We’re going to BaltiCon again this year. It’s at the Hunt Valley Marriott, which is good. The hotel is completely booked already, which is bad. I’ve been hitting all the major hotel-scouring sites looking for someone — anyone — that could get us into the Marriott.

No deal.

I did stumble across a site for hotels that I hadn’t found before. Hotel Reservations. I’m so weird; I love sites like this. I like finding out how long a flight to somewhere would take. I like finding out how much it would cost to fly somewhere and stay there for a while. Like, I now know it’d cost me $89.55 a night to stay in a hotel near Cardiff Bay (and I now know that the lowest-priced room on Orbitz was $155 per night for the same place).

Site-wise, hotelreservations isn’t any better or worse. Functionality’s pretty much the same as any website, but hey. Better rates, right? It does all the usual things, too. Flights, hotels, car-rentals, vacation packages…. a flight there and back, and six nights in London is only $2,370 for two!

So it pays to shop around, even for imaginary trips.

Not that I wouldn’t go to Cardiff or London if the opportunity came up. But we’ve got no plans for it right now. We’re getting the wiring in our house fixed up. More on that later (Steeb is handling the business end of it). So if anyone wants to donate to my vacation fund, the house electrical fund, the buy-me-a-car fund, or the general “Geeze, Data. Quit whining” fund, just let me know.

Oh! Right! Balticon. We’re staying in a different hotel that’s not too far from the Marriott. Not as convenient, but at least we have a place to sleep and shower (and connect to the internet).

Hrr. I love linky buttons.

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