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Hurricane Rick Swatting Cruise Ships Out Of The Way En Route To Baja

If there is something we know about traveling during the late summer thru early fall, it's to buy trip insurance. We're sure some cruisers and Baja vacationers will be finding out the importance of such policies as Hurricane Rick hits Baja Mexico and diverts ships away from holiday ports in order to avoid the 100 mph winds.

Although Rick has already crested in strength and now it peters down to a category 3 hurricane, let us remember that having a category anything storm crash your beach holiday is never positive. Judging the infographic above, Rick is zeroing in on Mexico like a frat boy with fantasies of cheap Patron. With the storm due off the coast from late today through early tomorrow, cruise ships are skipping visits to Mazatlan and possibly even Cabo San Lucas, adding insult to injury for the city that counts on these near-daily cruise ship calls.

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Hurricane Bill Huffs And Puffs, But Doesn't Blow Much Down

We were finishing off some time on the Outer Banks of North Carolina when Hurricane Bill decided to blow by the beaches these last few days. Although it definitely stirred things up and limited our sun intake over the weekend, we didn’t see any direct damage overall. However, we did notice some lifeguards downing a couple cheeseburgers now that the no swimming flags were doing their jobs for them.

A trip into the waves on Thursday evening off Cape Hatteras resulted in an immediate face plant into the sand. Friday brought out the riptide warnings and the surfers, and by Saturday we knew better than to venture out into the water. We didn't have our tape measures with us, but we'd say the waves approached ten feet. Instead we spent most of the afternoon on the land, perusing shops perfectly suited for grandparents.

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A Serious Storm Is A-Brewin' Off The Hawaiian Islands

If you’re hanging out in Hawaii this week, please make sure your tropical umbrella drink is securely placed in a cup holder. Paradise is going to be a little stormy over the next few days as Tropical Storm Felicia nears the Aloha State. The storm was hurricane strength over the weekend, but it has slowly lost its mojo. Still, a tropical storm is serious, so visitors should still be cautious heading out into the surf and keep watch for rip currents.

Despite some beaches being closed on the Big Island, we’re thinking that passionate surfers aren’t going to heed these warnings. After all, the bigger the storm, the bigger the waves.

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Paloma Threatening The Caribbean, Airlines On The Ball

And you thought hurricane season was over! Nope, it technically runs until the end of November, which is why we shouldn't be too surprised to see Paloma threatening Cuba. The island has already endured direct hits from Ike and Gustav this year, and Paloma may be just as strong when it makes landfall.

The storm is already drenching the Cayman Islands, and it's forecast to reach the Bahamas by Monday. Paloma is headed northeast, so it most likely won't be hitting the United States.

Airlines, which this hurricane season were admirably quick to make special arrangements when hurricanes threatened, are again on the ball. American has a special webpage up about the storm's impact. US Airways has a similar page, as does Continental.

Related Stories:
· Hurricane Paloma Powers Up [AFP, via Google]
· Hurricanes of 2008 coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Hurricane Ike / Hurricanes / Bars / → All Tags

More Post-Ike Travel: Where's The Only Open Bar in Galveston?

As Galveston residents packed to flee last week ahead of Hurricane Ike, a biker bar along the seawall called the Poop Deck boasted it would defy official warnings and not close. We haven't read of its fate yet, but sadly any establishment facing the Gulf of Mexico along Seawall Blvd. probably sustained major damage.

But six blocks away, the party continues at Robert's Lafitte, a gay bar known for its tight door and drag shows. Despite losing all its windows and drawing three feet of water in the storm, Robert's Lafitte re-opened Monday to pass out food and celebrate the career of Tina Turner, gaining converts beyond the usual barflies:

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Post-Ike Travel: Houston's New Cruise Terminal Will Actually Get Some Use

Turns out the $81 million Bayport Cruise Terminal in Houston will actually get some use--and all it took was a Category 2 hurricane steamrolling Galveston! In the wake of Hurricane Ike, Carnival Cruise Lines decided to bypass the island, instead operating its ships Conquest and Ecstasy out of the brand new-but-unused passenger terminal closer to downtown.

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Tags: Celeb Travel / Matt Damon / Haiti Travel / Wyclef Jean / Hurricanes / → All Tags

Celeb Do-Gooder Travel: In Haiti, It's Matt Versus Ike

Matt Damon and musician Wyclef Jean help deliver food to one of the many cities in Haiti affected by Hurricane Ike this week. The island nation has been slammed by four tropical storms this hurricane season, leading the Haitian-born Jean to organize a special UN aid effort there with Matt's help.

Meanwhile, a performance in which Damon played, shall we say, a supporting role took home an early Emmy on Saturday.

The Emmys aren't till next Sunday, but the Creative Arts Primetime ceremony bestowed a statuette on comedian Sarah Silverman's kiss-off to ex-boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel, "I'm F#@&ing Matt Damon." Ben Affleck was not thanked for his role in Kimmel's follow-up regarding the actor and the TV host's special relationship.

Related Stories:
· Matt Damon Is in Haiti to Help Hurricane Victims [ICYDK]
· Booster Travel: Matt and Ben For Barack [Jaunted]
· Matt Damon Uses Fairly Unoriginal Fake Name at London Hotel [HC]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: AP via Yahoo]

Tags: Hurricanes / Hurricane Ike / Travel Storms / → All Tags

Hurricane Ike Batters Southeast Texas: Galveston Soaked, Houston Tempest-Tossed

It's been an active hurricane season so far in 2008, with storms like Cristobol, Dolly, Edouard, and Gustav causing untold damage in the Caribbean and the eastern and gulf coasts of North America. Ike, the latest menace, came ashore in Galveston, Texas overnight, dumping several inches of rain and causing surging tides throughout the mostly-abandoned community. Though slightly further inland, Houston suffered as well, with scores of windows blown out of downtown skyscrapers and debris littering the streets.

Since making landfall, Ike has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm, and the early word from officials in southeastern Texas is that as bad as it was, it could have been worse. The people of Haiti, for example, have suffered greatly this season, with one storm after another destroying homes and lives, washing out roads, and requiring massive shipments of aid to alleviate some of the misery.

With its greater resources, I'm sure coastal Texas will bounce back soon, drawing visitors to the sandy beaches and laid-back bars that dot the coastline between Galveston and South Padre. It's just Florida with cowboy hats, after all. But the list of hurricanes still has twelve names on it, and it might not be long before Kyle, Marco, Omar, or Paloma show up looking for a party.

[Photo: NOAA]

Related Stories:
· Officials: No Loss of Life Due to Hurricane Ike [Galveston County Daily News]
· Hurricane Coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Hurricanes / Travel Storms / Hurricane Ike / → All Tags

Gulf Coast Preparing for Ike as Airlines Suspend Service to Texas

Hurricane Ike has apparently claimed its first American victim, a 10-year-old boy struck by a falling branch as his parents prepared for the storm that's approaching Texas, promising a powerful sea surge, torrential rains and winds exceeding 100 mph.

Some airports in Texas have already shut down; there will be no service into or out of George Bush Intercontinental on Saturday either. A number of airlines, including Southwest, Continental and American have suspended service to certain destinations in the storm's path.

The Austin American-Statesman is using Twitter to provide updates on the storm. You can also find Ike updates by searching Twitter for #Ike.

Related Stories:
· Ike Threatens Texas with Wall of Water [Reuters]
· One Death, Many Rescue Efforts [Chronicle]
· Airline Operations Winding Down in Houston [Airline Biz Blog]
· TrackingIke [Twitter]

[Photo: BrandonW]

Tags: Hurricanes / Travel Storms / Caribbean Travel / → All Tags

Adventures of Link: Hurricane Ike Update

The Onion couldn't have known how expertly it'd predict the future when it released this video about a storm heading for Texas that instead slammed into "this big landmass to the south of us."

Of course, Ike has already crushed Cuba, another country that most Americans don't know much about. At least four people died there as a result of the storm, even as the government ordered massive evacuations. (Amazingly, no one died when Gustav steamrolled the island.)

The storm is now headed for the Gulf Coast, and two Texas-based airlines are watching it closely. Southwest is still operating its full, normal schedule; American Airlines is doing the same, though it's waiving ticket change fees on certain routes.

Related Stories:
· Ike Kills Four in Cuba, Takes Aim at US, Mexico [AP, via Google]
· Hurricane Ike [NHC]
· Southwest's Ike Updates [Official Site]
· American's Ike Updates [Official Site]
· Hurricanes coverage [Jaunted]

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Hurricane Travel: Banksy Tags New Orleans

Whether we know who he is or not, Banksy is still out there making guerilla street art. And his latest paintings have shown up in New Orleans, on the eve the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall--and as Tropical Storm Gustav is taking aim at the gulf shore.

While some of the new stencils directly address The Storm, others make reference to an anti-graffiti crusader in town. Which is fitting, since at least one of Banksy's murals has already been painted over.

Related Stories:
· Hurricane Banksy--Category 5! [Flickr]
· Banksy Does New Orleans [Gawker]
· Street Art coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: infrogmation2]

Tags: Hurricanes / Travel Storms / Caribbean Travel / → All Tags

Adventures of Link: Hurricane Gustav Headed Gulfward

All of a sudden, another tropical storm is bearing down on the Caribbean. This time it's Hurricane Gustav, which made landfall in Haiti today and is already threatening Cuba and the rest of the Northern Caribbean.

Airlines are watching this one not just because of the potential damage it could wreak upon schedules but because of the carnage the storm is already creating in the global oil markets. With petroleum platforms in the Gulf of Mexico potentially in harm's way, airline stocks took a tumble today.

Related Stories:
· Hurricane Gustav Public Advisory [NHC]
· Airline Stocks Take a Bruising over Gustav [MarketWatch]
· Hurricane Gustav Slams Haiti [AFP, via Google]
· Hurricane Gustav Gathers Strength [WSJ]
· Hurricanes coverage [Jaunted]