Ever since I got my Kindle, I’ve been plowing through books, yet somehow I’ve been remiss this year about getting my summer reading list out in time. So, here it is! You’ve still got the rest of July and all of August to get in some of these reads on your next beach vacation. Just grab a folding chair and stick your toes in the sand… And, please don’t forget to leave your own beach-read recommendations in the comments section!

My dream trip changes according to my mood. Sometimes I dream of seeing the Northern Lights—from a hot tub near the Arctic Circle. Other times, I imagine myself staying in one of those glass-bottomed bungalows in Tahiti, a giant sunset touching upon the waves in front of me and a school of fish swimming beneath my feet. But I’ve got to admit, once I saw the five amazing dream trips that Travelocity is giving away right now, I’m considering changing my mind to riding a wine train through Chile, exploring New Zealand’s fjords, shopping atop the Alps in Switzerland, taking photographs along the beaches of Cape Town in South Africa, and experiencing what a space shuttle launch might be like at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

While L.A. residents fight the smog and sit in traffic, many do not seem to know that just 24 easy miles away lies the island resort of Catalina. In contrast to the giant city that lies across the Pacific to the east, Catalina Island has always been something of an anachronism, where golf carts outnumber cars, the clocks move on “island time,” and a herd of buffalo still roams.

If the definition of hedonism is to devote oneself to the pleasure of the senses, then my recent weekend getaway in Seattle certainly fits the bill. I’d never been to the Emerald City before, and each moment was a salve for a separate sense, be it sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound.

Dear Editors,

I'm traveling from Puerto Rico to New York. Can I carry a bottle of perfume or cologne in my luggage?

Thanks,

Hector in Puerto Rico

Dear Hector,

Trend has it that more and more travel companies are finding an increasing number of ways to pamper the traveling animals of the world. I’ve heard of special beds for cats, complimentary pet toys at the front desk, treat menus, and even dog-walking services. But until now, the pet travel industry has been rather unfairly skewed toward living and breathing, flesh and blood animals. Shouldn’t we all be asking ourselves: what about travel tailored toward our pets’ stuffed animal brethren?

Right now, there are a whole bunch of nervous tourists on Gulf Coast beaches ready to twitch away at the first sight of black oil washing onto those pristine white sands. Parents are expressing concern about having their children swim in Florida's western waters, diving and fishing charters are being called off in the Keys, birds and turtles crying tears of oil are washing up on shore in Mississippi, no one's ordering the N'awlins oysters, and many regional Gulf Coast resorts, hotels, and vacation rentals are fielding cancellation calls for as far away as August. But are the worries to tourists overblown?

Editor's Note: It's Earth Week on the blog! In honor of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, The Window Seat editors are blogging about our favorite ways to go green while globetrotting. Ask us your eco-questions, join in the green conversation, and help us celebrate Mother Earth.

Happy Earth Day, everyone! In honor of the occasion, I hope that you can take at least a moment today and appreciate something about the natural world, whether it’s acknowledging the stars overhead as you scurry down the sidewalk on your way home from work, the new blooms pushing their way up and out of your backyard garden, or that sweet spring smell in the air that lingers after a lilting rain.

Alright, I admit it. Last weekend I went to see the movie Hot Tub Time Machine, and while I’m not going to say it’s the most brilliant movie ever made, it did succeed in making me laugh—and that’s really all I could ask for on a gloomy and rainy Saturday night. In the movie, a group of guys check into a rather rundown ski hotel and find that the hot tub on the back deck has transported them to the year 1986 when neon was still in style, the Talking Heads were “letting the days go by,” and the Russians were the “enemy.” Don’t worry, I haven’t spoiled any of the plot.

Imagine you’re planning a trip with your best friend/sweetie/cousin/pen-pal and you’re on a limited budget. You know the city you want to go to, but don’t particularly care where you stay as long as it’s nice. So where to go to make your booking? Now you go to Travelocity, which is introducing the perfect, easy hotel solution for your scenario: Top Secret Hotels.