Recently I discovered How I Met Your Mother, which means I was the second-to-last person on Earth to get obsessed with it. This show nails what it's like to be a young adult in the city. And so far my favorite episode has been "Murtaugh." In it, Ted says he has a list of things he is now too old to do, like pull an all-nighter or drink from a beer bong. The list is named after the main character in Lethal Weapon, Roger Murtaugh, who famously says, "I'm gettin' too old for this sh*t." But the item on Ted's Murtaugh List that resonated the most with me was: Crash on a friend's futon for the night instead of getting a hotel room.

My sister recently declined to come and visit me in San Francisco over New Year's despite the fact that I'd found her a round-trip fare from San Diego for the very attractive price of $109.  Did she have plans? Was it not in the budget? Are my parties so lame that no-one wants to come to them anymore?

Nope, none of those reasons. Instead it's this: she's scared of flying.

I'm sure we all know someone who's a nervous flier, so I'm here to pass along the good news: Virgin Atlantic has teamed up with Apple to offer its highly popular Flying Without Fear course---which has a 98% success rate---as an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Ever wonder where that lost luggage of yours ended up? If you flew through PHX, it may be at this creepy couple's house. They were arrested this week for stealing more than 1,000 bags from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. I got a call from channel 12 News in Phoenix to talk about how travelers can prevent this from happening to them. Even though it's tough to protect a bag that isn't in your possession, there are a few things you can do to make sure someone else doesn't claim your luggage.

When it comes to bad airplane seatmates, I thought I’d sat next to them all—drunkards, space invaders, restless leg-jigglers, shrieking babies, tantruming executives, loudmouths, and the dreaded unbathed. But in all my time on airplanes, I’ve never had to endure the gross-out horror of sitting next to someone dipping tobacco until this past Friday when I flew from Dallas to San Francisco.

It started right at boarding time. I’d already taken my window seat, and there he was getting on the plane, baseball cap on, looking to all the world like a nice-enough, normal-enough guy. He sat down next to me and immediately flagged the flight attendant, with an unusual request. He wanted a cup. Empty. She gave him a look, but then went and got him the cup, no questions asked.

As I've mentioned before, I'm a native of Panama City, Florida. Very few of us have left the Redneck Riviera--and that is probably because the Emerald Coast is one of our nation's best kept secrets. It's gorgeous there. Hand on my heart, the beaches blow away anything I've ever seen in Hawaii or California and are on par with the best shores of the Caribbean. But my quiet--and okay, a bit backwater--town may soon be thrust into the tourism spotlight.

Packing a carry-on bag for a flight has never been effortless; it’s always taken a bit of ingenuity to arrange things so you can reach what you might need. And for a long time now, we’ve had to remove any scissors or blades and bid au revoir to bottles that hold over 3 ounces. But now? Now we have to do all this and also pack our carry-ons as if they’re about to be checked: no valuables, no breakables, no necessary medications.

Since airlines began charging checked-bag fees last year, many of us have adjusted our habits to avoid checking any luggage. In my opinion, the problems this has caused—overly full overhead bins and major delays boarding—are only getting worse.

The gadget guru is back! My iPhone has completely revolutionized how I travel and I'm not just talking about having access to my email and Google maps. Here are my top 10 travel apps I can't live without when I'm on the road. I've noted what devices they are compliant with and their cost. And please chime in with your favorite apps in the comments section. I'm all ears!

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

--Inscribed on the Statue of Liberty's tablet

Lately, everywhere I turn, I hear a new horror story about how people are treated entering our country. Meanwhile today our new president won the Nobel Peace Prize. How can it be that a country that prides itself on being a safe haven for refugees from war and famine can treat the average tourist with such contempt? It feels so completely out of step with our national values.

Travelocity's 2009 'Rudeness Poll' results have just been announced and it seems travelers are misbehaving at every stage of the trip. I bet you think you're not guily, but read on and see if you recognize any of these traits.

Do you shower before you get on a plane? If not, you are the most disliked passenger on your flight. In fact, people would rather sit next to a person who is coughing and sneezing than sit next to you.

Do you try to bring too-large carry-on luggage on the plane? Nearly 1,600 North Americans agrees that is the most irritating passenger behavior when boarding the plane. If you're a loud talker, you are the most annoying person during the flight, though you have some competition form the person who kicks the back of the seat in front of them.

I'm all about getting sporty on my trips. When I was training for the NYC marathon, I had to visit Washington, D.C. at a crucial point of my training. Instead of halting training or spending hours running on the hotel treadmill, I hired a running guide through City Running Tours who took me on a sightseeing run through our nation's capital.

So when I heard about a physical fitness event  -- again, in Washington, DC -- coming up on October 11, I thought I would share it with you. Bike for the Heart is a day-long event put on by the Sister to Sister organization, a group dedicated to educating women about heart health and risk prevention and providing free heart health checkups.

The day consists of four events:

 - a family-friendly five-mile bike ride around our nation's capital (this would be my choice)