I was surprised to see that Kayak.com paid $200 million a few days ago to buy out Sidestep.com. That makes the company the 5th largest travel site (behind Expedia at #1). I haven’t really used Sidestep, but I’ve been a fan of Kayak’s quotes and daily alerts. Both websites will stay intact and active, though...

People will try to bring anything on a plane (and the TSA will most likely try to ban it). With the number of people traveling over the holidays it's inevitable that some will either return home with gifts of food or mom’s leftovers. Yet the TSA (Transporation Security Administration) is as steadfast as ever in...

This is my first year away from close family and friends during this festive season. Although I do not celebrate Christmas, I'm feeling a little lost because everyone I know here (local and foreign) has gone home to their families to eat turkey and open presents. All shops will be closed and I imagine bars...

Travelers tend to fall into two very general camps when it comes to planning - either they want to plan everything down to the last minute detail, making sure every possibility is accounted for, or they want to plan no further ahead than their next few days. Yes, these are extreme generalizations, and maybe most...

This holiday season, Where Am I Wearing? is holding the First Annual Where are YOU Wearing Christmas Inventory Contest of Destiny – to enter, all you have to do is submit a list of the clothes you receive as gifts this Christmas, along with the names of the countries where they were made. Where Am...

It only makes sense. If you devote the time to your travel writing craft, it'll improve. If you surround yourself with successful travel writers, you'll feel encouraged and inspired. Travel writing conferences are definitely something to consider going to, for both the practical writing tidbits and the camaraderie. And if the tuition is too hefty,...

According to statistics posted on Wikipedia , as of September 2007 the blog search engine, Technorati, was tracking more than 106 million blogs. That's an awful lot of blogs to be read and let's face it, if you write on a blog, you do so because you would like people to read what you write....

If you're like me, you tend to think that if you have your luggage, passport, and wallet, you're set for the road. As for the rest, you could practically go without or buy it at your destination. But I came across some pretty neat conveniences in Boston Globe's article " 25 coolest travel gadgets ."...

This week, the Travel Channel is debuting a host of new programs, and its asking viewers which ones to keep and which ones to dump. Sneak a peek at the new shows here , and afterwards let them know what you thought. Although I am a bit of a Travel Channel junkie, I do recognize...

Humorist David Sedaris has a brand spankin' new story in The New Yorker , " Journey Into Night ," in which he documents one red-eye flight from New York to London. He ruminates on topics as diverse as first-class air travel, grief, and flatulence. On the envy and loathing that coach travelers often feel for...

“There is the risk you cannot afford to take, (and) there is the risk you cannot afford not to take.” – Peter Drucker That quote got me. I found it in Steve Zikman’s book “The Power of Travel” and within the hour I bought the book. Within two years I left on my 6-month trip...

In 10 months of being away from the UK this year, the most painful thing I've had so far is a slightly infected thumbnail caused by some coconut shell jabbing into my nail bed as I tried to get the flesh out. I've been lucky and, other than dicing with death as I fight off...

My plan to vagabond around Europe was initially a 6-month one, beginning in Valencia. It's been almost a year-and-a-half now. Then, my plan was to wrap-up here in Spain end of 2007 and move to Costa Rica for a while so I can explore South America, but I've decided that I'm not ready to leave...

Of all the flights in the world today, I’d most want to fly between New York City and San Francisco. Why? Email. JetBlue tested its free wi-fi on this morning’s Flight 641, dubbed BetaBlue . Can you imagine the number of laptops on board, the kinds of emails being sent, and the follow-up phone calls...

Photographs are often the only tangible reminders that we have of our travels, which makes it all the more remarkable how little thought some people-- myself included-- give to taking pictures. Like many other people, I've always thought that taking a good picture doesn't require much thought or talent. Just locate the Eiffel Tower in...

Will you get everything you want this holiday season, or will you get stuck with a pair of argyle socks or another box of scented candles? Make sure your holidays are merry and bright by giving yourself the gift of travel - and a great place to start are these special December-only deals on RTW...

Thoreau has been a favorite writer of mine ever since I first came across him in high school. (He had a locker next to mine.) His starry-eyed idealism spoke to me in a unique and powerful way, and after reading his essay, " Life Without Principle ," I remember thinking, Don't forget this, don't forget...

And now for something completely different: vagabonding in period costume. This past summer a local news item caught my eye, about a group of men who caused a media stir when they arrived in downtown Ottawa by birch-bark canoe, dressed in nineteenth-century voyageur costume. The voyageurs (literally, “travelers”) were the men who crewed the canoes...

If film is your medium and travel is your muse, you're in luck—Condé Nast and CineVegas are waiting for video footage from your recent trip. Their new short film competition, Trip Takes , asks for films that "capture the power of travel." You'll want to send in your video by February 15, 2008. The destination...

Do any of you have well meaning but ever-so-slightly annoying parents or relatives who beg you to call, text or email as soon as you arrive at your exotic new destination? Or even want you to let them know whenever you've arrived at each connection? There's really no excuse not to keep in touch these...