Nationwide Flights on Sale from $85 R/T. Orbitz and AirTran have teamed up to offer discounted fares to/from 50+ cities all the way into November, but you must book by 3/5.

$89 & up - 5-Star Hotels on Sale in Top Cities Nationwide. Indulge in New York, Vegas, San Francisco, Boston, more Hotels.com

50% OFF 2nd Person on All-Inclusive Club Med Escapes. Half off 7-night stays at U.S. Club Med.

Car Rentals in Cities Nationwide from just $8.99/Day. Pick from brands like Budget, Thrifty, Hertz, Alamo, more at CarRentals.com

$135 & up - Upscale Condo Rentals on Hawaii’s Big Island. Choose from stays in Kona, Keauhou, and Waikoloa Outrigger Hotels & Resorts

$48* & up - Huge Denver Flight Sale on United, Each Way. Travel to/from 100+ cities across the U.S. and Canada into April on United Airlines

$139 & up - Carnival Cruises up to 30% OFF + FREE Upgrades. Exclusive offer on sailings to the Caribbean, Alaska, and Mexico Cruises Only. I know I said Domestic, but can you beat that?

For those of you that maybe:

* Looking to go there for Spring Break
* Are Thinking of Going to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos or any other major vacation spot for any reason
* Or know someone who is considering Mexico as a get-a-way

The U.S. TRAVEL BOARD is basically forbidden U.S. travelers to go there. Suggesting that you are traveling at your own risk.

Gang Violence is killing bystanders in tourist locations and they are suggesting that you only visit locations in tourist areas during the day.

According to CNN as well, it appears that they can not control what is happening over there right now.

Mexico is trying to down play the media coverage, thus this alert to responsible travelers has been reissued.

There are plenty of other options for travel and vacation. Choose those!

To top it off, once you join the community, you can enter for a chance to win a vacation giveaway by Luxury Link. So that’s really two perks in one - travel to an exotic locale and look good while you’re doing it. The giveaways will starts on a special date and time (which is a secret to the rest of the ideeli community… but we know people). All the details about the event can be found in the ‘coming soon’ section of the site . So, don’t miss this great opportunity to be a JetSet Diva in style.

For the special invitation to this exclusive shopping community, visit www.ideeli.com/invite/twojetsetdivas

Got Canada on your mind? Well, we’re giving away a free Niagara Falls Tour courtesy of eTours.
The tour includes:
- A brief bus tour around Toronto and some of its attractions, such as the CN Tower, Sky Dome, Air Canada Center and Maple Leaf Gardens.
- The tour stops at one of wineries in the The Niagara region, famous for its ice wines.
- Visit Niagara-on-the-Lake, voted Canada’s most beautiful town.
- The package includes a choice of a boat ride (Maid of the Mist) that takes you almost under Niagara Falls, or admission to actually walk behind the Falls (Journey Behind The Falls).
- Much more!

While airfare and lodging for this Niagara Falls giveaway are not included, Expedia offers some great packages to make this trip a great experience.

It’s easy to enter our Niagara Falls Tour giveaway…just leave us a comment about your experience in Toronto or Niagara Falls (if you’ve been before) or why Canada is on your travel list! Sunday, March 8th, we will announce the lucky winner!

source: forbes traveler

But, Mardi Gras is only one of many festive Carnivals taking place all of the world this week. Street parties, parades, and people donned in vibrant colors, feathers and beads are a part of Carnival celebrations from Aruba to Trinidad and Tobago to Rio de Janiero.

It seems like every year I’m wishing I was celebrating Carnival, but because the dates vary year-to-year, it always sneaks up on me and I miss it. However, I’ve discovered that Carnival isn’t just celebrated in February, but its held throughout the year around the world.

For instance, Carnival is being celebrated February 23-24 in Aruba, Trinidad/Tobago, Rio de Janiero, New Orleans, Dominica, and Guyana. But, I can still catch Carnival celebrations in Jamaica, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and the Cayman Islands during the month of April. St. Lucia in June; Barbados in August; and St. Kitts, St. Croix and the Bahamas in December and January. Go here for a listing of more 2009 Carnival dates.

Carnival and Rio go hand-in-hand. If this is the spot where you want to celebrate Carnival next time, you can get your trip planning started early. We’ve got you covered, with a a list of Rio Carnival Dates from 2009 to 2030. Talk about pre-planning!

Carnival isn’t just a Caribbean or South American celebration, Carnivals take place in Venice, Germany, Canada, and the U.S (hey, even ATL celebrates Carnival!). Forbes Traveler has some great photos of how various countries celebrate Carnival. Check it out.

Trinidad

But now I have no excuse to experience the mother of all parties. I’m grabbing my beads and going to shake my “tailfeather”….somewhere…somehow…sometime soon. Question…where should I go for the most ‘unique’ Carnival experience? I know this question will be open for debate…but we welcome it!

JetSetters, have you experienced Carnival? If so, tell us where and your best experience. If you’re like me and you haven’t, where you’d like to celebrate Carnival if given the opportunity?

Share your thoughts.

Okay, Facebook can be addictive all by itself…but then it goes on and adds games like Geo Challenge to fuel that addiction.

The newest game from Playfish, Geo Challenge consists of four challenges that test your knowledge (or memory) of country flags, country shapes, city locations, and landmark locations. The game is played just like you’re traveling and trying to get to a destination. I love the little baggage claim conveyor belt on the country flag challenge.




It’s also a great learning tool. Before this game, I never knew what the flag for Marshall Islands looked like or where Ayers Rock was located. Also, I swore Calcutta was in Italy not India. But now, thanks to Geo Challenge, I’m much more worldly. It’s also a cool way to get travel ideas… Singapore here I come!

Once you’ve completed the four challenges, you are ranked by your final score, and are named a certain kind of guide based on that rank. They’ve got guide ranks such as Jetsetter and Globetrotter, so you know we love it. Right now, my score is over 21,000, I’m a Cartographer! Now if I could just work my way up to the highest rankings around the world, and be Superhuman (a 232,000 score). But seriously…who can really even click that fast?? If rankings aren’t important, the games has little ‘trophies’ it awards for accomplishing certain tasks, like answering quickly and correctly.

Thanks Geo Challenge for the late nights and the distractions when I’m supposed to be doing something else. We’ve had some great times…but I think I must go to GC Anonymous so I can go back to being a productive contributor to society.

Have you played Geo Challenge before? If so, give us your highest rank? If not, give it a try…just try not to get addicted like me.

Apparently, what I naively thought was a U.S. domestic economic downturn is worldwide. Even tapping the pockets of those in the land of luxury. A fellow blogger writes about how construction in Dubai has slowed down, credit card debt is sky high, and the Dubai International Airport is home to over 3000 abandoned cars belonging to people who have fled the country.

Since all the residents or those on visa are leaving, maybe they have some hot vacation deals! Maybe not.

A little heads up for next year.