I haven't blogged about the inauguration in a while. I'm not going. I do know that. I tinkered with the idea briefly, but as DC has inched toward total lockdown with bridges closing, roads closing, 10,000 tour buses parking up the mall, I've rethunk it. The thought of being trapped with all those people gives me hives in weird places. Even if I do have a special, commemorative Inaugural FABmap to guide me to safety.

It's practically too late anyways for most folks, except cycling enthusiasts. I think MTA has sold out of train tickets unless you want to leave at 5 a.m. or drive to Frederick. You could also relocate to Virginia and take their train, which still has availability. Amtrak also has some seats available. The Metro station at Greenbelt (and other locations) will have parking available for transit riders - which was in question at some point. So it may be possible to get there, especially if you go early. Like in the middle of the night. But you have to plan to stay late.

For some people, it's a rush. For example, the folks at this fun site want to help you crash the Inauguration - now known as the Woodstock of Washington. This level of enthusiasm may explain why so many DC-area residents are searching for a tropical hideout for Jan. 20. Escaping the inauguration has become its own cottage industry, with Washington folks swapping houses with people from Texas to Tanzania. Hotels on Amelia Island (near Jacksonville) are offering discounts from 20-45% to residents of Maryland, DC and Virginia for stays Jan. 18-22.

Photo: Scene from President Bush's inauguration for his second term om 2005. Officials are expecting a lot more people to attend Barack Obama's inauguration on Jan. 20. Getty Images.

Posted by Michelle Deal-Zimmerman at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Southwest Airlines has an ongoing Wanna Get Away sale through Jan. 19. One-way rates are $49-$99 when you travel on a Tuesday or Wednesday. (I checked out Phoenix and found $99 fare each way in April. Not bad.) The rest of the week, ticket prices are $59-$159 each way. It's a bit unusual for Southwest to have a sale that lasts nearly three weeks (it began Jan. 1), but it's an unusually slow time for airlines and travel, in general.

Of course, if the seats stay empty, another sale will be coming right up. Is it better to wait? I don't know. I've noticed gas prices ticking up a bit at the pump and the spring break/summer vacation season will be here before you can blink five times. But Tom Parsons, the editor of BestFares.com, says if you have a flexible schedule then you're better off waiting and not booking too far in advance. But he also says you have to watch the low fares pretty closely because they tend to come and go.

I like certainty, so I'm booking my spring trip to Arizona right now. If fares fall through the floor between now and April, I'll rebook at the lower price and save the credit for a future trip. That's my plan. What's yours?

Posted by Michelle Deal-Zimmerman at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Anybody still sending those cheezy "wish you were here" postcards? Me, too, but only because my Grandma still likes to get them. I usually hate doing it since I never have the right stamp and neither does the concierge, and I often end up back at home with the postcards still in my purse. Oops.

But then I heard about HazelMail. It's a Web site that allows travelers to upload a vacation photo, add a message and then HazelMail will turn it into your very own postcard. They also print it out, add the stamp and put it in the mail for you. What a great idea. It's much more personal than a generic postcard off the rack. And the site has received great reviews from PC Magazine. I wish I'd thought of it. (So does my Grandma.)

Posted by Michelle Deal-Zimmerman at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Ravens fans and Elvis fans unite! If you're headed down to Tennessee for the big game this weekend, you'll be just in time to celebrate the birthday of the King of Rock n' Roll. Every year a huge celebration takes place over several days at Graceland, starting with the singing of "Happy Birthday" at the front gates tomorrow, which would have been Elvis' 74th birthday.

After watching the Ravens annihilate the Titans (requisite trash talk), head on over to Memphis on Sunday for the Elvis Birthday Breakfast , a tour of Graceland and a visit to the Meditation Garden. Memphis is about a 3-hour drive from Nashville, so it's probably for hardcore Elvis fans only. And if the unthinkable happens, you could always book a stay at the Heartbreak Hotel.

If you're still undecided about your weekend plans, when last I checked moments ago, Southwest still had a few seats available on flights to Nashville on Friday and early Saturday. It's $400 roundtrip, but what's the cost of tender memories? Priceless, methinks.

Photo: An Elvis impersonator who, judging from his purple threads, must also be a Ravens fan (or at least like the color purple) performs in Memphis.

Posted by Michelle Deal-Zimmerman at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

BWI Marshall is adding new regional air service to Hagerstown and Lancaster, Pa., beginning this spring. The carrier Cape Air, based in Hyannis, Mass., was selected to provide the new service which Gov. Martin O'Malley expects will "bring greater economic opportunity directly to Western Maryland."

Who knows? Maybe this will provide the boost that the Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort  needs. The struggling Western Maryland resort is about an hour's drive from Hagerstown. In November, the Board of Public Works chipped in $7 million to keep the resort afloat in the face of foreclosure threats. Rocky Gap is the planned site of a future slots casino that officials are hoping will provide a payoff for the state's budget.

Any boost in business likely will be small since Cape Air's equipment, a Cessna 402, only seats 9 passengers. However, the airline will provide 4 daily roundtrip flights to Hagerstown. Cape Air originally provided service between Boston and Provincetown, beginning in 1989. Since then the carrier has expanded its regional service into New York, Florida and the Caribbean, offering up to 850 flights per day.

Photo of Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort by Doug Kapustin, Staff Photographer.

Posted by Michelle Deal-Zimmerman at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

If you think TSA agents are a little abrupt or curt, maybe it's because they have an itch they can't quite scratch. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that some TSA workers say they have rashes, lightheadedness, swelling and redness related to new uniforms that were issued last summer. The new duds were supposed to give the workers a more professional look - bring them up to scratch, so to speak.

Doctors point to a possible culprit in formaldehyde, used by clothing manufacturers to prevent wrinkles and stains. The union representing TSA workers says employees at airports across the country have complained about the allergic reactions to the new royal blue shirts. However, TSA had a third-party company test the clothing and found the levels of formaldehyde to be acceptable.

Truthfully, I hadn't noticed the change in uniform. White shirts or blue shirts, patches or metal badges, it's all the same to me. That blue glove, though, has got to go.

Posted by Michelle Deal-Zimmerman at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

We're just 5 days into the new year and I'm already thinking about my next vacation. Mostly I'm thinking can I afford it? (And will I have a job when I get back?) Many travelers are going to have to be even more thrifty about vacations this year. I suspect people will wait longer to make plans, hoping to get the best deal at the last minute. That's not a bad strategy, especially if your schedule is flexible or you're thinking about taking a cruise. Another idea is to decide where you want to go early on and then monitor airfare prices at airfarewatchdog.com or sign up for emails from hotels or other travel providers that will give you the inside edge on upcoming deals for that destination.

Trying to decide where to go? CheapTickets.com lists the top places where your money will have the most stretch if you go off-season, including Portland, Maine in spring; Napa Valley in winter; and Tucson in summer - yeah, I know. Blazing hot. Right. But to save money you gotta make sacrifices. Overseas budget friendly locales include Hong Kong, Brazil and Greece. Still can't decide? Check out our list of fun 2009 events around the world.

Photo: Tucson, Ariz. is a hot destination for 2009. And we do mean hot.

Posted by Michelle Deal-Zimmerman at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Suffering from holiday hangover? I know the feeling. And it's mostly sluggish. But since we're wiping the slate clean with 2009, I won't spend too much time on the travel stuff you missed while you were on vaycay. So here's the holiday roundup:

Woman overboard.

Man overboard.

Baby born on board.

Muslims not on board.

Obamas get room and board.

Bored yet? If not, read on here.

Posted by Michelle Deal-Zimmerman at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

AirTran did the right thing today, issuing an apology to the Virginia family detained from a New Year's Day flight. In addition, the airline said it would refund the ticket price paid by the travelers when they had to take a USAirways flight to their destination after AirTran refused to rebook them. From AirTran's statement:

"We regret that the issue escalated to the heightened security level it did on New Year's Day, but we trust everyone understands that the security and the safety of our passengers is paramount and cannot be compromised."

"We apologize to all of the passengers - to the nine who had to undergo extensive interviews from the authorities and to the 95 who ultimately made the flight. Nobody on Flight 175 reached their destination on time on New Year's Day, and we regret it."

Regret or no, I smell a lawsuit.

Posted by Michelle Deal-Zimmerman at 5:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

In what FBI agents describe as a "misunderstanding," a Virginia family was removed from a New Year's Day flight to Florida from Washington after other passengers heard them talking about the safest place to sit on a plane. The family, including 3 kids, were removed from the plane and questioned by officials. All 104 passengers were taken off the flight and re-screened before being allowed to board again. However, the nine family members were detained and eventually cleared, but AirTran refused to rebook them on another flight.

The passengers believe they were profiled because of how they look, according to a report in the Washington Post. Most of them were born in the U.S.A., but have traditional Muslim appearance, including headscarves. An AirTran spokesperson, defending the airline's actions, said "At the end of the day, people got on and made comments they shouldn't have made on the airplane and other people heard them...It just so happened that these people were of Muslim faith and appearance."

I don't know about that. I'm willing to bet that the appearance of the Musllm family mattered a whole lot. Maybe not to the airline, but to the other passengers for sure. Ever since 9/11, people pay attention to who gets on the plane. It's simply human nature. I notice when someone who appears to be Muslim gets on my flight. Do I freak out? No. Do I watch them more closely than the white couple in front of me? Probably. Is it fair? Absolutely not.

Was AirTran being fair? I don't know, the airline was most likely trying to calm some very anxious passengers but mob rule on planes is a bit scary. At the very least, it was very unfair to not help the Virginia family get to their destination. After the FBI cleared up the "misunderstanding," the Muslim family ended up paying more to get on a USAirways flight. AirTran says it likely won't reimburse them for the difference in airfare. That's definitely unfair.

Posted by Michelle Deal-Zimmerman at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)