Travel Preview: Where to go in 2009

By Gary A. Warner

Hawaii and Alaska are throwing big parties. The nation's second-tallest building is going up smack in the middle of the U.S.A. New baseball stadiums are opening. A resurgent dollar is making overseas travel if not a bargain, then less like liposuction on your bank account. And the usual suspects: Mardi Gras, Fourth of July and all those beaches, pools and lakes for summer splashing.

There are a million reasons to hit the road in 2009.

All you have to do is just say no.

No to the "naycation."

If you haven't heard, the same killjoy wordsmiths who coined the "staycation" during last year's gas price run-up are taking their austere approach to the pleasures of the road one step further.

In the "staycation," you didn't venture far. I had a simpler term for it: "staying home." Now with the economy wobbling comes the "naycation." Don't just stay at home – go to work! Don't want to endanger that job by not putting in all 52 weeks of the year at the grindstone.

Fun! The only people who say nay are equine behinds, in my book. Shorten the trip. Move down a class on that hotel room or cruise cabin. Buy breakfast and lunch from a market instead of a restaurant. Just remember to go. The key word in "vacation" is vacate. Here are plenty of reasons to put the mail and newspaper on hold, get the neighbors to feed the goldfish, and head out the front door.

50TH ANNIVERSARY

OF 50 STATES

It was 50 years ago this year that Alaska became the 49th state and Hawaii the 50th. Since it is winter, we suggest you head first to Honolulu or one of the outer islands to party with the people of the home state of our new president. Two venerable hotels: The Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki and the Mauna Kea Beach Resort on the Big Island have recently reopened after major renovations. Wait until things thaw around May or so before going up to Anchorage and environs, where Denali (also known as Mount McKinley) will celebrate 50 years as the tallest mountain in the United States when Alaska's entry into the U.S. pushed it past California's Mount Whitney.

EUROPEAN LOW

AND HIGHBROW

Though the dollar has slid back some in recent weeks, the greenback has enjoyed a recent resurgence against European currencies, especially the British pound. While Europe is still a pricey vacation, it hasn't been this inexpensive in a while, and Britain has cut its Value Added Tax on just about everything from 17.5 percent to 15 percent. If not now, when? The European Capitals of Culture for 2009 are Vilnius, Lithuania and Linz, Austria. Each will host a full slate of arts and culture events organized by the European Union. Similar events celebrating the Americas (Asunción, Paraguay) are planned, and a group focused on Arab culture has named "Jerusalem, Palestine" as its capital for the year, even though the city is controlled by Israel.

BIG STUFF

As if Chicago didn't already have enough to celebrate with the inauguration of local guy Barack Obama to the White House, the "Second City" will get the second-tallest building in the U.S. with the opening of Donald Trump's 92-story hotel and tower. The Windy City already has the tallest in the Sears Tower. The Art Institute of Chicago also will open its long anticipated Contemporary Wing. The city has a lot to be proud of – now if the Cubs would just end that 100-year drought without a World Series win.

Four score and

120 years ago

It's 200 years since the birth of America's great Civil War president. It will be marked around the country, but especially in Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana, where he lived before going to Washington, D.C. He was assassinated at Ford's Theatre, which is scheduled to reopen in February after a long renovation. This year is also the centennial of the Lincoln head penny, which replaced the Indian head penny in 1909 to mark 100 years since Lincoln's birth.

NEW PASSPORT RULES (AGAIN)

Starting in June, you'll need to show documents proving your identity and citizenship when coming into the U.S. by land or sea (already a requirement by air). It's a change for Americans who drive to Mexico or Canada or for cruise passengers in areas of the Caribbean that were previously exempt.

One option is the new credit card-size passport card, a hybrid between a passport and an identity card. They are meant for frequent cross-border travelers who don't want to have to carry their passport. A microchip allows information stored on the card to be viewed by border agents. The cards cost $45 ($35 for those under 16) and are good for a year. Apply anywhere you can get a passport (like a post office), or if you already have a passport you can order by mail and it costs $20. For more information, go to travel.state.gov.

CRUISE DEALS

The cruise industry built fast and big during the boom, and that means deep discounts as it heads into the rougher seas of this economy. There will be 12 major new ship launchings this year – on top of eight last year. The biggest is Royal Caribbean's 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas. Most cruise lines have dropped fuel surcharges instituted last year during the fuel price spike. There are plenty of deals – particularly in the overcrowded Caribbean market. Solo travelers can enjoy surcharges of 50 percent to 75 percent instead of the doubling of fares to travel alone, as lines look for bodies to put into otherwise empty cabins. As usual, the best deals are for those who book very, very early – and very last minute.

SPORTS SPOTS

Pro football's Super Bowl will be held Feb. 1 in Tampa Bay. Phoenix hosts pro basketball's All-Star Game on Feb. 15. Pro baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers will report in February to spring training in Arizona for the first time when they open their new camp in Glendale, Ariz., after more than 50 years in Vero Beach, Fla. The new season will bring two new baseball stadiums to New York City. Most of the media glare is on the much-anticipated premiere of the new Yankee Stadium, overshadowing the Mets' new park, Citi Field. St. Louis will be the site of baseball's 80th All-Star Game on July 14.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Everybody loves an anniversary, especially local tourism offices. It's the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Fifty years ago, Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba, and the new Obama administration may loosen travel restrictions on the teetering communist regime. Salzburg, Austria, became a tourist hit with the opening of "The Sound of Music" on Broadway 50 years ago, but the bigger celebration in that nation will be in Vienna, for the 200th anniversary of the death of composer Franz Joseph Haydn. North American cruise ship fans, raise a glass of Champagne as you pass through the St. Lawrence Seaway, marking its half century offering a shortcut from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. If you are taking the new express train to Lhasa, a somber note: It was 50 years ago that China took over Tibet, and the Dalai Lama fled to exile. Happy 75th anniversary to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the nation's most popular national park. Britain celebrates the 500th anniversary of the crowning of that monarch of many wives, King Henry VIII.

ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE

Get a jump on the 2010 Winter Olympics by visiting Whistler, B.C., host of next year's games Feb. 12-28. It might be easier to get there if Air Canada moves ahead with much-discussed plans to add nonstop service from John Wayne Airport to Vancouver this spring.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/new-year-years-2282942-anniversary-cruise?slideshow=1