Sherman's Travel

While flights to most popular destinations are more expensive over Memorial Day weekend this year than last year, there are two hotspots that have seen a big drop in prices: Las Vegas and Chicago. According to online travel agency CheapOair, the average airfare cost to Sin City fell 12 percent to $365 round-trip, while flights to the Windy City are down 14 percent to $296.

And those are just average prices; our Travel Search price comparison tool turned up round-trip flights starting from $68 in May. Unfortunately, weekends are one of the worst times to find hotel deals in Vegas, particularly during a holiday period. However, with a little careful planning and some flexibility – avoid a Saturday night stay if at all possible – you can still find rates that aren’t through the roof.

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You can learn a lot about people by how they behave on an airplane. It’s a narrow tube, the air is stale, and people’s definitions of personal space differ immensely. The women in high heels and tight pants seem showy. Passengers who think that a massive bag will fit in the overhead compartment have serious spatial relations issues. People who go into airplane bathrooms barefoot are disgusting. So, what better way to introduce myself as the new Associate Editor at ShermansTravel than to give you a sense of what I’m like on a plane?

I prefer the aisle seat. It gives me more room, though people walking to the bathroom often bump into me. I don’t drink anything other than water and ginger ale on flights. Well, the occasional Bloody Mary has been known to happen.

I sleep very well on planes. My personal record for longest uninterrupted nap on a flight is 11.5 hours. That probably no longer qualifies as just a nap. When I woke up, the woman sitting next to me told me that I looked very peaceful while I was sleeping. She made me more uncomfortable than any amount of turbulence could. Read more

And another budget airline goes a little less budget: Allegiant Air is following in the legally messy footsteps of Spirit Airlines and will become the second U.S.-based carrier charging for carry-on bags, effective for all new reservations made from Wednesday, April 4 on. As with Spirit’s guidelines, you’ll still be allowed a free personal item, such as a purse or a laptop, which must fit under the seat in front of you. Also like Spirit, paying for your carry-on in advance can save you money. If you pay the carry-on fee at the airport, it’ll cost you $35, the same as the checked luggage charge. The prepaid fees for a carry-on range from $10-$30, which is slightly lower than the $14.99-$34.99 for prepaid checked luggage. The fees vary by airport, but you can check what you’ll be paying here.

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Take-off to Toronto, our neighbor-to-the-north’s largest metropolis, during peak season for less. Fly round-trip to Ontario, Canada’s capital from select U.S. cities now through September 5 and slash 40% off seasonal rates. This deal from Porter Airlines, named an Official 4-Star Airline by Skytrax, ends Thursday, April 4. Some of the lowest fares, which factor in all taxes and fees, include departures from:

• Washington, D.C., from $233
• New York City, from $260
• Boston, from $260
• Chicago, from $276

Routes to other Canadian cities, such as Montreal and Halifax, via Toronto are also available at discounted rates.

Most large carriers fly to Toronto’s largest air-hub, Pearson International Airport, an expensive, 40-minute cab ride away from downtown. Porter Airlines conveniently flies to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, set upon an island just off the mainland. After a free five-minute ferry ride, Toronto’s city-center is a quick walk or cab ride away. Read more

Around the web we’ve seen a surge of travel news already this month, and to keep you up to date we’ve rounded up yesterday’s most exciting announcements, from Google Maps’ Street Roo to map Australia’s Outback, to Virgin Volcanic’s introduction of volcano expeditions. There’s also a host of new airline options and even some job postings worth looking into (especially if you, like most people, did not win this weekend’s Mega Millions lottery).

You’ve undoubtedly already heard of Virgin Galactic’s space tourism, but Virgin announced yesterday its next project, Virgin Volcanic, which will allow travel to the cores of active volcanoes (www.virginvolcanic.com). Trips in the 3-person WS1 volcano vehicle are scheduled to begin in 2015, with initial trips manned by Virgin billionaire CEO Sir Richard Branson, Tom Hanks, Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Seth Green, and Barbara Kopple, a two-time Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker who will direct a documentary on the expeditions. As Sir Richard says, “Alongside our adventures with Virgin Galactic and Virgin Oceanic, volcanoes are the next great unexplored terrain. What can I say, I lava challenge!”

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Want to discover some of Europe’s most fascinating destinations for less? Swiss International Airlines is offering flights to a variety of destinations from just $501 per person round-trip, including taxes. The following sample fares and more are available as part of their 3-day promotional sale:

• New York to Moscow…$501
• New York to Istanbul…$580
• New York to Geneva…$668
• Chicago to Istanbul…$680
• New York to Barcelona…$689
• New York or Boston to Zurich…$690
• New York to Madrid…$690

Travel between March 27 and May 17 — a great time to visit Europe. But hurry, you need to book by the end of day Thursday, March 15 to take advantage of this great offer. Visit the Swiss International Airlines website to find out more and book.

See our Europe Destination Guides for more trip-planning information. Then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates on hotels, packages, and more travel deals.

For many Caribbean destinations, spring is the perfect time to visit – the high season crowds start to depart and hotel prices begin to dip, yet the weather remains balmy and hurricane season is still just a blip on the horizon. A boon of new routes this year from the East Coast will get you to that sunny vacation even faster.

Launched March 2, Delta now takes New Yorkers from Laguardia to Nassau, Bahamas. JetBlue has three new routes with deals to match:

• Newark to San Juan, PR: starts April 25, from $163 one-way
• Fort Lauderdale to Kingston, Jamaica: starts April 30, from $107 one-way
• West Palm Beach to San Juan, PR: starts May 15, from $113 one-way

Use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates and travel deals on flights.

Looking to escape to the chic island of Nantucket this spring or summer but don’t want to make the arduous trip on the ferry? JetBlue is introducing a new non-stop route from Boston to Nantucket for just $46 one-way – this is up to 60% cheaper than competitor rates.

To get this deal, travel May 17-23 or May 30-June 13. Book by March 17. Take advantage of a range of local events during this time such as the Nantucket Wine Festival (May 16-20) and the Nantucket Restaurant Week (June 4-10).

Visit the JetBlue website to find out more and book.

Then book a stay at the Century House from $175 a night, or use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates for hotels in Natucket.

For general trip-planning information, see our Nantucket destination guide.

Yesterday, United Airlines announced plans for direct flights between Newark and Istanbul, subject to government approval. The new direct service is to start July 1, 2012 from Newark’s Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Istanbul’s Atatürk International Airport (IST). Istanbul to Newark flights will begin July 2 and a flight will run daily in each direction.

United, which claims service to more destinations worldwide than any other airline, will be joining the limited number of airlines currently offering direct flights between NYC and Istanbul. This includes Delta and Turkish Airlines, which both offer daily flights already. The addition of United will provide increased access to one of Europe’s most diverse countries and a city pulling personality from three ancient cultures and two continents. The new route is also likely to add to great flight deals, so keep an eye out!

See our Istanbul destination guide for more trip-planning information, then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates on flights, hotels, packages, and more travel deals.

JetBlue is doubling its flights to Florida from New York’s LaGuardia Airport this summer, adding destinations to the airport most convenient to Manhattan.

Even better – until March 12, the flights to their three new destinations are on sale. One-way tickets begin at $99 to Tampa, $109 to Sarasota, and $119 to Fort Myers for travel between June 11 and July 31, 2012 (with blackout dates around the Fourth of July holiday, June 29-July 9).

The new LaGuardia to Tampa routes will be twice daily; Fort Myers and Sarasota are daily flights. JetBlue is also adding two more daily flights to Orlando and one daily flight each to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood and West Palm Beach. That’s 16 round-trip flights to Florida from LaGuardia this summer. Read more