By George Hobica

Airfarewatchdog.com

It's always fun to read other peoples'; lists of the 10 or 20 or 41 places you must visit in the new year.  The choices are always interesting to say the least, and by nature very personal. This year's New York Times list has some places I won't be rushing off to any time soon. Kosovo? Um, no. I honestly think some of the destinations in these lists are just there for shock value or because they weren't in previous lists and the compilers don't want to repeat themselves. Me, I'm all for repetition and I'm just not that adventurous. There, I said it.

I've been just about everywhere I've ever really wanted to go in my 20 or so years as a travel writer for magazines such as National Geographic Traveler and Travel and Leisure, and as the jetsetting founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, so here's my list not of the places you must visit in 2011 (I'm not making recommendations, because, frankly, we haven';t met), but the places I'd go back to again and again, followed by some places I haven't visited yet but wouldn't mind seeing, and a couple of places I'm not rushing back to. They're in no particular order of importance or preference. I don't know if these are the 'in' must see spots for 2011, but they're on my hit list or my miss list.

My Favorites

Bangkok. You haven't had real Thai food until you've been here. The service in the hotels is the best in the world, the prices are low, and the smiles are genuine. Plus there's lots to see.

Hawaii. Especially the Big Island. I've been to places like the Maldives but why go all that way when you can find much the same thing and lots more on Kauai, Maui, and the other Hawaiian Islands. And it's in the U.S.

New York City and environs. I live here, but there's so much do to that when I found myself with a week of lose-it-or-use-it vacation time at the end of last year, I stayed home and explored museums and neighborhoods I hadn't seen before, and revisited old favorites. The Hudson Valley is another great destination nearby.

Bali. Just amazing. Stay at the Four Seasons if you can afford it, and get out of Kuta as quickly as you can. Explore the high country. Sample the cuisine. Take a cruise to the Spice Islands and visit Komodo to see the eponymous dragons.

London. I actually did get tired of London for a few years (sorry, Dr. Johnson), but I've gotten over my ennui. One of the great things about London, besides the museums, history, great hotels such as The Savoy, theater, and architecture, is that it's not far from England. I got my graduate degree from Oxford, and that city is one of the most beautiful in the known universe.  I like the “other place” (Cambridge) too. And one of the best trips I ever took was riding branch line railways into the North of England and Scotland. I'm spending a week of vacation in the UK this February.

Singapore. OK, go ahead and laugh, but I've been to this nation state about 10 times and it';s one of the more fascinating cities anywhere, if only because it's so improbable, rising from the ashes of World War 2 to be one of the world's great metropolises. It's also a great jumping off spot for trips to other Asian destinations, since it's served by low cost airlines such as Air Asia.

New Zealand. The scenery is amazing and the people are among the friendliest in the world. What more do you need?

Turkey. Istanbul and Ephesus are two of the wonders of the world. And Turkey is still very affordable.

Switzerland. I love hiking in the Alps in summer and riding the scenic railways. And the trains run on time.

Venice. I’d go back in a heartbeat. There’s nothing like it anywhere. Not even in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas. Speaking of which, I actually like Vegas, in moderation. I don’t gamble, but the shopping, shows, restaurants, night clubs, and resorts make it worth visiting at least once a year.

Provincetown. At the tip of Cape Cod, this is a totally unique town. I love the beaches, the shops, the restaurants, the laissez-fare atmosphere.

At sea. I'd take a cruise almost anywhere. I just love watching the water and waking up in a new city each day if it's a port-oriented cruise. Or I'm just as happy crossing the Atlantic. My favorite line is Seabourn, but Sea Dream and Celebrity are great too. And I’m almost as happy on NCL, Carnival, and RCCL. And the fares are still amazingly low no matter what line you're on.

Places I'd like to see

Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. I visited Lebanon when I was a kid and would love to go back, and to see some of antiquity's stellar sites. I also have a hankering for Oman.

Cambodia. I want to see Angkor Wat before they rope it off.

Places I'm over

Athens. I've seen the Acropolis and been ripped off by the taxi driver bandits. No need for a repeat. I did enjoy Mykonos though and would like to spend a week in August there before it's too late.

Australia. As much as I love New Zealand, I just don't get Oz. Been there three times and yes Sydney is beautiful, but...;

The Caribbean. I've visited every island, and yes the weather is idyllic, but other than St. Barts, no thanks. Service is usually terrible, the cuisine is lacking, and the population too often surly. And I don't appreciate the billboards trying to convert me.  I'd rather go to Hawaii.

Mexico. Maybe I'll go back when they get their act together.

Paris. Great city, but maybe I've overdosed on it. Check back with me in a couple of years.

By George Hobica

Airfarewatchdog.com

With the current brouhaha swirling around the scuffle between American Airlines and online travel agencies Orbitz and Expedia (in case you haven't heard, American has pulled its fares from Orbitz and Expedia has pulled American's fares from Expedia.com and Hotwire.com), I've seen a lot of blog post comments basically saying, "Who needs online travel agencies? What good are they? I always book directly with the airline's website anyway. Good riddance!" But before we dance a jig around the grave of these third-party web sites, let's all take a deep breath and remember what travel agents—whether online or "bricks and mortar"--are good for.

Online travel agencies do at least six things well that airline sites don't (meta search sites such as Kayak offer some, but not all, of these advantages):

1. Quick and easy comparison of not just fares but schedules on many different airlines at a glance.

It's not just fares; it's schedules, too. If your main criterion is arriving, say, by 2 p.m. and aa.com shows all flights arriving by then at $300, then wouldn't you like to quickly see that another airline has 2 p.m. arrivals for $150?  

2. Flexible date searches.

Let's say you can only see your girlfriend in Toledo when the fare is $150 or less and you'll travel any time it goes that low. Most airline sites just do flexible date searches over plus- or minus-three or –seven days (although aa.com does this over 30 days), making flexible date searches time consuming and tedious. Travelocity.com and Cheapair.com perform searches over 330 days ahead, and Orbitz.com, Hotwire.com and Cheaptickets.com do 30-day searches quickly and easily, plus they do so on many airlines at once. (Meta search sites such as Kayak typically only do a plus or minus one-to-three day flexible date search). More about flexible date searching.

3. Multi-airline itineraries.

It might be cheaper flying your first leg on Airline A, your second on Airline B, and your third on Airline C. Online travel agencies (and good bricks-and-mortar travel agents) will work out the best fare in such scenarios; an airline site will keep you on its own system. Even meta search sites like Tripadvisor.com/Flights and Kayak will send you only to Expedia.com or Orbitz if the best deal is flying out on Frontier and back on US Airways.

4. Packages.

Ever notice the TotalTrip option on Travelocity? On some trips, especially last-minute ones, we've seen hotel plus air packages for half what air alone costs.

5. Opaque fares.

Sites like Priceline.com and Hotwire.com sell fares for less than airline sites as long as you don't care to learn the airline and exact flight times before you buy. You can save hundreds, especially on last minute fares.

6. Code share airfares.

Go to Orbitz.com and you'll often see an odd thing: two flight itineraries leaving and arriving at exactly the same time on two different airlines—let's say Alitalia and Delta. But Delta is selling the trip for $1000 and Alitalia for $600. This is a code share arrangement. Delta has bought seats on Alitalia and is free to sell them at any price it chooses. Go to Delta.com and you'll only see the $1000 fare. If you're a savvy traveler, you might think to check Alitalia's web site; if you're not, you'll overpay. Orbitz's fare matrix is the easiest way to quickly identify code shares (Orbitz's sister site Cheaptickets.com which, by the way, still shows American's fares, works the same way).

So here's the bottom line: if American ends up selling its fares the same way Southwest does (and as Airtran will after the merger)--i.e., only on its own website--and then Delta, United/Continental, and US Airways follow suit, then you'll be spending a lot more time online looking for the best deal. And you'll probably end up spending more on airfare. And yes, you can always use online travel agencies to find the lowest fare and then book directly with an airline, but that strikes us somehow as killing the golden geese.

By George Hobica

Airfarewatchdog.com

Talk about a snow job! With airports coast to coast battling some of the fiercest winter weather on record, travelers across the country are coming down with serious cases of terminalitis. But while the masses languish in their gate areas waiting for liftoff, savvy travelers are chilling out in the nearest airline club lounge, sipping on sparkling water (and, in some club lounges, free cocktails) and enjoying the free WiFi, comfortable seats, and senior airline staff who can help rebook flights without the long lines.

These days, airport lounges aren't just for premium customers – most airlines have now learned that there's money to be made by selling one-day passes to anyone who wants one. Got some time to kill? Hang out in American's Admirals Club for $50 per visit. Delta's Sky Clubs cost the same. United's Red Carpet Club? $39 if you buy online, $50 at the door. (Annual memberships can be pricey, with Delta's SkyClub, for example, costing $450 per year or 70,000 miles; other airlines are similarly expensive, although many savvy fliers sign up for the American Express Platinum Card which includes membership to Delta's, American's, US Air's and--until later this year--Continental's lounges).

Beats paying for a hotel room, right? Well, not so fast. Like everything else at the airport during an extended period of bad weather, anything can happen. Say, for instance, you're trying to buy your way in to American's Admirals Club, and so is everyone else, but it's already at capacity with members who pay the hefty annual fee. According to an American spokesperson, the club manager can suspend sales at their discretion. Ditto Delta, which says that it all varies by location.

And while American has a policy that clubs will stay open as long as they have flights operating – for instance, if there's a three-hour delay that extends into the wee hours, the local Admirals Club will stay open until passengers make their flights – well, when that's all said and done, the club shuts down, and it's back to the cold, hard, terminal floor for anyone left inside.

Not that clubs haven't stayed open all night – when JFK went on lockdown during the infamous December blizzard, coach passengers on Virgin Atlantic found themselves wandering the halls of the airport's Terminal 4, while those holding first class tickets got to relax in the relative comfort of the airline's Clubhouse. (Then again, the airline isn't in the habit of selling one-day passes, so it's not as if anyone could have bought their way in.)

Still, planning on your day pass to guarantee you a comfortable place to nap overnight during an extended delay? Probably not the best idea. If you expect to be in the airport for the night, at least purchase a pass on the airline you're ticketed to fly. That way, if the club does stay open until your flight takes off, you're in the clear. And even if it doesn't, you've still got a friendly face (well, one hopes) at the front desk to answer your questions. 

Bottom line: airline club rooms are a pleasant oasis at any time of year, but they're an especially wonderful refuge when the weather outside is frightful.

Fare of the Day: Washington DC-Reagan (DCA) to Sacramento, CA (SMF) $191 RT, including all taxes on American Airlines.

Travel Tuesday & Wednesdays during a 330 travel period. 14-day advance purchase restriction, no minimum stay required. Also available from Washington DC-Dulles (IAD) for the same price.

Fly British Airways and receive a free three-day car rental in select destinations in Europe.  Fares start at $398 round-trip, before taxes.  Offer is valid for outbound travel from January 25 through April 12, Monday-Wednesday. Fares require a 7-day advance purchase, with a minimum Saturday night stay, and allowed maximum of 11 months. For weekend travel (Thursday-Sunday), tack on an additional $30 surcharge.

Free Car offer is via Avis Car Rental and is based on an ‘exclusive’ insurance plan, where by unlimited mileage, vehicle registration fee and airport or city surcharges and taxes are included. Does not include fuel, GPS units, child seats or any other products or services. Should you opt to purchase any additional services at the car rental depot your credit card will be charged locally by Avis.

Fares include:

Boston to London $586 round-trip, incl. all taxes

Chicago to Madrid $674 round-trip, incl. all taxes

New York to London $585 round-trip, incl. all taxes

New York to Paris $737 round-trip, incl. all taxes

New York to Rome $669 round-trip, incl. all taxes

New York to Barcelona $619 round-trip, incl. all taxes

Washington DC to London $611 round-trip, incl. all taxes

Los Angeles to London $711 round-trip, incl. all taxes

San Francisco to London $711 round-trip, incl. all taxes

Atlanta to London $786 round-trip, incl. all taxes

Baltimore to London $611 round-trip, incl. all taxes

Miami to London $660 round-trip, incl. all taxes

Orlando to London $660 round-trip, incl. all taxes

Philadelphia to London $586 round-trip, incl. all taxes

Philadelphia to Edinburgh $620 round-trip, incl. all taxes

Raleigh-Durham to London $660 round-trip, incl. all taxes

Fare of the Day: Wilmington, NC (ILM) to New York-LaGuardia, NY (LGA) $119 RT, non-stop, including all taxes on US Airways.

Travel any day except Saturday through April 6, 2011. 7-day advance purchase restriction, no minimum stay.

Hoping to find a decent fare to Paris this summer? It may not get any better than today's Fare of the Day. Fly from New York's JFK to Paris for $466 round-trip, including all taxes, on XL Airways, departing June 1, returning June 8.

Fares jump to $650 for travel in July, which is still a bargain for summer travel to Europe. Found via Vayama.com.

Fare of the Day: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (DFW) to St. Louis, MO (STL) $140 RT, including all taxes on United Airlines.

Travel any day of the week except Sunday, 330 day travel period, 14 day advance purchase restriction. No minimum stay required.

Fare of the Day: Denver, CO (DEN) to Austin, TX (AUS) $154 RT, non-stop including all taxes on Frontier or United Airlines.

Travel any day of the week if available, 330-day travel period, 14-day advance purchase restriction.

Great fare for those of you who want to visit the SWSX Music + Film festival. Exact weekend dates aren't available at this low price but spending a few extra days in Austin after the festival crowds have left is over is well worth it.

Fare of the Day: Phoenix, AZ (PHX) to Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL) $170 RT, including all taxes on Continental Airlines.

7-day advance purchase restriction, travel any day of the week if available, 330-day travel window. Found via Orbitz and Travelocity.