Let the voting begin!

Vote for your favorite frequent-flier program, U.S. budget airline and international budget airline. You may vote once every 24 hours until the voting phase closes March 21.

One change this year: voting requires login, either through About.com or Facebook. You may also login by submitting a valid email address.

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Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals: a pair of cruise offers, a "leap year sale" on bed and breakfast gift cards, and discounted resort rates.

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When you arrive in Orlando, you'll notice it is a place that focuses on travelers.

It's not a tourist trap. I enjoy visiting the area. But there are some travel mistakes you can make here that will cost you time as well as money.

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When tourists become targets of crime, word spreads quickly.

The problem is that many would-be travelers are so focused on such stories that they either avoid the scene of the crime or spend their precious vacations constantly looking over their shoulders.

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Where is it written that quality attractions always must charge an admission fee?

Examples: a visit to the Smithsonian, a drive along the rugged California coast or a weekend in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals: Expedia.com discounts in Florida, a pair of train-related sales and a special offer for flights to London.

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Ever get a great airfare but cough up the savings for an expensive ride from the airport?

It's not hard to do. In many major cities, a cab ride from terminal to downtown is $50 or more.

But some of those same cities offer airport trains at a small fraction of the cab or shuttle bus prices. Granted, the ride might not be quite as comfortable, and you might do a little walking, too. But if you practice one-bag travel, these small sacrifices can add up to big savings.

Take a look at 12 North American cities where rides on airport trains cost less than $10. Climb aboard and save.

Do you have plans to visit SeaWorld in the near future? If so, it pays to buy your tickets before you leave home.

You can also combine SeaWorld admissions with other theme parks. Take a look at the SeaWorld discounts that are possible simply by using your computer to make a purchase or two.

More Theme Park Savings

Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals: hotel discounts for Paris and Las Vegas, and a sale on gift certificates from Restaurants.com.

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Why not explore Latin America? It can be a budget travel paradise, but many are hesitant.

Some fear crime or language barriers. Others wonder if they can be comfortable there. A few think the distances from home to Central America or South America are too great.

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Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals: discounts on Entertainment Books, a sale on room rates in New York City and a pair of cruise offers.

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U.S. budget travelers who have been shopping for airfares recently might think prices are getting ugly. What happened to those enticing low prices?

New U.S.D.O.T. Passenger Protection Regulations require posting the sum of airfare+taxes. The idea is to curb sensational fare advertising that doesn't include taxes and fees until the consumer has entered the booking process.

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Anybody ready to start thinking about Spring Break?

As January draws to a close, it's only natural to start thinking about spring. The pessimists among us will remind us of seven winter weeks that stretch across the calendar before spring officially arrives.

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Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals: discounts on trips to Mexico and the Caribbean, an airfare sale between New York and Delhi, and senior discounts from Rail Europe.

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Face it: some places are just less expensive to visit than others.

That doesn't mean the expensive places aren't worth seeing. But why not build some economy into your itinerary by choosing destinations where meals, hotels, admission fees and transportation will cost less? The minute you commit to a visit, you're already ahead of the budget travel game.

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It's time once again for you to have a say in the annual About.com Readers' Choice Awards. In 2012, three budget travel categories will appear for a second consecutive year.

Nomination submissions will be accepted immediately after midnight ET on Wednesday, Jan. 18. From then until Feb. 15, you can submit nominations in three categories: favorite U.S. budget airline, favorite international budget airline and favorite frequent-flier program.

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Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals: a discount on Go Boston cards for use in 2012, an airfare sale on ski destinations, and a budget adventure tour of Southeast Asia.

Six major hotel chains want you to book rooms on their websites rather than through online travel agencies. Witness the birth of Roomkey.com.

The website, which went live this week, reveals search results for whatever these chains offer in a given city, then links you directly to the appropriate individual site for booking. A nice feature: Roomkey.com shows you the room rate and estimated taxes/fees with the initial search results. Bravo! It does not include customer reviews.

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Let's face it: some countries are more discount-friendly than others.

No one could prepare an accurate list of governments or destinations where the discounts are always among the best. But there are places where attractive offers abound, especially for senior travelers.

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Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals are a Travelocity cruise sale and discounts on Paris Pass and Colorado ski rentals.

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Every time you pay a baggage fee to an airline, you are giving up money that could have been spent for better travel experiences. Is it a huge error? Probably not, but there are lots of things for which travelers pay too much -- maybe a hotel room or airfare, for example -- that can add up into expensive mistakes. And what about more subtle (often hidden) errors that prove common and costly. Can you catch them before it's too late?

Consider a list of common budget travel errors. See how many you've committed and how many you can cross off your list of travel habits prior to your next departure.

Ever see a truly irresistible airfare?

You know the one. It's less than half what you would have expected to pay. It's so good that even though you had no plans to visit that destination, your bags are half-packed already. It appears to be a once-in-a-lifetime airfare, until you start moving through the buying process.

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There are moments when even the most dedicated budget traveler wants to find an upscale place to spend the night. Perhaps it's a special occasion. Or maybe you've scrimped and saved enough on a given trip to afford at least one night at hotel that doesn't qualify as a budget inn.

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Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals are a New Year's offer for booking bed & breakfast rooms, an airfare sale for travel to Italy and restaurant discounts.

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It has been interesting this year watching European rail and the budget airlines on that continent.

Just this week, Rail Europe announced the addition of some new high-speed TGV routes in France, Germany and Switzerland. That came about the same time as Ryanair announced increased baggage fees for peak travel periods.

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Visits to London are supposed to be too expensive, right? So why does this sign for a world-class museum scream "free admission?"

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Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals are an inaugural "Hotel Week" in New York City, an end-of-the-year hotel room sale and discounts for travel to Cancun.

There are travel deals accorded only to senior adults. But the definition of "senior adult" might surprise you.

Whether in the air or on the ground, some places start age-related cost-cutting as young as age 50. Others list 55 as a "senior." For some reason, 62 is the cut-off age for a number of senior discounts.

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Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals are a pair of air travel offers and discounts on New York City hotel stays.

You could find a great cruise price and still pay too much for the trip.

That's because most of the money traps on a cruise trip are found aboard ship. These extras might seem insignificant at first, but they add up quickly. You must be ready to answer some questions before you even leave for the port.

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Many of the travel trends that have been taking root in 2011 (quietly and perhaps beyond your notice) will become more important in 2012. That's not always a good thing.

Pesky tourism taxes seem to be proliferating at a much faster pace these days, and the industry is left to wonder if these fees will discourage tourism.

But there are other trends we're likely to see expand in 2012 that are encouraging. Mobile phone applications are likely to be more focused and useful. Hotel managers are starting to listen to the need for more free amenities. Budget bus travel options are becoming more attractive.

Typically, I don't compile a top 10 list of "hot destinations" for a given year. But there are regions of the world that are likely, for various reasons, to attract your attention in 2012. Take a look at budget travel trends and some predictions for 2012. You might also want to take a look back at similar predictions for previous years.

We all wax a bit nostalgic at this time of year, but it is also useful to understand how the travel business is changing. Make no mistake: your tactics must change with the times in order to plan affordable getaways.

Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals are some potential gifts for a budget traveler: discounted $25 certificates from Restaurant.com, a 30 percent discount on Lonely Planet guidebooks and free gift cards from BedandBreakfast.com.

A place to relax and rejuvenate during your travels is an essential but rather basic need -- a need that can be filled at a variety of prices and comfort levels. Put that space on a cruise ship, and there are more variables to consider.

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Have you ever considered booking a pleasure cruise on a cargo ship?

It's clearly not for everyone. Trips are frequently much longer than a passenger cruise. Sometimes a round-trip is impractical. There are fewer stabilizers and a definite lack of glitz and glamor. Many freighters are equipped with passenger quarters that provide the basic comforts and little more.

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About three weeks after posting a story about how to make travel complaints, I got a chance to put some of those principles to work. I was booked on American Airlines flight 966 to Miami from Quito, Ecuador. After Miami, I had to make two additional connections to get home.

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Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Winter Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals: rail pass discounts for seniors, a pair of cruise offers and a sale on Lonely Planet merchandise.

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When it comes to airline fees, the charges for baggage generally get the most attention.

Are you able to keep up with all of the other charges? Some of these goods and services were taken for granted in previous years -- because they were provided with the cost of your ticket.

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At the end of a long day on the road, imagine how nice it would be to approach the front desk of your hotel and hear these words: "We're upgrading you tonight!"

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You don't expect everything on your New York itinerary to be free, but it's just as wrong to assume that everything worth doing here comes with a big fee attached.

Riding the Staten Island Ferry or walking the Brooklyn Bridge are authentic New York City experiences that won't cost a penny.

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Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals for this week. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. Fall Travel Deals aren't quite so fleeting, and are also worth a look. Among this week's deals: Skiing vacation packages at a discount, a one-day sale Nov. 28 for Sandals resorts, and 10 percent off on holiday bed and breakfast bookings.

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