It’s a big day for the folks at TravelPost.com. As you may have already heard via the press release grapevine, TravelPost.com has been acquired by SideStep, the very best travel search company in the entire world.

What does this mean for loyal TravelPosters the world over? Well, it’s business as usual at the TravelPost.com Insider, and your travel blogs, hotel reviews and Insider photographs will remain just as they are. Down the line, you can expect to see new, ultra-cool site enhancements and tools to make your traveling life easier.

Keep checking the TravelPost.com Insider for news about new site features and company developments.

For now, we’re positively amped to be a part of SideStep and look forward to great things to come from our new parent company.

SideStep, Inc. Acquires TravelPost.com

Happy Halloween! A few tips in honor of the holiday:

- Don’t forget to pack your fake blood and gooey face paint in a quart-size Ziplock bag before you hit security.

- Not sure if your new Elvis costume is going to fit in your luggage on your return trip? Why not stash a Baggallini in your gear for those last-minute costume purchases?

- For travelers faced with unexpected invites to Halloween fetes, here are a few last-minute costume ideas you should be able to put together with minimal effort:

- The Intrepid Traveler: Gather up the travel books, binoculars, camera, maps, airplane neck pillow and Ziplock bag of toiletries you already have on hand and head out. A variation? Mess up your hair and your clothes to become the Harried Traveler.

- The Concierge: Staying at a hotel with one of those “we’ll do ANYTHING for you” concierge policies? Put them to the test. Ask the concierge for his/her uniform.

- The Obnoxious Tourist: Snag a cheesy sweatshirt and baseball hat from an airport or hotel gift shop (preferrably ones embalzoned with your destination city’s name in silk embroidery or something equally as frightening). Grab a city map from the nearest information desk. Add a camera strung around your neck. Proceed to get really, really drunk at the party. And presto!

- When in doubt, head to the nearest drugstore. Get some bunny ears and call it a day.

Travelocity is offering some pretty good rates for Chicago’s Palmer House Hilton next month. Stay after Nov. 22, and midweek rates are as low as $110. Of course, they climb back up to $219 for a Friday night stay. As an aside, I really dig how Travelocity lets you see which rates apply to which nights on its availability calendars. Often, online travel sites just give you an average nightly rate at first, which makes it hard to plan your trip if you’re looking to visit on the cheaper nights.

Thanks to one TravelPoster for uploading a shot of the hotel’s crazy cool doors, pictured here!

Travelocity Palmer House Hilton Promo

Bummer, but not too surprising. According to the recently released American Express Global Business Forecast, domestic airfares are expected to rise 3-5 percent next year, while international and long-haul flights are expected to cost 3-7 percent more than they did in 2006. U.S. hotel rates are expected to increase between 2 and 6 percent for mid-market properties and between 3 and 8 percent for luxury brands. You can read a summary of the gory details at the link below.

AMEX Business Travel Forecast

If love fine dining, but you’re traveling on a budget, check out CNN’s Get a Three-Star Meal at a Two-Digit Price. Money-saving tips include:

- Dining during lunch instead of dinner

- Eating in the bar or lounge instead of the main dining room

- Having your pre-dinner cocktails at home

- Trading the bottled water for plain old tap

Whatever you do, don’t try to save by scrimping on the tip. That’s just rude.

Smart kid, but a little scary for travelers. An Indiana computer security student has proven that it’s easier to create fake boarding passes than previously thought. The 24-year-old simply set up a web site that allows users to print their own fake boarding passes. Assuming they could set up a similar site of their own, terrorists or others on the TSA’s no-fly list could potentially create fake boarding passes to avoid detection at the security gates. The travelers could then use their real boarding passes to board flights. Not surprisingly, the TSA is none too happy about the web site. An interesting story to follow if you’re a travel junkie…

At the moment, it looks like the boarding pass generator he created has been taken down - at the behest of the FBI who showed up on his doorstep last week - but you can follow all the drama surrounding his little project on his blog, Slight Paranoia.

Indiana Student Sets Up Site for Fake Boarding Passes

Travelers in Washington, DC can now fly direct to Japan. United Airlines began flying the first nonstop route between Washington Dulles and Tokyo Narita yesterday. The airline also recently added the first nonstop route from Washington, DC to Kuwait City, and plans for a nonstop route between DC and ROme are in the works.

For the celeb-obsessed, the Sydney Morning Herald’s story Rise of the Party People catalogs the favorite hangouts of the young, rich and famous party animals any self-respecting celeb watcher already knows about. But the story gets down to the subtleties of celebrity partying. For example, we all know Chateau Marmont is crawling with the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson and hangers-on, but did you know that John Belushi died there? Or some more current tidbits - like the fact that the more discreet celebs choose Hotel Bel-Air and the Beverly Hills Hotel over the flashy Chateau Marmont. And that Jackass star Steve-O reportedly peed in the water tanks at Tao Las Vegas not too long ago? At the very least, you’ll get your celeb fix for the day…

The Platinum Hotel & Spa in Las Vegas opened this week. The off-Strip resort doesn’t offer gaming - a plus for some, a definite detractor for others. But personally, all that jingle jangling gets on my nerves after 24 hours. As for the location - guests won’t have to go far to reach the gaming tables. The Bellagio, Caesars, the Flamingo, Bally’s and Paris are 1-1.5 blocks away. Lowest and highest room rates for Dec. 8, 2006 (a Friday) were:

$219 for one-bedroom suite with full kitchen, private terrace and separate living room and bedroom

$719 for a two-bedroom suite with full kitchen, private terrace, fireplace and separate living room and bedrooms overlooking the Strip.

The hotel offers wi-fi in all rooms and public spaces, as well as a whirlpool tub in every room. Each suite is at least 900 square feet. There are also two pools, a lounge, a full spa and an onsite restaurant. Oh yeah, and no smoking is allowed inside the resort.

Not a bad pool set-up for an airport hotel, no? Another bonus at this Los Angeles International airport hotel: free wireless Internet access. Click the pic to find out more about this hotel.