Under new guidelines set out by President Obama, Cuban Americans can visit their relatives in Cuba as often as they like, and the definitition of family extends to second cousins. (The Bush administration had restricted travel to two weeks every three years for immediate family members only.) But be clear, tourism travel is still off limits and punishable by law. Outside of a Cuban’s extended family, only journalists, academics doing research and a few other types of American travelers are given a go-ahead. That hasn’t stopped speculation that the administration will further ease travel to Cuba –and that Americans will flock there. Should we? A story travel reporter Chris Welsch wrote two years ago will make you want to go, and quick, before the tourists trade gets going strong. At least some people believe many will travel by cruise ship because hotels and resorts will take years to develop. In fact, shares of the two top cruise lines, Royal Caribbean and Carnival, rose on the news of eased travel restrictions.

Would you go if you could?

Q: A few months ago, an upset reader called when her duty-free perfume was dumped after she landed at the Atlanta airport on her way home to Minnesota. She wanted to know why she wasn’t allowed to keep it.
A: According to the Transportation Security Administration , duty-free liquids such as perfume and alcohol are permitted in carry-on bags on non-stop international flights provided that the duty-free shop puts them in special tamper-proof bags that are cleared by security. The hitch for this traveler was that she needed to take a connecting flight to reach her final destination. If you have a connecting flight, liquid duty-free purchases must be placed in your checked baggage.

Economic collapse, a continued worsening of the American image abroad, airlines foundering, gas and ticket prices soaring — 2008 was, let’s face it, a crappy year for travelers. The airline and airport experience continued to deteriorate, and the Travel Security Administration did little to alleviate our fears. Actually, the TSA often did more to ramp up the discomfort, as ably catalogued in this post from Gadling.

And yet, there will be a bright side to all this, I think. As a nation, we’ve reached a point where we’ll have to deal with our demons and with each other to get through to the other side; with luck, we’ll come out stronger, more thoughtful and more purpose-driven for it.

With an eye toward how the travel world might be remade for the better, here are my wishes for 2009.

— A return to longer vacations: The Slow Travel movement has a lot to recommend it, beginning with lower costs, but perhaps more importantly, a much smaller carbon footprint and a much less harmful way to participate in global tourism. Lots of fast, short trips result in a cascade of negative side effects. First off, there’s the fuel use, cost and pollution. Secondly, there is the unintended impact on local culture. Anyone who has visited a seaside town before and after it became a cruise port will know what I mean. Thousands of visitors who spend only a few hours or a day in a place result in a terrible skewing of the local economy and labor toward souvenir shacks, ice cream parlors and bars. It can ruin the place for the people who live there (and, incidentally, the tourists who caused the upheaval).

— A curbing of industrial tourism: As an appendix to the above, it’s much cheaper to rent a room in a locally owned hotel, inn or home, than it is to book an all-inclusive where you’ll be cosseted with thousands of other Minnesotans, Wisconsinites and Canadians fleeing winter. And you’re helping the local economy. Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean are paying a terrible cost for our banking and mortgage woes. (As a Bolivian man explained to me once, “When America sneezes, we catch a cold.”

— People power: Get off the gas and onto your feet (or bike or canoe). A hike in a state park is good for your soul, good for your body, and easy on your checkbook.

— Mass transit: This crisis may help Megabus and services like it establish a stronger niche, again saving energy and money. Why isn’t there good bus service to the North Shore, and then back and forth along it? I know the answer; because until now it’s been cheap enough to drive there. That may change. Don’t let this $1.50 gas fool you. It will be back in $5 territory soon enough.

— A passenger bill of rights: New Congress, new ideas. Let’s have rules for carry-ons, for disembarking delayed planes and some common-sense rules for re-ticketing and refunds. As Americans rethink how they travel, the airlines should have some consistent guidelines for civilized and safe flying.

— Protection for the federal lands surrounding National Parks. The Bush Administration rule changes during this “midnight regulation” period are essentially a series of giveaways to favored industries (oil, natural gas and mining). There is no need for a mine anywhere near the Grand Canyon, nor drilling near Arches National Park in Utah.

That’s a handful of the hopes I have for the New Year. What are yours?

Frontier airlines last week began offering a three-tier fare program (”AirFairs”) that may point toward a slightly more orderly way to organize customer service and fees. The tiers are labeled Economy, Classic and Classic plus. Economy, as you would guess, is bare bones. Any additional services will cost (from checking bags to snacks). Economy users don’t even get to pick a seat until everyone else has their choice first. Classic users pay a minimum extra $20, and for that they get advanced seat assignments, two checked bags and free TV. Under Frontier’s frequent flier program, they get miles at a 125 percent return rate. Classic plus holders pay a $35 or more premium, and for that they get the Classic benefits plus the option to reschedule tickets even on the same day with no charge. They also get a snack, a beverage and they get miles at a 150 percent return rate. The Denver Post reported Friday that 30 percent of customers were buying Classic tickets. I like the clarity and simplicity of the program as compared with a nickle-and-diming approach in every fare class. It at least gives a picture of what you get for your money.

In three weeks, I’m going to Germany for the holidays. My wife’s relatives are scattered across Europe’s biggest country. Up on the North Sea in what used to be East Germany, we’ll visit her father’s side of the family. In the south, not far from the border with Austria, we’ll visit her mother’s side. We’re looking forward to the Christmas Markets, the holiday foods and the chance to reconnect (or connect for the first time, in my case) with cousins and aunts and uncles. But we decided that two weeks in cold, dark Germany was enough. If possibile, we wanted to take a few days somewhere a little warmer. So we looked into the possibilities. They narrowed quickly to Ryanair, the budget airline that has revolutionized weekend travel on the Continent. We found fares to Rome for as low as 40 euros one way from Frankfurt with no charge for the return. (No charge for the return: Not kidding). We’d already determined that trainfare from Rostock (on the North Sea) to Frankfurt would cost more than 100 euros for two. Once we started working on the booking, the prognosis was not quite so rosy, but still pretty good. The roundtrip tickets, with all fees and taxes included, came to 240 euros, or about $150 each. Anyone else have experiences, good or bad, on Ryanair? I’ll report back on the trip in January.

As the economy worsens, the travel industry is bracing itself for a disappointing holiday season. To get people back in the air and on the beaches and ski slopes, many companies are offering significant sales: Twin Citians who want to visit Los Angeles between December 13 and December 17 can get there for $259. Ski.com is offering a 50% reduction at a Jackson Hole hotel for the entire season.
The question, of course, is if people will take advantage of these sales. What about you? Are the deals making you feel like it’s time to start packing your bags? Have you found any great sales that you’d like to share?