Our weekday morning digest that includes consumer news, deals, tips and anything else that travelers may want to know.  Does Fido count as cargo? Pet owners who must ship their animals in a plane’s cargo hold may find some relief with the PT300, a GPS-enabled tracking device now being offered by Delta and other airlines to track fragile cargo — like Fido — from drop-off to pick-up, Bloomberg News reported.  Attached to an animal’s crate, the sensor, created by Sendum Wireless, can detect the animal’s location, the surrounding temperature, humidity, air pressure, light and orientation of the crate, among other things. If temperatures near the animal rise above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, an alert is sent to a Delta call center.  Owners can monitor that data by using a computer or mobile device to log into a special website, the only exception being during the flight when wireless restrictions are in place. But since most pets go missing or die while still on the ground, according to the Bloomberg report, the trackers, which have also been used to monitor transplant organs, alcohol, tobacco and seafood, may still be well worth the $50-per-flight service fee. Pet tracking through Delta is currently available in 10 major domestic airports but only to animals shipped as cargo, not as checked baggage.  HOMEAWAY ADDS DUBAI TO ITS LISTINGS  New legislation authorizing the rental of vacation homes in Dubai is opening up the “City of Gold” to those who may not be able swing a stay at one of its glittering megaliths; and HomeAway, the online home exchange, is open for business.  In partnership with Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, HomeAway has begun to feature hundreds of Dubai rentals on its website, many located in the city’s most popular areas, including downtown, the marina and at the Palm Jumeirah.  “Dubai is the fourth most popular destination in the world for international visitors,” Brian Sharples, HomeAway’s chief executive, said in a press release. The legislation was approved at an opportune time, as the city expects a big boost in visitors for the 2020 World Expo. “This will result in an increase in the number of visitors to Dubai, contributing to the achievement of the stated aim of Dubai’s tourism vision for 2020: to welcome 20 million annual visitors to the Emirates,” Issam Kazim, the chief executive of the Dubai tourism agency, s added.  AT CALIFORNIA RESORT, THE POWER OF HORSES  Carmel Valley Ranch in California has a history of helping guests restore and rejuvenate, whether on the golf course, in the vineyard or at the spa. It’s latest wellness program makes use of the resort’s new Equestrian Center, where Jill Rivoli, an expert in equine experiential education, leads an Equine Perspectives workshop.  The program will teach guests how to approach a horse, as well as groom one, which Ms. Rivoli called “a very meditative experience.”  “Participants in the Equine Perspective leave the class with a heightened sense of awareness around their own behavior, communication, and leadership skills,” she said. “People often comment on how peaceful they feel while being with horses and how they have tuned in to their own self-confidence again. It’s also a lot of fun.”  The workshop is open to individuals 10 and older for $175 a person, plus a 10 percent service charge.  Still haunted by images of little Danny trying to escape a frosty maze, pursued by a crazed Jack Nicholson? If so, a trip to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo., may be therapeutic.  The Stanley, a 108-year-old grand hotel, helped inspire Stephen King to write “The Shining,” the novel on which the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film was based; and as an homage to the film, the hotel has erected a 10,000-square-foot hedge maze on the front lawn for its guests to explore (escape?). Built from more than 800 juniper bushes, the maze may give this historic hotel a new edge with those who like haunted hotels — it’s ranked as one of the most haunted in the world. Careful of those elevator doors.
What you need to know if you’re on a trip or planning one soon, including pet tracking on Delta flights and HomeAway listings for Dubai.