Lonely Planet has several cool events lined up this spring. The first is Lonely Planet and Teva’s Virtual Cuba Tour, which stops in Austin, TX; Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. Designed to give leisure travelers a taste of Cuba - an off-limits destination for most Americans - the tour features Lonely Planet author Brendan Sainsbury (who wrote the company’s guide to Cuba), travel experts, live music, free food, free beer and free passport photos.

If you live in the Bay Area, check out Lonely Planet’s monthly Happy Hour at Oakland’s Air Lounge. Along with DJs, food and cheap drinks, the event serves up Lonely Planet travel experts to answer your burning travel questions.

Lonely Planet Upcoming Events

If you’re flying on US Airways (incl. America West) today or tomorrow, check in online before you head to the airport. The airline tried to combine previously separate reservation systems for US Airways and America West over the weekend, and resulting computer glitches are causing problems with self check-in kiosks at major U.S. airports, including Charlotte, Philadelphia, Boston and Las Vegas. If you have bags to check, your best bet it to check in online, then check bags via curbside check-in services. If you do need to wait in line to see a ticket agent, US Airways is recommending that you arrive two hours prior to your scheduled departure for domestic flights.

US Airways Travel Advisory

Guests at Magnolia Hotels can now ask the front desk for a complimentary Healthy Comfort pack during their next visit. Geared at sniffling travelers, the pack includes:

Echinacea tea

Chamomile tea

Organic throat lozenges

Vitamin supplements

A fizzy Vitamin C drink

Magnolia Hotels are located in Denver, Omaha, Dallas and Houston.

Magnolia Hotels Announces “Healthy Comforts” for Guests

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

Buy a two- to five-night vacation package for two adults to Chicago, Nashville, Phoenix or Albuquerque through Southwest Airlines before Feb. 18, 2007, and you could end up only paying for one traveler. Travelers must stay at a qualifying Hilton, Hyatt or Holiday Inn Hotel and travel between Feb. 16 and April 30, 2007.

Southwest Airlines Vacations Shows Customers LUV With an Unprecedented ‘Two for the Price of One’ Sale on Vacation Packages

Here’s a bizarre twist of fate: a man who arrived in New Mexico on a US Airways flight left the airport, stopped at a liquor store and subsequently crashed into a family of five on the highway. Six people died in the incident, including the intoxicated driver. During the investigation, authorities determined that US Airways does not currently hold a New Mexico liquor license. Now the airline has to stop serving alcohol on any flights to or from New Mexico until it can obtain a valid license. I feel for the flight attendants who have to explain that one to libation-seeking passengers.

The Bar is Closed on US Airways’ New Mexico Flights

TravelPosters have spoken! TravelPost.com’s Top Rated Hotels of 2006 list breaks down the best hotels of the past year - not according to editors, but according to regular travelin’ folk, their oppinions and reviews. We’ve gathered the top hotels for different demographic groups based on TravelPosters’ 2006 reviews to give travelers top hotel recommendations relevant to their travel needs, budgets and preferences. The next time you’re looking for a great hotel, start here. Enjoy.

Top Rated Hotels - Overall as rated by all TravelPost.com members

Harrah’s Hotel and Casino (Atlantic City)

Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter (Lake Buena Vista)

The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino (Las Vegas)

Bellagio (Las Vegas)

Disney’s Old Key West Resort (Lake Buena Vista)

Harrah’s Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas)

Harrah’s Laughlin Hotel and Casino (Laughlin, NV)

Harrah’s St. Louis Riverport (Maryland Heights, MO)

Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas)

Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside (Lake Buena Vista)

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress (Orlando)

Disney’s Polynesian Resort (Lake Buena Vista)

Caesars Palace (Las Vegas)

The Breakers on the Ocean (Dennis Port, MA)

Top Rated Hotels with a Spa as rated by women ages 31 - 45

JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa (Kapolei, HI)

Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort and Casino (Incline Village, NV)

W New York (New York, NY)

Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort (Phoenix, AZ)

Driskill Hotel (Austin, TX)

Hilton Chicago (Chicago)

Wynn Las Vegas (Las Vegas)

MGM Grand (Las Vegas)

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress (Orlando)

Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas (Las Vegas)

Marriott Marquis Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)

Top Rated New York City Hotels as rated by business travelers

Marriott Marquis New York

W New York

Embassy Suites New York City

The Westin New York at Times Square

Affinia 50

Doubletree Guest Suites New York

W New York Times Square

The Waldorf Astoria

Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan

Sofitel New York Hotel

Hotel QT

Top Rated Resorts in Southern California as rated by travelers ages 46 - 60

Hilton San Diego Resort (San Diego)

The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa (Rancho Mirage)

Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort (Santa Barbara)

Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort Spa (Palm Desert)

Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort (Huntington Beach)

The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel (Dana Point)

Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort (Huntington Beach)

Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa (Indian Wells)

Indian Wells Resort Hotel (Indian Wells)

Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa (Dana Point)

Top Rated $300+/night Hotels as rated by luxury travelers

The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel (Dana Point, CA)

The Fairmont Kea Lani Maui (Wailea, HI)

The Westin Maui Resort and Spa (Kaanapali, HI)

W New York Union Square (New York, NY)

The Ritz Carlton Kapalua (Kapalua, HI)

The Westin Indianapolis (Indianapolis)

Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach (Honolulu)

InterContinental Mark Hopkins (San Francisco)

Four Seasons Hotel New York (New York, NY)

The Kahala (Honolulu)

Top Rated Casinos as rated by travelers over age 60

Harrah’s Hotel and Casino Atlantic City (Atlantic City)

Bellagio (Las Vegas)

Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort (Valley Center, CA)

Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas)

Harrah’s Casino and Hotel Reno (Reno)

Caesars Palace (Las Vegas)

Harrah’s Prairie Band Hotel and Casino (Mayetta, KS)

Flamingo (Las Vegas)

Harrahs Joliet Hotel and Casino (Joliet, IL)

Seneca Niagara Spa Hotel and Casino (Niagara Falls)

The Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort and Spa in Santa Fe is offering a Ski Resort Package that includes two nights accommodations, two adult lift tickets and a full breakfast for two each day of your stay. Package rates start at $289 and go up depending on the room (i.e. an oversized king room with balcony, fireplace and great view is going to cost more than a traditional king room). That’s not bad when you consider that an all day adult lift ticket at Ski Santa Fe costs $51. The catch? Ski Santa Fe is about 15 miles from Bishop’s Ranch Resort, so you’re getting a deal for the inconvenience of driving to and from the slopes each day.

Thanks to programs like Chicago O’Hare new Mail Express Service - launched this week - and similar efforts at New York’s LaGuardia and Houston Intercontinental airports, travelers are finding ways to mail and store items banned from carry-on luggage by the TSA instead of having to chuck them in the trash. So if you accidentally bring a banned item with you to one of these airports, all is not lost. But it’ll cost you. As USA Today reports below, items can cost $9.99 for storage at a nearby hotel, but larger items could run as much as $45. Still better than throwing out that great bottle of wine or the fancy face cream you forgot to stow in your checked bag.

O’Hare Program Lets Passengers Mail or Store Banned Items

I’m a fan of Citysearch in general - I think it’s a great resource to use when you’re visiting a new city and looking for hip bars, restaurants, shops and local sales. From the looks of it, the Citysearch 2006 Top New Restaurants & Bars list is just as reliable. Here are the top 10 national winners in each category:

Top 10 New Restaurants

1. Cut: Los Angeles

2. NOPA: San Francisco

3. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon: New York

4. Schwa: Chicago

5. Lineage: Boston

6. Ecco: Atlanta

7. Chambers Kitchen: Twin Cities

8. Simpatica Dining Hall: Portland

9. RA Sushi: Houston

10. Jack’s La Jolla: San Diego

Top 10 New Bars

1. Bourbon & Branch: San Francisco

2. 230 Fifth: New York

3. Pi-rem: Portland

4. Area: Los Angeles

5. Stingaree: San Diego

6. Havana: Seattle

7. Stone Lotus: Chicago

8. The Belmont: Austin

9. Libertine Bar: Dallas

10. DC10: Denver

To find the winners in your city, check out Citysearch’s Find the Top New Restaurants & Bars.