How to Vacation on a Dime

Frustrated travelers camp out in airports, train stations

(NEWSER) - Hundreds of thousands of passengers on their way to family holiday festivities in Europe were camped out instead yesterday at mobbed airports and train stations shut down by record snow and cold. London's Heathrow Airport was largely closed for a second day as wanna-be fliers huddled under emergency blankets on trash-strewn floors, some of them for a third night waiting for their plane to take off. "It's very hard," a passenger with a ticket to Dallas told CNN . "All I want for Christmas is to hug my daughter." Charles De Gaulle and German airports canceled more than a quarter of their flights, and several Eurostar trips were delayed or ditched. More»

'Unintended Consequence' fee intended to chide transportation department

(NEWSER) - Spirit Airlines is angry over a new Department of Transportation rule—and it's making sure customers know it, by slapping a $2 "Department of Transportation Unintended Consequence Fee" on all tickets. The new rule, which went into effect last week, requires airlines to give customers a full refund, without additional fees, if the customer requests one within 24 hours of booking a flight, USA Today explains. More»

Volunteer group teams up with them to spread awareness

(NEWSER) - Visitors to London can get an earthier view of the city courtesy of homeless tour guides. Der Spiegel tags along as one woman ticks off facts on familiar sites such as the London Bridge, along with tidbits not to be found on more official tours: "This is where I used to sleep sometimes," she says of a corner in the London Borough Market. "In the morning, the market traders would make me a cup of tea." More»

United is using smaller plane to fly trans-Atlantic ... and stiff winds spell trouble

(NEWSER) - Exactly the news frustrated travelers want to hear: In a bid to pinch pennies, many nonstop Continental flights from Europe to the East Coast are, you guessed it, stopping along the way. The latest airplane-related annoyance stems from United Continental Holding's decision to use smaller jets on several trans-Atlantic routes. The good news for United: Doing so lets United use planes that are cheaper to operate and staffed by fewer flight attendants. The bad news for you: If the planes run into strong headwinds, they burn more fuel, and need to stop and refuel, often in Canada. More»

Panama, Finland, and Myanmar top the list

(NEWSER) - If you like cool design, upscale safaris, or a forbidden communist island, the New York Times can recommend 45 locales to visit in 2012. Among them:

• Panama. See the world-famous canal before its expansion, then stay for Panama City's economic boom and Frank Gehry's first design in Latin America—a natural history museum called BioMuseo.