Travel book goes mobile with scannable QR code

Many travelers still rely on comprehensive printed guidebooks for tourism information. But travelers are also increasingly using mobile technology to plan a trip or find their way around.

Frommer: Get travel advice from a local expert

In the course of some 35 years, obtaining short-term apartment stays in Europe for tens of thousands of Americans, the company known as Untours (888-868-6871; www.untours.com) has amassed a list of trusted, English-speaking, European associates who serve as troubleshooters for Untours' clients. You travel to an Alpine town, or to a major city, and Untours puts you in touch with its local representative, who has the job of rescuing you from all sorts of troublesome situations.

Airfares and related fees might rise next year

Prices may be coming down at the gas pump, but they're going up at the ticket counter. Look for higher airfares in 2010, some forecasters say, and maybe another round of fee hikes.

You may have to go the extra mile to save on car rental

While it has been a great year for airfare sales, when it comes to renting cars, rates are rising. Rental companies have reduced fleets, and travelers are paying more than they did last year for the same cars. Prices really take off during peak travel periods, so you could be in for an unpleasant surprise when you book that rental car.

American Airlines increases round-trip fares $10

American Airlines raised fares on round-trip flights by $10 and was followed by United Airlines and US Airways, according to FareCompare.com.

The boost is the fifth this year and the second in two weeks, Rick Seaney, chief executive officer of the Dallas-based provider of ticket-price information, said in a report. There were 15 fare increases in 2008, he said.

Commentary: Times are bad, but why take it out on the server?

Tipping in a recession is a dilemma. Do you stick with the 18 to 20 percent formula or retreat to 15 percent? Do you skip an appetizer, a glass of wine or a dessert to lower your dining bill and thus your tip?

If you see a holiday airfare bargain, grab it now

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Two major players, Southwest and AirTran, have launched sales. Other airlines including American are matching the fares in competing markets. The AirTran sale goes through the end of January, and this is the first sale we've seen from Southwest that extends into February.

HOTELS

Hotels get creative to cope with hard times

With occupancy rates hitting record lows, hoteliers are increasingly relying on special packages to attract customers.

Low-cost airlines all a-Twitter with customers

A Seattle woman tweets from an airport that JetBlue's birthday present to her was forgetting to put her wheelchair on her flight. Seven minutes later, an airline official tweets back that the crew will work quickly to make things right.

United Airlines offer: Pay $249 a year to avoid checked-bag fees

Is there no end to airlines' creativity in extracting money from us for services that once were free?

Apparently not, judging from the latest option that United Airlines announced this week: Pay a $249 yearly subscription fee and you (plus up to eight people traveling with you on the same reservation) get to check up to two bags per person, per flight for free all year.

Holiday travel getting more expensive -- and more difficult to book

As if holiday travel could get any worse, FareCompare.com's chief executive, Rick Seaney, recently uncovered two new snags.

The first is a $10 ``holiday surcharge'' tacked on to fares for travel the Sunday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29) and the two days after New Year's (Jan. 2 and 3). While airfare pricing can seem erratic, and $10 won't have much of an effect on the average traveler, seat cutbacks might.

ESPN video case shows holes in hotel security

The hotel industry is reexamining guest privacy safeguards in light of the case of an ESPN reporter who was videotaped nude through the peephole of her hotel room door, allegedly by a man who reserved an adjacent room.

Be a New Yorker: Magazine's festival shows you the way

Several years ago, on a Sunday morning, my girlfriend and I met writer Calvin Trillin on a corner in New York City, shook hands and set out to eat our way toward Brooklyn, walking through Greenwich Village, into Little Italy, then Chinatown.

Universal unveils plans for Harry Potter attraction

A massive Hogwarts castle will loom over The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, slated to open in the spring at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando.

AIRLINES

Time is right to get good deals on air fares

Airlines are beginning to offer good deals for fall travel. The time to buy could be now.

Hotel deal or no deal?

I recently stumbled onto a report I dubbed ``Hotel Confidential: What Innkeepers Won't Tell You About Pricing.''

The report, in reality titled Hotel Revenue Management in an Economic Downturn: Results of an International Study, released in August by the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, coaches hotel owners on how to weather the recession and keep most of us paying the highest room prices possible.

Good travel deals in a bad economy

Airlines: By June, they finally had trimmed flight schedules enough to keep planes fairly full, despite selling fewer tickets.

Surviving the dreaded tarmac delay

You're tired, hungry, have a cranky baby on your lap and all you want to do is get off the plane, but you can't because it's been on the tarmac for hours waiting to take off.

Compare airfare sale prices before you buy

We're continuing to see airfare sales as we head into fall. While you can find some good deals, if you want to travel in late fall or winter, we should see even better deals in the weeks to come.

In 9 months, stellar travel event of the decade will open in Shanghai

Judging from the lack of U.S. advertising for it, you'd never know an important World's Fair (called the World Expo) is scheduled to take place in Shanghai, China, from May through October of 2010.