Think a white, sandy Christmas might be better than a white snowy one? All you northern hemisphere people can be guaranteed a very different experience if you decide to celebrate Christmas in Australia, where temperatures can easily reach over the century mark and a swim at the beach is way more likely than a snowball fight.

The nice thing is that it's not even too late, if you decide skipping the drag of family festivities is what you want. There are still plenty of packages available to get you Down Under for a few days around Christmas time, including heaps of lastminute.com travel packages from LAX to Sydney, including airfare and accommodation for a week for around $2,000 for a five-night stay. ]]> amandak 2009-11-20T14:25:26-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/19/33356/044

It's hard to feel the holiday vibe in San Diego when the temps hover at 80 degrees and the only trees you see are of the palm variety. But when traditional events like the Balboa Park's 32nd annual December Nights roll around, it starts to feel a lot like Christmas.

San Diego's kick-off to the season will take place December 4 from 5 to 10 p.m. and December 5 from noon to 10 p.m. in Balboa Park. More than 300,000 revelers are expected to attend December Nights, the largest free community festival in the city. Start off the festivities at the International Christmas Festival at the House of Pacific Relations Cottages. There you can get eats from all around the globe like Polish kielbasa, Panamanian fried plantains and Filipino lumpia, a yummy kind of egg roll. But wait, there's so much more...]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-11-19T16:09:30-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/19/11644/933

You have itchy feet and nowhere to be next Thursday (or you simply need a good excuse to get away from the day). We have a few packages that will be more cost-effective than buying a whole turkey. Let's check 'em out...

Option 1: Spend it with the First Family:
LastMinute.com has flight and hotel packages to Washington D.C. starting at just $246. When you get there, work up an appetite at the Eighth Annual Trot For Hunger 5K along the Potomac, then chow down at the Mandarin Oriental's new restaurant, Sou'wester. On Friday, hit Pentagon City mall at 5AM to get all your shopping done, then attend a tree lighting in Old Town Alexandria. ]]> egw 2009-11-19T11:24:30-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/19/6544/5771

Remember all those airline fees that were pouring in a few months ago related to this season’s holiday travel? Well the airlines must have really enjoyed what they were seeing, as they are now looking to tack in some additional charges for days well into 2010. Delta, United, and American Airlines are busy adding these presents to our tickets anytime they think travel will be busier than usual.

The website BestFares.com is reporting that Delta and United have added surcharges to as many as 40 days between now and next May. The fees can be as much as $30 each way depending on distance, time, and other factors that appeal to the airlines. Our favorite airline fee has to be the $50 one-way charge that has now been added to some flights on February 8. In case you don’t have the NFL calendar kicking around, that’s the day after the Super Bowl. Not like we could afford tickets anyway, but we can still be angry about it. ]]> kjb 2009-11-19T09:44:30-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/18/184442/91

We've talked about this before in a much broader context, but there really is something about packing the overhead bins that turns people into animals. It's not stress; no one was pushing in line on the skyway to the plane. It's not rational anger; people should be calmer the closer they are to settling in for the flight. And it makes no interpersonal sense as people rarely fight that viciously over armrests or seat pitches, both of which are at least as important on a long flight. There's just something about putting "my stuff" in "my space" that drives people absolutely insane.

Now CNN has taken that basic psychological fact and somehow spun an entire article out of it. The basic idea: business travelers live by a set of unwritten guidelines that holiday travelers—the clumsy aviation bumpkins of our story—comically stumble into. Or not so comically, since Jim Kavanagh of CNN seems to believe that this tension is a match at the fuse of all holiday travel. He's obviously on the right track since there really is something weird about the way people stow luggage. But in another way he's very definitely wrong. First let's look at his little sociological writeup:]]> Omri 2009-11-19T09:19:29-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/17/211536/15

Obviously, the biggest Turkey Day festivities happen in New York City, but a good second option is Chicago's 76th annual McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade. The name doesn't carry the panache that Macy's does, but it's probably the country's second-most-famous parade to see gargantuan balloons, floats, marching bands and numerous performers.

Dress warmly and go to iconic State Street early to get a head up on the 400,000 spectators expected to attend. The action steps off at Congress Avenue from at 8 a.m. and heads north, ending at Randolph Street at 11 a.m. We recommend snagging a spot in front of Macy's on State Street. It'll be crowded, since it's the parade end point, but it's also the spot where all of the dancers and other acts stop to perform. You could also shell out $50 for the VIP treatment, which allows you to see the first-hour performances live with television zone seating, a continental breakfast and VIP-only restrooms.]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-11-18T11:28:56-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/18/8915/4211

Like it or not the holiday season has arrived, and chances are you’ll be spending some time at the airport. We’ve jotted down a few of our experiences that have helped make the whole getting there process a little better, even if it’s just as simple as getting out of the middle seat. We can't promise that these will work, but they have worked in the past, and it never hurts to ask!

· Pick Out Your Seat:
If you didn’t pick out your seat when you booked your ticket, it’s time to check and select one right now. Enter your confirmation number at the airline’s website and it should be fairly simple to select your own seat—assuming the airline still allows you to book a seat without a fee. Use SeatGuru and SeatExpert to determine which coach seats are better than others, and maybe you’ll even learn that your seat has power underneath.

More tips and hints after the break ]]> kjb 2009-11-18T09:29:29-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/