Last week, a star performer at SeaWorld tragically killed its trainer before a live audience. The star in question was a killer whale named Tilikum, who was captured in the wild off the coast of Iceland many years ago. Since his capture, he has been made to perform for audiences in theme parks in Canada and the United States. While debates may rage about whether or not creatures like killer whales should be kept in captivity and turned into performers, there’s no question that seeing such an animal in its natural habitat is an incomparable—and elusive—experience.

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 you haven't had time to follow the latest from the world of travel--never fear! This Week in Travel is here to give you a heads up on the biggest stories, the strangest news items, and latest updates on the world of travel.

Pity the poor Florida traveler right now. Maybe this is their one beach vacation for the year, the one they’ve been saving up for, and instead of frolicking in the warm waves and pulling up fish from the sea, they’re shivering on the beach in a scarf and wishing for mittens. The current cold wave gripping much of the country is treating Florida especially hard, threatening staple crops like the state’s ubiquitous oranges, and keeping the fishing charters tied up in harbor due to lack of interest.

But all is not lost if you’re a tourist on a Florida vacation right now. Yes, if you were planning on beaches and suntans, you may have to call an audible, but there is much you can still do in the Sunshine State that doesn’t require warm temps and, well, sun.

Recently, I watched an episode of MTV’s Jersey Shore. Have you seen it? In the show, a group of housemates spent their days drinking, clubbing, partying, arguing, hooking up, and then getting up the next morning to do it all over again. Permanent residents of the region say that the show is giving them a bad name, that there’s much more to the Jersey Shore than what you see in a snippet of summer when the town’s population practically quadruples.

I’ve never been to the Jersey Shore, but I grew up each summer going to the Delaware shore, which isn’t all that far away. The beach I went to was one of those seasonal towns where summer swelled the local population to unprecedented numbers. And I could see how permanent residents might resent that. Suddenly, their highways were crowded, their stores and restaurants jam packed, and their beaches wall to wall with colorful umbrellas and towels, boom-boxes and beer bottles.

If you're staying stateside, you may want to skip going home for the holidays and opt for a hotel instead. A funny thing is happening in the hotel industry -- rates are falling fast, despite the fact that the week between Christmas and New Year's is typically one of the year's busiest.

With travelers clinging tightly to their wallets, you can bet more people are choosing to bunk with friends and family this December. For those willing to dish out the dollars, hotel rates have fallen from an average $180 per night to $130 per night. Even if you do head to grandma's house for Christmas goose, do yourself (and your family) a favor and stay in a nearby hotel.  You know what they say about fish and houseguests, right? Three days, max.

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.

This week's question comes from Lindsey in Florida, the world’s second-largest orange-growing area (after Brazil):

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.