As security measures increase and lines at airports grow and grow, travelers are finding themselves spending more time on the ground at the airport then actually in the air.  We have put together a list of airports that help travelers pass the time.

Baltimore/Washington International – In the observation gallery, children can climb on a pretend plane and even listen in on live radio feeds to the control tower.  A radar board is also displayed so families can watch aircraft as they arrive/depart the airport.

Boston’s Logan International – Before sitting on a long plane ride and paying $5 for a bag of peanuts, you may want to treat yourself to a fresh lobster at Anthony’s Pier 4 Lobsters.  Any airport that serves lobster should definitely be on this top 5!

Chicago O’hare International – This airport has an amazing exhibit organized by the Chicago Children’s Museum.  Kids can enjoy a long slide exiting a two story control tower, push all the buttons in a simulated cockpit, and load a cargo hold with fake luggage.

San Francisco International –  Spend some time in the 11,500 square foot aviation museum to view aviation artifacts, pictures, and more.  Also on display, are huge fish aquariums that can teach kids about the ecosystems of the Amazon River and coral reefs.

Las Vegas’ McCarran International – For those addicted to gambling, or hoping to leave Vegas with more money than they arrived with, play numerous slot machines while waiting for departures.   If lucky, maybe we can win enough money to pay for our vacation.

Along with unfussy Filipinos and particular Thais, a recent study of travelers’ preferences has found that, in the air at least, Egyptians most value being served, British travelers get more frustrated sitting next to children than other nationalities, Americans just want to get to their destinations as quickly and easily as possible and close to half of all women respondents prefer to sit next to other women when flying, compared with only 24 percent of men who’d prefer to sit next to other men.

The Synovate study of 10,000 travelers in 13 countries, released today, also found that 63 percent of travelers prefer the window seat, and a full 44 percent of travelers said the wrong seat can ruin their flying experience.

But despite the rising cost of travel, vanishing in-flight services and general hassles of flying, the majority of travelers said that they’ll be looking for flight deals and using low-cost carriers, but not necessarily choosing other modes of transportation in lieu of air travel.

What do you think? I am aisle person myself…

Don’t believe everything you read - that’s today’s advice from Travelocity, which recently decided to challenge media buzz about across-the-board increases in travel to major cities by comparing the price of a vacation package in August 2008 with prices from a year ago. The online travel agent found that, while some cities may cost travelers more to visit this year, the average price of a vacation package to many top destinations is within $20 of last year’s. Here are 10 examples and their price deviations from 2007 to 2008. Note that the average price for vacation packages to Atlanta and San Diego actually dropped, albeit just a smidgen:

Atlanta : $1.64 less
Austin : $7.17 more
Boston : $6.42 more
Chicago : $19.73 more
Las Vegas : $17.29 more
Orlando : $7.20 more
San Diego : $8.89 less
Seattle : $8.17 more
South Florida : $16.29 more
Washington , DC : $19.73 more

Long live real vacations!

Today I thought I would investigate the origin of one of the most famous billboards in America, the Hollywood sign. Tourists every year take pictures of the sign and consider it a must-see attraction, but I find myself pondering what the back-story is on this sign? How did a sign made of pipes, boards, and metal become so popular?

According to my findings, it all starts back in 1920. The town of Hollywood had just recently been named the film capital of California, and small studios began to open up which attracted actors, actresses, producers, and directors (much like tech start-ups in the Silicon Valley attract web designers and I.T. specialists). As the population grew, the Hollywoodland Real Estate Group saw this as an opportunity to sell, sell, sell. What better way to advertise land for sale then to erect an enormous eye-sore of a billboard with letters reaching 30 feet wide and 50 feet tall?

The real estate firm invested a total of $21,000 into this marketing ploy, which was originally slated to remain erect for a mere year and a half. The original sign read “Hollywoodland.”, and featured sparkling timed light sequences at night.

Fast-forward to 1973, and the sign is still standing; however it has lost a few letters over the years and now only reads “Hollywood.” The Cultural Heritage Board of the City of Los Angeles declared the sign a Historical Monument and saw a need to preserve the sign. Restorations would have to be made, which meant money needed to be raised. A fundraising party was held at the Playboy Mansion, where celebs purchased individual letters of the billboard for $28,000 a letter.

To this day, the sign remains in pristine condition due to frequent cleanings and structural remodeling.

Now, when you visit the famous billboard in Los Angeles, you will be armed with a tidbit of history while you are clicking your snapshot.

File this one under strange, but true travel news:

Airline Aims to Advertise on Bald Heads

Looking for a cheap ticket this fall? If you can take JetBlue to your destination, flex your eBay muscles and brace yourself for a bidding war this week as the low-cost carrier auctions off more than 300 round trip flights and six vacation packages starting at five cents per trip through the JetBlue eBay store.

Three-, five and seven-day auctions are taking place through Sept. 14, 2008, for fall travel to cities like Boston, Chicago, New York, Orlando and Salt Lake. There are also vacation packages available for four nights in Las Vegas or the Bahamas. The catch? Other than having to bid instead of just buying the old-fashioned way, travel won through JetBlue’s eBay auction must be completed by Oct. 6, 2008.

Airline tickets may seem more expensive than ever, but here’s the silver lining: as airfares climb, online travel agents are trying to encourage fall travel by offering good deals on hotel rates. The best current example is Expedia’s 50 Percent Off Hotels promo, which cuts nightly rates by up to 50 percent on stays of four or more days. The discounts are good at a handful of hotels in a slew of popular destinations - from Los Cabos to Los Angeles.

To take advantage, you’ve got to book by Sept. 30 and travel by Oct. 20, 2008.

How can the average traveler end up slightly (albeit very slightly) richer just by bringing a video camera along on an overnight hotel visit? Before you get the wrong idea, let’s be clear. We’re not talking about that kind of video (we’ll leave those to Kim and Paris).

But back to the matter at hand. Last week saw the official launch of Tripr.tv, a web site that features short, user-generated videos of hotel rooms in properties around the world. Vacationers-turned-amateur filmmakers upload 30 to 120 seconds of footage, which in turn appears alongside hotels offered through partner sites Expedia and Booking.com. When a hotel room is booked after viewing one of Tripr,tv’s videos, the company receives a commission, one third of which goes to the person who submitted the film.

The average payout is $10 a booking, based on an average booking of $400. Not enough to cover the cost of your next vacation, but maybe enough to offset late-night mini-bar raiding fiascos or those pesky resort fees.

We’ve got football on the brain this week (check out our Top 5 College Football Towns to Visit post for more evidence of our one-track mind), so it should come as no surprise that the the Tailgate in Style Package from Atlanta’s The Glenn Hotel caught our eye. Falcons fans can bunk in here on game day (and night, duh) and enjoy a location within walking distance of the stadium, complimentary hotel parking, tickets to the game (we’re assuming this raises the rate considerably, as the package is also open to those who’ve already purchased tickets) and dinner for two at the hotel’s steakhouse restaurant Maxim Prime.

Rates start at $359/night for two.

The college football season has officially begun. College alumni across the nation are beginning to search for their favorite alma mater t-shirts and sweatshirts in order to cheer their teams on. We have laid out 5 trip ideas for the football fanatics. These college football teams attract large crowds and know how to please.

LSU (Baton Rouge) - You may want to attend one of these games just for the tailgating. Imagine parking lots full of people barbequing crawfish, mixing Jambalaya, and serving up other Cajun specialties. Once inside the stadium prepare to be surrounded with fans dressed in purple and yellow Mardi Gras attire.

Texas A&M (College Station) – Prepare to be engulfed with rowdy college-aged fans as students make up half the 82,600 stadium capacity on game days. Every midnight before home games, the students will meet for the Midnight Yell and prepare their voices for the upcoming game.

Notre Dame (Indiana) – This list of college football towns would not be complete unless it included Notre Dame. The program has won 11 National Championships, and who could forget the highly inspirational movie Rudy? Before each game players attend a mass on campus and fans block off a path from the church to the stadium so the players can have a clear walking course. Plus, who doesn’t love the air push-ups ND fans perform after every Irish score?

University of Oregon (Eugene) - If you live in Oregon, you are either a Ducks fan or a Beavers fan. The clash between Oregon and Oregon State each year allows bragging rights for the remainder of the year. Oregon’s mascot is a formidable presence having been suspended games in the past for fighting other mascots. When fans hold their hands over their head in an O and scream “OOOOOOHHHHH,” it is hard to refrain from joining in.

Florida (Gainesville) – The Gators home stadium is appropriately named the swamp. Bring your shorts and body paint to these games because the weather is guaranteed to be ideal. Thousands of screaming fans line up two to three hours before the games to take part in welcoming the home team to the stadium during the Gator Walk.