Q: Over the Labor Day holiday we’re attempting a slightly crazed road trip to Branson with our kids, ages 2 and 4. We’re going through the Ozarks both ways–our first night will be in Jefferson City, MO–and would like to try and figure out any good stops along the way or things to see with the kids. Any help you could provide would be much appreciated.

A:  That’s some trip!! Please feel free to email us a video of your adventures. I asked Kathy Mackdanz, the Auto Travel Resources Manager at  AAA Minneapolis, for some recommendations. Since the first leg of your trip is roughly 500 miles of Iowa farmland, she suggested regular stops at Iowa Tourist areas, including one two hours into your trip at exit 214 on I-35w/I-35.

Once you get to Branson, you can put away the portable DVD since you’ll be overwhelmed with family activities, including White Water water park, Branson’s Dinosaur Museum, World’s Largest Toy Museum, Showboat Branson Belle cruises,  the Branson Scenic Railway tour and  The Family Fun Factory.

On your way home, the drive to the Osage Beach resort area from Branson is roughly 125 miles. From there, it’s 320 miles on US 63 to Des Moines. On the way, you can check out the tallest working windmill in the U.S. in Pella, IA and the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and Prairie Learning Center in Prairie City.

Yesterday I took my first ride on ICE, Germany’s high-speed train line, which routinely travels at speeds of over 300 kilometers (or 186 miles) per hour. The trip between Munich and Nuremberg took one hour, which is roughly half the time it takes to drive. As I was watching the scenery whip by, I couldn’t sense that we were actually going very fast. Sure, my eyes couldn’t rest long on a single object, but the horizon line unfolded at what felt like a normal pace. Then the track ran alongside the Autobahn and man, did we leave those cars in the dust. Best of all, it was as quiet as a whisper inside the car. Really, truly a pleasure.  You can get a sense of how fast that baby goes–and the videographer’s reaction–with this video.

After one of Sun Country’s planes was stuck on the tarmac in New York for six hours, the airline announced Sunday that it will allow passengers to deplane after a maximum of four hours (click here for full story). Sun Country will also offer free food on planes delayed longer than one hour. The subject of delayed flights — long the battle cry of proponents of a passenger’s bill of rights — is heating up because the Sun Country delay followed the grueling six-hour, overnight delay of a Continental Express Jet flight at the Rochester airport. Unbelievably, the pilot was unable to persuade a worker at the airport during that long, late night to open up the terminal for the passengers, though passengers from a Delta flight did deplane. More than 600 flights were delayed for three hours or more during the first six months of this year, 278 in June alone.  Sun Country is the first airline to impose such rules on itself (though the Continental problem suggests they won’t always be the ones in control.) Still, I am hoping the bold move will help shake up the debate on the passenger’s bill of rights. The rest of the airline industry has long opposed such firm rules, arguing that deplaning could actually prolong delays (never mind that it would make them more bearable for passengers). Airlines have been restricting our experience onboard: no blankets or pillows, no free food, less space. Isn’t it high time they lay some rules out for themselves in the service of passenger’s benefit? I salute Sun Country for leading the way.

Sure, it might be hurricane season, but that’s never stopped a true deal-seeking traveler, has it?

That was the first thing I thought when I saw deals to Los Cabos, Mexico this week from U.S. Airways for $330 on their International Getaways e-Saver page this week.

(The fine print: Travel good through Sept. 20. Tickets must be purchased by Monday, Aug. 24)

Most seasoned travelers know that summer is the best time to get deals to the popular winter destinations like Cabo or Jamaica or other parts of the Caribbean.

But those tickets can often come with a price: the late summer is also the height of the tropical storm season, which means you could spend a chunk of that time away in the rain.

Still, not a bad price for a roundtrip.

The deal can be booked here:
http://www.usairways.com/awa/faresale/eSaverIntl.aspx?c=00437_txt_link

And that’s not the only deal out of the Twin Cities this week.

United Airlines is offering several last-minute deals out of Minneapolis to U.S. cities including Chicago ($218), Roanoke, Va. ($244), and Reno ($262) among others.

Full details of that sale can be found at United’s e-fares page here:

http://travel.united.com/ube/efares/us/eFares.do

The best deal of the week, though, by my estimation, comes from IcelandAir, which is touting its summer fare sale out of Minneapolis. Travel to several major cities in Europe — Amsterdam, Paris, London, Glasgow, Stockholm, Copenhagen — is being advertised starting at $469 round trip.

As is always the case with IcelandAir, these trips require a layover in Iceland that could last upwards of a day. But even that’s not a bad thing: IcelandAir can help you pass the time there with several types of daytrips and tours of the Arctic island.

Fair warning: The last time I checked this was an extended sale, which means that the prices could disappear at any moment — maybe even by the time you read this. But don’t worry too much if you can’t find a deal.

Be patient and you’ll very likely see some low fares from this very reputable dealmaker again. They have yet to let me down.

According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), domestic flyers are seldom spending more than ten minutes at checkpoints. That’s a drastic difference from two years ago, when passengers often waited an hour or longer to take off their shoes and squeeze their toiletries into a baggie.  In part, industry experts say we have the recession to thank–fewer people are flying, afterall.   But TSA officials also say that new procedures and technology are making the difference.

Have you noticed shorter wait times in the security line? What’s your experience been?

Now that The Obamas have come and gone, Yellowstone National Park can get down to business managing their August crowds. While advance planning is advised during this peak travel month, in the past week or so we’ve heard reports of people getting rooms inside the park on the day of their arrival. If you’re not one of them, check out this video of an iconic Yellowstone experience.Â