Roundup: Challenge Google gamers for Virgin America prize pack; AAA says road travel down for July 4; Offbeat Traveler in Shark Bay, Australia

Use Google Apps to win a Virgin America/Google prize package: Are you playing in Virgin America’s Day in the Cloud Challenge today? They’ve teamed up with Google Apps to host an “in the air” and on the ground online puzzle. If you’re flying on Virgin America today, you’ll get free in-flight Wi-Fi to play.  Or just play on the ground. Take on the gamers and be one of the top five scorers to win the Year in the Cloud Prize Package (free flights and free in-flight Wi-Fi from Virgin America, a Netbook computer and 1 terabyte of online storage from Google for e-mail and photos). All you have to do to play is log on to your Google account, tell them if you’re on the ground or in the air and start playing. You have 60 minutes to complete the nine-level game. Some of the Google gamers playing on Virgin America flights today include Googler and world puzzle champion Wei-Hwa Huang, Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku (who actually beat out Wei-Hwa in the recent world puzzle championship), Andrew Chaiken and Jane McGonigal. You can see who you are up against in the Lounge. If you want an edge, check out the tutorial before you start.

[Update: Thomas Snyder ended up not making the event]

July 4 travel outlook: AAA announced that it expects fewer travelers on the road this coming Fourth of July holiday weekend. The organization is projecting about 37.1 million travelers to take a trip of 50 or more miles away from home compared to the 37.8 million Americans who traveled during the same period (a 1.9% drop). That doesn’t seem like a big percentage, but it is a 10.5 % decline from the 42.3 million travelers who vacationed in 2007. However, AAA does expect an increase in air travel for this holiday, with airfare and lodging prices down from last year. “Many Americans remain cautious about the outlook for their personal finances, and these attitudes are reflected in the slight decline in travel we are forecasting for the upcoming holiday weekend,” said Robert L. Darbelnet, AAA president and chief executive.

Offbeat Traveler: The Offbeat Traveler takes us to Shark Bay, Australia, this week, with colorful aerial shots as well as beach scenes from the ground. You might not see any pictures of sharks, but there are dolphins that come right up to shore for a feed.

– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger

[Photo: Impressed by the proliferation of the triangular-toothed predators, British explorer William Dampier named this area Shark Bay in 1699. Besides the sharks, the region's marine life includes dolphins, dugongs [sea cows] and more than 320 species of fish. Credit: Robert Young]

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 8:18 am by Jen Leo and is filed under Airline travel, Contest & Sweepstakes, Good Morning, News, Tips & Advice, Pacific & Australia, San Diego, Ventura, Weekend Getaways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.