My pal Sam loves to talk about how much money he's saved by buying a Honda Civic hybrid. So I plan to turn my boy onto Cost2Drive, a new webapp that estimates the fuel cost of any given trip. This is the way it works:

Say, you're planning a drive to P-town this weekend and you live in JP. You go to the site; enter your starting point and destination, the year of your car, along with make and model.
Cost2Drive uses your car's MPG, gleaned from the EPA. They then grab the average price of gas in your area from Oil Price Information Service, and bang it all up against and the distance, which comes via Google map technology, to "galculate" your cost.
After plugging my data into Cost2Drive I learn that getting to P-town in my 1999 Subaru Forester (stop laughing; it's a cool ride) will set me back $15.04; Sam, on the other hand, will only have to pony up $8.60.
Obviously, this calculation isn't high-level math so you could easily do it yourself. But if your car's EPA isn't tattooed to your forearm and if you aren't fully conversant in the current average price of a gallon of petrol in your hood and you want to know whether it makes the most financial sense to drive, take the train or just Fung Wah (or just be green and stay home), this app is worth a try. Besides it's fun.
Thanks to Riverwired for pointing us to this one.

In the race to see the colors, a lot of us have been heading up-country to the White and Green Mountains, but we noted two dramatic patches of foliage on a weekend trip to, of all places, Connecticut. The first is along the Massachusetts Turnpike, especially as it rises into the state’s central plateau just east of Worcester. The other is along Route 6 in Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner,” where the birches and beeches are adding their strident yellow hues to the sugar maples’ reds and oranges and the gum trees’ brownish reds. Both areas still far from peak (maybe 25 percent), but it certainly looks like a colorful year is in store.

It’s never too early to plan for next year, especially if a tour of the Philip Johnson Glass House in Connecticut is on your wish list. When the late architect’s iconic estate in New Canaan (opened in 200, the guided tours quickly sold out, a phenomenon that was repeated before the seasonal tours began this year.
For 2009 tours, May 1-Oct. 31, the National Trust for Historic Preservation property begins selling tickets Sept. 23 online or by phone at 866-811-4111. Prices are $30 (90-minute tour) and $45 (2-hour tour). Tour vans leave from the Glass House Visitor Cener at 199 Elm St. in downtown New Canaan.
At the rural property, a guide leads visitors to the stunning Glass House and 14 other Johnson-designed structures, among them an underground art gallery, a sculpture gallery modeled on a Mediterranean village, and a guest house. Before his death, the American modernism leader donated the 47-acre estate to the National Trust, so furnishings and art that belonged to him and his late life partner David Whitney are still in place.
Posted by Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent

Southwest says that it will trim three flights each at Manchester Boston in New Hampshire, Bradley International outside Hartford, and two at T.F. Green near Providence.
The carrier says the cuts are part of a plan to trim its schedule by 190 flights, or 6 percent of its 3,400 daily total, starting Jan. 11.
Southwest slowed growth this year to 4 percent because of record fuel prices and a softening economy, but it has been able to remain profitable because it had locked in fuel-purchase contracts far in advance.
At Manchester, Southwest will cut one of ten daily flights to Baltimore and one of four to both Chicago and Orlando, according to Whitney Eichinger, a company spokeswoman. Bradley will lose one of eight to Baltimore, one of three to Chicago, and one of two to Tampa. Providence loses one of four to Chicago and one of six to Orlando.
Eichinger points out air traffic tends to slow in the winter months and that some of the cuts may be restored in spring.

Just saying the word makes my teeth hurt. And ‘‘nocation’’ or the ridiculous ‘‘holistay’’ are no better. But my family and I took the staycation challenge last week and lived. We covered a fair amount of ground: camping at Nickerson State Park and a beach day in Brewster, an afternoon swimming at a local pond, two cookouts with family and friends in Rhode Island, a trip to the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration in Connecticut, and a movie and dinner out in Cambridge. We were in no rush. In between we had time to play board games, ride bikes, read, relax, and recharge.

In the road trip department, here’s an interesting challenge: Drive your family cross-country on $250 a day. At first blush that seems easy, but when you factor in a hotel stay, gas, and food, it adds up fast. And what to do on the cheap to keep the kids entertained? Travel blogger Amy Graff from On the Go with Amy traveled from Santa Monica, Calif., to Chicago did it and stayed (barely) below her budget of $3,750 over 15 days. (Her trip was sponsored by Best Western, for whom she blogs, which I’m sure didn’t exactly hurt.) Her tips for a budget road trip? Drive a fuel-efficient car, carry refillable water bottles, avoid big-name destinations (sorry kids, no Grand Canyon or Disneyland), split entrees, and opt for cheap souvenirs. (It helps if your child likes to collect rocks.)

And it doesn’t hurt to have a sense of humor. Bon voyage.

It makes my head hurt. As if keeping the shifting terms for frequent-flier programs straight wasn't hard enough already (how many miles do I now need and when do they turn into pumpkins?).
Delta plans to become the first major carrier to revamp from a two-tier plan to a three-tier, and the whole thing will go into effect in early September.
I'll let Micheline Maynard of The New York Times explain it:
"Previously, Delta offered frequent-flier tickets for domestic coach travel at either 25,000 or 50,000 miles. Under the new system, travelers will need 25,000, 40,000 or 60,000 miles, depending on when they book their ticket, and where they are traveling.
"Delta reinstated a feature called 'last seat,' which allows a frequent flier to book any remaining seat on a plane, whether or not it is designated for a member of its mileage program.
"These seats require 60,000 miles for domestic coach travel, and 100,000 miles in first class, the airline said. Delta first offered the feature in the early 1990s, but discontinued it in December.''
So the bottom line would seem to be that you likely will have to pony up more miles to get a seat. To being with, seats at the upper end have gone up from 50,000 miles to 60,000 and at the lower end you have to ask yourself: How many 25,000-mile seats will there really be? And how hard will it be to get one? If they are tough to snag, then for many the range will be more like 40,000-60,000 instead of 25,000-50,000.
To make us feel better Delta says for a premium price it'll now let you redeem miles for any available seat instead of limiting it to those designated for the program. Big deal. That's the way it was until December anyway.
For those interested in the terms of the international program, we return to Ms. Maynard:

It wasn't all that long ago that it seemed as if fare and fee hikes were raining down daily. And then it stopped. But it looks like it could be starting up again.
On Tuesday, Delta doubled fees for a second checked bag to $50. A big deal, yes, but for consumers not huge since the first is still free.
Today, airfare guru Rick Seaney, who has access to fare databases, is reporting on his website that Wednesday night Northwest jacked up domestic round-trip prices by $80 on more than 4,000 city pairs, less than two-thirds of its route system. This is apparently the first time Northwest has initiated an airfare hike this year.
Bloomberg News is quote Seaney as saying many of the affected routes are to and from Detroit, one of Northwest's three domestic hubs and that "hardly any'' are for flights its Minneapolis and Memphis hubs.
But the big question is: Will there be more?
It's tough to say. Seaney says part of the reason we haven't had any for a while is due to the fact that oil prices have fallen back below $130 a barrel. But a good part of the reason may be that the airlines feared customers might've been reaching a tipping point. Or as Gary Kelly, Southwest chief executive, put it last week: "We have some evidence … in the industry with our competitors where they feel like they’ve pushed fares too fast.''
So we'll see what happens next.

East Lyme, Ct. gives you three good reasons to spend your long holiday weekend within its town lines. First and second, is the Niantic Lions Club 30th Annual Lobsterfest and Chicken BBQ which is held in the same location as the 48th Annual Niantic Outdoor Arts & Crafts show. Anyone cooking lobsters in mass quantities for nearly 3 decades is surely to have it down pat, and if you couple that with over 100 artists and crafters spread over vast green lawns, you've got the makings for a wonderful summer tradition. Both events will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6, on the East Lyme Town Hall grounds.

Those same days, not far from all the lobster and art, the East Lyme Historical Society will host their Annual Flea Market, Crafts and Collectibles Sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Thomas Lee House on West Main in Niantic. These kinds of markets where donations are collected randomly, sometimes provide the most rich shopping experiences. And all of the above benefits some of Niantic's best charitable organizations.

Vincent's here! Vincent van Gogh that is. The Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Conn., is hosting the painter's iconic "The Starry Night" and "Cypresses" from June 14- Sept. 7. The gallery says this is the first time these masterpieces have traveled to New England. Completed in 1889 during his yearlong confinement at the asylum in Saint-Rémy, in southern France, these two paintings are the epitome of van Gogh's work at the height of his creativity. The exhibit, called "Van Gogh's Cypresses and The Starry Night: Visions of Saint-Rémy," is free, but reservations (check the website) for timed tickets are required.

Good morning, travelers. We keep hearing that this summer many will be looking for travel opportunities closer to home. And we are listening.

Six Flags, which has a park in Agawam (a bedroom community of the metropolis of Springfield), says if you buy admission tickets online you can get them at the children's rate of $29.99. Or if you're the type who has trouble planning ahead, they're offering special summer tickets at the gate in Western Mass. for just $39.99.
Besides the rides and the water park, Six Flags is planning summer concerts (including their Kiss 95 kick off with Bow Wow and Simple Plan and one special Thursday night show with Raven Symone) as well as a new Glow in the Park Parade, featuring state-of-the-art floats (I think we're talking glow sticks on steroids here) and Cirque Du Soleil-type music.
Cool. Somebody queue the music and let's bring back the creepy, fake-bald, dancing dude.

Hear the music? The quickening pace? Now that Delta and Northwest have coupled everybody else is scanning the room to partner up, and you can all but see United and Continental reaching out to each other.
While all this recombining may be good for the struggling industry -- never mind fun for those of us who like to watch (and you know who you are) -- the bottom line for us here in Boston, at least in the short term, may be somewhat less significant.
Let's start with the $3.1 billion Delta-NWA deal. Yes, it will create The World's Largest Airline, but as my pal Nicole Wong sussed out this morning the biggest change for Logan passengers may be where they catch flights.
The newly combined Delta will become The Sky King at Logan, with 21.7 percent of the passenger market share. But because it is followed closely by American with 16.7 percent it won't be totally commanding. And Logan passengers will likely see little change in service as there is no overlap in the nonstop routes either flies from here, with Delta headed largely to the South, Mountain West, Northeast, Europe and Latin America and NWA focusing on the Midwest, Canada, and Asia.
However, Matt Brelis at Massport says it could make some sense for Northwest to move its four gates from Terminal E next to Delta's 12 in the newer, partially occupied Terminal A.
Now, onto United-Continental. Reuters is reporting that the two have laid most of the groundwork for a deal and would likely push to do one quickly if Delta-NWA manages to get all the way hitched.
OK, so what does this mean to us? Again, very likely not much.

A sure sign of spring are the thousands of blooming daffodils and early wildflowers in Blithewold Mansion's gardens on the shores of Narragansett Bay. The grounds of the 1908 mansion in Bristol, R.I., are a melange of color and scents during the annual Daffodil Days April 12-May 4. Though the yellow-and-white flowers are the centerpieces of the festival, visitors can stroll the Great Lawn with its bay views or linger in gardens, both classic and more informal.
The 17th-century English country-styled manor, complete with gargoyles and crests, was built as the summer home of Augustus Van Wickle, a Brown University graduate who became a coal baron in Pennsylvania. The 45-room mansion anchors the grounds with its 33 acres of gardens and striking trees, such as a 90-foot giant sequoia, ginkgo, and weeping pagoda.
Afternoon teas with scones and assorted desserts are served in the mansion's dark oak-paneled dining room overlooking the water Wednesday through Friday at 2 and 3 o'clock. Special children's teas will be served at 2 o'clock on April 16-18. Don't miss the Butler's Pantry with its displays of china, silver, and crystal.
The mansion also houses such indoor exhibits as floral arrangements, paintings from nature by area artists, and the Colonial Dames of America's collection of Bessie McKee's (Van Wickle's widow) turn-of-the-20th-century hats. But during Daffodil Days, garden variety visitors want to be outside.
Admission for adults is $10, seniors and students $8, children under 17 free. Afternoon tea is $10 (plus admission). Grounds and gardens open daily 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.; self-guided tours of mansion and gardens Wednesday-Sunday 10-4.

Posted by Marty Basch, Globe Correspondent

If you're planning to fly with American Wednesday it might be worth making a call before you head to the airport.
American said it was canceling as many as 500 flights to check the bundling of wires in some planes, the same issue that caused it to ground more than 400 last month.
At Logan, the airline said there were as many as five canceled flights. Representatives for American, which operates about 2,300 daily flights, said they expected there would be more throughout the system Wednesday.
The airline said the Federal Aviation Administration raised concerns about recent inspections of the wiring in its approximately 300 MD-80 aircraft. Company representatives said that the problems did not pose safety threats.
The FAA has tightened inspections since coming under fire for letting Southwest fly planes that had missed safety inspections. American and Delta both canceled hundreds of flights late last month to do wiring-related inspections and repairs.
The hits just keep on coming.

ATA, which has been in a death spiral for a while, has gone under. The discounter canceled all flights after filing for bankruptcy and posted advisories on its website and at ticket counters.
The troubled airline halted its Logan flights a while ago, but it struck a code-share deal in February 2005 with Southwest, which flies out of Providence, Hartford, and Manchester. This meant you could book flights for either airline from either airline and if you could be booked on connecting flights using both.
Confusing, yes?
Now the big question: What does this mean to me? If you recently booked flights through Southwest, either for all ATA service of a combination of the two, SWA is probably trying to reach you right now to rebook. Most of the combination flights would likely involve flights through Las Vegas, L.A., Oakland, or Phoenix to Hawaii. If that's you and you haven't heard from Southwest yet, you can call them at 800-308-5037.
If you booked either a straight ATA flight or a combo through ATA, sit down and pour yourself a drink because you're not having a good day. You no longer have travel plans and you'll have to contact your credit card company for reimbursement.
Southwest officials were still sorting through the wreckage so they weren't sure how many passengers may be affected in the region. But all you care about it whether it's you. So now you know.

One of the nation’s leading maritime museums, with more than over 300,000 annual visitors, will serve up drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and stories surrounding Bill McCoy, the infamous Florida boat builder turned Prohibition hero.

This Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m., Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea Mystic Seaport and its co-sponsor, Flat Hammock Press, invites lecturer and editor, Robert McKenna to discuss, ‘‘Rum Runners, the Prohibition Battle and a Sip of the Real McCoy.’’ Behind the infamous phrase, ‘‘It’s the real McCoy,’’ lies a legend of a man who built a bootlegging empire worth millions of dollars during Prohibition by promising quality liquor and fair business practices.

The lecture will look at the profound effect on American culture and business of those rum-running days. Prohibition started the same year women were given the right to vote and helped bolster the US Coast Guard, which was a leader in the in fight against rum runners. The period from 1920-33 also brought technological advances to marine engines and improvements to hull design.

Enjoy a drink from the cash bar with liquor made famous by McCoy, including Gordon’s gin and White Horse scotch. Arrive early and peruse the bookshop’s offerings on rum running, offering 6 published books on rum running and dine at the Seamen’s Inne with a 20 percent discount. Admission is $15 for museum members and $18 for nonmembers.
Posted by Kimberly Sherman, Globe Correspondent

It’s been awhile since I’ve been to the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, but it’s about time for a visit to see the newest resident: a California sea lion pup who was rescued on a beach in San Luis Obispo, Calif. He came ashore sick and malnourished last July and was treated and released only to be rescued again in Sonoma County, Calif., a few weeks later. The now-healthy critter has found a home in Connecticut, where he frolics in the aquarium’s Marine Theater pool. He’s not yet officially trained to perform in the aquarium’s daily sea lion shows, but patrons get a sneak peak of his progress at the beginning of every performance. And he’s yet to be named: the aquarium will be hosting a naming contest with prizes (including a behind-the-scenes tour) for the winner. The aquarium’s other resident sea lions are called Coco and Surfer — time to get East Coast creative! Check the website for details or call 860-572-5955.

You can't help but wonder. It's hard to find someone who hadn't heard the run of bad press Southwest Airlines has had in the past days -- well, maybe Eliot Spitzer didn't, but he was understandably distracted.
It began about a week ago when we learned that the popular discounter -- which flies out of Providence, Hartford, and Manchester, N.H. -- was facing a $10.2 million fine for keeping almost 50 planes in the air after the carrier told Uncle Samuel that it had missed required structural inspections of the jetliners.
This week Southwest grounded dozens of planes because it couldn't figure out whether an important safety inspection had been done properly. Scores of flights got canceled. Yesterday, Southwest said that four of the planes it grounded had small cracks and needed repairs.
Now both the airline and Uncle Samuel say that these problems weren't dire and that they mostly result from what amounts to some lousy record-keeping.
Still.
Don't get me wrong. I like Southwest (but then I have a nearly pathological love for bargains; truth is, I'm kind of a discount stalker). But it makes you wonder what else they're doing wrong. Has anyone out there noticed any slip in service or funkiness in any recent experiences with Southwest? Please share.

Magellan Press is out with a guide for hungry travelers: ''Where the Locals Eat: The 100 Best Restaurants in the Top 50 Cities.'' That's US cities, and Boston is included.

Entries include a range of food and prices. Boston restaurants include Brown Sugar Cafe for the best Thai and the Cask 'n Flagon for the best sports bar.

If you think the $11.95 price is too steep, particularly for a guide that includes only one New England city, check their website for more foodie news and blogs.

And if you have your own local winner, share your tip with us.

Passengers flying out of Bradley International Airport will be able to fly directly to Memphis this summer.

Bradley and Northwest Airlines are announcing that daily nonstop seasonal service to Memphis International Airport will begin on June 16.

The chairman of the airport's board of governors says the value of this new service will be further multiplied because passengers can use it to connect to other flights offered by Northwest Airlines at Bradley.

Northwest says the daily flights to Memphis, complement daily service to Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Indianapolis and Amsterdam.

The service will be operated by Northwest Airlink partner Pinnacle Airlines using 50 seat jets. (AP)

You don't need GPS in Boston when you rent through Avis. You can book a chauffeur instead.

Avis began testing its Chauffeur Drive service six months ago and it's caught on with business and leisure travelers. What began in 10 cities in June is now offered in more than 350 cities in Arizona, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Avis's partner WeDriveU provides the drivers for $34.50 per hour (plus a 15% service charge), and there is a three-hour minimum per ride. See the Avis website for other details. The drivers can pick up the car and customer and later return the car to Avis. Or you can keep the car and drop the chauffeur off. Just don't do it in the middle of nowhere.

It is good to be wired. Sha. This is why I keep the JiWire in my favorites list (right next to my Starbucks store locator because I like to stay wired, too). JiWire is so excellent. It keeps a registry of 236,834 free and pay Wi-Fi sites in 135 nations.
The top city? Moscow with 8,237, followed by London (3,442), Paris (3,179), Taipei (2,751), and Seoul (2,498). (But there is no Starbucks in the real Moscow; the one in Idaho has one, and this may influence my travel plans).
Here in Mass., Boston comes in first with 225 hot spots, followed by Cambridge (61), Hyannis (46?!), Newton (29), and Waltham (22).
A grande Guatemala Casi Cielo and the Cape in winter. Sweet.

After the holidays, Apple Core Hotels, a group of five midtown Manhattan properties, would like guests to visit Toys "R" Us Times Square — the world’s biggest Toys "R" Us — to design and create a stuffed animal at the Filled-With-Love shop. The promotion includes a night’s lodging, a complimentary stuffed creature, and continental breakfast. Children under 13 stay free in their parents’ room. The package, available Jan. 2-Feb. 14, costs $149. Go to the hotel's website or call 800-567-7720 and mention the Filled-With-Love package.
Posted by Richard P. Carpenter, Globe correspondent

A friend of mine once pointed out how vulnerable people seem to be when watching movies in an airplane. Big beefy guys tearing up during romantic comedies. Giddy laughter at suspect jokes. Something about sitting 35,000 feet above the earth, my friend suspects, changes how you see things.

So maybe it's not quite as dramatic to sit in a theater on the other side of the state, or then wander unfamiliar streets afterward, but something about that also makes you consider films differently. Far from home and stripped of the daily distractions of life's routines, you connect more directly to what is being said and shown. You incorporate more - if even only for a few moments - the film's ideas into your own.

That's what I found, anyway, on a recent roadtrip through western New England in search of independent cinemas. You can learn about the adventures of this one-person rolling film festival and the theaters where it played out this weekend in The Boston Globe and online at boston.com's travel site.

But you won't read about what happened on a dark and cold Thursday evening after I sat through a late-afternoon showing of "No Country for Old Men." The film features plenty of violence. Afterward, alone in streets and shops, I had the unsettling sensation of how committing a murder might feel. I wrote in vivid detail about that moment in an early draft of the cinema story. That scene, understandably, ended up on the editing room floor.

Sometimes it's worth taking a chance. When we were planning a trip to Bridgeport, Conn., to work on a Close-Up for the Wednesday travel pages, we checked the rates at the Holiday Inn in downtown near many of the restaurants and a couple of performing arts venues. Double rooms were $150 a night -- more than we wanted to spend, but we liked the location. So we waited until we arrived -- in fact until late in the afternoon -- before we strolled into the lobby and asked the desk staff what the rate was for a room for the night. We were prepared to drive a tough bargain. But the clerk looked up and said $109. Mission accomplished. But we have to be honest -- it was a cold Monday night in mid-December. We're not sure if we would have as good luck if a convention of P.T. Barnum Fan Clubs had been in town. (Barnum was mayor for many years.)

Posted by Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe correspondents

I know you're out there because I've seen you all the way down in Florida, those of you crazy enough to drive down the East Coast from New England to the Sunshine State. Yeah, I've done the deed too. The only way it can be kind of fun is if you stop and smell the exits. Road maps and highway signs tell only half the story, which is why you need to carry a copy of "Drive I-95," by Stan Posner and Sandra Phillips-Posner (Travelsmart, $23.95, with 72 full color maps. At bookstores or online, or call 888-GUIDE95). For some reason (maybe because the state is so darn long), Florida wasn't included in their exit-by-exit guide until the recently published fourth edition. So hooray for that!

Some of the invaluable information the Posners impart: detailed services at exits, radio stations, places police officers like to point their radar guns from, Internet availability, pet-friendly accommodations, travel trivia, and off-beat stops. Do you think you could find the Ava Gardner Museum (Exit 95, near Smithfield, N.C.) on your own?

Posted by Diane Daniel, Globe Correspondent

It must be peer-group pressure. Southwest has sprung a fare sale for the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Discounted one-way fares for travel between Nov. 28-Dec. 20 start at $107-$109 from Providence to a number of western states and Florida. Fares start at $109 from Hartford. You have to book seven days in advance, and the fares aren't available for Fridays or Sundays
Start the stopwatch: The offer lasts until midday Monday.

New England is home to three of TripAdvisor’s "Top Ten Overlooked (and Under Budget) Ski Destinations in the US"
Editors at the Needham-based travel company rated ski resorts that featured mountains with a 2,000 foot vertical drop on average that offered less-expensive lift tickets and more affordable lodging and night life than many of the country's more celebrated resorts.
Jay Peak in Westfield, Vt., (adult ticket, $62) came out king of the mountain. "Located in a snow belt that generates a remarkable 350 inches of snow on average annually, Jay Peak has developed a reputation for its excellent powder skiing with adventurous off-piste opportunities, and with less traffic than Vermont's trendier ski spots," the report said.
Taking fourth place is Cannon Mountain, in Franconia, N.H. ($54). "Experience wonderful skiing and a bit of history on Taft Slalom, one of the first ski trails cut in the US."
Saddleback Mountain, in Rangeley, Maine ($40), came in at No . 9. "After undergoing renovations in the past few years, Saddleback now boasts great skiing along with a new ski lift, additional ski terrain and a new lodge at an elevation of 2,460 feet -- the second highest in New England."
The rest of the best:
2. Solitude Mountain, Solitude, Utah, $55
3. Schweitzer Mountain, Sandpoint, Idaho, $55
5. Durango Mountain, Durango, Colo., $60
6. Taos Ski Valley, Taos, N.M., $63
7. Diamond Peak, Incline Village, Nev., $48
8. Big Mountain, Whitefish, Mont., $56
10. Gore Mountain, North Creek, N.Y., $115 (2 day pass)

Posted by Diane Daniel, Globe Correspondent

I was rushing through Logan last week when I picked up the latest issue of
Travel New England. Located around the airport and in South Station, the
newspaper is free and geared toward travel agents. However, travelers would
be wise to read it next time they're killing time at Logan. In their
"Airports New England" column, they talk about new carriers and/or flights
going in and out of the region. Several years back they mentioned that TNT
Vacations in Boston was starting a new charter flight to Barbados. Their
first flight out was over Christmas week, when prices are usually
exorbitant, to gouge that family traveler who only has two weeks off from
school during the winter months. The TNT charter price was less than half
the price of American Airlines and my family had a great vacation on the
island. Now I read that starting Dec. 17, Skybus Airlines will begin
nonstop service between Portsmouth, N.H., and two Florida
airports -- St. Augustine and Charlotte County Airport in Punta Gorda. Skybus,
you may recall, was offering incredibly cheap tickets to Columbus, Ohio,
over the summer, starting at $25 each way. They charge extra for
everything, including luggage, but it's still very affordable; certainly
worth a look for people wanting to leave the chill of winter behind.

Posted by Steven Jermanok, Globe correspondent

This month's Conde Nast Traveler touts its 20th annual Readers' Choice Awards, The Top 100.
Twelve New England gems made the list of Top 100 Mainland US Hotels: The Charlotte Inn on Martha's Vineyard (12), Pitcher Inn in Warren, Vt. (23), Blantyre in Lenox (26), Boston's Four Seasons (35), White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine (39), Twin Farms in Barnard, Vt. (44), Nantucket's White Elephant (54), Boston's Fifteen Beacon (62), Taj Boston (65), Boston's Hotel Commonwealth (73), Wequassett Resort and Golf Club on Cape Cod (81), and The Wauwinet on Nantucket (88).
If your favorite place to stay in New England didn't make the cut, think about voting next year.
And be sure to give Boston the nod for top US city. This year it made the cut, but it was No. 10 out of 10.
The winner among US cities: San Francisco.