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Travel deals: the week's best

Oxford Street in London. (May 25, 2012)

Photo credit: AP

This week's best travel bargains around the globe.

MIRAVAL RESORT (TUCSON, ARIZ.)

Miraval, an all-inclusive resort and spa in Tucson, is offering summer freebies. With the Life in Balance Spa Sampler package, book a three-night stay and get a complimentary room upgrade ($225 value), manicure and pedicure ($165), and spa gift ($30), plus 20 percent off boutique purchases. A deluxe room...

Memorial Day weekend: New York traffic stats from AAA

Cars stopped in traffic one northern state parkway.

Photo credit: Newsday/Paul J. Bereswill

The number of Memorial Day travelers is expected to increase this year, after dipping slightly in 2011 due to high gas prices.

AAA's annual holiday weekend forecast projects 34.8 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home Thursday through Monday, up 1.2 percent from a year ago.

The same is true for New York, where almost 2.2 million people are expected to travel, up 0.5...

Long Island beach ranks among nation's best

Steven Leatherman, the Florida International University professor better

Photo credit: Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.

Although we might sometimes take it for granted, we knew it all along: Long Island's miles of sandy Atlantic shores boast some of the country's best beaches.

Sun and surf seekers come from miles around to lay their blankets on Jones Beach, Robert Moses, Long Beach. And today we get national recognition for an East End gem: Main Beach in Southampton came in at No. 3 on Dr. Beach's annual list...

Airline responsibility in flight changes

A US Airways A330-300 flies over Toulouse, southern

Photo credit: Getty Images

Q: We booked a cruise through Celebrity Cruise Lines and had Celebrity book the airfare and took out insurance. When we arrived for our connecting flight, US Airways said there was a mechanical failure and they needed 20 volunteers to give up their seats. They did not get their 20, so we got bumped. The best the airline could do was get us to the first port of call, which was two days later. US...

Cruisewise.com gives you cruise control

Cruisewise.com.

Photo credit: Handout

NAME cruisewise.com

WHAT IT DOES Gives you more power to book a cruise online. If you like what Hipmunk has done for flight search, you will love what CruiseWise will do for cruises.

WHAT'S HOT It's all about the visual map. Select your destination, departure port and dates, then watch as your search results appear on a map on your screen. Detailed info such as price and room options...

Six Flags on Memorial Day weekend

Six Flags' new SkyScreamer, opening May 26, spins

Photo credit: Six Flags

Yes, it will be crazy over Memorial Day weekend, but ... it's Six Flags! The coasters alone are enough of a lure, but there are further temptations, including some newbies.

The new SkyScreamer, which has swings that rise up more than 240 feet and churn at 40 miles per hour, opens Wednesday. (A note: I love swing rides. So much. But there is a new divide between the old, baby kind and the new,...

Free in NYC this weekend

Hannibal Buress

Photo credit: Comedy Central

Our picks for free events this weekend.

FRIDAY

Music

"Good Morning America's" 2012 Summer Concert Series begins Friday with singer-songwriter — and “Duets” judge — Robin Thicke. (The roster still has some holes, but other shows include the Beach Boys June 15, LMFAO June 29 and No Doubt July 27.) In its fourth year, the series takes place at Rumsey Playfield in Central...

Airline's baggage scales: Can you trust them?

Getty Images

Photo credit: Getty Images

Q: I recently took a trip where I was dangerously close to being overweight with both my checked bags. With this in mind, I weighed both my bags with a certified scale before leaving the house and found that each bag weighed less than 40 pounds. At the check-in counter, however, my first bag weighed in at 57 pounds on the airline scales, the other at 42. I switched some things around to keep both...

Tropicana plans $25 million renovation

The Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City,

Photo credit: AP

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Big changes are in store for gamblers and hotel guests at the Tropicana Casino and Resort as the establishment starts a $25 million renovation project.

The undertaking is the first of what could be four or five years of work to re-do the casino resort, which opened in 1981.

Tropicana president Tony Rodio told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the casino's...

Plan for new hotel, water park announced in AC

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. --  Plans have been announced in Atlantic City for a new resort complex that will include a 31-story hotel and a year-round water park.

Developer Tom Sherwood said Wednesday he hopes to have the $123 million project completed within two years. It will be built in the Marina District.

The Press of Atlantic City says the developers originally planned to build a...

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