Today’s Photo of the Day comes from Mary, founder of Besttraveldeals.net.  Over the summer Mary traveled with her son to Yosemite and brought back some amazing shots including this one of Yosemite Valley.   If you’ve never been to Yosemite this picture will certainly inspire you to go. 

For more information on our nation’s National Parks be sure to check out PBS’s special “The National Parks” which is airing all week on PBS.

Also don’t forget to share your own travel photos on our facebook page for chances to win prizes such as an Amex gift card.

The Porches

While I am still trying to come to grips that the summer is over and fall is upon I am also getting excited for ski season.  If you love to ski like I do you will agree that there’s nothing better than a ski trip with your friends and family where you can all relax in a ski house or condo after a long day on the slopes.  It definitely beats staying in a hotel.   If want to add the ultimate in luxury to your ski house dreams check out this deal from the The Porches. 

The Porches, a luxury private residence club in Steamboat Springs, Colorado is offering 30% off winter rental exclusively to members of it’s facebook group.  If you aren’t a member or are a member and haven’t booked yet hurry and up and join- this deal is only available through October 1st.  In addition to this deal they are also offering 25%  off early winter bookings if booked by October 15th. 

The Porches offer 4,000-5,000 square foot rentals that you can enjoy with your whole family.  Each fantastic residence has 4-5 bedrooms and bathrooms that sleeps 15 people COMFORTABLY, large gourmet kitchens, a personal game room complete with pool table, foos ball and bar, flat screens and a fireplace in every room, a bunk room for the kids and a huge gourmet kitchen and dining room ideal for making meals and memories. The attentive staff can decorate the residence before you arrive, complete with a Christmas tree and stockings and can make all your arrangements during your stay. The Porches is located a stones through from amazing outdoor recreation like skiing, tubing, hot springs, and more.  In addition to beautiful vacation home the Porches offers ammenities such as ”The Barn”, thier amenities center where you can lounge by the pool, enjoy a latte, relax in the steam room or workout in our state of the art fitness center.  They also offer complementary Ski in/out VALET TENT, point to point shuttle service, ski rental delivery, concierge, and lattes.

For more Fall Travel Deals check out our complete list.

Looking for a fun and frighening way to celebrate the ghostly season? BedandBreakfast.com has a fun special just in time for Halloween.  According to thier recent survey about 20% of inns in the US are haunted- that’s about 3600 inns! They also found that 20% of travelers seek a haunted place to stay for Halloween.  In this “spirit” they’ve put together  a list of over 100 haunted inns for you to choose from when making your haunted travel plans.

Pack your flashlight and maybe a teddy bear and check out some of the inns that made the list:

The Texas White House in Fort Worth, TX

Texas White House, Fort Worth, TX

This inn is haunted by the husband of the only family that ever lived in the house.  He died in the house and now haunts his old room, the Lone Star Room.  He seems to only appear when a single woman is staying in the room, but don’t worry he is said to be “freindly”. 

The Honeybee Inn, Horicon, WI

Honeybee Inn, Horicon, WI

This Inn is believed to be haunted by Coton, a lumber baron who used to live there.  Coton haunts the place with his female companions.  Proof of his spirit includes the rocking of his rocking chair by itself, sighting of a woman in a long apron, and squeaking on the stairs at night.

Kehoe House Bed and Breakfast, Savannah, GA

Kehoe House, Savannah, GA

This 1892 Queen Anne-style mansion is haunted by the Kehoe twins who are rumored to have died while playing in one of the houses fireplaces.  The fireplaces is closed up but guests report hearing the sounds of children laughing and playing in the night.

For more bed and breakfast deals check out the bed and breakfast deals section on Besttraveldeals.net.

Times Square

New York is an exciting, fast-paced metropolis that attracts visitors from all over the world. Whether heading there for business or pleasure, newcomers often find themselves charged up by the nonstop hustle and bustle of the city. It’s invigorating, but at some point, you will still need to sleep in the city that never sleeps. It’s a good idea to look for NYC hotel deals before your trip to ensure that you get the lowest prices.

How can you find great hotel discounts in the Big Apple? There are a few ways to go about it, but your first stop should be the internet. There are a myriad of great travel deals available online, many of which even your travel agent won’t know about. Since you can book online as well, it’s fast and easy to get the deal you want and lock in the low rates.

Tips for Finding NYC Hotel Deals

Discount codes - One of the best ways to get the price of a hotel lowered is to look for discount codes on travel websites. These are entered when you are booking online and provide great discounts.  They are very useful, but tend to have short life spans, so you may go through a few that are expired before you can get to a valid code.

Hotel deals – There are several sites that will give you information on which hotels are offering discounts and special rates. Booking through a reputable site which offers discounts on a hotel stay is a great way to ensure that you pay less for your trip. You might not be able to lower food and airline costs, but it is certainly possible to get a better deal on your New York hotel.

Check for offers – Many hotels offer specials for anyone with a gold or platinum credit card. Others have their own hotel chain cards that you can use to get discounts whenever you travel. Obviously, you would need to check and see if it is worth it for the amount of travel that you do, but in many cases, even just a couple of trips a year justifies getting one of these cards.

Ask for a lower price – When all else fails, get on the phone and ask if they can cut you a deal. It won’t always work, but depending on the hotel and whether or not they are booked, you may be able to get a lower price just by asking. It’s worth a try!

NYC hotel deals aren’t uncommon. New York City is notoriously expensive but you’re sure to land great bargains on hotels if you do some research online and follow these tips.  Once you reserve your hotel, then all you need to do is show up and enjoy the city.

When I travel, I enjoy being active. This is not to say that I have anything against laying on the beach for a few hours a day, but if I’m going to spend my time and money to leave my hometown and venture forth, I’d like to get my moneys worth. These “eco tours” in Baja are a great way to get more bang for my buck (and a tan too!)  For less than $1,000 you can pick one of two packages that include kayaking, whale watching, snorkeling, and of course, delicious meals.

Baja Kayaks

The first package is a kayak and snorkeling adventure in the Sea of Cortez which contains some remote islands that are easily accessible by kayak. The body of water has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site so you can bet that you’ll come face to fin with some of the most colorful and unique fishes out there. The package includes two nights stay in a Loreto Hotel and two or three nights’ camping in the Loreto Bay National Marine Park. This also includes the gear you’ll need to swim with the blue-footed boobies, blue whale and sea lions that populate the water.

Of course, this is a guided tour and the naturalist guides bring along delicious Mexican treats such as chile rellanos and margaritas. If you’re traveling with a friend or loved one, the kayaks are stable double seaters. No kayaking experience is necessary. Trips run October through April.

If you’re more interested in whales, dolphins and turtles, the three day whale watching excursion includes 2 hotel nights and the chance to spend a few days in a motorized skiff that gets you close to the mystic creatures in the Magdalena Bay. There’s also a land trek through the dunes of the bay where you can collect various whale bones and seashells.

Sea Kayak in Baja

As far as the whales go, from January to March, more ten 20,000 California gray whales arrive from the Bering Sea. This makes the 10,000 miles round-trip journey the “…longest mammal migration on the planet,” –Terry Prichard, founder of the outfit.

Most importantly, in my opinion, the food provided includes fresh fish tacos and delicious margaritas. As a foodie, the authenticity of the meals is particularly important. The Baja Gray Whale Adventure package runs at just under $1,000 and includes these meals and drinks as well as three days of whale watching by skiff, two nights hotel, transportation to and from the airport and all equipment needed. All in all this is a great package to get some sun and sand exploration in over the harsh winter months.

British Airways

We’e just heard (thanks Joe Brancatelli!) that BA is going to start charging to choose your seats in advance beginning October 7^th. If you want to choose your seat more than 24 hours in advance there’s a charge of $30 for coach or premium economy and $75 for an exit row.

For business class you’re going to pay $90 if you want to choose your seat more than 24 hours in advance also effective on October 7^th.

These fees are for each leg of your journey, not just each way. Considering most trips have one layover, this is adding at least $120 to the fare, or $360 additional for business class.

The only way to escape these fees are to become a premium member of BA’s Executive Club or pay for  full fare business class tickets.

This is crazy – the airlines should just raise their fares, some unsuspecting family is going to get caught unaware they don’t have seats and not be able to get contiguous seats….does this remind you of Southwest when they first launched and you couldn’t get your seat until 2 hours prior to departure?

For anyone who has been to England it’s obvious that this is a country made up of walkers.  Dating all the way back to the middle-ages the people have fiercely guarded their right through legislation to walk across moors, cliffs, valleys, swamps and fields.  Due to these very old laws, farmers and any other land owner must keep public footpaths that run through their land clear and accessible for the public; and from the time they’re old enough to walk through mud in high, rubber boots children are expected to be able to out run a cow in case it charges.

So it only makes sense that the love of the walk doesn’t extinguish itself once the Englishman/woman moves to the city.  Companies like London City Walks, City Sidewalks and Green City Walks have figured out a successful way to tap into the national obsession by providing space-deprived Londoners guided tours and walks around the city that appeal to everyone for only £5.  From the historical to the voyeuristic, there’s a walk for everyone and just this past week I took the ‘Secret Gardens’ walk with Green City Walks through London’s famous Square Mile.  To give you an idea of what the walk was like I jotted down some interesting points that the guide brought up:

First of all, the theme of the walk was ‘secret gardens’ so we found ourselves walking down side streets and unmarked alleyways that opened up onto lovely hidden (but public) courtyards and gardens.  Walking from place to place our very knowledgeable guide also pointed out interesting factoids about the surrounding architecture and the history of the places we were passing.  For instance, our first garden on the tour belonged to the Draper’s Guild which segued into the origin of the phrase ‘To be at 6s and 7s’, used to describe a situation when you’re in an argument with someone and can’t reach an agreement.  We found out that during the ranking of the Guilds (societies, like clubs, that started up during the 15^th century and inspire deep loyalty within its members and their progeny) the Mercers and the Skinners were the only two who couldn’t agree on their ranking, which was 6^th and 7^th, so they decided that they’d switch places every year, a compromise that continues to this day.

On our way to our final garden we passed by the Dr. Robert Hooke Memorial, a tall column over 300 feet that was designed by Sir Christopher Wren but completed by Dr. Robert Hooke in 1675.  It was commissioned by the Lord Mayor as a memorial to the Great Fire of London that started on Pudding Lane and spread devastatingly quickly due to the fact that all the buildings at that time were constructed of wood.  It was because of this incident that all the buildings in the extensive reconstruction were completed in stone.  However, the memorial that Dr. Hooke constructed isn’t just an imposing column, its golden top is actually retractable and the entire structure can be used as a telescope (although it hasn’t been for quite some time).  And because of his affinity towards astronomy, Dr. Hooke was also a magnificent mathematician and incorporated his affinity for the subject into the iconic structure.  Based on the pyramids of Giza, the measurement of 51 degrees was considered sacred, and if you go to the top of the memorial and draw a 51 degree angle down to the ground it will reach the pavement 202 feet away, at the beginning of Pudding Lane and the origin of the fire.

The final garden is a rooftop garden at 1 Poultry Street (named for the old poultry market that used to exist across the street).  Once up there not only do you get the peace and tranquillity of a garden retreat, but out in front of you lays the entire city, cranes building up, cars zooming through the streets and an undeniable buzz of history reverberating into the present.

Like the walk described above you can be sure that your guide will be friendly, knowledgeable and will show you a side of London that you never suspected existed before.  The popularity and success of these walks are clear based on the fact that most of the walks are populated by actual Londoners and not just tourists.  So on your next trip to London book a tour with one of these companies: Green City Walks, London City Walks or City Sidewalks and take a 2 ½ hour tour of your choosing for only £5.  You can also visit www.walks.com for a complete list of the tours they offer which range from the literary (Shakespeare’s London) to the terrifying (The Jack the Ripper Trail).

Lake Geneva, a nine-mile long lake in southern Wisconsin, is the perfect fall retreat. It may be too cold to hit the beach, but the cool temps of Autumn make for pleasant days of boating, golfing, wine-tasting, picking pumpkins and fruit at local farms, horseback riding, and “leaf-peeping” at the vibrant fall foliage in the region. Resorts around Lake Geneva can be pretty pricey during high season, when families from Chicago and Milwaukee flock to the area. But as the temperature drops so do the prices. One particularly good deal is being offered by the Grand Geneva, a AAA 4-Diamond Resort.

Through October 29, Sunday and Monday night stays are just $79.50 per person  (stays on other nights are $20 more per person), which is 30% off of the regular rate at this time of year. But the deal gets even better. Along with accommodations in a newly renovated room, guests can also take their pick from one of the following extras: a free round of golf per person ($310 value for two),  a room upgrade to a suite ($160 value), or a second room for the same night (a $250 value), which would come in handy for those traveling with kids. Guests can also take 30% off spa services at the resort’s WELL Spa and Salon.

The Frank-Lloyd Wright inspired Grand Geneva sits on 1,300 acres of land and features over 300 guest rooms and three dining options. Recreational activities include horseback riding, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and tennis courts, an on-site spa, an indoor/outdoor waterpark, a ski and snowboarding park, kayaking and canoeing, hiking paths and mountain biking. The activities center will also arrange other outings like nature walks and pajama storytelling for the kids, and the fitness center offers a climbing wall and group aerobics and yoga classes. For a romantic getaway, the lounge features live jazz, wine tastings, and a Champagne Sunday brunch.

The town of Lake Geneva itself is also worth visiting. The small town streets are lined with boutiques and restaurants, candy shops and ice cream parlors. There’s also a lively waterfront with a small amusement park and a pier from which sightseeing tours of the Lake depart.

Petrifying Springs Park, Kenosha, Wisconsin

Today’s photo of the day is a gorgeous fall foliage shot from Petrifying Springs Park in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Don’t forget to submit your travel photos to our facebook photo contest  for your chance to win great prizes each week including a grand prize American Express Gift Card.

Earlier this month Crystal Cruises announced an amazing 2 for 1 sale.  Now in honor of thier 20th anniversary Crystal Cruises is offering 2 for 1 fares on all destinations and added even more ways to save.   Other offers include:  ”All Inclusive – As You Wish” spending credits for all destinations – up to $2,000 per couple, free round-trip air with most cruises, and business class air for Penthouse categories in Europe.

While Crystal Cruises may be one of the more expensive cruise lines, the luxury cruising experience they offer is worth the price.  With these deals your dream cruise might be in your budget.