Budget Center Incorporated has gathered a bunch of domain names related to budget travel, and they’re now working to bring us search capabilities for some cheap travel deals. Budgethotels.com has been around for a little bit, but now they are opening Budgetairlines.com to the masses. The site launched this week, and it's using Kayak’s magic to check out the lowest fares out there.

Unfortunately, we aren’t too impressed with the site’s initial offerings. It offers a pretty basic design—including an awesome suitcase clipart—and an embedded link to a Kayak search. There’s plenty of links to other travel sites thanks to Google, and of course a link to their search sibling at Budget Hotels. We tried to find some deals, but the search results are identical to what you can find by just using Kayak. ]]> kjb 2010-02-19T11:58:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/12/29/11358/146

There are deals to be found even in Vancouver right now

If you're smart, and not a hibernating mammal, then you're probably actively looking into travel deals for the month of January. While most people are recovering from holiday shopping trauma, others are taking advantage of less-crowded flights and predictably lower prices.

As The New York Times recently reported, "January may be the best time of year to take a vacation, as passenger traffic drops and resorts, airlines and cruise companies all roll out deals." Single travelers and childless couples, especially, may want to consider a trip in the dead of winter. As "families return to school schedules," there likely aren't too many teens, tweens, and toddlers with whom you'll be sharing airline time. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-12-29T17:04:52-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/12/28/112428/23

London: A value destination?

We all know how much list-making fanatics love the end of the year. It's prime time for looking back and rounding up "Best Of" lists, and for some, like the folks over at Lonely Planet, making predictions for the year to come.

So, what destinations are sure to be hot in 2010? Per USA Today, LP's picks for the Top 10 countries for travel include El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Portugal, Malaysia, and Suriname. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-12-28T15:34:51-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/12/23/1310/4606

Seriously, Shatner?

There've been Priceline gripes a-plenty, but we've also begrudgingly admitted to using "The Negotiator" to wrangle ourselves travel savings when it suits us. In our very, very, very last-minute search for holiday travel deals, what should we stumble upon than a menu of Flights Under $150, expiring tomorrow. *Flash-Act Now!-Flash*

Is The Shatner for real, though? Prices averaging at about $150 round-trip, with some departures the day before Christmas? We had to dig a little deeper to see if Captain Kirk was fooling us with that karate stance and winning grin.

What we found, after the jump. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-12-23T13:49:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/12/12/141250/21

It's winter vacation season, and those of us who didn't get any TARP funds have limited travel budgets to work with this year. But while we might not be able to spring for a trip to some luxe Caribbean beach resort, there are plenty of options closer to home where we could get our fix of sun and fun without breaking the bank. USA Today writes about some of the crazy deals available at indoor water parks around the country, where you can bask in constant 86-degree temperatures, splash around in some pretty creative pools, and get your share of ultraviolet rays through huge skylights. It's definitely not something I've ever done before, but after reading about some of the more unique features, I have to admit that I'm intrigued. They look like fun. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-12-12T14:12:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/29/23739/691

If there's any single airline we'd rather not fly (other than Aeroflot, that is), it's got to be the Irish low cost carrier Ryanair. Boy oh boy, have we called them some names in the past, all the while unearthing their nickel-and-diming schemes to possibly charge passengers to use the bathroom and allow smoking on flights. But, with a European trip on our horizon, we're willing to let bygones be bygones and fly the fee-riddled skies of Ryanair.

In fact, we have a somewhat fond memory of our last Ryanair flight— a roundtrip from Rome-Ciampino to Barcelona-Girona that cost us a total of $45, not counting bus fare. But those were the days before Ryanair removed check-in desks and expanded their routes to irresistible locations. So, this past weekend while needing some time away from the Thanksgiving table, we visited the Ryanair website and yes—we bought tickets on a flight. The grand total for two passengers on a one-way flight from Brussels-Charleroi to Edinburgh? 14 Euro.

The shockingly low fare explained, after the jump. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-11-30T09:34:35-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/16/172221/95

After the recent chopping of magazines like Gourmet, it's safe to say that print media is beyond shaking in their boots; they're already cleaning out desks. The latest magazine closure scare came at Budget Travel, formerly under Arthur Frommer's wing but now controlled by the Washington Post Co.

On Friday, rumors began that the magazine would announce its closure on Monday (today). NY Mag reached Editor-In-Chief Nina Willdorf for comments only to receive a cryptic "heading out town"-type response.

Instead of closing today, it was only reported that "it's business as usual," but execs did hold a meeting to discuss the future of the magazine. Although it looks like no one lost their jobs today, employees in ad sales were told to hold on the February issues. Will the scythe of death fall on Budget Travel in January 2010, or—even worse—around the holidays? Rest assured that we'll continue to follow this story.

Related Stories:
· Magazine Deathwatch: Budget Travel [Mediabistro]
· Budget Travel Shuttering? [NYMag]
· Travel Magazines [Jaunted]

[Photo: Kenn Wilson]]]> JetSetCD 2009-11-16T17:34:38-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/