Before embarking on a six-day trip to the French West Indies, from which I’ve just returned, I was feeling two chief emotions: excitement and fear. The excitement part should be self-explanatory. Sun, sand, sea. ‘Nuff said.

As for the fear part of the equation, I spent the 12 hours prior to my departure pacing around my home office, obsessively checking my flight schedule and scanning my RSS feeds for news of more flight cancellations, maintenance crises, airline bankruptcies and weather horrors. If you spend as much time reading and thinking about travel as I do, it’s pretty easy to morph from savvy traveler into a paranoid bundle of nerves anytime a trip surfaces that allows little room for unexpected error.

And while I’m certainly not about to kiss the collective rear of the airline industry (gimme back my pretzels, people), but I feel like I’ve got to report that I actually had a totally seamless travel experience on not one, not two, but every single leg of all flights to and from my destination. That’s including flights in and out of Miami International Airport, which many travelers I know would happily trade for a nice afternoon in the fiery pits of hell.

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Believe it or not, Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexico’s Independence Day (as most people suspect). May 5th actually commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French in 1862’s Battle of Puebla. Vibrant cultural celebrations of this holiday abound all over the world. With the date rapidly approaching, we thought you might like to think about heading to one of these big-city celebrations we’ve highlighted below!

Puebla, Mexico flights | hotels | cars

You’d think the (Mexican) hills would be alive with the sound of (celebratory) music, but in reality the Cinco de Mayo holiday is primarily a regional one in Mexico - recognized in the state of Puebla and virtually ignored throughout other parts of the country. Fortunately, Puebla (located 65 miles from Mexico City…

Denver, CO flights | hotels | cars

Each year, folks in the know head to the Cinco de Mayo “Celebrate Culture” Festival in the city’s Civic Center Park. Also claiming to be one of the largest Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the nation, visitors and natives alike spend this celebratory weekend immersed in Mexican culture, with authentic Mexican foods, handmade arts and crafts…

Portland, OR flights | hotels | cars

The title of largest Cinco de Mayo festival in North America is claimed by this Pacific Northwest city. This year marks their 24th Annual Cinco de Mayo celebration and highlights a variety of authentic culinary and entertainment options, including Guadalajara’s Ballet Folklorico. This year’s fiesta also features the new Guadalajara Pavilion…

Chicago, IL flights | hotels | cars

Ferris Bueller’s parade had nothing on the Cinco de Mayo festivities in Chi-town! More than 200,000 residents and visitors alike celebrate all weekend long with an array of Mexican food, music and carnival rides. While this is a party first and foremost, it is also one of the most family friendly celebrations we’ve seen…

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You remember Jared from the Subway commercials of yore? Well, this year marks the 10th anniversary of Jared Fogle’s famously successful diet, which led him to lose 245 lbs by exercising and eating the sandwich chain’s subs.

While most people talk to Jared about his weight loss and success at keeping it off for a decade, we wanted to pick his brain about something a little different: travel. You see, in our minds, Jared is nothing short of a travel expert. Over the last decade, he has spent as many as 200 days a year traveling around the country, giving talks and sharing his story. And this year, he is commemorating his 10-year milestone by embarking upon a Tour de Pants (genius name on that, by the way). At the end of the multi-city journey, he’ll officially retire his 60-inch waist “fat pants.”

This week, Jared was kind enough to answer some of our burning questions.

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Now that the dreaded tax season is over, reap the fruits of your labor (and that fat refund) with a well-deserved vacation. Ensure you eek every luxurious, adventurous cent out of that IRS check with a vacation to remember.

Dubai → Flights | Hotels | Cars | watch fares

Nothing says luxury and adventure like Dubai. Once a destination relegated strictly to a classroom geography lesson, the past decade has seen a boom in growth unlike anything the world has ever seen. This town now boasts the world’s only all-suite seven-star resort, the Burj Al Arab (the hotel shaped like a sail gracing every photo of Dubai you’ve seen). In addition to world-class spas, shopping, and dining, resorts across this slice of the Persian Gulf coast…

Maui → Flights | Hotels | Cars | watch fares

This heavenly slice of the Hawaiian islands is a true paradise, exuding tropical flamboyance and unparalleled Pacific Rim luxury. Whether you choose the Grand Wailea Resort and its jaw-dropping spa for a four-handed Lomi Lomi massage or the prestigious Fairmont Resort for some low-key celebrity watching, any resort on “The Valley Isle” is sure to impress…

Punta Cana → Flights | Hotels | Cars | watch fares

Punta Cana is dotted with amazing resorts, particularly The Punta Cana Resort and Club and the Paradisus Punta Cana. For true luxury, The Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort and Spa is the resort of choice for families, couples and adventurers of means. The coral reef tinging the Atlantic shoreline along the hotel - perfect for snorkeling…

Myrtle Beach → Flights | Hotels | Cars | watch fares

Billed as “America’s Beach Playground,” this community boasts a ginormous range of activities for the adventurous, luxurious, familial, youthful, romantic, or any combination of such. You can spend your days shopping at boutiques dotting the Atlantic Coast and resting peacefully on the private beaches of one of the many luxury resorts in the area. If the links are more you’re thing…

For the full email
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In some ways, packing light is like quitting smoking. You know you should do it, that it could save you money and better your health (pulled muscles are the heavy packer’s smoker’s cough), but leaving that fifth pair of shoes at home gives you serious jitters. And besides, aren’t light packers just so smug? Like they’re living on some enlightened plane of existence that remains outside the heavy packer’s reach? Do you really want to become one of them?

We won’t pass judgment - hey, sometimes you really do need to bring six hardback books, enough clodhoppers to line the bottom of the suitcase and a bundle of rocks. I mean, what about the rock collectors of the world? Let’s not discriminate.

So here are my picks for the airlines best-suited for heavy packers. If you’ve gotta pack heavy, you’ll have more flexibility, less hassle and save yourself cash by booking on one of the following carriers:

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With airline travel becoming less and less attractive as 2008 drags on, would-be summer vacationers are looking for ways to get from point A to point B without taking to the skies. This information has not been lost on Amtrak.

The train line just launched a summer promotion that will no doubt be attractive to families with Florida on their minds. For each full-fare paying adult, Amtrak will allow two children to ride free on its Lorton, Va to Sanford, Fla Auto Train, an overnight route specifically for passengers with vehicles. The train features sleeper cars and allows passengers to bring their cars, motorcycles, trailers and small boats along for the trip. My guess is that this could easily end up costing a family of four less than flying to and from Florida and renting a car or paying for transport upon arrival.

For a week-long trip July 9-16, I came up with a total fare of $1,134 to transport two adults, two children ages 2 to 15 and one regular-size vehicle from Lorton to Sanford in an overnight family bedroom sleeper car. That breaks down to about $284 per passenger for the 17-hour trip. Yes, it’ll take longer than flying, but you’ll have your car once you arrive - and taking the train overnight with the whole family can be a really cool experience for kids - and it’s much easier for them to move around in a sleeper car than it is on a plane.

Book on the Amtrak Auto Train

News of a fun contest for travelers came our way this week - in the tradition of the Up Your Budget scavenger hunt contests that captured travelers’ imaginations a year or so back, GORE-TEX is giving away $500 in gear through the Diamond in the Rough Contest, which you can play if you’re heading to one of the following destinations in the coming weeks:

Sydney

Tromso, Norway

Pernambuco, Brazil

Vancouver, BC

Andasibe, Madagascar

Lucerne, Switzerland

Game pieces - which have already been hunted down in Ithaca, New York and Ventura, California, are hidden in each destination. The contest web site offers both visual and text clues to help you find each hidden diamond-shaped game piece. If you’re the first to sniff out the little paper diamond and call the phone number printed on it, then you snag $500 in GORE-TEX gear. And what traveler wouldn’t want that? Happy hunting.

It seems like everywhere I turn these days, there’s another travel publication touting travel tips for victims of canceled flights. Many tips make me yawn (hello, I know how to call the airline on my cell phone). But I did come across a travel tip this week that a) I hadn’t seen repeated ev-uh-ry-where else and b) struck me as a great piece of advice. The source? My dear dad, a frequent business traveler and ever bountiful source of strategic musings. Here’s the story:

Earlier this week, he flew to New York for a meeting. While there, he received an email from the airline telling him that his scheduled flight had been canceled.

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One day, you fly free of charge with asinine amounts of luggage. The next, you’re paying up to $50 per trip to check that second bag. If you’d known the airline’s policy, you might have rethought your packing strategy, shipped excess luggage to your destination or simply brought extra cash to pay the sky cap.

I put together a quick-reference chart that lists U.S. carriers, the charges for 1-3 checked bags and links to each carrier’s detailed baggage policy.

Checked Bag Airline Surcharge Chart

** Note that airlines are constantly changing their policies and fees - so always check directly with an airline for the most accurate and up-to-date information. Also, this chart covers basic checked bag charges and does not delve into the realm of overweight bags - we’ll handle that in an upcoming post.

Do you have a travel surcharge conundrum that you’d like us to investigate? Leave a comment, and we’ll get on it.

If you’re looking for beach deals, this is the week for you. We have jaw-droppers to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Hawaii. Enough with the chit-chat… let’s round ‘em up:

Huge Hotel Sale: Save 20% on Your Next Stay (Orbitz.com)
Seen on BookingBuddy
If you’re thinking about planning a summer vacation, this is the deal for you. Just reserve a stay at a qualifying hotel through August and Orbitz will take an additional 20% OFF.

Bahamas Super-Inclusive Escape & Air from $559 (BookIt.com)
Seen on Kayak
You’ll save $300+ on trips to Cable Beach through May. All meals, drinks, and transfers are included in the price. Best of all - no blackout dates.

Prague, Vienna & Budapest Trip with Air from $909 (EuropeanDestinations.com)
Seen on IgoUgo
Hit up the lesser-seen Eastern Europe in May (more for summer, natch). These guys toss in an ICE high speed train between cities, so you can view the countryside of Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Top Waikiki Hotels up to 40% OFF - from $129 (Sheraton Hawaii)
Seen on TravelTicker
Even if you can’t find an affordable ticket to Hawaii with the current collapses of ATA and Aloha, this deal is worth it. In summer the prices skyrocket, so now might be a good time to go if you have the means.

All-Inclusive Caribbean Vacation w/Air, 45% OFF (CheapCaribbean)
Seen on Travelzoo
For this price you’ll stay at your pick of two Dominican Republic resorts through June 20. This lead price is out of Miami or New York, but the prices from other cities like Baltimore (+$50), Chicago (+$60), or even West Coast cities like Los Angeles (+$100) make this a deal for people across the country.