I recently returned from a trip to Vietnam, where I had a bespoke wardrobe made for less than $100. And here's a confession: it wasn't my first time.

Since then, I've received a surprising number of emails from people also considering a trip to Asia---must be because it's one of the few places still relatively cheap in the face of the weak dollar---and wondering how to go about getting their own custom clothes made. In case you're one of them, here are a few pieces of advice:

1. By far the best---and cheapest---place to have that three-piece suit whipped up is Hoi An, Vietnam. You can fly into Danang International Airport and pick up a taxi (for around $13) for the half-hour journey to the Seamstress Capital Of The World. Another alternative---and one a little easier to reach? Bangkok. Head for Rambuttri Road in the city center and you'll have to fight the tailors off with a stick.

Tree hugger or not, we’re all aware by now of the undeniable global warming crisis. While there are many causes for the climate change, many are quick to point fingers at the airline industry (even though, according to an NPR report I heard earlier this week, travel accounts for less than 4 percent of the world’s carbon emissions.)

With so much focus on climate change in today’s world, a recent Consumer Reports analysis grabbed my attention: what is the “greenest” way to travel? To determine this, they went to Web sites that help consumers calculate carbon output, and the results varied dramatically.

Bill McGee of USA Today conducted much of the research for this study, which he outlined in his On the Road column. The bottom line, he writes, is that “if you're using carbon calculators to determine what your offsetting tab should be, you'd better cross-check your math.”

Richard Branson, Virgin entrepreneur extraordinaire, wants to bring space travel to the masses. Well, sort of. He wants to bring space travel to the moneyed masses. For $200,000 and at least a $20,000 deposit, you too could sign up for glory hereby only experienced by the world’s astronauts.

Oh, but what glory it is! Imagine being rocketed up into the upper-most regions of the sky until you get a true alien’s-eye view of the Earth. From space, you’d be able to see cloud masses and continents, bodies of water and polar ice. The g-forces would be extreme, but once you’d hit weightlessness, you’d be able to float around for a full five minutes, taking everything in, before returning to your home planet.

Food. It’s all the rage lately. And as a lifelong devotee of its joys (and even its disappointments), I’ve been enthralled by the resurgence of conscious cooking and eating over the past few years: the (slow) death of squeamishness, the booming of farmers’ markets across the US (who would have expected it in the nation that spawned the Big Mac?), and the resurgence of local, farm-to-table eating across the country. Call it what you like—becoming a “locavore,” joining the “slow food” movement, practicing responsible eating—but it all rests on the simple concept of eating what’s in season and grown or raised nearby using natural, sustainable methods. It’s a concept that I wholeheartedly buy into—especially when I travel.

Breaking News: A fire broke out at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino at 11am this morning in Las Vegas. No serious injuries have been reported. Please check CNN.com for continued updates, or Travelocity’s FAQ page for travel-related information.

Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned Vegas veteran, there’s never been a better time to visit. As the new year begins, Vegas offers an incredible array of new resorts, renovations, nightclubs, and more. The city has never been the center of so much excitement.

Among the most captivating of these new additions is the Palazzo, which opened earlier this month and is the newest and largest resort in the city. The sister property of the Venetian, it is connected to its neighbor by walks and waterways, and its elegant architecture evokes a similar Mediterranean charm. Its luxurious sports bar and lounge, the 40/40, was created by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z. And with a spacious pool deck overlooking the Strip, suites with sunken living rooms, plenty of premium restaurants, and 50-plus international boutiques, it’s poised to be the premier new hotspot in Las Vegas.

"Oh! And the Czech Republic isn't on the euro either!" my fiancé gleefully reported yesterday.

We've chosen the absolute worst year to get married and go on a honeymoon abroad. Our plan was to take two glorious weeks off work and see a new corner of the world, something neither of us has ever done before. Unfortunately, the weak American dollar isn't exactly cooperating.

Bye-bye Barcelona. Hello Bangkok. The great search for a cheap honeymoon destination has begun. Instead of bemoaning the dollar's plunge, we're looking at this as a chance to step off the beaten path. Much like paying for our own wedding, we have decided that where there's a will, there's a penny to be pinched.

How can one possibly talk about football on a travel blog, you ask? Well, I’m not sure, but I’m going to try. Besides, reindeer running and paintball have already been done. To begin with, my experience with this year’s NFC Championship game was an international one. The New York Giants were playing the Green Bay Packers in frigid Wisconsin, and I convened with my brothers, Max and Will, at Will’s apartment. Also present were Will’s fiancée and her two friends, all three of whom are Canadian. While we Davidson boys sweated and swore and tried to sweet-talk the game in our favor, the ladies chatted and enjoyed some wine, and watched, more or less dumbfounded, at the depths of obsession that they were witnessing from three blue-bedecked, grown men on the couch. As my brother once said, “We’re not religious, but we watch the Giants every Sunday.”

As December 27 dawned, millions of Kenyans headed to polling sites to vote for a president. As December 27 drew to a close, I booked an airline ticket from Nairobi to New York. And as the next few days progressed, Kenya plunged into violence that has left more than 650 people dead, so far.

I’ve spent the past few weeks reading horrific tales of bloodshed with the hope that post-election killings will cease any day. I’m not scheduled to visit Kenya for another 5 months, but regardless of how much the situation improves by then, it’s scary to think that what is widely regarded as the most stable country in Africa can dissolve into tribal conflicts and machete attacks at the drop of a ballot.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member smokeysf

I always hate it when they issue reports saying how it has been a record year for air travel saftey. I just think, do we really want to tempt fate? 2007 was one such year. In fact reports say it was the safest year for air transit since 1963. Certainly something to be proud of. Absolutely. But do we want to boast?

Because here we are in 2008 and we're already off to a rocky start with a British AIrways plane landing short of the runway at Heathrow airport last week. Fortunately British Airways reported that all 136 passengers and crew members were evacuated safely from the plane and those who were injured were taken to the hospital.

I say lets be grateful for all our technology, emergency response teams, and safety records. But lets also remain humble and completely focused on making 2008 an even safer year for flight.

Photo by IgoUgo member Kimbis

When I was recently asked to appear on a local New York City news station (watch the clip here) to discuss the top travel destinations for 2008, I got to thinking that where you want to go so often depends on what kind of traveler you are. So I identified five kids of travelers, or vacation experiences, and picked a destination I thought was an ideal match for each. But what I really want to know is: What are your top destinations for 2008? What trips do you have planned for the coming year?

While I wait for your answer, check out my picks.

photo courtesy of the Four Seasons Resort Bali Jimbaran Bay

At a dinner party last night, I was thrilled to find out that one of my fellow guests was a pilot who'd once worked for a major commercial airline. Naturally, I couldn't resist grilling her (career day style!), and the insider info she had on airline travel was pretty fascinating. Ever wonder what the pilot knows that you don't? Read on.

1. The plane isn't going to crash-land if you accidentally leave your cell phone on.
So why do flight attendants tell you to turn all electronic devices off? Well, the cell phone signals could, in theory, interfere with the plane's satellite navigation instruments---but the truth is they're so well insulated that it won't actually happen. (That's not to say you shouldn't make a habit of doing it anyway---just to be safe.)

2. Pilots can't take bathroom breaks.
You might never have considered it,. but what happens if the captain has to pee? Well, it's an arduous process. A pilot who needs to make a visit to the, uh, facilities must first alert the flight attendant, who has to block the galley with her cart. While the pilot is out of the cockpit, the flight attendant must take his place, waiting until he comes back to switch out. Warning for future pilots everywhere? Don't overdose on the iced tea. "When you have to go, it can be kind of a pain," admits my pilot. "The flight attendants might be busy serving dinner or the drink service, and then you have to wait and wait."

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member John Spreitz

I’ve toured Canada’s Ice Hotel, sipping fruity cocktails from glasses made of ice and exploring rooms with dragon-shaped beds carved out of - you guessed it - ice! Next offbeat hotel experience on my list: sleep in a drain pipe. Now, that’s just plain weird.

Strange but simplistic accurately describes Linz, Austria’s Das Parkhotel, an urban concept inspired by the city’s annual Electronica Festival. The sleepery, however, is more of a project than a hotel. Three concrete cylinders sit in a park and feature almost all the basics. What’s missing? A restroom. You’ll have to walk a few minutes to get to that, so keep your fingers crossed that Montezuma’s revenge doesn’t hit at twilight.

But, the best part is the cost: pay as you wish. Guests leave a Euro amount that they can afford to fund the project. (Don’t be stingy! Think of it as supporting the arts.)

Photo by Dietmar Tollerian.

In the latest move to alleviate the delays that plague the nation’s busiest airports, the Department of Transportation announced yesterday that airports could charge fees for flights landing during the busiest part of the day. According to The New York Times, this might encourage airlines to fly fewer planes or schedule landing at slower times or even slower airports. The proposal is open to public comment for 45 days before it is finalized.

At present, landing fees are, for the most part, determined by weight. The revenue collected by a new pricing structure would allow operators of multiple airports, such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, to distribute landing-fee revenue among facilities, according to the Washington Post.

What does this mean for the consumer? Fewer flight choices during peak hours and higher airfares seem likely, especially at New York City airports, where flight caps during peak travel hours are set to take effect in March. Business travelers in particular will feel the impact of these new regulations because they’re often forced to fly during the busiest times of day because of meetings. David Stempler, who runs the Air Travelers Association, told the Wall Street Journal, “This is just going to add further to the cost of passengers that want to go out to a meeting in the morning and come back at the end of the day."

The Wall Street Journal reported in December that the airlines, vehemently opposed to congestion pricing, thought they had won the battle. Yesterday’s announcement came as a surprise.

If you’ve ever heard or uttered any of the following on the road, my guess is that you were in the midst of a stress-induced, sleep-deprived travel meltdown: “I hate you.” “I can’t believe you’re being this mean to me.” “I can’t handle this anymore.” “All you do is freak out.” “There’s hatred in my blood right now.”

This season, on the Amazing Race, team Nate and Jen have responded to every stressful travel situation by completely unraveling into shouting matches, name-calling, and even shoving. Yet somehow, they’ve managed to eke through the finish line week after week. Sunday night, after making all the above quotes in the course of just one episode, they finally met their elimination with Jen confessing sadly, “I think we killed our relationship along the way.”

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member globalroamer.

This weekend I was inspired by my friend who proudly told me he was going snowboarding the following day at a local, east coast mountain. I was particularly impressed given the fact that he was still sporting an injury (sprained wrist and broken fingers) from his first foray into the sport. Or was he plain crazy? For years I've been thinking that (because I'm such a pathetic skier) it might be worth trying to learn snowboarding. I couldn't possibly be any worse at that. (Or perhaps it's because every instructor I've had has always suggested it, probably because you're expected to fall a lot when learning to snowboard so I might look less out of place.)

Just in time for my consideration there was the perfect article encapsulating the experience of learning to snowboard at my age in the New York Times this weekend. (I mean really, is it possible that I'm at that age where I can say, "at my age?" Given the media age for the sport is around 21 I'm practically ready for retirement!)

And yet I'm tempted... I recall the rush I got in Jackson Hole when I went through the terrain park on skis. I tried rails, jumps, and more. And you know what? It rocked! (Well, until I entered a jump wrong and came out of it on my head…) But that's what convalescing at the bar is for, right?

So with all these articles on places to ski this time of year, especially in my back yard, perhaps it's just a message that I need to get out there and take on this new challenge, even though I'm way past my prime.

Share your snowboarding, skiing or other snow adventures with me here on the Window Seat.

When I think of Japan, I usually conjure up images of serene temples, delicate cherry trees, and of course that ever-so-delish dish of choice, sushi (although as a vegan, I’m more apt to prefer California’s version, the tasty avocado roll). Not to mention some of the most fascinating cartoon art and pop culture around (Maguro Parasite Museum, anyone?).

After reading an article in Outside magazine on ski getaways in Japan, though, I checked out Japan's Travel Info website--and man, is there ever some amazing skiing in this island nation. Nagano, the main city of Japan’s most mountainous region, is just a two-hour train ride away from Tokyo. It’s no wonder the city was selected to host the 1998 Winter Olympics: it’s got plenty of incredible ski resorts, including the largest one in Japan, and boasts 9,840-plus-foot peaks, perfect powder, and runs for all ski levels and tastes. Not to mention its incredible historical significance--it grew up around 1,400-year-old Buddhist temple Zenko-ji, one of the largest Buddhist temples in Japan. Nagano is easily the country’s best one-stop ski center.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member brunokyooshi

It took 48 hours and a side trip to Portugal, but I’ve finally made it back from Brazil.

After spending New Year’s week in South America, three friends and I arrived at the Rio de Janeiro airport to discover that our flight home had been canceled—and that the first available flight out of Rio on any airline would be on January 21. It was January 6.

I grew up in Panama City, Florida, one of the weirdest corners of America, a place where we boil peanuts and signs read, "No shirt. No shoes. No problem!" When I travel I'm much more likely to choose Dollywood over Hollywood, Austin over Dallas, or Versailles (pronounced ver-sails), Kentucky over that silly palace in France.

Maybe that's why I love Alaska. Recently I had the opportunity to see how life is lived in this rugged state. Around every corner awaited a new oddball thrill. I'll never forget when our tour director gleefully pointed out the town of Wasilla. Among its many attributes, Wasilla was the 2003 Duct Tape Capital of the World, consuming more tape per capita than anywhere else. Plus, each year there is a Duct Tape Ball (moved to Anchorage due to popularity) where Alaskans show their passion for the silvery stuff by making gala duds out of tape.

As you may or may not remember, I just got back from a wedding. I was looking forward to the New Year’s Eve wedding—it was actually on New Year’s Eve, not the weekend prior—and it turned out to be a fantastic time. By the time everyone would have arrived at any other party, the reception was already in full swing; food, wine, and dance abounded, as they should at any celebration.

It can happen to anyone. You may be vigilant about checking in online, careful to arrive at the airport early, and insistent on flying direct, but even the most well-honed travel savvy is sometimes no match for simple math and Murphy’s Law. Just 2% of bags are declared irretrievably lost by airlines each year, seemingly innocuous odds that become more dangerous the more frequently you travel. Sooner or later, it will happen to you.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member dinkime

The passport requirements for land and sea travelers returning to the United States from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean have been extended to a yet-to-be-determined date. USA Today reports that land and sea travelers must have their passports by sometime in 2009. The new restrictions were expected to take effect in the summer of 2008.

As of January 31, 2007, an oral declaration of citizenship will no longer be enough to re-enter the country. U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to present either a WHTI-compliant document, or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, plus proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. Examples of WHTI-compliant documents are a U.S. passport, passport card, or the SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST and U.S. Coast Guard Mariner Document.

For more information, visit the State Department Web site.

Five things you can do to make your travels easier, cheaper, and more fulfilling in ‘08

Be sure to chime in with your own New Year's travel resolutions!

I will book my airline tickets far in advance.
With domestic carriers cutting back capacity this year, there’s going to be more competition than ever for the cheap seats. Combined with the already high load factors common in 2007, we can safely say waiting until the last minute is not likely to score you a deal. At Travelocity, we’ve seen a pattern of travelers booking further and further in advance to score the best-priced seats – and you should do that too. Look at least three months and even further in advance whenever possible.

I will fly early in the morning and direct whenever possible.
Not only are you more likely to find deals on those early-morning flights, booking yourself on one gives you the best chance of being on time. Why? Delays pile up throughout the day and cause a ripple effect through the aviation system and if you get out early, you won’t be at the mercy of an incoming flight. Avoiding connecting flights means you limit the number possible delays; in addition, if you miss a connecting flight because your first flight was delayed, you may have trouble finding a seat on another flight to get you to your destination.

St. John beach chair photo courtesy of IgoUgo member Jose Kevo.

It’s an unfortunate truth that the average American isn’t going to get to the African savannah to watch a wildebeest, the Mongolian Steppe to see ibex, or the Antarctic shelf to ooh-ahh at penguins. That’s why so many cities proudly flaunt their zoos as a way to showcase and preserve exotic and endangered creatures.

Years ago, while staying with a host family in Uruapan, Mexico, I had the opportunity to visit the zoo in the nearby Michoacan state capital of Morelia. This was not the cushy Smithsonian Institution Zoo that I’d grown up with in D.C. Amid a frenzy of balloons and lime-chili-chip vendors, I stood in front of a tiger cage that stank of raw meat and watched a magnificent cat pace back and forth in an intensely dense cloud of flies. Echoing my thoughts exactly, the father of my host family lamented aloud, “pobrecito, el tigre” (poor little tiger).

National Zoo tiger photo courtesy of IgoUgo member Reiflame.

Effective January 1, 2008, passengers carrying lithium batteries on airplanes -- in both checked on carry-on luggage -- must adhere to new regulations, according to Travel Weekly.

Loose lithium batteries can no longer be placed in checked baggage. Passengers may have up to two loose lithium batteries in their carry-on baggage, but the batteries must be in their original packaging OR in two separate, resalable plastic bags.

Items that commonly use lithium batteries, such as cell phones and cameras, can still be carried on or checked as long as the lithium battery is inside them.

Loose lithium batteries are considered hazardous because they can overheat and ignite, causing fires. Read the news release in its entirety from the Department of Transportation here.