Farecast.com is now offering international predictions on airfares in 200 markets between the U.S. and popular destinations in Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada.
The Seattle-based company says that fares to Europe during the peak summer months will average 11 percent higher this year over 2007.
Consumers can expect to pay $600-1,500 on the lowest price airfare from top U.S. cities to most European destinations, compared with $350 for domestic travel, according to the Web site, which offers guidance on when to book in order to take advantage of the lowest fares.
Fares to top U.S. to Mexico and Caribbean markets average $360 in the low season, to over $500 in the high season.
Monopoly looking for a few good cities
Monopoly is looking for a few good cities.
Hasbro, which makes the board game, is developing a global Monopoly game that will feature 20 cities from around the world. Fans of the game can vote for up to 10 of 68 candidate cities until Feb. 28 at www.monopoly.com.
You can also nominate a city via a wild card — basically an online write-in ballot — if your favorite place is not on the list. Beginning Friday, the top 20 most nominated wild card cities will compete in a one-week faceoff for the chance to be one of the board’s low-rent properties — the equivalent of Baltic and Mediterranean avenues from the original game.
The railroad properties from the original board will feature land, sea, air and space travel in the new game.
Monopoly is published in 37 languages and sold in 103 countries.
The new global game will be called “Monopoly Here &Now: The World Edition.” It will be unveiled in August and go on sale in September.
The 68 candidate cities include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Bogota, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Caracas, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, London, Mexico City, Montreal, Moscow, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Vancouver, B.C.
U.S. cities on the list are Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.
New Italy and France travel books published
Travel + Leisure magazine and DK Eyewitness Travel have partnered to create two new hardcover travel books, “Unexpected Italy” and “Unexpected France” ($25).
These are the magazine’s first books focusing on single destinations.
The richly illustrated books include insider accounts, recommendations from Travel + Leisure editors, maps, and practical information on hotels, restaurants, and activities.
“Unexpected France” includes chapters on “Biking Through Versailles,” “Glories of the Loire,” and a section on Aveyron, which the book describes as a “sparsely populated, often-overlooked” part of Southern France with beautiful landscapes, medieval villages and good food and lodging.
“Unexpected Italy” includes chapters on wine, undiscovered islands, flavors of the Piedmont and top sights in Milan, including the refurbished La Scala auditorium.
Uncertain economy may lead to vacation cutbacks
The uncertain economy may lead some Americans to cut back on vacations, according to a survey.
Fifty-five percent of those polled said they would “cut back on discretionary expenses like eating out and vacations,” according to the GfK Roper Reports’ random telephone survey of 1,005 adults conducted Feb. 1-3.
The vacation trend survey findings were based on in-person interviews with a cross-section of 2,003 adults in August and September.
HostelWorld.com gives out the annual Hoscars
A hostel in Krakow, Poland, won top honors in HostelWorld.com’s annual Hoscar awards for best hostels.
The Flamingo Hostel in Krakow, Poland, got the highest average individual ratings from among properties rated by about 600,000 users of the Web site.
Voting customers, who booked their hostel stays online, were surveyed after their stay and asked to grade their accommodation based on character, security, location, staff, fun and cleanliness.
Other hostels that ranked in the top 10 were Mama’s Hostel, Krakow; Clarence Castle, Toronto; Jetpak City Hostel, Berlin; Hostel Estoril, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Hilux Valencia Feetup Hostel, Valencia, Spain; Hostel of the Sun, Naples, Italy; Travellers House, Lisbon, Portugal; Backpacker Hostel K’s House, Tokyo, Japan; and East Seven Berlin Hostel, Berlin.
National Geographic offering student trips
National Geographic is now partnering with Putney Student Travel to offer trips around the world for high school students.
Each trip is joined by a National Geographic expert, and students are supposed to complete projects during their trip in either photography, journalism, documentary film, archaeology or biology.
The trips will be three weeks long, with destinations including Belize, the Caribbean, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Iceland, Ireland, Mali, Peru, Spain and Tanzania. Most of the trips run $6,000-$7,000, not including airfare.
For details, call 877-877-8759 or visit www.ngstudentexpeditions.com.
Associated Press
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