TRAVEL Q&A
Getting to Toronto for less Q My husband's family lives in Toronto, and we travel there from Minneapolis often. We could always find airfare with a stop for around $300 to $350, sometimes less. We've been tracking and checking rates since the middle of January and the airfare doesn't come down below $440. Do you know what happened to this particular route? A Airlines have cut capacity, the economy is rebounding so people are flying again and the airlines need to make money this summer after a period of losses. The result is that airfares are higher across the board, including to Toronto. Terry Trippler, who runs the Minneapolis-based travel website www.rulestoknow.com, suggests you fly to Buffalo, N.Y., instead. Here's why: When you book a round-trip ticket from here to anywhere in Canada, you get hit with taxes for both countries. Buffalo is 98 miles from Toronto, so you'd have to rent a car, but the savings on airfare might make it worthwhile. During a recent search, Trippler found a round-trip fare to Toronto, flying June 23 and 30, for $634 ($105 of that is taxes). A round trip to Buffalo and back on those same days came in at $261 (including $38 for taxes).
Answers to travelers' questions appear weekly in Travel and at startribune.com/escapeartists; send your question by e-mail to travel@startribune.com.
KERRI WESTENBERG
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Rematch in New Orleans Sun Country has a charter flight heading to New Orleans for the much touted Vikings-Saints rematch Sept. 9. The cost is $449 for round-trip coach class and $599 for first class; game tickets are not included. Price includes ground transportation from the New Orleans airport to the Louisiana Superdome for tailgating. The flight will leave MSP's Terminal 2 at 9:15 a.m. on game day (a Thursday) and will depart New Orleans after the game, returning to MSP at 1:15 a.m. Friday. A search for an alternative found a $395 Delta flight; returning to MSP on Friday at 7:15 a.m., it would require a hotel room.To reserve a seat on the Sun Country flight, call 1-800-359-6786 or go to www.suncountry.com.
KERRI WESTENBERG
TRAVEL TICKLER
RVers, rev your engines The Rally, an annual RV rally in Louisville, Ky., takes place July 22-25 and features special events and exhibits to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the RV. Enthusiasts can live side by side while participating in daily seminars, entertainment and volunteer projects. The registered attendee with the oldest RV wins 100 gallons of gasoline/diesel. Info: www.therally.com.
WASHINGTON POST
THIS JUST IN
Nashville still making music Nashville is drying out after record-breaking rains and floods drenched downtown and soaked such landmark sites as the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. "Downtown is probably going to be kind of dead for a while," said Mary Beth Ikard, a spokeswoman for the city. "But the show will go on." Most Nashville attractions are open, including Belle Meade Plantation, the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home), the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and the recently reopened Country Music Hall of Fame. But check the website of the visitors bureau (www.visitmusiccity.com) for altered hours or entry points. Music City's most famous attraction, the Grand Ole Opry, saw waters swell to its pews, forcing it to close the building, halt tours and relocate concerts to other stages, such as Ryman Auditorium. For venue changes, see www.opry.com. The grande dame of Nashville, the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, is shuttered and may remain so for many months, says Ikard. According to its website (www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-opryland), the property is not accepting future reservations. "When there is new information regarding the hotel's condition, we will post the news here on the website. Thank you for your patience and for your support," reads its message.
