Returning from my 6 months abroad in Asia, I was quickly reminded of the joys of Airport security, especially in regard to US bound flights. Excessive, annoying, pointless, humorous, time consuming, inefficient are a few adjectives my jet lagged delerious self thought of.

My experience, Flying Bangkok - Minnesota:

Leaving Bangkok: United personnel acted as security agents during checking asking ridiculous questions that I did little more than prolong the already painfully slow process at 4:00 am.

Arriving in Tokyo: After a full security check in Bangkok and leaving the plane in Tokyo, travelers continuing on must go through another security check. Not sure where during the flight I found a bomb, but whatever. An hour later of standing in snaking lines, I cleared. Who’da guessed?

Boarding in Tokyo: Before boarding my flight Tokyo-Seattle, you guessed it. Another security check, mandated by the US Government due to heightened terror threats. So not only might have I found a bomb on the Bangkok-Tokyo plane, but also in the waiting area for my flight to the US. Interesting.

After the flight was already delayed 30 minutes, before boarding the plan a 18 second pat down and bag search, serious questioning ensued:

United agent: “Do you have a knife?”

Me: um, no (trying to think of somewhere i could’ve got a knife)

United agent: Okay that’s all.

While I realize my experience was nothing excessive, time consuming, or annoying as many travelers face in the US, it is a ridiculous process that really questions the greater underlying purpose and need for everything.

A recent Wall Street Journal article Undressing the Terror Threat addresses the issue best. In short, he shows the irrationality of our overreaction to the threat of terrorism (especially in travel) when compared to the homicide and traffic fatalities rates, amongst others.

Is our constant beefing up of travel and airport security necessary? Is it justified? Are we wasting funds? Should we be concerned about other more likely threats?

Travelers - ask yourself:

Okay world globetrotters and tax paying travelers. What do you think?

• Do we need full body scans?
• Are you okay with a more cumbersome airport security process?
• Do you feel safe traveling now or is more security needed?
• Would $100 billion more for tighter security be needed or justified?

Whether you’ve been directly affected by the economic problems in the US or not, you’re probably concerned about the situation.  With every major media outlet focusing on the ‘crisis’ it’s impossible not to take your uncertain future into consideration when making your future plans and personal budget.

So making that impulse decision to jump on a flight for a week to escape the frigid cold this winter is all that more unlikely (or just more guilt filled) for most Americans. Whether it’s Super Bowl weekend in Tampa, Cancun beaches, or Hawaiian resorts, they’re all struggling even with this terribly cold winter.

Namely, Las Vegas profits are down a whopping 69%, to a level of that 7 years ago.  (And you thought your portfolio’s returns were bad.) Fortunately for the budget traveler, the pain Vegas is feeling has lead to major travel promotions all over the place in Vegas to lure in visitors. Currently, some Las Vegas Promotions peg the Mirage at $72, MGM Grand at $55, and the Luxur at $42.  Some other Excalibur Promotions start at only $31.

You won’t find a more promo filled period of time for awhile.  With large varieties of show packages available to see highly touted entertainment like Cirque Du Soleil, Neil Diamond, and Billy Joel, this might just be the best time to visit if your comfortable spending the money. Besides, it is really cold out

(This post does contained paid links, but I accept these at my discretion based on an advertiser’s relevancy and legitimacy.)

As I’m planning a little jaunt to somewhere in Latin America to be covered extensively here later, I ran across a very interesting and possibly free travel opportunity to Central America, and it is actually legitimate.  The travel opportunity is the Trek Research Study Program.  The program offers research participants up to $1500, depending on trip duration and completion, to travel to almost anywhere in Mexico or Guatemala.

So Free travel to Mexico or Guatemala. Got your attention yet? (more…)

We’ve heard about the economy, taxes, the war, change, and change from the Obama camp for the last several months, but now that he’s officially the President elect, inquiries are being made on the other issues still out there - like travel.

Not much has really been said about anything regarding travel, obviously, so don’t really expect too drastic of changes. However, there has been some recent discussion. Here’s a roundup of news and ideas involving the Obama camp and the travel industry.

Obama to remove travel restrictions on Cuba?

Recent rumors about Obama and Cuba state that the travel restrictions, along with the embargo on Cuba, will probably be removed under the Obama administration. The US seems to be the last country in the world supporting the embargo against Cuba - Jamaica, a country who’s tourism would suffer if Cuba’s travel ban was lifted, even supports an end to the embargo.

I’ve predicted this for some time now because globalization makes the elimination of such archaic policies inevitable. The Cold War is over, we trade with many other communist nations (China??), and their our very close neighbor who could provide many benefits for Americans through trade and travel.

Obama more realistic travel security measures

Easing travel restrictions to promote travel will be part of Obama’s change in philosophy to US tourism. (more…)

As the rest of the world’s growth is finally starting to outpace the US economy’s growth, most of the new huge building projects are happening overseas and we tend not to hear about them, at all. Well these projects are massive, elaborate, beautiful, gaudy, and seem to be a fixture in future urban landscapes and urban tourism internationally.

So are these projects sustainable? And will they be budget friendly? Well probably not too nice on the pocket book, but that is yet to really be determined. But for theses massive building projects going on…

Kazakhstan - Entertainment Center

Norman Foster is bringing Kazakhstan (yes, the Borat kazakhstan) up to speed amongst it’s Asian neighbors with this entertainment center meant to show off the country a bit. Featuring retail space, a massive park, and some “entertainment center” Kazakhstan is looking to tap into some high end tourism. Maybe they’ll have some budget hostels in the normal part of the city so a day trip wouldn’t be too impossible.

(more…)

San Antonio is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. Perhaps best known for The Alamo, the city is also home to one of the least known big events in the country.

Each April, downtown San Antonio is overrun with all sorts of festivities. I am not using the term “all sorts” lightly here. There are nearly 100 separate events held between April 18th and 28th. At least 3 million people will take part in at least one of these parties. Texans like to brag about how big everything in their state is. Well, for once, they can back up their boasts.

Fiesta, as the event is called, started more than one hundred years ago. It began as a celebration to remember the Battle of The Alamo, but quickly became something bigger. Parades, food shows, and concerts have snowballed over the years, leading to the amazing array of events now held.

Should you visit during Fiesta? For sheer atmosphere and options, Fiesta is a good time to visit San Antonio. There will be crowds, but standing shoulder to shoulder and getting the occasional elbow (unintentional, mostly) is all part of the experience. People quite literally dance in the street as part of various parades, cultural shows, or as audience members of one of the many outdoor concerts. Some events are free, though many have a reasonable entrance fee.

San Antonio’s nightlife gets a little more festive during Fiesta. When people say that the party lasts for ten days, they mean 10 24-hour cycles, not simply 10 afternoons. Bars and restaurants try to keep the good times going indefinitely.

San Antonio has an especially wide selection of bed-and-breakfasts and cheap accommodation, even near downtown. Things fill up quickly during Fiesta, so visitors might have to search outside the city center to find a place to lay their heads. There are even some campground for those who really want to make this a budget experience.
Fiesta is not as well known as Mardi Gras. It’s a little tamer by comparison, but offers 10 times more variety.

A list of events can be found here.