BookIt.com has just announced it’s Out of the Cold sale offering deals on a ton of all-inclusive resorts in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Antigua, the Bahamas, Aruba and Barbados. Some blackout dates apply, especially at the end of March/first week in April.

I was tooling around on the site this afternoon and found a deal for $95/person nightly that includes beachfront all-inclusive (i.e. three meals daily and domestic beverages) accommodations at the 4-star Viva Wyndham Tangerine (artists’ rendering above) in Puerto Plata, DR, as well as a deal at The 5-star Crane Resort in Barbados that includes accommodations in a junior suite for $299/night (reg. $469/night). The latter deal is good for travel through Oct. 31, 2007.

The sale runs through Feb. 28, 2007.

Viva Wyndham Tangerine BookIt.com Deal

Crane Resort and Residences BookIt.com Deal

If you live in or near one of the following cities, and you’ve been planning a trip to Mexico or one of Aeromexioco’s destinations, you should think about buying your ticket this weekend, during the airline’s four-day two for one fare sale. Buy one adult ticket from one of the destinations below, and you can get a second ticket for the same itinerary for free. You will have to pay taxes and additional fees for each passenger. Tickets must be purchased by Monday, though travel - excluding the inevitable black out dates - is allowed through Dec. 14, 2007.

Austin

Boston

Chicago

Ft. Lauderdale

Houston

Las Vegas

Los Angeles

Miami

New York City

Ontario, Calif.

Orlando

Phoenix

San Antonio

San Diego

Aeromexico 2 for 1 Sale

Spirit Airlines ins’t the only airline that’s going to start charging passengers who bring more than one checked bag (their new policy starts tomorrow). British Airways has announced that it will be limiting passengers flying economy to places other than North America, Brazil, Nigeria and the Caribbean. But passengers to destinations in Europe and Asia will have to pay between 30 and 60 pounds for a second bag, depending on the specific destination. The whole Nigeria thing kinda threw me. Um, what about, say, Chad? To get to the bottom of this important mystery, you’ll have to conduct further investigations on the British Airways web site. The new policy is schedule to go into effect before Valentine’s Day.

Got 2 Bags? It’ll Cost You at British Airways

The deadline for new passport rules is fast approaching - the hammer drops on Jan. 23, 2007. Even if you’re not planning on leaving the country in the next few months, having a passport just makes good sense. Just so you have all the relevant passport information you need at your fingertips in one happy little post, behold the TravelPost.com Insider’s tutorial on passport procurement:

Step 1: Cut a hole in the box.

Step 2: Read Passport Rules in a Nutshell on the TravelPost.com Insider

Step 3: Read the TravelPost.com Insider’s How to Get a Passport

Step 4: Get yourself to an official Passport Application Location and get started.

David Copperfield, Michael Douglas, Jane Seymour, Leonardo DiCaprio. These are just a few of the celebrities who own part or all of their own resorts. You can visit them - if you’ve got the cash. For example, David Copperfield’s Musha Cay resort (pictured, via Forbes Traveler) in the southern Bahamas will run you $24, 750/day. A slightly more reasonable option is a cottage at Bermuda’s Ariel Sands, which counts Michael Douglas as an investor. Cottages run between $250/night during low season and $420 for a high season double.

10 Celebrity-Owned Resorts

Confused about the new passport rules taking effect later this month? Here’s the bottom line, excerpted from MSNBC.com columnist Rob Lovitt’s Passport Rules Get More Confusing:

Barring additional changes, it breaks down like this: If you’re planning on visiting Mexico or the Caribbean and traveling by air, you will need a passport to get back into the U.S. beginning January 23. If you’re traveling by land or sea, however, you can go without until at least 2008. In other words, if you’re cruising to Cozumel, bon voyage; if you’re flying to Barbados without a passport, you may experience a few bumps on the flight back home.

Denver-based airline Frontier has added flights between several California airports (Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego,) and, in corresponding order, several fun vacation destinations (Cabo, Las Vegas, Cancun). This is good news for Californians and those wishing to visit.

But Frontier has added many new flights recently in U.S. cities and beyond. Like Denver to Hartford, Kansas City to Cabo and Denver to Guadalajara.

Frontier Airlines - New Cities and Routes

Instead of kicking off your holiday shopping with a visit to the local mall, you might want to head to the nearest post office instead and start filling out your passport application. On January 23, 2007, the Department of Homeland Security will begin requiring all people enterting the U.S. to show passports - even U.S. citizens and those visiting from Canada, Bermuda and Mexico.

Want more info on how to get your passport? Check out the TravelPost.com Insider’s How to Get a Passport.

The British Virgin Islands has announced that a new smoking ban law will take effect after a six-month grace period designed to allow tourists to adjust to the new rules. Under the ban, smoking will be prohibited in all enclosed public spaces, including bars and restaurants, and within 50 feet of doors and windows opening into enclosed public spaces. The ban is directed at tourists, many of whom smoke while vacationing in the idyllic islands, as few of the islands’ 22,000 permanent residents smoke regularly. The penalty for smoking violations has not yet been determined.

Tourists beware: British Virgin Islands Bans Smoking

First Jamaica, now hotels and resorts across the Caribbean and Mexico are offering to pay passport fees for U.S. guests who buy vacation packages and hotel stays of 5 or more days through Bookit.com. Kind of cool when you consider that U.S. passports cost $97 for anyone 16 and over and $82 for kids under 16. Two adults + two kids under 16 = $358. The offer is good for travel between Jan. 1, 2007 and April 30, 2007.

Bookit.com Free Pass Passport Sale