Photo courtesy of embracescotland.co.uk

By Emma Ross

Scotland’s largest city oozes art and culture.  With many museums and art galleries, and home to the Scottish Opera and Ballet, cosmopolitan Glasgow is known as the European City of Culture. The city is also rich in interesting architecture, and was chosen in 1999 as UK City of Architecture and Design.  Yet discovering the art and architecture on offer doesn’t have to cost the earth – here are some ideas of how to enjoy Glasgow on a budget.

Visitor Attractions with Free Admission

• Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

This is one of Scotland’s most popular free attractions, with twenty-two themed art galleries, displaying 8,000 objects.

• The Burrell Collection

Set in the Pollok Country Park, The Burrell Collection is named after Sir William Burrell, who donated his collection of over 9,000 works of art to the city.

• Riverside Museum

Glasgow’s Museum of Travel and Transport is now housed in theRiversideMuseumon the River Clyde. The museum has over 3,000 objects on display and you can even climb aboard some of the exhibits.

• The University of Glasgow

Take a walk around the grounds of the UK’s oldest universities and admire the beautiful architecture.

• Glasgow Cathedral

The spectacular Glasgow Cathedral was built between the 13^th and 15^th centuries, and is the only medieval cathedral inScotland to have survived the Reformation of 1560.

• Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA)

The Gallery of Modern Art, housed in a neo-classical building in Glasgow’s city centre, is one of Glasgow’s top attractions, with a fantastic display of art by local and international artists.

Eating

There are many cheap eats in Glasgow offering good food at great prices. Glasgow has a fantastic selection of restaurants and cafes – you’ll find many budget-friendly options on Byres Road in Glasgow’s West End. Or take a look at the Scottish website 5pm.co.uk for some great value dining offers available every day of the week.  

Accommodation

A local holiday apartment is ideal for the budget-conscious visitor.  Self-catering offers you fantastic value for money, an authentic experience of city life, and the freedom to really make the most of your holiday.   You can also enjoy meals at home, without worrying about the cost of eating out every day.  A holiday apartment in Glasgow’s city centre would make the perfect – wallet-friendly –base to explore this vibrant and stylish city.

Emma Ross writes for EmbraceScotland, a leading provider of self catering cottages in Scotland. 

The conditions of this weekend sale are very simple: you have to book tickets by Saturday night (9pm PT), and travel between Saturday and Tuesday only. A round-trip purchase is required, and you must stay at your destination for a minimum of Saturday night.

There are also a number of cheap flights to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico included in this deal. These fares have a longer travel period, May 15 through July 14, and can be booked up until 9pm PT this Sunday.

You can check US Airways prices against other airlines with our airfare comparison tool.

There’s nothing remarkable about this flight deal; it’s pretty much the same offer that Virgin runs every week. These are the important terms and conditions:

- Sale fares are available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only.

- Travel period is May 29 through June 27.

- Tickets must be booked 14 days in advance.

- Sale fares are one-way, and travel in the opposite direction may be more expensive.

This offer is valid for two days, and booking will close 11:59pm CDT May 17. Find the cheapest San Francisco flights here.

To redeem this offer, all you need to do is book your flights on Frontier’s website, and use the promo code WOW15. This reduces your base fare by 15 percent, before taxes and fees are applied. As an added bonus, this discount code can be used on both regular and sale fares. These are the important details to keep in mind:

- Travel period is November 1 through January 4, 2013.

- Offer is valid for one-way and round-trip travel.

- Discount code can only be used on nonstop flights to/from DEN or COS. Travel to/from Alaska excluded.

- Offer expires 11:59 pm Eastern Time May 14.

These are the details of the offer:

- Travel period is May 22 through June 21.

- Some flights are available midweek only (this varies on a route-by-route basis – details on the website).

- Minimum 7 day advance purchase required for all sale fares.

This is strictly a one-day offer, and booking closes at 11:59 pm tonight (earlier of Eastern Time or your local time). You can check JetBlue prices against the other airlines with our airfare comparison tool.

There are three separate discounts that this code can be used for. You can save 5 percent on Economy fares, 10 percent on Classic, and 15 percent on Classic Plus. All discounts apply to the base airfare, before taxes and fees are applied.

This code is valid for both one-way and round-trip bookings, and can be used on normal or sale fares. Discounted flights are good for travel between now and November 14.

This discount is valid until 11:59 pm Eastern Time, May 16. Tickets must be booked directly at FrontierAirlines.com

Photo courtesy of uniquethots.blogspot.com

Approval has been granted for a new liquor store at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

A lingering shadow of doubt was lifted in February, when the Clark County Commission voted in favor of the new venture, to be named the Liquor Library.

The store will occupy 1,350 square-feet in the baggage claim area of Terminal 1. The choice of location is presumably intended to target thirsty passengers coming off a long-haul flight. It’s estimated that the new enterprise will earn the airport between $300,000 and $400,000 per year.

Cheap duty-free booze has been a staple of international travel for decades. But if the McCarran plan goes ahead, this will be the first time that a liquor store has operated in an American airport without duty-free restrictions.

Approval for the project was originally granted to another retailer, Lee’s Runway Liquor, in 2010. But the owners defaulted on their agreement when they failed to begin construction at the end of the year, and the contract was cancelled.

The Liquor Library was then given the go-ahead. If all goes to plan, the store should be open for business by fall this year.

All you have to do is use the promo code SUMMER12 when you book your tickets, and your base fare (before taxes and fees) will be reduced by 35 percent. The following terms and conditions apply to this offer:

- Discount is only valid on “Wanna Get Away” fares, which is Southwest’s basic, nonrefundable ticket class.

- Round-trip purchase required.

- Travel is possible on the following dates: May 22, May 30-31, June 5-6, and July 4-5.

- 7 day advance purchase applies.

- Discount is valid for today only, until 11:59 pm Pacific Time, and bookings must be made directly at Southwest.com.

There are over fifty routes included in this sale, with prices starting at $158 return. You can fly between now and October 31, on midweek services only (Tuesdays and Wednesdays). All sale fares must be booked at least 10 days prior to your departure, and you have to stay at your destination for a minimum of one Saturday night.

The Delta fares are on sale for 24 hours only, so you’ll need to get in quick. Compare the cheapest airfare prices here.

Photo courtesy of abcnews.go.com

A new app for filing complaints against the Transport Security Administration was released this week.

FlyRights allows travelers to submit an official complaint to the TSA, directly from their tablet or smartphone, if they feel they have been discriminated against by airport security officers.

FlyRights was created by a group called the Sikh Coalition, in response to alleged racial profiling of Sikh travelers in airports across the country. A number of civil rights groups contributed to the development of the app, and the Department of Homeland Security was also consulted.

Filing a traditional complaint with the TSA requires filling out an online form and emailing it to the agency. The creators of FlyRights are promoting their app as a “real-time” solution, allowing travelers to submit their complaint immediately after the incident occurs. The app has been designed for speed and simplicity, and the whole process takes only a few minutes. You have the option of submitting your complaint to the TSA, the DHS, or both.

Despite the TSA’s official stance that it does not engage in racial profiling, there are numerous reports each year of travelers being selected for additional security screening, based on their race or ethnicity. If you’re concerned about TSA discrimination, this new app could be worth trying out.

FlyRights is available free of charge for Apple and Android devices.