Jetsettersblog

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency is working to increase awareness of a new trusted traveler pilot program, Global Entry. The program allows expedited clearance of pre-approved, low-risk frequent international travelers (U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents) to the United States coming in through the following airports:

Dulles (Washington, D.C.), JFK (New York City), George Bush Intercontinental (Houston), LAX (Los Angeles), Hartsfield-Jackson (Atlanta), O’Hare (Chicago), and Miami International (Miami). Global Entry is a harmonized program that allows applicants to complete a single application and pay one fee. The Global Entry program is an important next step in building upon the foundation of CBP’s other trusted traveler programs, such as NEXUS and SENTRI, and extending expedited processing to low-risk, international air travelers.

For more information, visit www.globalentry.gov

Spirit Airlines has launched customized onboard advertising. The company’s new Mile High Media allows advertisers to choose from a variety of customizable media options including seat backs, window shades, overhead bins, tray tables, drink carts and more.

Mile High Media is featuring ads aboard all Spirit Airlines flights starting this week with its first partner, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.

The airline says that onboard advertising with Mile High Media delivers more than 300 times the viewing time compared to the average 30-second TV spot, and unlike TiVo, consumers cannot “skip the flight” and miss your ad. As part of the campaign, The Bahamas and Spirit Vacations are offering a limited time special offer, travelers who book a three-night Spirit Vacations getaway to The Bahamas will receive a $200 instant rebate, as well as a savings of up to 50 percent on hotel accommodations, kids-stay-free offers and other value-added offerings.

The world’s only “Virginia is for Lovers” corn maze debuted in Fauquier County. Patty Leonard of the family-owned Cows-N-Corn in Midland commissioned the giant maze as a tribute to Virginia’s iconic tourism slogan, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2009.

The Virginia is for Lovers design takes the corn maze craze to the next level, weaving in and out of nine acres of golden corn stalks, navigating through the maze for an authentic fall travel experience found only in Virginia.

The Leonard family began planting the seed, literally, for the corn maze in June. Add 50,000 seeds per acre, water from the heavens, Virginia sunshine and a good bit of artistry to achieve nine acres of pathways that lead to the heart of fall travel passions in Virginia. The maze at Cows-N-Corn is open to the public every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through November. Admission is $8 per person with children 3 and under free.

Families also love the farm’s pumpkin picking, play area, hayrides tours, butter-making demonstrations and meeting one of the Leonard’s beautiful bovines up close at “Cow Class,” a kid favorite.

More information is available at www.cows-n-corn.com or www.FallinVirginia.org

Parrot Key , located in Key West, Fla., is celebrating its grand opening with a special offer: stay five nights in a two- or three-bedroom home, receive complimentary breakfast for two each morning and two welcome drinks at the Tiki Bar, all for $1,699.

The resort’s 74 one- two- and three-bedroom, three-story Conch-style homes stand on five acres overlooking Florida Bay.

For more information, call 866-MID-KEYS or visit www.singhresort.com

Launched one year ago, Preferred Golf Club, created by Preferred Hotel Group in conjunction with American Express for its cardholders, celebrates its first anniversary with enhancements to the program, starting with the price.

For an annual membership fee of $295, the Preferred Golf Club affords members the opportunity to Golf Every Stay via a complimentary round of golf for every consecutive two-night stay at each of its participating resorts — a list that includes Ireland’s The K Club, The Lodge at Sea Island Golf Club, The Broadmoor, Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, The Coeur d’Alene Resort, Ginn Reunion Resort, Sandy Lane,

The Grand Del Mar and many more. Program benefits and enhancements include annual membership fee of $295 with the option to Fill Your Foursome with up to three companion membership for $100 each.

The companion feature may be presented as an invitation or a gift from the initiating member; complimentary round of golf with every consecutive two-night stay at participating Preferred Golf Club resorts;

benefit may be used as often as desired, subject to resort and tee time availability; the lowest publicly available room rates at participating luxury golf resorts; resort room upgrades based on availability; use of the Preferred Golf Club Desk which assists in booking complimentary golf rounds and resort stays;

priority early resort check-in and late check-out; quarterly newsletters for members; offers from hotels and golf partners; and automatic enrollment in the I Prefer Guest Benefit Program, which offers the following perks at all hotels and resorts within four of Preferred’s brands, including Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Preferred Boutique, Summit Hotels & Resorts and Sterling Hotels; complimentary Internet access (at most locations; restrictions apply); customized local hotel benefits;

and exclusive offers promoted through the I Prefer newsletter and dedicated members-only website. American Express cardholders can enroll online at www.preferredgolf.com

For more information, call 888-893-6697 or visit www.preferredgolf.com

Continental Airlines announced a $15 service fee for the first checked bag for certain customers who purchase economy-class tickets. The service fee will not apply to EliteAccess customers, including those seated in First or BusinessFirst, OnePass Elite and SkyTeam Elite members, customers traveling on full-fare economy (Y) class tickets, or military personnel and their families traveling on official orders.

The policy will apply immediately for tickets purchased for destinations within the U.S., and between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada for travel commencing.

Continental also announced changes to its OnePass Elite mileage bonus program where members earn bonus miles based on Elite status in addition to actual flight miles on each flight. Effective for travel on or after March 1, 2009, Platinum Elite members will earn a 100 percent mileage bonus (instead of 125 percent) and Silver Elite members will earn 25 percent (instead of 50 percent) for tickets purchased on or after Nov. 15, 2008. Bonus miles for Gold Elite members will remain unchanged at 100 percent.

In addition, for travel on or after Jan. 1, 2009, Continental will discontinue awarding its OnePass members a minimum of 500 base miles and Elite qualifying miles on flights where the actual mileage between origin and destination is less than 500 miles.

Instead, customers will earn the actual flight miles for tickets purchased on or after Nov. 15, 2008, for travel on or after Jan. 1, 2009. Also effective for reward travel booked on or after Jan. 1, 2009, travel reward mileage requirements will increase for travel between North America and Tel Aviv (Series 10B) and Hawaii and Tel Aviv (Series 10C). SaverPass rewards will increase by 20,000 miles for economy and First/BusinessFirst tickets, and EasyPass rewards will increase by 50,000 miles for First/BusinessFirst tickets.

Continental Airlines has announced new nonstop seasonal service between its Houston hub and Rio de Janeiro.

The new service will operate three times weekly from Dec. 17, 2008, through Feb. 28, 2009. Flights will depart from Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 9 p.m. and arrive at Rio’s Galena International Airport at 11:10 a.m. the following day.

The Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate is offering a three-night Links & Lures guys getaway package through Dec. 26. (Blackout dates apply.)

The package starts at $906 per person, double occupancy, and includes a chartered bass fishing excursion with A1 Bass Guide Service; unlimited golf on the Champions 9 course; a round of golf on a championship, Greg Norman course; a three-hour mini lesson at David Leadbetter Golf Academy; and dinner and cigars at David’s Club.

Situated on 1,200 acres of wetlands and greenery, the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate offers 720 guestrooms, a European-style spa, two heated outdoor pools and an 850-foot lazy river, as well as two championship golf courses, the National and International, and the world headquarters of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy.

For more information, call 800-843-6664 or visit www.omniorlandoresort.com

We’ve finished our preseason scouting and hung our tree stands along well-traveled deer trails, hopefully next to a mature oak tree that’ll begin dropping acorns soon. Finally – the time of year we’ve been waiting for is here – the beginning of football season, and better yet, opening day of hunting season, specifically archery.

Archery season provides a great opportunity to take a trophy whitetail and is arguably one of the best times to do so, along with hunting the rut. If you’re stealthy enough and have done your homework, you’ve got a good chance of having a nice one walk out in front of you.

Florida’s divided into three hunting zones, and you’ll need to know which zone you’ll be hunting in, because season dates vary.

Hunting season comes in first in the South Hunting Zone, where archery season begins Sept. 6 and ends Oct. 5. Next up is the Central Zone, which runs until Oct. 19. In the Northwest Hunting Zone, archery season begins Oct. 18 and ends Nov. 16.

To hunt during archery season, you’ll need a Florida hunting license and an archery permit.

If you’re a Florida resident, a hunting license costs $17. Nonresidents may pay $46.50 for a 10-day license or $151.50 for 12 months. The archery permit costs $5 for in-state and out-of-staters.

Anyone planning to hunt one of Florida’s many wildlife management areas (WMAs) must purchase a management area permit for $26.50.

All of these licenses and permits are available at county tax collectors’ offices, retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies, or by calling toll-free 1-888-HUNT-FLORIDA or clicking www.wildlifelicense.com.

The most common game to take during archery season are deer and wild hog. During this period, deer of either sex are legal game, regardless of antler size (except for spotted fawns). The daily bag limit on deer is two. Bag limits on WMAs can differ, so consult the area’s brochure first.

Wild hogs are considered livestock on private lands and – with landowner permission – can be hunted year-round with no bag or size limits. On most WMAs, there’s no bag or size limits, and hogs are legal to take during any hunting season except spring turkey. On a few WMAs, limits do apply, so again check the area brochure.

In addition to hunting big game, it’s also legal to shoot gobblers and bearded turkeys during archery season. Only one can be taken per day and there’s a two-bird fall-season limit. It’s against the law to hunt turkeys in Holmes County during this period, and you can’t shoot turkeys while they’re on the roost, over bait, when you’re within 100 yards of a game-feeding station when bait is present or with the aid of recorded turkey calls.

If you’re quite the marksman, gray squirrel, quail and rabbit are three other species legal to take during archery season, and there’s a daily bag limit of 12 for each.

Only bows may be used during archery season – no crossbows allowed, except for hunters with a disabled crossbow permit. Bows must have a minimum draw weight of 35 pounds, and hand-held releases are permitted. For hunting deer, hog and turkey, broadheads must have at least two sharpened edges with a minimum width of 7/8 inch.

Legal shooting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. Except for turkeys, you’re permitted to take resident game over corn or soybeans on private land. It’s against the law to use such bait on WMAs.

Some things you can’t do during archery season include possessing firearms, using explosive or drug-injecting arrows, using bows equipped with electronic computational or laser sights and possessing a bow on an airboat in Miami-Dade County.

You can’t use dogs to hunt deer or hogs during archery season, but you can use bird dogs if quail hunting. Otherwise, the only time you can have a dog in the woods while hunting is when it’s on a leash and you’re using it to trail wounded game.

Here’s hoping all your preparation and persistence pays off and wishing you luck on taking that monster buck. As always, have fun, hunt safely and ethically, and we’ll see you in the woods

The ultimate guide to making the most of your U.S. European Golf experience…

With golf’s most prestigious international competition taking place in Kentucky this September, Kentucky’s favourite premium bourbon Woodford Reserve has put together this handy guide to the home of thoroughbred horses, award-winning bourbon whiskey and the best fried chicken in the US!

10 Things to do in Kentucky…

1. Woodford Reserve Distillery – no trip to Kentucky would be complete without hitting the bourbon trail, starting with the region’s award winning small-batch Woodford Reserve. Book in advance for a tour with Master Distiller, Chris Morris, where you’ll see first hand how this hand-crafted bourbon is made.

Find out everything you need to know from fermenting, to maturation, right through to how the barrels are prepared to give Woodford Reserve its distinctive taste, aroma and colour. For those who have a spare £25k, take advantage of Personal Selection, a once in a lifetime chance to blend your own personalised batch of Woodford Reserve bourbon.

2. Thoroughbred Horse-Farm Tour – get a close-up look at some of the world’s premier Thoroughbred horse farms on this specialist tour. Book in advance with Scott Goodlett, operator of Tours of Tradition.

3. Muhammad Ali Museum – fittingly located in Ali’s hometown, the museum walks you through the life of an athlete from childhood to present day, capturing the boxer’s accomplishments both inside and outside the ring.

4. Kentucky Derby Museum and Churchill Downs – visit Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, by booking an exclusive tour with the official Kentucky Museum. Tours operate throughout the year, and a special ‘Backstretch Breakfast Tour’ is available for those visiting during September.

5. Oscar Getz Bourbon Museum – based in Bardstown, the Oscar Getz Bourbon Museum is located in a beautiful old brick building, built in 1826, and is home to a host of fascinating whiskey memorabilia from copper pot stills to whiskey bottles dating back to the early 1800’s.

6. Lexington – considered the horse capital of the world, Lexington has lots to offer the out of town visitor. Visit the site of the 2010 World Equestrian Games, or check out the many restaurants and shops. Also worth a stop is Bardstown.

7. Seelbach Hotel – visit this prestigious hotel and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time - The Old Seelbach Bar at the Seelbach Hotel on South Fourth Street in Louisville is Al Capone’s old drinking den! Also check out The Oakroom, Kentucky’s only AAA Five Diamond restaurant (we recommend you book in advance).

8. 4th Street Live, Louisville – for a night out with the local Kentuckians, you’ll find everything you need on 4th Street Live. From bars and restaurants to Bowling Lanes and free concerts out doors, 4th Street Live is the best hot spot in downtown Louisville.

9. 21C Museum Hotel – check out Kentucky’s newest and most stylish boutique hotel, with cutting edge artworks by 21st Century living artists, many of which are part of the owner’s private collection and were specially commissioned for the hotel.

10. Proof on Main – opened in 2006, this contemporary restaurant is located within 21C, and was recently voted ‘Best New Restaurant’ by American Esquire. Chef Michael Paley’s food is rooted in Italian tradition with modern American influences, and ingredients are sourced locally where possible.