weren’t the only ones on the dumbness radar, as the following presentation shows:

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A few months ago I was honored to be invited to become a member of Travel Insights 100, a panel of 100 travel experts that included activists, traditional media, independent travelers, and airline and hotel experts who have banded together to monitor travel insights and trends and share that information across the travel industry. Participants, who were hand selected by the folks at UpTake.com (the travel search engine that helps travelers decide where to go, where to stay, or what to do) were recently surveyed about their predictions for travel during the upcoming year.

Responses covered a wide range of issues, but several trends were evident. The following were the most oft repeated predictions; it will be interesting to track the insights to see if they come to pass in 2010:

Travel Insights

1. Travel will begin to recover  in 2010, driven in part by a pent-up demand from those who have put off traveling due to economic concerns, but travelers will continue to focus on discounts and promotional pricing. Most believe that discount airlines, hostels, and budget hotel chains will be the big beneficiary of this trend.
2. Several panel members believe that travelers will drive rather than fly whenever possible, as the airlines increase security measures and add-on fees. Many predict that airlines will continue to introduce new add-on fees in an attempt to squeeze the last penny out of the traveler, and one respondent predicts this will result in the government stepping in to regulate the practice.
3. Social media (Twitter in particular) will continue to reshape how destinations are promoted and companies will increase their participation in and creative use of social media.
4. With the world becoming an ever smaller place, there are no longer any “undiscovered” destinations, yet travelers increasingly desire authentic travel experiences. Most panel members believe this will result in an increase in cultural based tourism, home stays, eco tourism, and volunteer travel.

An in a more humorous vein, participants gave us their dumbest moments in travel during the past year:

1. “The trend of airlines charging for checking bags. Passengers feel nickel and dimed and Southwest, who has openly advertised that bags fly for free, has picked up about $800m in business because of their policy.” Gary Arndt, Everything-Everywhere.com
2. “My personal pet-hate is this new lexicon of staycation and petcation and other equally horrible marketing words. Can’t we just go back to travelling?” Mark, Travel-Wonders.com
3. “Hands down, the dumbest moment in travel in 2009 was when the pair of Northwest pilots overshot MSP (Minneapolis/St. Paul) by 150 miles.” Willy Volk
4. “It’s hard to narrow down but I’d include any of the arguments about ‘the best way to travel’ – to each his or her own. Every method and type of travel has its benefits and its followers.” Anil, foXnoMad.com
5. “The dumbest moment in travel during 2009 was when Pamela Root and her 2-year-old son were kicked off a Southwest Airline flight because he was yelling immediately prior to take off. She was stuck in Amarillo (she lives in San Jose) without her luggage and had to buy supplies including a portable crib and diapers to spend the night before she could get another flight home. The mother in question was well prepared with games, activities, and food, and was simply waiting for take off to unbuckle and feed her child. I’m no fan of screaming children – my own or anyone else’s. But given the wide range of human behavior to be seen on airplanes, much of it beyond the pale, I find it ridiculous that this mother and child were singled out so dramatically.” Mara Gorman, The Mother of All Trips
6. “Cathay Pacific randomly increasing fares for lapbabies by 15%. Crying fee?” Kim Orlando, TravelingMom.com

I found it interesting but not surprising that the preponderance of “dumbest moments” were attributed to the airline industry.

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Southwest Airlines has always been one of my favorite carriers, a position which was recently reinforced when they refused to charge the onerous $100 checked luggage fee being levied by other airlines. My confidence in Southwest escalated another notch today when I learned a “green plane” is being added to their fleet. Environmentally friendly materials used in the interior of the Boeing 737-700 will equate to a weight savings of almost five pounds per seat, saving fuel and reducing emissions while adding recyclable elements to the cabin interior and reducing waste. Elements of the plane include:

• InterfaceFlor Carpet – reduces labor and material costs because it is laid in carpet squares, thus eliminating the total replacement of areas such as aisles. The carpet is totally recyclable and the manufacturing process is dedicated to being completely carbon neutral.
• Seat covers – offers more than twice the durability than the current leather seats as well as a weight savings per seat of almost two pounds. They are recyclable and have an environmentally- friendly manufacturing process.
• Life Vest Pouch – more environmentally friendly because it offers a weight savings of one pound per passenger. The smaller pouch creates more room under the seat for carry-on items.
• Foam Fill – A lighter weight fill in the back of the seats that reduces weight while providing increased customer comfort.
• Wind Screen – bulkhead product that lasts longer than the current leather product, thus reducing labor costs and waste.
• Aisle Rub Strips – switching from plastic to aluminum will help with durability, which reduces waste, as well as being recyclable.

As someone who is acutely aware of environmental issues, I applaud Southwest’s efforts, not only for this new plane, but for their long-term commitment to lead the industry in emissions reductions through fuel efficiency. The next time I step onto a Southwest aircraft, I will cringe just a bit less when considering the carbon footprint left by my flight.

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Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines recently announced that it will begin daily jet service from Northwest Florida’s new international airport near Panama City Beach, Florida in May 2010. Southwest has not released specific details, saying only that it will add at least two daily nonstop flights from Northwest Florida to four destinations across its 67 airport network for a total of eight daily nonstop flights when it begins service next year.

The new international airport, which is the first to open in the nation in more than a decade, is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in May 2010. Specific details on Southwest’s fares and schedule will be available in December 2009. Both the new facility and Southwest’s plans to provide service to the area are expected to help position Northwest Florida, which is blessed with stunning white-sand beaches, as one of America’s leading beach destinations.

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In the early years of blogging, political sites like Huffington Post, tech blogs such as Gizmodo and Mashable!, and celebrity gossip sites such as Perez Hilton were first to grab the spotlight. But of late, travel has had the hot hand on the Internet. Travel search engines, booking sites, travelogues, and independent travel blogs are multiplying like oversexed bunnies. There are now sites where travel bloggers can converse and others where travel writers can connect with PR firms and editors. Social networking sites are getting into the action in a big way; StumbleUpon only recently added a specific category for travel thumbs ups, and Twitter is inundated with travel tweets every day, all day. There’s even a special day on twitter for travel bloggers (TwitterTuesday) and an aggregator site where all travel tweets are collected and displayed in one place (Wanderlisting).

For those of us trying to make our living as travel writers, it’s frankly hard to stay on top of things, and that is where Travel Insights 100 comes in. Designed to be a forum where a diverse set of travel leaders* can share their points of view, Travel Insights 100 is a platform for discussion, based on research, with thought leaders in travel and tourism around the world. For their first project, the forum surveyed 100 travel leaders around the world to gauge their interest in and use of Twitter. The short presentation below is a summary of results from that survey, All About Twitter, released on September 21, 2009.

This is a first in a series of surveys the group will create during the next year, as it examines the impact that economic, political and social issues have on travel. Travel Insights 100 is a partnership between UpTake, a travel search engine; Tips from the T-List, a community of travel bloggers; and BootsnAll, a leading travel blog network.

*Barbara Weibel is a member of Travel Insights 100

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You want to take a vacation and you’re looking for inspiration. Or maybe you know generally where you want to go, but you need guidance on the best things to see and do when you get there.

The newest travel site in town, Ruba.com, is a visual guide and tour review site that helps travelers discover their next perfect trip. Need to know the most spectacular ruins in Rome? The best beaches in Thailand? Looking for a boutique hotel in Egypt? Or the best way travel to Dublin with kids? You can find it all at Ruba. Unlike many other travel sites where you consume reviews of individual hotels, restaurants, and sights, and THEN have to put it all together into a travel itinerary, on Ruba you can explore comprehensive photo-filled guides written by Ruba experts, fellow travelers, and tour companies anxious to share their experience and knowledge about specific destinations across the globe.

On the other hand, if you’re an expert on a particular city, country, or activity, you may want to create a an expert guide to share with others. Ruba makes that process a breeze, right down to providing pictures (of course, you can use your own photos, if you prefer). To see how simple it is, watch the brief video below, then cruise over to Ruba and start planning your next vacation.

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Gogo Inflight Internet, the new service that lets you surf the internet, get email, and use your mobile device while cruising at 30,000 feet at 500 mph, is offering a 50% discount on your first use through August 31, 2009.

Gogo promises that “if you can wi-fi, you can gogo.” The service is available on select AirTran, American Airlines, Delta, and Virgin America flights, and more are being added every day! It works with smartphones and other hand-held devices equipped with wi-fi, offered by all major U.S. carriers. Platforms supported include: BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Apple, and Nokia (Symbian S60).

How does it work? Once the aircraft reaches 10,000 feet and the captain gives the okay to turn on portable electronic devices, just turn on your wi-fi, connect to the gogo inflight signal, then simply launch your web browser and sign up. Gogo has more a mobile broadband network of ground towers covering the entire sky above the continental U.S. that allows you to browse the web, send email, even make cell phone calls on mobile devices. Cost for the service ranges from $5,95 for flights of up to 1.5 hours, $9.95 for flights of 1.5 to 3 hours, and $12.95 for flights of more than three hours. Passes are also available for 24-hour and 30-day time periods.

To take advantage of the half-price offer, create a Gogo account prior to traveling. The next time you fly with a participating airline, go to the Gogo website once you are airboorne and launch the service. Enter the following code: 158FLF7365 and the discount will be applied to your first purchase.

American Airlines is also offering FREE Gogo Inflight Internet access through the summer with promo code AAWiFi80208A2. Thanks to my friend Donna Hull at My Itchy Travel Feet for this tip!

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BlogHer 2009, the quintessential gathering of women who blog, is over for another year. It was my first time at BlogHer and I was extremely impressed, although the whirlwind of keynote sessions, breakout panels, geek labs, leadership track training, exhibitions, and private parties left me exhausted.

Welcome session

The undisputed highlight of the conference was the Community Keynote, where 21 chosen BlogHer bloggers read their work. I laughed out loud as Danielle from KnottyYarn.com told us about forgetting to remove her tampon before having sex with her husband and then, when she couldn’t “find” the tampon, living in fear that she would die of toxic shock syndrome for five days before going to the doctor. It was especially amusing to me because the same thing happened to me, oh so many years ago, and it took me three days to “fish it out,” as Danielle’s doctor referred to the process.

Issa from Issa’s Crazy World stepped to the mike and, with wavering voice, related the story of her beloved uncle Marky, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and lived most of his life as a mentally unstable homeless person. Tears flowed down my cheeks she described watching him descend into a private hell where he lived under a freeway ramp because it was the only place he felt safe and refused to wash because the soap was poisoning him. During his final years, Marky move into a small one-bedroom apartment that he filled with seven sofas because “they” needed a place to sit – “they “being the people inside his head. But the one constant was his love for his family; despite his affliction Marky never missed Issa’s birthday and when her father remarried Marky asked his brother and father to hold him down and wash him in the shower because he knew that being clean was the requirement for attending the wedding. This issue was so timely for me. Since I live half a block from a Salvation Army shelter, I interact with homeless people on a daily basis whenever I am home in Sarasota, and I am completely conflicted about the issue. If I give them money, will they use it to buy drugs or alcohol? I never know what to do. Issa’s story did not provided me with any answers but it certainly reinforced my belief that we must do something about this severe, growing problem.

Julie from I Do Things So You Don’t Have To stepped up to the mike and proclaimed, “I’m JD and when I was a kid – I faked a concussion so that you don’t have to.” This self-proclaimed “lying, faking, selfish monster of a child who needlessly worried her parents and spent innocent taxpayer’s money, just for a little attention,” reminded me that I screamed for attention as a child of nine or ten with a pretend illness. It started as a bad bellyache, but when my Dad grew concerned that the pains could be appendicitis, I milked it for all it was worth. I moaned , I groaned, I writhed on my parents’ bed, curling up in a fetal position. I eavesdropped as Dad called Mom at work: “If she has one more bad pain, I’m going to take her to the hospital.” He hung up the phone and I let out a master moan. That was all it took – off to the hospital I went. We were not rich. My Dad worked two jobs most of the time to make ends meet and I’m sure that hospital stay set him back a wad. Not to upstage JD, but she had it easy. All she had to endure was a scary night in unfamiliar hospital surroundings. In my case, once they determined I did not have appendicitis, they gave me a water ENEMA! Served me right.

Read more of the presentations on BlogHer’s Community Keynote summary page.

Speed dating

Some fascinating facts were presented during the conference. For example:

• More than 50% of women are now reporting that they are using the Blogosphere as their primary source of news
• Women who blog are significantly more active across all forms of social media
  • 80% read blogs daily
  • 57% write blogs daily
  • 80% use social networks

Women also control the majority of the purchasing power in this country, a fact that was not lost on BlogHer’s corporate sponsors. Every time I turned around, someone was shoving another bag of freebies at me; granola bars and flavored waters from Pepsico, thumb drives loaded with corporate propaganda from Michelin and Ragu, and travel packets of detergent from Tide, among varioous and sundry other merchandise (I have no idea who donated the brownie mix, frosting, shaving cream, peanut butter, raspberry jam, or Mr. Potato Head). One of the best things to come my way was a sample of Starbucks new VIA Ready Brew instant coffee. VIA is fabulous for travel – just rip open one of the small vacuum-sealed sticks, pour into a cup, and add hot water for coffee that is so much better than the horrible stuff provided at hotels and motels.

BlogHer 2009 was surprisingly emotionally charged for me. I was elated when I handed my business card to anther attendee and she said, “Oh, Hole In The Donut, I know your blog.” It’s one thing to read comments on my blog but quite another to meet someone in person who is a devoted reader. My elation was short-lived, however. Depression bordering on despair set in after attending a couple of break-out sessions. There is so much more work to do on my blog; I need to incorporate podcasts and videos, set up a Google profile, open a Flickr account for my photos, and perhaps even start a newsletter. The most important task ahead of me is to further refine the focus for my blog. In the past I have simply described it as a travel blog. But with the number of blogs growing at an exponential rate, it is no longer enough to be a generic travel blog. I was repeatedly advised to figure out my blog’s niche. When I started the blog nearly three years ago, it was a narrative about my escape from corporate life to pursue a new life doing the only things I have ever wanted to do – travel, write, and be a photographer. But now, what is it about? Travel for seniors? Budget travel? The spiritual lessons that come from travel? Off the beaten track travel? Travel beyond the normal tourist experience? Armchair travel for people who won’t or can’t travel?

Admittedly, I do not have a proper grasp on how to describe Hole In The Donut, and I suspect the only way to find out is to ask my readers. And so I am asking for your input. How do you think of Hole In The Donut? Is there a general theme that runs through the blog? I would really appreciate any feedback you can give me in the comments below. And as always, thanks for stopping by. I couldn’t do it without you.

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“What’s your travel personality?” It seemed a simple question, but for the founders of Trazzler.com, it was one not being addressed by any existing online travel site. Despite the proliferation of travel reference sites filled with logistical information, voluminous tourist bureau propaganda, and requisite guidebooks written by a handful of writers who may or may not have personally visited the places they reviewed, the folks at Trazzler believed something was missing. That something was fun!

Trazzler knew there were thousands of travelers just itching to write about their experiences, but they had no interest in lengthy travelogue articles. Instead, they challenged travelers to describe their favorite trip in 150 words or less, focusing on very specific moments that made the destination so special. Travelers wholeheartedly embraced the concept and within a very short time, thousands of “trips” had been produced, including 28 trips that I eventually wrote for Trazzler.

Meanwhile, readers began browsing through the easy to read trips – an activity dubbed “trazzling” – and adding their favorites to a wish list. Trazzler soon partnered with Facebook, which allowed readers to share their favorite trips with friends. And this is where it gets really interesting. As readers trazzle – clicking “skip to next” or “add to wish list” – Trazzler gets to know each user’s travel personality and begins to recommend trips that may be of interest. At the moment, recommendations are heavily weighted toward weekend trips close to home, but this will change. As their technology improves, Trazzler will begin to make suitable recommendations for destinations around the world.

Trazzler’s mission is to “free people from the distractions and cruft of online travel research.” They challenge the readers to flip through their trip pages while asking, “Where would I rather be right now?” There’s no doubt about it; Trazzler has put fun back into the process of deciding where to travel.

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Almost everyone who travels has had a disappointing hotel experience at one time or another. I can’t count the times I’ve made reservations based on glitzy photos of pure white sand beaches, luxurious spas, or highly rated restaurants, only to discover upon arrival that the sand on the beach is crushed shells, the spa employs novice masseuses, or the restaurant is actually located off-site.

Although the Internet has made booking accommodations much easier, search engines like Hotels.com, Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity are in the business of selling hotel rooms, thus the bulk of the information and images shown on their sites have been provided by the hotels. Trip Advisor, which provides a platform for guest reviews, is a sightly better option, but they make no attempt to verify the truth of these anonymous ratings (I know of one instance where a guest wrote a vindictive, negative review because his credit card was charged for a night’s stay when he didn’t show up or even try to cancel his reservation).

Oyster Hotel Reviews reporters. Photo courtesy of Oyster.com

Recognizing that this was a niche waiting to be filled, three Internet entrepreneurs launched Oyster Hotel Reviews in the spring of 2008. Working quietly in the background they acquired investors and hired full-time reporters, who began staying at hotels around the country. Unlike some well-known travel guide books, hotel management is never told when an Oyster representative is coming to review the property. Reporters use a consistent set of criteria to ensure they apply the same standards to each hotel. Their in-depth evaluation includes guest interviews and taking hundreds of photos of the rooms, common areas, and facilities. Both the good and the bad are depicted and the level of detail is impressive; photos show moldy shower tiles, grunge on bathroom fixtures, and in one case, a cockroach found in a tub. The reporter’s comprehensive written review of the hotel, along with these unretouched photos, simplifies the task of choosing a hotel like never before.

The home page for each destination displays easy links for “best of” categories such as best romantic, family friendly, value, luxury, in-room internet, service, and super-clean hotel rooms. And since restaurants are always an important factor in the choice of hotel, each destination home page also includes easy links for categories such as best hotel restaurants and best all-inclusive cuisine. Additionally, hotels are searchable by location, rating, price range, and 49 different amenities.

Oyster currently covers destinations in Aruba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Miami, with New York City and Las Vegas being added sometime this month. Additional destinations are slated for review in 2009, although their targeted expansion markets remain a closely guarded secret for the moment. Oyster’s goal is simple: to be the most comprehensive hotel reviews site anywhere, on or off the web. And they appear to be well on the way to accomplishing that goal.

Before you go on your next vacation, check out what Oyster has to say about the hotels you are considering. Because as their motto says: “Oyster.com. Been there. Slept there.”

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Until I lived on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I thought vacation accommodations were limited to hotels, motels, and bed & breakfasts. When I arrived in Nags Head back in 1996, I noticed that virtually all the houses on the ocean side of the main highway displayed “for rent” signs. I needed a place to live, so the bounty of rental signs was encouraging, but after just a few calls I realized all these homes were not year-round rentals – they were vacation rentals.

Private individuals who own these residences stay in them two weeks out of the year and place them in a rental program for the remainder of the year, providing vacationers with an option other than hotels or motels. In the U.S., this type of accommodation is prevalent in the country’s most popular vacation spots: Hawaii, Florida, and destinations on both coasts, although their popularity is growing in the interior as well. Vacation rentals are also available in tourism hotspots around the globe – places such as Mexico, the Caribbean, South Pacific, Europe, Asia, and even Africa.

Vacation rental properties are never rented by the night; for most the minimum term is one week and some (such as in parts of Florida) require a minimum stay of one month. Arrangements can be made through vacation rental firms that represent owners in specific cities, but more and more, owners are marketing and renting their properties directly through websites that allow free listings of vacation rentals, such as Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO), Goin2Travel Vacation Rentals, and 4BeachNuts Vacation Rentals.

Staying in a vacation rental has its advantages. Most newer properties provide unparalleled amenities such as a private pool, hot tub, rec rooms with billiards, media/theater rooms, and multiple master bedrooms with private baths. Having a fully equipped kitchen allows guests to save money on restaurants, and because many vacation rentals have six or more bedrooms, multiple families can band together to make the high rents more affordable.

If you plan to vacation at one of the more popular tourist destinations this year and want to stay in a “home away from home,” then a vacation rental might just be the perfect solution.

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American Airlines has just announced a sale on beaches! Purchase tickets by June 16, 2009 for outbound travel through October 29, 2009. Travel must be complete by October 31, 2009. The following are just a small example of the sale prices:

• Miami to/from Nassau, Bahamas Starting at $49*
• Miami to/from Freeport, Bahamas Starting at $59*
• Dallas/Ft. Worth to/from Cancun, Mexico Starting at $67*
• Boston to/from Cozumel, Mexico Starting at $74*
• Miami to/from Oranjestad, Aruba Starting at $129*
• Boston to/from Los Cabos, Mexico Starting at $150*
• Miami to/from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Starting at $157*
• Miami to/from St. Maarten Starting at $179*
• New York to/from St. Kitts Starting at $192*

This is a limited time offer, and the low prices quoted above will likely rise or disappear as available seats are snapped up, so if you’re up for an exotic beach vacation, take advantage of this American Airlines special offer as soon as possible.

* Fares are each way, based on round-trip Economy class purchase. Reservations are required. Tickets must be purchased on AA.com within 1 day of making reservations or by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on June 16, 2009, whichever comes first. Sale fares are valid Monday through Thursday; other days are subject to higher fares. A 2-night minimum stay is required, and a 30-day maximum stay is allowed.

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Microsoft entered the online travel search engine fray with its launch of “Bing” on June 1st. My initial reaction was that we need another travel search site like we need a hole in the head. Providers like Orbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia are already battling for market share by lowering or eliminating booking fees altogether, driving down their profitability and making it difficult to succeed in an already saturated industry. At least that’s what I thought until I actually tried the site.

Bing is different. Like other search engines, it “scrapes” data from hundreds of travel web sites worldwide to aggregate information about airfares and hotels. But it also offers some interesting services that others do not. Their Price Predictor shows if airfares are rising or dropping over the next seven days and provides a recommendation to buy now or buy later. Bing’s Rate Indicator compares each individual hotel’s current rate to its observed historical rates and indicates whether or not today’s rate for a specific hotel is a deal.This service is available from most major U.S. and Canadian cities for destinations worldwide.

It also provides a flexible search tool that compares fares for flights departing within a 30-day range. You can even set up a fare alert – Bing will notify you of the latest low fares for your selected trip. Perhaps most importantly, once you find the airfare or hotel that’s right for you and select it, Bing steps aside and lets you book it directly on the provider’s web site.

Additionally, Bing has a destination area where you can research potential vacation spots, as well as a Travel Blog, with content povided by some of the best travel writers in the industry. Check it out; I’m sure you’ll agree it’s head and shoulders above the rest.

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American Airlines is now allowing customers to book one way fares when redeeming miles in their AAdvantage frequent flier rewards program. New One-Way Flex Awards are offered at exactly half of the round-trip rate. The benefits of the new program include:

• Customers can now book a one-way trip, a round trip, or a multi-city trip online
• It is now possible to combine MileSAAver and an AAnytime awards, allowing customers to take advantage of an award that requires a lower number of miles for half of the trip
• Customers may now combine different classes of service for different legs (i.e.: economy class outbound leg and business class on the return)

The AAdvantage award booking tool on AA.com has also been enhanced, making booking reward travel online a breeze. The easy to read at-a-glance calendar now allows customers to select different award types (MileSAAver or AAnytime) or classes of service for each portion of their trip.

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