Netflix offers downloads
Airline passengers have longed for the day when they'd be able to have their favorite shows on demand at all times. Netflix has finally given you that ability, and it's completely independent of Wi-Fi availability on your flight. Netflix announced last week that it has begun offering downloadable content for mobile devices, which means you can bring your favorite shows or movies with you and not have to worry about whether your flight will have Wi-Fi robust enough for it to work. Though Wi-Fi companies Gogo and ViaSat offer Netflix streaming on flights, fewer than 100 planes among the combined U.S. airline fleets are currently equipped for that function.
TravelPulse
Winter family fun in Utah
Spend the night with the family in the Lodge at Bryce Canyon, a historic southwestern Utah landmark that began welcoming guests in 1925. Rest well before joining a guided snowshoe hike during which park rangers share information about the hoodoos and amphitheater-shaped features of a unique landscape that spans three climate zones. Ranger talks, stargazing and a Junior Ranger program are also available (brycecanyonforever.com; nps.gov/brca).
Dallas Morning News
Iceland music fest
Icelandair's five-night trip to the Iceland Airwaves music festival now starts at $819 per person double. The deal includes round-trip airfare from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Reykjavik, five nights at Hotel Fron, five-day music festival pass, breakfasts and taxes. The festival, which features more than 200 performers, takes place Nov. 1-5, 2017; daily departures are offered Oct. 28-Nov. 2, 2017. (Info: 1-800-223-5500; icelandair.us/vacations/package/iceland-airwaves.)
Washington Post
Christmas deals in NYC
The holiday season in New York is one of the most vibrant and picturesque times to visit, but also its busiest and most expensive period. Most travelers are unaware that they can get a break for a few days — hotel rates in town between Dec. 23 and 27 drop to an average of $250 a night (that includes more than 100 budget hotels where nightly rates are under $200), making it more affordable to soak up the city's holiday spirit and attractions like the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Z Hotel NYC, in Long Island City, Queens, has nightly rates from $155 from Dec. 23 to 26, which includes transportation to and from Manhattan and a breakfast buffet on Christmas morning. And the Redbury New York, in the NoMad neighborhood, has nightly rates from $229 on Christmas Eve and is offering all guests gift-wrapping services and milk and cookies.
New York Times
New app finds local guides
Travel is better with people in the know. The new Showaround app accompanies the established travel website showaround.com to pair travelers with 50,573 local guides in 5,400 cities in 192 countries. You can set your price range, language preference and activities you are interested in. There's even an option to filter your guide by male, female or couple. When we searched for a local guide for a trip to Nashville, we found a travel lover who offered to show us how to avoid lines at the honky-tonks, how to find the best skyline shots for photos and where to find the original Nashville hot chicken, for $27 an hour. (For iOS; Android version coming soon.)
Los Angeles Times
