Harriet Baskas

Whether you’re still on your end-of-2016 vacation or sitting down to plan your 2017 itineraries, January is an affordable and less-crowded time to hit the road. Cheap Stays in the Big Apple The post-holiday lull is a great, deal-filled time to visit New York City. During Hotel Week NYC, which runs from January 6 to 15, 2017, more than a dozen hotels that usually charge upwards of $500 a night (such as the Library Hotel, Hotel Giraffe and the Refinery Hotel New York) are offering stays for just $…

There’s airfare savings if you can give up a little convenience.

Spring may be just around the corner but there are plenty of deals for travelers right now. Free Entry to Museums, Zoos, and More On March 4 and 5, and during the first full weekend of every month, the Museums on Us program offers complimentary admission at more than 150 museums, zoos, aquariums and science centers around the country to holders of Bank of America and Merrill Lynch credit and debit card holders. Two good choices to use your free pass: The Newseum in Washington, D.C., where the re…

Should Americans start scrambling to make embassy appointments for visas before grabbing those cheap airfares to Europe for summer travel?

April offers plenty of free or low-cost deals and adventures to help you take your mind off any impending tax bills and start enjoying spring.

Is an unwelcoming political climate really creating a “Trump Slump” in the annual $250 billion business and leisure travel industry in the U.S.?

Cruise lines, tour operators, travel agents and others in the travel industry are figuring out how Trump’s changes will affect American business in Cuba.

The next total solar eclipse over North America won’t take place until 2024, so umbraphiles should find a viewing spot asap!

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is ready for the arrival of tens of thousands of Super Bowl 52 fans — and extremely prepared for their departure from the Twin Cities on Monday after Sunday’s big game. “For many Super Bowl attendees, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will be their first and last impression of Minnesota, and we want to ensure it’s a great one,” said Brian Ryks, executive director and CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which owns and operates MSP.…

Following a series of pet deaths and shipping mishaps — including one Kansas-bound dog being sent to Japan — United Airlines has issued revised policies for its PetSafe animal transportation program, which will now only carry cats and dogs in the carrier’s cargo hold and ban certain breeds entirely. Under the new rules, which go into effect as of June 18, more than 25 breeds of short-nosed cats and dogs are banned from the cargo hold. That includes Chow Chows, bulldogs, mastiffs, pugs, and Pekin…

Flexible cancellation policies mean you can take advantage of savings now, for future travel.

International travel “is going to be a hodgepodge this summer,” said one travel expert.

“It’s revenge travel with a hint of ‘the world may close down again so let’s go now,’” one travel agent said of her most determined clients.

Business travel is clawing its way back to 2019 levels as Covid-19 concerns largely recede. But as tighter abortion restrictions and anti-LGBTQ laws proliferate, some employers and event organizers are weighing a new set of threats to employees’ safety outside the office. Dozens of states have slashed abortion access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and more than 180 bills restricting LGBTQ rights are advancing in statehouses nationwide. Many such moves have drawn criticism on pol…

Last Thursday the State Department advised travelers from the U.S. to “exercise increased caution” worldwide because of the Israel-Hamas war, citing “the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.” The warning “means what it says,” said Jeffrey Price, an aviation security expert and professor of aviation and aerospace science at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “Don’t go to areas where they are actively capturing or killing U.S…

This year’s post-pandemic travel boom is continuing into the holidays. Nearly half (48%) of Americans plan to travel between Thanksgiving and mid-January, up from 31% last winter, a recent Deloitte survey found. AAA expects 55.4 million travelers to venture at least 50 miles from home during the Thanksgiving period alone, a 2.3% increase from last year. That means if you’re hitting the roads or the slopes this season, you’ll have lots of company. Here’s what to expect as you pack your bags for a…

Consumers who got a taste of higher-end amenities during the last couple years’ travel boom aren’t too keen to go back to basic economy, and the travel industry doesn’t want them to. “If ‘revenge travel’ was then, emboldened travel is now,” said Erika Richter, a spokesperson for the American Society of Travel Advisors, which has seen customers continuing to take advantage of the upgraded offerings operators are dangling. With travel volumes still trending well ahead of pre-pandemic highs, “premi…

Big spenders are set to boost Las Vegas service workers’ earnings during Super Bowl weekend, but maybe not by much. Sin City expects to host more than 330,000 visitors as the San Francisco 49ers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL’s title game on Sunday. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority expects the matchup to generate $600 million in economic impact for the city, though the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the broader payoff can take time to be fully realized, estimat…

If construction cranes are looming over your local airport or “Please Pardon Our Appearance” signs are decking out the terminal, it may be partly thanks to Congress and the White House. U.S. airports say money from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a drop in the bucket when it comes to their funding sources and infrastructure needs. But the legislation is already helping some rip up worn carpets, upgrade restrooms and replace clunky baggage systems. While federal dollars have long backed…

It will take more than the moon blocking out the face of the sun for Emily Gegg and Amanda Schwent to charge more for moonsicles. The best friends and co-owners of Luna’s Shaved Ice have stockpiled 25,000 of their frozen fruit pops to sell for $3 apiece to visitors descending on Perryville, Missouri, to watch Monday’s total solar eclipse. “We didn’t even discuss raising the price for the eclipse weekend,” said Gegg. “That wouldn’t be right,” Schwent added. Perryville, about 80 miles south of St.…