I popped over to ABC News Now to give my very best tips for snagging a Labor Day weekend travel deal. I also shared five great vacation packages for the holiday weekend.

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So the Obama family is off to Martha's Vineyard tomorrow for some much-deserved R&R. I mean, if there's one person in the country who needs a afternoon nap on a sunny porch, followed up by a sunset G&T and an early night, it's the guy that's running it, right?

But from what I've been reading in the press, President Obama's impending summer vacation is not without a little controversy: some people are asking if he should he even be taking some time off in the first place, with the country in the state it's in. And why Martha's Vineyard, longtime playground of the rich and elite, instead of...say, Peoria, Illinois?

In a recent New Yorker article, humorist David Sedaris bemoans the state of flying in this day and age. In the article, he hints at some ways that flight attendants get back at belligerent passengers, including the following: “The flight attendants, garbage bags in hand, glided down the aisle, looking each one of us square in the face and whispering, without discrimination, ‘Your trash. You’re trash. Your family’s trash.’”

Though there seems to be progress in stopping the leak in the Gulf, the misperceptions about oil on beaches may take far longer for the travel industry to fix and may be problematic for future Gulf Coast and Florida tourism . Travelocity recently conducted a poll of over 2,000 Americans and found that many travelers believe the oil has spread far beyond its actual reach. For example, one in four respondents named the Florida Keys as one of the top three destinations they thought were impacted by the spill. One in four also named Panama City as affected, although the beaches are clean and open.

Travelocity asked: “Based on what you’ve heard in the news, which would you say are the top three destinations that you think are most affected by the oil spill?” The chart below illustrates the results of the poll.

When LeBron James recently announced his decision to play for the Miami Heat next season, the press and the fans went wild—but perhaps no group was more elated than the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. The CVB is hoping this NBA coup will attract more visitors—particularly international visitors—to South Florida.

Travelocity’s most recent poll shows more than half of all travelers share vacation information through social media sites. With summer vacations in full swing, many travelers are looking forward to sharing the details of their trips with friends and family. In today’s world, the easiest way to share is through social media, but people should be conscious of when and what they share to avoid giving away too much information about when they’ll be away from home.

Nearly 30 percent of travelers have either never thought about precautions or do not take any precautions when posting about vacation on social media web sites. Twenty-seven percent post limited vacation information; the rest do not allow any vacation posts.

Travelocity’s tips for safe sharing on social media sites:

There’s a lot of buzz here in New York this week about a newly passed bill that makes renting an apartment for less than 30 days illegal. Other than possibly being a small triumph for hotels, it seems like a lose-lose law; certainly travelers looking for an affordable place to stay, and New Yorkers looking to rent out their places while they travel, are out of luck.

I’ve never rented out my apartment, preferring to remain in the good graces of co-ops and roommates, but I’ve stayed in rentals in other cities, and as a budget traveler, I wonder: what would I have done if the only option was a hotel? At times, most likely I would have skipped to the next destination. And that isn’t even in places where hotel rates come anywhere close to those in Manhattan.

If you've been dreaming of a little fun in the sun, but you're nervous about the oil spill's path, we've got the perfect solution. Today, Travelocity announced its Gulf Beach Guarantee. If you travel by September 10, 2010 and stay at one of the more than 180 participating hotels, you can receive a refund for any/all unused nights if the government closes a beach within 20 miles of your resort.

Check it out! www.travelocity.com/gulfguarantee

As you can see from this interactive map, the oil spill has only impacted very specific areas at this time. (You can use your cursor to "grab" the map and move it around. Plus, you can zoom in and out.)

If you were up at 4a.m. this morning, maybe you saw me on CBS talking about vacationing in the Gulf region after the oil spill. But, I'm thinking you were probably still fast asleep. Watch my tips here and visit travelocity.com/oilspillinfo for the latest information, deals and tips on how you can help.

Holy guacamole! The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, just announced the hotel industry’s newest unusual perk: guests can now sign up to serve as Guest Guacamologist during the hotel's evening guacamologist ritual. Guests interested in playing sous-chef to the professional guacamologist need only call the hotel's public relations department for a complimentary slot slicing avocados.

This unusual opportunity brought to mind a few other favorite weird hotel perks: