College football has a long, sordid tradition of turning siblings, parents, friends… even grandparents against one another in a heated frenzy. A house divided between UGA and Florida makes the Civil War look like a little skirmish? We hope to unite (or tear apart) Kayak’s very own collegiate football fans with these trip ideas. But it’s not just a vacation; college football is a way of life. So grab your lucky shirt, fight song-playing bottle opener, and a bunch of exaggerated stories about “the way it was when you were a student” because we’re heading back to school for the big game.

Athens, GA flights | hotels | cars
Music geeks know Athens, Georgia for its long list of indie bands rising from its trenches, but die-hard football enthusiasts might know it from the signature yell: “Goooooo Dawgs! Sick ‘em!” Home of the Georgia Bulldogs, 2002 SEC Champions and 1980 National Champions, the campus also boasts one of the top 10 best tailgates in the country, not to mention the best looking coeds as named by ESPN College Gameday. Get up early and make friends with a lively group of tailgaters warming up the grill by sharing your hatred of the “Ol Ball Coach” and by offering a bottle of Beam. Once you see the girls strapping bags of booze to their legs, you know it’s time to head to your seats. Stop by the Dawg Walk and offer your encouragement to the team as they parade to the stadium. The party does not end after the game. Athens’ vibrant downtown is home to bars, restaurants, boutiques and eclectic shops. But it’s Saturday, so don’t waste your time shopping when you could be catching another SEC matchup on TV. The UGA vs Auburn game on November 10th is always a nail biter so pack an oxygen tank.

Columbus, OH flights | hotels | cars
Much More Than a College Town
Columbus may own the market for tailgating Buckeye fans, but there’s more than just football and college partying to be had in this hip and arty town. Try the Short North Arts District for funky galleries and fine dining, historic German Village for inspired architecture, and the Aquarium and Zoo where Jungle Jack Hanna entertains and educates animal-lovers at heart. At Easton Town Center, experience high fashion and entertainment for all ages. To plan a weekend getaway, visit www.ExperienceColumbus.com.

Happy Valley, PA flights | hotels | cars
Start your tailgating early and follow the Nittany Lion fans from College Avenue up University Drive to the stadium. You’re in Happy Valley now, so no booing, it’s seriously frowned upon but you can still seethe on the inside. Keep an eye out for the drum major, superstition has it that if he lands two standing flips before the game, PSU wins. Depending on Penn State’s record at the time, Joe Paterno is either a god or old man past his prime, so check the rankings before weighing in on this hotly debated topic. After the game, grab a bite at The Allen Street Grill, Ye Olde College Diner, or The Waffle Shop and celebrate with the fans. But no trip is complete without a visit to the famed Berkey Creamery and Ben Franklin’s grave. He supported beer drinking, pay your respects. There are lots of great home games this year, so take your pick from the October 27th game against Ohio State or November 3rd against Purdue.

Lubbock, TX flights | hotels | cars
Hey, y’all, get to Lubbock and suit up, tailgate, and throw down with the other fans in Raider Alley, it’s time for some Texas Tech football. Watch the Saddle Tramps ring Bangin’ Bertha before kickoff. (Get your mind out of the gutter, Bertha is bell on a trailer and used as a spirit raiser.) After the game, check out the Lettermen’s Lounge to see all the important memorabilia from Tech’s most prominent athletes. But before meeting up with the other fans for some celebratory brews, take a tour of the campus and sneak a kiss at the Blarney Stone which allegedly gives you the gift of eloquent speech. Or perhaps just dirty lips. Then join the party in The Depot District and go a pub crawl in honor of the Red Raiders.

Deals:

• Las Vegas Luxor
  Enjoy rates from $120 per night at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas!
• Cancun
  Enjoy rates from $160 per night at the Hyatt Cancun Caribe Resort!
• Chicago
  Enjoy rates from $189 per night at the Hotel Blake in Chicago!
• New York Last-minute Values
  Hotels from $199, vacations from $491
• Fall escapes
  From $41, Air + 3 nights from $240

See more deals

Best Way to Pass the Time in an Airport?
Taken a flight recently? Then you might have seen the recent FAA report showing that nearly 28 percent of commercial passenger flights were delayed. And the delays were longer too — nearly 57 minutes on average, up nearly three minutes from 2006. Kayak shares your pain, and we asked our buddies at veryshortlist, a new culture and entertainment email, what they are bringing in their carry-on to pass the time:

1. READ
The smart sex comedy of a Judd Apatow movie is fun, but for a taste of an earlier time’s wit and wisdom, look no further than The Groucho Letters: Letters from and to Groucho Marx. Marx carried on a lively correspondence with his famous brothers as well as with equally esteemed men of letters including E. B. White, T. S. Eliot, and James Thurber, and the collection allows the comedian’s personality and legendary repartee to shine.

2. READ
Before a single episode of Rome was broadcast, the toga-heavy HBO drama was praised as the series that would save the channel’s flagging fortunes. Then critics buried it, dismissing Season 1 and ignoring Season 2 in a rush to bid farewell to a certain New Jersey mafia family. With the second (and, sadly, final) season of Rome on DVD, the show stands on its own as an ambitious, utterly addictive retelling of an uncomfortably familiar period of history.

3. WATCH
How is a cynical hipster supposed to feel when indie rock’s brightest stars tackle pop’s most lovably bombastic ballads? Guilt by Association is an offbeat compilation of fashionable artists covering songs that are anything but. The results are comforting proof that mainstream doesn’t have to be a dirty word. Devendra Banhart does a low-key take on Oasis’s Brit-rock anthem “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” Petra Hayden goes a cappella for Journey’s schlock-tastic “Don’t Stop Believing,” and Luna’s cover of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” is arguably more listenable than the original versions.

Hope these suggestions help pass the time. Visit veryshortlist.com for more of their suggestions.

Hunker down,

Steve and Paul, Kayak.com co-founders

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 10th, 2007 at 11:01 am and is filed under Newsletters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.