COMING AND GOING
Whales and Lamentations

Sunday, October 29, 2006

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THE POLITICS OF TRAVEL
Whales and Lamentations

Iceland has a thriving whale-watching industry, but the government recently decided to ignore a global moratorium on killing whales. After a 20-year hiatus, the hunt resumed last weekend as an Icelandic whale hunter shot exploding harpoons into a fin whale.

"We think these two industries can go very well together," said Olafur Sigurdsson, a minister at the Embassy of Iceland in Washington. "These activities take place in different areas and shouldn't disrupt each other."

But the environmental group Greenpeace is hoping to convince Icelandic officials that saving whales is more profitable than killing them. The group in recent days has signed up almost 90,000 people worldwide who say they will "seriously consider taking a vacation in Iceland" if the country gives up whaling. Those who sign agree that their names and contact information will be given to tourism officials if the killing is banned.

Two other nations, Japan and Norway, have been targeted by Greenpeace for killing whales. Greenpeace in those cases continues protesting, lobbies for economic sanctions and tries to disrupt hunts by operating small boats alongside whaling ships. Details: http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en.

UPRIGHT AND LOCKED
Holiday Ticket Blues

Travelers with a little flexibility in their holiday travel plans might be able to save money by checking Priceline's annual calendar showing the worst days for flying -- meaning the days you'll probably pay the most for an airline ticket -- and the best .

"Best" is relative, since airfa res are always higher around Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year is even worse than usual , according to data compiled by the Web-based travel agency. The current average price for a domestic ticket during Thanksgiving: $380, up 15 percent from last year. The average ticket around Christmas: $490, up 18 percent from last year.

CoGo tested Priceline's calendar to see if recommended dates brought any savings. We first searched for tickets from any D.C. airport to Salt Lake City on two of the dates Priceline recommended as "best": Dec. 24, returning Dec. 29. Lowest round-trip fare found: $444 . Dates listed as "good," meaning second-best -- CoGo chose Dec. 23 and 30 -- resulted in a lowest fare of $598 . For tickets leaving Dec. 22 and returning Dec. 28 -- dates Priceline listed as "peak," meaning worst -- the lowest fare was $616 .

Using the same pairs of dates to search for tickets to San Francisco , CoGo didn't find much difference: They all came within a few dollars of $541 . But on dates Priceline recommended as "best," up popped fares starting at $344 to the nearby Oakland airport.

CoGo can't promise the calendar will work for every destination, but it's worth a try.

To find the calendar, go to http://www.priceline.com/bestdays .

TRAVEL TICKER

Travelers to India should be aware of a widespread outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne infection that causes high fever, muscle and joint pain, skin rashes and vomiting. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises avoiding insect bites by staying in hotels with air conditioning and using repellent that contains 30 to 50 percent DEET. Details: http://www.cdc.gov/travel . . . Fallen Oak, a new Tom Fazio-designed golf course in Biloxi, Miss., is to open Nov. 6 on a 510-acre tract at the edge of the DeSoto National Forest. The course is part of the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino, which recently reopened post-Katrina after a $550 million renovation.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK
K.C. You There

Midwest Airlines has sale fares to Milwaukee, Omaha and Kansas City, Mo. Round-trip fare from Reagan National to Kansas City, for example, is $178 (plus about $21 taxes). Other airlines are matching. Purchase by Oct. 30 and travel through Dec. 19; seven-day advance purchase required. Blackout dates Nov. 21-27. Slightly higher fares apply for Sunday travel. Info: 800-452-2022, www.midwestairlines.com.

Reporting: Cindy Loose

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to cogo@washpost.com. By fax: 202-912-3609. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.

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