As you might guess, I get more than 100 emails a day, most of which are releases from public relations agencies with topics they want me to cover. Many of them frankly puzzle me: They’re about what other people are doing, not what you might want to do. Do you really care about some group’s favorite cruise destinations? A survey of best cities for [insert activity]? The most hyped or most Instagrammed attractions? I didn’t think so. But amid all that stuff, I also get some interesting info—maybe not interesting to enough readers to occupy a full column, but still useful to many. Here’s some new or new-to-me plugs that I found lingering in my inbox.
Cheap Caribbean Beaches (cheapcaribbean.com/) does what the name suggests—finds low-priced inclusive (accommodation, plus some meals) around the various Caribbean favorites. One helpful feature: prominent posting of negative reviews, as well as the usual raves. And the website discloses spring break policy, an add-only, useful if you don’t enjoy mingling with drunken teenagers. I didn’t see anything I haven’t seen elsewhere at one time or another, but if you’re looking for a good-deal Caribbean vacation, this is a reasonable place to start—and maybe finish—your efforts.
Google Flights (google.com/travel/flights) has added data on best times to buy air tickets, to go along with its excellent graphic tracking of airfares. For a three-month period. FYI, for a sample trip, the graph shows peaks on November weekends, and especially the weekend including Thanksgiving, when fares are more than double the steady non-peak values. Google Flights has been my go-to source for airfare info for quite a while, and I see no reason to change.
Upgraded Points released a new study (upgradedpoints.com/travel/airlines/most-and-least-affordable-airlines-for-flying-first-class/) that measured the average premium over economy for flying first class. The study covered average differences among the four big airlines that consistently offer first-class service, Alaska, American, Delta, and United (no JetBlue), as well as average differences on the 12 busiest domestic routes and a tabulation of the cheapest times to fly first class on those routes.
Overall, the results indicate that a comfortable seat comes at a stiff price on all four lines, with the highest on Delta and lowest on American, with just minor variation among the carriers. On an average basis, first class on any of the four lines costs more than double the lowest economy fare. By far the worst route for comfort-seekers was Los Angeles to New York, where first class cost more than four times economy—a finding that might be due in part to the fact that on this route airlines offer the much roomier international business-class layout rather than the usual domestic first class.
My take—not covered in the study—is that average figures often hide a wide range of variance. I’ve found that some lines offer below average first-class fares on a few flights and not on others. No matter, if you like a comfortable seat, take a look at this study.
ItsEasy (itseasy.com/) is offering a work-around to ease the current passport backlog jam: an app that allows you to prepare your own bar-coded application with photos from your mobile phone. This eliminates time-consuming steps at the Passport Agency and speeds the application process. The app is available for iPhone and Android systems; the cost starts at $39.99 plus, of course, the usual agency fees. I haven’t tested it, but it seems like a good idea. It’s not a complete fix, however: If you really need a passport or renewal in a hurry, you need to use one of the several full-service passport expediting outfits, of which itseasy is one.
Cruise agencies send releases showing that cruising remains a good deal—especially last-minute buys. Some prices on the big mass-market lines are well under $150 per day per couple, which is less than most couples would pay for accommodations and meals on a land vacation. Many deals also include generous credits. My preferred first stop in looking for a cruise deal is Cruise Critic (cruisecritic.com/), with links to the individual line deals.
