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.

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.

Earth Day’s 40th anniversary is April 22, and many travelers are wondering how to green their hotel stays. Many hotels claim be “green” properties, but all hotels are not created equal when it comes to sustainability practices. That said, there are easy ways to green your hotel stay without paying more or giving up the pampering you deserve on a vacation.

Travelocity’s 2010 Memorial Day Hotel Report shows summer travelers are planning on hitting the beaches in abundance this holiday, and it’s no wonder. Snowfall and cold weather set records in New York, Baltimore, Washington, D.C.  and even Miami – major feeder cities for many of the top beach destinations.  The good news is that from big-city stretches of sand to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, the unofficial start of summer brings with it great hotel deals for travelers.

With the exception of South Florida, every one of the top ten beach destinations is showing a year-over-year decrease in Average Daily Rates (ADR) for Memorial Day, meaning travelers are actually getting a better deal this Memorial Day weekend than last -- no small thing, considering last year was the "year of the travel deal."

Like you, I'm sure, I have a HUGE list of places to see and things to do before I die. And every trip, I try to cross one off my list. So when I found out that I'd be going to Maui with my husband's family, I immediately began to research surfing lessons. For years and years I have wanted to give this sport a whirl and finally I would have my chance.

Dear Editors,

I am having a hard time trying to figure out which island in Hawaii to visit. My daughter and I want a relaxing vacation - mostly just hanging out near the ocean and pool. We don't want an itinerary, and we would like to stay in a hotel that has everything around it. We do not want to rent a car either. It also has to be a nice hotel that has a lot of amenities. We like our weather on the warmer side.  We would also like transportation to and from the airport.

Katherine

Hi Katherine,

This week's question comes from Katherine:

If there’s one thing women know about, it’s romance. And if there’s one thing the staff of The Window Seat Blog know about, it’s travel. With that in mind, the bloggettes came together and picked nine hotels in North America they would recommend for Valentine’s Day or a romantic getaway any time of year. For great deals on hotel stays for Valentine’s Day, visit Travelocity.com/romance.

Highly subjective and listed in no particular order, the Window Seat Bloggettes' most romantic hotel picks:

El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa

Farjardo, Puerto Rico

Ah, the Hawaiian luau, so much a staple of the Hawaiian vacation experience. Before I actually went to one, I pictured a giant big fat pig roasting on a spit. I envisioned scantily clad men and women dancing near tiki torches under the stars and moon. And I imagined there’d be lots of loud shirts and goofish tourists scarfing down umbrella-clad cocktails.

Some of that vision was myth, and some was, indeed reality, as I found out last month at Waikiki Starlight Luau at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort & Spa. So what really goes down at a Hawaiian luau? Read on, and I’ll give you the luau lowdown.

As someone who works in the travel industry, I often feel a lot of pressure to do anything, see everything, and be everywhere when I travel. This past trip to Hawaii, in between Aloha Festivals activities, it was very important to me that I made some time to do absolutely nothing at all. For the sake of “research,” I wanted to park myself on that world-famous Waikiki beach and zone out to the horizon, holding a pulpy paperback in my hand, and reading snippets in between swimming like a buoyant fish. After all, isn’t the beach the reason so many people come to Waikiki in the first place?