Yes, Mom, we will be home for the holidays! And you can thank (or blame) Rick Seaney for that.

He’s put together a very cool guide – with charts and everything – to get us home without breaking the bank. I advise one and all to check it out here.

You cook the turkey – and we will set the table.

Can’t wait.

Do you follow FareCompare on Twitter? You should.

Because FareCompare now has Tweets tailored to your home airport. Get it? That means you get a real-time heads-up about the deals that really matter to you.

You know how Rick Seaney is always saying that airlines never put a planeload of seats on sale – only a few of those seats are the super-cheapies. Okay, so if you get these new FareCompare tweets that tell you about the deals you want instantly – you’ll be first in line to grab one of these super-cheapies. And then you, my friend, will be a winner.

And you barely have to lift a finger. Okay, maybe one – so you can click here to follow FareCompare’s tweet from your home airport – just put in your airport and then click “follow” and you are good to go.

Try it. You will like it – because you will save a ton of money.

Andy,

Read your recent column in the Albany Times Union. Love that second line: “Travel is still so expensive that I think people ought to stay home.”

Andy – travel is not expensive; it’s cheaper than it’s been in years. Seriously – (plug alert) if you need proof, go to FareCompare and see for yourself.

Now, let’s look at your third paragraph where you write: “Is everything done around your house? If you don’t like it, sell it, otherwise stick around on vacation and take your pleasure doing the things that need to be done.”

Andy, Andy – you sound like my mother. First of all, according to Webster’s, the word vacation is from the Latin “vacatio”, meaning “being free from a duty or service”. In other words, IT MEANS YOU’RE ON VACATION AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORK AROUND THE HOUSE. Sorry to be so loud, but c’mon.

One last thing – you gave another reason for not traveling that was almost a throwaway line, to wit: “Many hotels still have the shower in the bathtub, which I dislike…”

Andy, Andy, ANDY! Boy, the rich are different. Don’t you know that fancy bathrooms with separate tub and shower facilities are, uh, not found in most American homes — let alone, hotels? Yeah, regular folks have showers in tubs – those lucky enough to have tubs at all.

Andy, write us. Call us. We’ll get you a good deal. And a bangin’ bathroom, too.

Love,

Your Pals at Standard Upright Position

(Once again, thanks, Gadling)

Another great letter to The Consumerist:

“Recently when booking flights for a business trip, we didn’t know who the 4th person would be so we booked an extra ticket with my name on it.”

Okay, buddy — you just blew it. Right there. FAIL.

“I assumed there would likely be a fee and am not opposed to paying 50 to 100 dollars to change the name on the ticket. But JetBlue is telling us that the name cannot be changed…we would need to cancel the ticket and book a new one. This would cost us 800 dollars.”

He wants to know what to do. My question is, what kind of business person IS this? Does he only travel by train? How is it he doesn’t KNOW you cannot change ticket names? My DOG knows this, and he’s not the brightest hound in the herd.

You don’t change names. You just…don’t. As Consumerist pointed out, best he can do is cancel the ticket, pay the change fee, get the voucher and re-book.

You’ve got airline tickets (purchased in June) for a big trip to Rio de Janeiro – for travel this month. Then, according to the Los Angeles Times, tragedy strikes:

“About a month ago, Biffy*, our 27-year-old cat (that is not a typo) was diagnosed with chronic renal failure. The vet said he had two weeks. [But] the next thing you know, he’s at least 90% of what he used to be. But he requires intensive care. The airline tells me that I have only one year from the date of my ticket purchase to travel. Can anything be done?” –LA Times Reader

The answer given was: unless these were refundable tickets – there’s not much that can be done. In other words, use it or lose it.

Alright, wait a sec here: Biffy* is already 27-freakin’ years old! Not to be cruel, but – how much longer can he last?

Then I do a Google search for “oldest cats” and – it turns out the Bifster* is a spring chicken. You see, not too long ago, there was a certain Creme Puff of Austin, Texas who didn’t go to his reward until he was 38…

Get well soon, Biffy*.

*not his real name

Remember the “old FareCompare.com”? Pretty humdrum site, right?

Well, hold onto your hats – the site has changed. For the better.

See for yourself, here – the New & Improved Farecompare.com has got all kinds of special tools and videos and other cool stuff that means finding the cheapest airfares is easier than ever.

Let me repeat: FINDING THE CHEAPEST AIRFARES IS EASIER THAN EVER.

Something else very cool: you can now find Southwest airfares on FareCompare.com, along with airfares from 500 other carriers. And check out Southwest’s extra cool holiday sale.

Check it out. And yeah – you will be glad you did so.