by Wendy Perrin

Just a quick note to let you know that the U.K. Telegraph has published a passenger complaint letter written to Virgin Atlantic's Sir Richard Branson that is described as possibly "the world's funniest passenger complaint letter." Don't miss it.

by Wendy Perrin

"Is there a site that allows you to set up fare alerts when prices are reduced to a specific destination?" asks reader Gochek.

There are a ton, so I'll single out my favorite: FareCompare.  As I advised in my November Perrin Report on how to nab affordable airfares,

"Sign up for FareCompare.com's alerts so you'll know when prices drop on specific routes. These alerts go out by e-mail several hours before the reduced fares are loaded into the airlines' reservations systems--which means you can nab the discounted seats before others do. You can request alerts for specific cities, countries, continents, airlines, and classes of service, and you can specify that you wish to be contacted only when the price drops by a certain amount (I recommend about $30 for U.S. cities and about $80 for international destinations)."

Personally, I've signed up for these fare alerts from the New York area (where I live) to destinations all over, since my travel decisions are usually dictated by where I can fly a family of four cheaply.  Examples of wanderlust-stirring alerts that have popped into my in-box within the past couple of days alone include:

"Pepto Bismol, anyone?" asks the blogger behind Unfortunate Hotels. (That's the four-star Nyala Suite Hotel in San Remo, Italy.)

by Wendy Perrin

I've been laughing for the past ten minutes over a blog I just discovered called Unfortunate Hotels, which collects and reviews "hotel web sites begging to be mocked." Check it out and tell me: Is this hilarious?  Or have I just been sitting in a dark office staring at airline seat maps for too long?  Either way, I'm sure most of us can point the writer (who turns out to be Christine Cantera of the side-splitting romp known as Miss Expatria) to an "unfortunate hotel" we've recently survived.

by Wendy Perrin

If your appetite's been whetted by Conde Nast Traveler's February feature on Obama's Oahu about where the President eats, stays, surfs, and plays, and you're looking to get away before the end of next month, you should know about the latest big Oahu sale from Pleasant Holidays: 3-night airfare-plus-hotel packages from Los Angeles to Oahu starting at $299 per person. For $456 you can upgrade to the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa and for $493 to the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa. These offers are combinable with the extraordinary added values available at many Hawaiian hotels right now, including third night free, guaranteed upgrades, daily breakfasts, resort credits, etc. (Reservations must be booked by January 31, for travel now through February 28.)

Of course, if you're flying from a city other than L.A. or you'd prefer a different Hawaiian island, Pleasant Holidays has plenty of other deals too. Why? My January Perrin Report on how to save money and travel smarter in 2009 explains why some of the best travel offers these days come in the form of airfare-plus-hotel packages put together by consolidators. After the jump, find out why:

Yup, that's me at the Great Wall of China, Oct. 2007.

by Wendy Perrin

Okay, I'm hoping Asia aficionados will help me out here. We need to answer this question from reader Megan Carpenter of Washington, D.C.:

"For the young adventurous couple with no constraints except time, what is the best Asia itinerary? We are trying to plan a trip in May, but we have only 10 days for it. (Our busy and growing careers don't allow for a lot of time off.) I lived in Hong Kong in 2002 and my husband has never been, so we definitely want to start our trip there. I've also done Thailand a few times. What else can we do in a 10-day time frame that will allow us to see great new places and have some relaxing time as well?"

Ideas, anyone? (Just click on "Comments" below.)

When I think of my personal favorite spots in Asia outside of Hong Kong and Thailand -- including Luang Prabang, Laos; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Hanoi and Hoi An in Vietnam; Shangri-La and Hangzhou in China -- there is no way to combine them into one 10-day trip that also includes Hong Kong. You'd be spending all your time in airports.

Still, I've got two possible solutions to this quandary, after the jump:

Remember our 2007 Dream Trip Contest winner, Gene Pembroke? At this time last year Gene was criss-crossing South America on LAN Airlines and blogging about it here. Gene shot this photo in Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia.

by Wendy Perrin

Been itching to go to South America but scared off by the high ticket prices? If you live in the northeast, you're in luck: LAN Airlines now has roundtrip fares from New York City to six different cities in Argentina for $599, six different cities in Chile for $699, Easter Island for $999, and Uruguay for $599. (These fares don't include taxes, which add up to $90 to your bill.) There are similar fares from Toronto, as well as deals from other U.S. cities.  For flights to Argentina and Uruguay you must stay a minimum of 4 days, to Chile and Easter Island a minimum of 7 days. And one stopover is allowed for $75. Tickets must be bought on or before February 3 for travel between February 1 and June 15.

My kids in New York Harbor last March, on the deck of a cruise ship bound for the Bahamas.

by Wendy Perrin

At this moment of our economic downturn, when cruise lines are promoting outrageous discounts in order to fill their ships at almost any cost, some of you have been asking why I haven't pointed you to more cruise deals lately. Here's why: I was waiting for my February Perrin Report to be published. In my latest column I explain why it's never been more important for the cruise buyer to beware, and I list the necessary steps you should take to ensure you get the best possible value for your money when booking a cruise. You can click here to read it.

You might also find helpful an Associated Press article, published yesterday, about cruising on a budget. "The cruise fare you see advertised is not the price you'll end up paying" is one of the quotes from me. Click here to read the AP article.

The results of Conde Nast Traveler's annual cruise poll have also just been published. Click here to read how 11,000 of the magazine's savvy readers have rated more than 400 ships.

So what are the very best cruise deals available today? After the jump, I'll share two.

My family in Rome last month. (Yes, those are the Spanish Steps.)

by Wendy Perrin

Conde Nast Traveler reader M. Kaplan has written in asking for advice regarding renting an apartment in Rome:

"My husband and I have enjoyed your useful, practical travel advice for years now, thank you! We would appreciate hearing your opinion on something. We are planning to visit Rome, Italy, during the first half of August with our two teenage daughters. Have you heard of an apartment rental company called Halldis Tech Real Estate? It has some promising-looking rentals in Rome at that time. Or do you have any other companies you could recommend for Rome apartment rentals?"

As a matter of fact, I do. The Rome apartment specialist on the list of the best villa rental agents that my team and I update annually in Conde Nast Traveler's June issue is Roberta Cornwall of Doorways. Your timing is good because, Roberta says, some owners have reacted to the lousy economy by offering 10-20% discounts for stays throughout 2009, IF you book by the end of January.

I'd love to hear any feedback readers might have about either Halldis or Doorways. (Please just click on "Comments" below.)

by Wendy Perrin

Quite a few of you have been asking how to get lower airfares for travel to Europe this summer. The latest query comes from reader Leslie, who needs four tickets to Rome in late June:

"The fares I've found are more than $1,000 each. I've searched high and low, tried multiple connections, flying through London, etc. I've tried Aer Lingus, Eurofly, Swiss, Virgin, Air India. How can I find cheaper airline tickets to Italy?"

According to George Hobica of Airfarewatchdog, yesterday US Airways launched a fab unadvertised summer sale to London, Paris, Frankfurt, and other European cities: Fares are in the $500s and $600s, including all taxes, for peak summertime travel. "These fares are in some cases less than half what other carriers are charging," says George, "and they're from cities large and small."

"Airlines often launch amazing sales on a Saturday because competitors can't match them quickly," he explains. "That's because the computer systems that distribute fares to sites like Orbitz only update once on Saturday, around 5 p.m."

So how do you find these fares? Click to the next page to keep reading.

by Wendy Perrin

In his fascinating article "The 5 Million Frequent Flyer Mile Challenge", Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity writes "the true story of how [he] earned more than 300,000 frequent flier miles in the past five weeks, thanks to mileage bonuses from new credit cards." He spent $500 and a few hours of his time, he says, and gained at least $12,000 worth of miles.  It's a must-read. Thanks, WorldHum, for pointing us to it.

by Wendy Perrin

Conde Nast Traveler aviation correspondent Barbara Peterson learned how to ditch an aircraft as part of a flight attendant training course she underwent a few years ago. She shares her take on yesterday's incredible events--a USAirways flight landing in the Hudson River, with all 155 passengers and crew surviving!--on our sister site The Daily Traveler. Check it out here.

by Wendy Perrin

A few days ago I told you about a good Air New Zealand deal for folks who want to combine Australia and New Zealand in one trip and can travel in May.  If your destination is Australia only, and you need a wider travel window, you should know that Qantas has extended the booking date for its "G'day USA" fare sale till January 26. You can travel any time between February 1 and September 21 for a fare of about $900 from Los Angeles or San Francisco and about $1,100 from New York (JFK). (Those prices including all taxes and fees.) Bonza!

I just saved $2,500 by redeeming 64,000 Starwood Preferred Guest points for a five-night stay at the Westin on St. Maarten during Presidents' Week.

by Wendy Perrin

We're being carpet-bombed these days with hotel deals that yield bonus frequent-guest points, and all I can say is I hope you're taking advantage of them. The hotel industry has been improving these programs of late, eliminating blackout dates and showering its most loyal members with perks. As I note in my January Perrin Report on how to save money and travel smarter in 2009, it's wise to make hotel loyalty programs an integral part of your frequent-flier strategy. : 

"'Hotel programs have come as far in the last five years as airline programs have gone backward,' says frequent-flier expert Randy Petersen, founder of WebFlyer.com and FlyerTalk.com. 'Hotels offer a faster path to elite status than airlines, and they pay off faster," adds Joe Brancatelli of JoeSentMe.com and Portfolio.com. He recommends putting all your eggs in one frequent-guest basket and staying as loyal to one brand as possible."

Personally, my eggs are in the Starwood Preferred Guest basket because...

by Wendy Perrin

Airfarewatchdog--whose low-fare alerts I get in my email in-box every day--had an interesting post on its Airfare WatchBlog yesterday about "Secret Airline Deals": When it comes to air fares, it says, "the genuine steals often just languish unpublished, unadvertised, and unnoticed." That's why it's so important, when looking up fares on a search engine like Orbitz, not to stop at the official rate that Orbitz first shows you but, rather, to click through to the final step of the purchase process: The actual price that you get on the final details page is sometimes much lower than the official published rate you saw initially! Check out Airfarewatchdog's tip here.

by Wendy Perrin

Attention, fellow New Yorkers: Today's Top 20 Deals alert from Travelzoo.com lists air fare from New York to Hawaii for $385 roundtrip; according to Travelzoo, once you add in all the taxes, your total ends up being $455 to $465.  Considering what a steal Hawaii hotels and vacation rentals are right now, and how frigid the Northeast is right now, this could be the winter getaway you've been looking for. Here are the details.