I like knowing what I'm getting into. Before I eat at a restaurant, I check out Yelp for reviews. Before I head to a new destination, I devour anything I can find about it on IgoUgo. And before I fly---or often before I even choose a carrier to fly with---I browse Skytrax.

The concept of Skytrax is pretty simple: it's like any other review site, but the subject matter is all air travel, all the time. Along with constantly updated reviews of pretty much airline you've ever heard of---and many, many you haven't---there are hundreds of reviews of airports (will you make that connection in Miami? is there anything decent to eat at JFK?) and even airport lounges, for those of us lucky (or swanky) enough to be invited into them.

Today on Live at 9 in Memphis, I talked about what travelers can expect this summer and how to stay on budget amid rising fuel costs and added fees. Travelers can expect two things for sure: higher airfare and crowded planes. The high cost of fuel is one of the main factors driving up summer airfares, so to stay on budget, travelers are going to have to be smart and find other ways to save.

One way to find a great deal is to try booking at the last minute. Since last minute travel inventory is unpredictable, this option is ideal for people who know they want to get away for a long weekend, but who don’t have their hearts set on a particular destination.

Let’s say you get the flu as soon as you step out onto the beach. Or, your romantic hotel room is right next to a family with screaming toddlers. Often, you can find hidden opportunities in these small tragedies. Maybe the flu that keeps you inside also keeps you from getting sunburned like the rest of your family. Or, the screaming toddlers later befriend you in the hotel pool and you spend a giggle-filled afternoon seeing the world through their eyes.

Just over three weeks ago, my friend Brooke and I set out from Denver for a Vail vacation. Brooke and I have known each other since college at U of M, and we spent much of the nighttime Rocky Mountain drive catching up with one another. One minute, we were laughing and reminiscing, and the next minute we hit a spot of black ice, lost control of the car, smashed into the left guardrail, spun across the interstate in circles, got hit by two other cars, and finally landed front impact in a snow bank. We were stunned, terrified, badly banged up and bruised, and very lucky to be alive.

Obviously, this wasn’t supposed to happen.

Every city has its characters. They’re the eccentric local fixtures whom everyone knows by name; they’re the self-appointed representatives of their cities’ imaginations; they amuse and sometimes frighten tourists; to encounter them anywhere outside their cities would be difficult, if not impossible, to imagine. In my eyes, they’re the lifeblood of a city’s local color—encountering them, knowing them, and occasionally spotting them around town make me feel more at home in a city than anything else.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member alex_nyc

They say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and I’m sure that’s true in more ways than I’d ever dare to imagine. But with the Strip’s increasingly luxurious resort hotels, intoxicating nightlife, and fanfare-worthy entertainment, Las Vegas is becoming the vacation destination that you can’t help but tell everyone about. Why have the time of your life in one of the most daydreamed-about places on earth, and not boast about it to your buddies?

Case in point: Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of staying at The Palazzo, a brand-new, all-suite resort hotel and casino nestled between The Venetian and Wynn Las Vegas. Now, I’m not the most ardent Vegas vacationer out there--I generally just tag along for the odd bridal shower or birthday. But I soaked up every second of this trip, and left yearning to return as soon as possible.

Yesterday while loading my upcoming trips into my calendar I realized a scary, scary trend: all of them involve red-eye flights. Living in California is brilliant most of the time, but it stinks for globetrotting. Sure, I probably could have avoided the red-eye to Atlanta, but the red-eyes to Paris and Thailand could not be helped. In fact, when I go to Paris, I will lose almost an entire day. Oh la la!

In short, I'm panicking. Growing up on the East Coast, I got spoiled by being so close to the rest of the world. The longest flight I've ever taken was a measly six hours, and even that was no walk in the park (skies?) thanks to my hyperactive tendencies and tiny bladder.

I've started researching red-eye flight survival guides, but so far none of them contains an "aha!" tip that seems like it will make all the difference. And some of the advice is just plain impractical. It might be nice to sleep leaning against the window, but there's no way I'm asking the person next to me to move every time I need to use the restroom or stretch my legs for fifteen hours straight.

We’ve said it before and we’ve even said it again, but yet another one is biting the dust as Continental is now instituting a second-bag fee, making it the fourth airline to do so after United, US Airways, and Delta have all taken the plunge. But is it really so terrible?

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member dinkime

In honor of earth day I thought I would introduce you to my friends the eco-bunnies, that is if you don't know them already.

These guys are charming, fun, and easy to get along with...most of the time anyway. Check out their earth day video. If you like what you see spread the word and become part of the eco-bunnies fan club.

This past weekend, I stole away to Long Island for some seaside biking with my family. I spent the first hour-and-a-half jaywalking my bike across parkways, a quarter-mile behind my father (who, incidentally, was alternating between illegal sidewalk-riding and erratic wrong-way riding), because it turned out that a bicycle trailhead was nowhere to be found.

From the time we found the path, though, the ride was gorgeous: winding over sailboats and sea, with marsh grass blowing alongside, the route was well-maintained and not too crowded. I enjoyed the foray beyond my usual Brooklyn bike route so much that I’m determined to take this show even further afield. And what better time to plot a path around the world than today, Earth Day? I can’t think of a more enjoyable, healthy, and eco-friendly way to explore a new town than on bicycle, and I’m not the only one: W Hotels are offering free PUMA bike rentals to guests to mark Earth Day.

Join us in welcoming to The Window Seat the lovely Clotilde Dusoulier, author and celebrated Parisian blogger behind Chocolate & Zucchini. Her delicious guest blog will tempt you with an insider's look at Paris.

I’ve lived in Montmartre for over five years, and if I’d been paid one centime for every time I’ve directed visitors to the Sacré-Coeur or the Moulin Rouge, I could afford to stay in bed eating chocolate for the rest of my life.

But I worry: once they reach those landmarks, if they get hungry, will they know where to go? Tourist traps lie in wait all over the hill, but Montmartre is a very residential area and locals eat there, too, so there is plenty of good food to be found if you know where to look. Here are a few favorites.

Get ready for higher prices. Again. Yep, that's right. If you've been reading here you know that baggage rules are changing and it's going to cost you more to have checked luggage than ever before, but now in the latest spate of policy changes by the airlines in an attempt to grow revenue, United is boosting its change fee from $100 to $150.

The real question is will this become the latest in a trend of ways for all the airlines to get more revenue? This one may not seem so bad...well not until you want to change your ticket. Then you'll cry ouch! The good news is -- this is protecting your ticket fee from going up higher than it already is. ( According to my most recent Travelocity data, summer airfares are looking at least 10% higher than last year.) The bad news is, even if fuel prices come down this fee isn't likely to.

Lets see if the other major players match. That will be the telltale sign of whether or not this fee is here to stay.

Every so often it's nice to get together with the people you work with...And that's exactly what we did this month. The Window Seat bloggers took to the tarmac and we met inthe mile high city of Denver Colorado. Since you're getting to know us on the blog each week I thought you might enjoy seeing us in our natural state at Red Rocks-visited by many a great performer-and now, visited by us.

It was a gorgeous spring evening at Red Rocks park, we were our own herd, kind of like the group of deer huddled together at the entrance.

In our "herd" pictured here we are holding up Charlie (from left to right): Genevieve, Tasha, Michelle, Cameron, Amy, Rachel, Jenn, Holly and Alison. (Despite what it may look like, I can assure you, no one was hurt in the making of this photograph!)

Editors’ Note: To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, The Window Seat is devoting this week to exploring some of the world’s natural environments, hereby declaring this Nature Week. Through our Nature Week posts, we hope to inspire all travelers to get outside and interact with nature no matter where they happen to be. For more ideas, visit our collection of Children & Nature road trips and volunteer opportunities.

In May of 2007, Mindy Bumgarner from Chatham, Illinois, was the winner of a Change Ambassador grant through Travelocity's TRAVEL FOR GOOD program. She went on her volunteer vacation in November of that year, and traveled to Wamba, Kenya through Earthwatch Institute to work on the Medicinal Plants and Community Water Health project. I wanted to profile Mindy in order to share with our readers her excellent work and to encourage you to get out there and volunteer in nature too.

What sparked your interest in taking a volunteer vacation?
I have done a lot of volunteer work in the past, especially in conservation, and when I found this trip, I knew it was something I really wanted to participate in.

How did you hear about Travelocity’s Change Ambassador program?
I was randomly searching Travelocity for a potential trip one day, when I found the Change Ambassador link and decided to see what it was.

How did you find out you had been awarded the grant?
I received a phone call first asking a few more questions, and at that point, knew I had a good chance because they were able to HEAR my excitement about this possibility. Then, about 2 weeks later, they called to say they had chosen me!

Editors’ Note: To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, The Window Seat is devoting this week to exploring some of the world’s natural environments, hereby declaring this Nature Week. Through our Nature Week posts, we hope to inspire all travelers to get outside and interact with nature no matter where they happen to be. For more ideas, visit our collection of Children & Nature road trips and volunteer opportunities.

I did Disney World. I was five. I remember the haunted house ride because I went on it with my grandpa and I worried the entire time that he would have a heart attack right there in the cart next to me. I remember being absolutely wrecked after running as fast as I could to chase down Goofy to get my picture taken with him only to have him disappear through an invisible door in some fake wall before my little legs could catch up to him. And that’s pretty much all I remember from the Magical Kingdom.

The truth is, the truly magical moments I remember from my childhood didn’t come from any sort of manufactured fun. My most vivid memory from that trip to Florida is climbing a ladder in an orange grove, picking an orange, and having the farmer squeeze the juice right there in front of me and tasting the best thing I’d tasted up to that point in my life. Later that night we wandered out back behind my Uncle Roger’s house to look for the crocodiles that supposedly lived in his pond. The thought of those crocs lurking in the waters made my heart race with a delightful terror the haunted house could never have. No animated characters or movie theater popcorn necessary to create those memories – just the pure beauty and thrill of nature.

Editors’ Note: To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, The Window Seat is devoting this week to exploring some of the world’s natural environments, hereby declaring this Nature Week. Through our Nature Week posts, we hope to inspire all travelers to get outside and interact with nature no matter where they happen to be. For more ideas, visit our collection of Children & Nature road trips and volunteer opportunities.

It’s ironic. Animals like sea turtles, penguins, elephants, and reef fish draw tourists from all over the world, and in so doing, bring in so many well-intended gawkers like me that many of their habitats have been irreversibly changed.

When I was in St. John last year, after I finally figured out how to operate my snorkel breathing tube in a way in which I wasn’t involuntarily gargling salt water, an entire otherworld opened up. With sounds muffled and body buoyant, I wondered at the novelty of sensation with the keen awareness that I was the alien intruder into a bustling, day-glo colored society of gills that thrived completely oblivious of me, yet symbiotic. And I couldn’t help but notice that some of the corals beneath me had gone gray and abandoned.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member adman2u.

Editors’ Note: To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, The Window Seat is devoting this week to exploring some of the world’s natural environments, hereby declaring this Nature Week. Through our Nature Week posts, we hope to inspire all travelers to get outside and interact with nature no matter where they happen to be. For more ideas, visit our collection of Children & Nature road trips and volunteer opportunities.

Allow me to let you in on a little secret. You may think you've frolicked on the best beaches of Panama City, Florida, but you haven't. A long time ago my hometown parceled off a portion of our beaches and gave it over to the tourists who come every year with their boom boxes, cans of Natty Light, and coolers.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member wheretogonext.

Editors’ Note: To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, The Window Seat is devoting this week to exploring some of the world’s natural environments, hereby declaring this Nature Week. Through our Nature Week posts, we hope to inspire all travelers to get outside and interact with nature no matter where they happen to be. For more ideas, visit our collection of Children & Nature road trips and volunteer opportunities.

Now listen, I like being outdoors as much as the next person. I like filling my lungs with deep breaths of fresh mountain air, I like feeling the burn of a strenuous hike, and I especially like sitting around a flickering campfire with a steaming mug of Bailey's hot chocolate, especially if it's heavier on the Bailey's, lighter on the hot chocolate. So in theory, I should like camping. But in practice, I'm afraid, I prefer fancy hotels.

Though I never actually knew it before, there is---if you can believe it---a technical term for people like me: a "glamper" is someone who wants to commune with Mother Nature, but might just be a little happier if there was, say, a queen-size mattress and indoor plumbing involved. While we glampers see the appeal of spending the night in the great outdoors---honestly, who wouldn't?---we'd rather do it with a down comforter and electricity than a scratchy sleeping bag and a headlamp.

So where can you get your glamp on? Well, keep reading.

Photo Courtesy of The Clayoquot Wilderness Resort.

Editors’ Note: To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, The Window Seat is devoting this week to exploring some of the world’s natural environments, hereby declaring this Nature Week. Through our Nature Week posts, we hope to inspire all travelers to get outside and interact with nature no matter where they happen to be. For more ideas, visit our collection of Children & Nature road trips and volunteer opportunities.

On either side of the Golden Gate Bridge, you’ll find elements of the natural world seamlessly coexisting with city life. The Presidio, part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, guards the city side of the bridge while Muir Woods National Monument awaits those who want to get away from San Francisco for a day of hiking.

I’ve done my share of exploring these city-side nature retreats, climbing inside a massive Redwood at Muir Woods and leisurely walking along the trails of the Presidio to marvel at the beautiful historic buildings. The Presidio is steeped in a rich culture history; a fact that I was well aware of. Something I didn’t know about the Presidio is that it boasts a rich natural history as well. More than 100 million years in the making, the Presidio is home to rare ecosystems, found in only a few places on the planet. Everything from its unique plant communities to the sand dunes are results of massive geological events, and exploring these are all part of the San Francisco experience. How’s that for a day in the city?

I’ve always thought that San Francisco was a one of a kind city in this sense, happily marrying big city life with outdoor pursuits. Well, it turns out that it’s not all that unique. Even if the family plans to visit a big city destination this summer, chances are, nature awaits beyond the skyscrapers and public transportation.

Editors’ Note: To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, The Window Seat is devoting this week to exploring some of the world’s natural environments, hereby declaring this Nature Week. Through our Nature Week posts, we hope to inspire all travelers to get outside and interact with nature no matter where they happen to be. For more ideas, visit our collection of Children & Nature road trips and volunteer opportunities.

Besides blogging on The Window Seat, part of my job here is to talk to reporters about the travel industry. Sure, I spend a lot of time giving out money-saving tips and talking about the airlines, but once in awhile, I get the chance to talk about Travel for Good.

It has two parts: Go Zero, which allow travelers to purchase carbon offsets and plant tress through our partners at The Conservation Fund to trap the carbon emissions from their trips; and the Change Ambassador program, which helps people find volunteer vacations that are tailored to their interests.

Travelocity’s program was the first of its kind offered by an online travel agency, and the people behind the program are so passionate about it, I’ve been inspired to try and get the word out there whenever I have the opportunity. I had one such opportunity recently, and I am happy to report that I’m pretty sure Travel for Good inspired lots of news producers to – because this one interview was picked up by 34 television stations around the country.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member Sharon F. from the 1,000 Trees for Tucson Make a Difference day event.

Editors’ Note: To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, The Window Seat is devoting this week to exploring some of the world’s natural environments, hereby declaring this Nature Week. Through our Nature Week posts, we hope to inspire all travelers to get outside and interact with nature no matter where they happen to be. For more ideas, visit our collection of Children & Nature road trips and volunteer opportunities.

I was so enamored with New Zealanders on my first trip Down Under in October that I spent the next few months lamenting, more often than I’d like to admit, the fact that I am not a Kiwi.

Everyone there seemed so friendly, so warm, so happy, that it’s hard not to think of the isolated country as some sort of sheep-dotted nirvana. Well, I may have missed the boat when it comes to being a born-and-bred Kiwi, but it’s entirely within my power to become a real live kaitiaki instead—and that’s close enough for me.

Editors’ Note: To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, The Window Seat is devoting this week to exploring some of the world’s natural environments, hereby declaring this Nature Week. Through our Nature Week posts, we hope to inspire all travelers to get outside and interact with nature no matter where they happen to be. For more ideas, visit our collection of Children & Nature road trips and volunteer opportunities.

If New York City were a child, it would be one of those way-beyond-her-years kids who’s a total genius at some esoteric pursuit—calculus, poetry writing, playing the oboe—who speaks four languages thanks to carefully orchestrated childcare, and who’s shuttled every day after school to various lessons and practices that will someday contribute to a formidable college application. All impressive and enriching and wonderfully exciting, to be sure, but the poor kid is in desperate need of some fresh air. That’s where Scenic Hudson comes in. To kick off Nature Week at The Window Seat, I’m putting the spotlight on this fantastic environmental organization devoted to preserving the Hudson River Valley, which gives New Yorkers like me an easy, and much-needed, escape from the urban jungle.

Cell phones on an airplane? Yep--it’s true. Well, almost. This Monday, in one of the biggest in-flight revolutions since the addition of Wi-Fi Internet service, the European Union approved a plan that would permit passengers to make and receive calls while in E.U. airspace. That’s right--you could conceivably update your buddies, confirm your hotel reservation, and let your Nana know you’re safe and sound--all while cruising at 10,000 feet or higher over any of the E.U.’s 27 countries. Pretty slick, right?

Not so fast. Though it sounds tantalizing, the approved plan brings up some tricky new issues. For example, how much would you pay for these calls? Would different providers tack on different fees? What if you have an American provider? And, perhaps most importantly, would you feel comfortable listening to your neighbors’s one-sided conversations for a good portion of your flight?

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member rokiss.ch.

My family was visiting this past weekend and I showed them all the sights, from the hills of San Francisco to the vines of the wine country. The highlight of their trip was biking through Sonoma, but on the two-hour drive over, I learned they didn't know much at all about Northern California's wine-growing region.

This inspired me to pen a Wine Country 101. Please help me out by putting your tips in the comments section.

Introduction
When you're talking about California's wine country, the word "Napa" starts popping up. But what is Napa? A town? A county? A valley? If you answered all of the above, then you're correct. Northern California's wine country is comprised of two primary wine valleys, Napa and Sonoma, and both produce excellent wine.

Photo courtesy of Eric Lundell.

It may not be news to anyone outside of New York or the Tri-State Metropolitan area, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan intended to fund the MTA and help make New York the greenest city in America has been squashed. Regardless of what you think of the plan itself, it was great in theory—it took cars of the road and raised money for public transportation.

There was a time when “Want to go away this weekend?” meant one duffel bag, two nights, and a half-tank of gas to get you across the state line.

These days, it seems, agreeing to the same question could land you in Bangkok for 24 thrilling hours sandwiched between two long-haul flights.

I love it when finally, after the long gloomy winter, the light changes and it's as if you can see the literal Spring on the horizon. It's that time of year when daffodils and hyacinth start to bloom, the air smells fresh and I feel more alive than ever. It's a wonderous feeling -- to be alive and full of hope. That blissful feeling reminds me of Jane Goodall's book A REASON FOR HOPE, which I am reading right now. I picked it up because increasingly I feel as if a dark pall is cast over everything I see and do. I think about war, the economy, the state of our environment... Before you know it I am lost in a really despair-filled place, and quite frankly, it's not fun but even worse, it's not productive.

ATA filed Chapter 11 and ceased all operation on Wednesday, April 2. The airline has cancelled all current and future flights.

On its website, the airline states "ATA currently is unable to provide refunds to customers who purchased tickets directly from ATA with cash or a check. These customers may be able to obtain a full or partial refund for their unused tickets by submitting a claim in ATA’s Chapter 11 proceedings. Information about submitting a claim will be available at the following website: http://www.bmcgroup.com/ataairlines."

The airline has a codeshare agreement with Southwest Airlines and suggests customers who purchased tickets from Southwest Airlines for flights operated by ATA under the codeshare agreement should contact Southwest Airlines directly at (800) 308-5037.

Travelocity customers should view the FAQ page for more information on their options and information on how to contact an agent for assistance. Agents will work to minimize the impact of this disruption on your travel plans.

According to the Associated Press (via USA Today), "Prior to the shutdown, the airline had approximately 50 flights a day, mostly between Hawaii and four west coast cities — Oakland, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas."

USA Today's Ben Mutzabaugh's reports "ATA's shutdown is another blow for air travelers in Hawaii, where Aloha –- formerly the state's No. 2 carrier -– ended passenger service earlier this week. ATA, which had briefly grown into one of the USA's 10 biggest carriers earlier this decade, had a heavy focus on Hawaii. In addition to its charter business, ATA offered regularly scheduled commercial service on several routes -– almost all to and from Hawaii. The Hawaii flights operated as part of a codesharing partnership with Southwest."

The airline cited the cancellation of a major military contract and the high cost of jet fuel as reasons for its decision to cease operations.

Forget singing for your supper---these days, apparently, you can just empty your pockets of spare change in return for that filet mignon.

I came across this intriguing article about Pay What You Like restaurants the other day and was flabbergasted. No menu prices? No snooty markups? No---gasp!---Awkward Tipping Moments Complete With On-The-Fly Math? Could this be the model of the future for discerning travelers who revel in a new cuisine but don't always find the dollar-to-other-currency rate in their favor? (Yes, London, I'm looking at you.)

I always looked forward to family vacations as a kid. My parents would load the minivan with games and a cooler full of goodies, and we’d hit the road. Of course, my little sister and I would usually end up fighting in the backseat, but the conflicts were laid to rest with pit stops along the way and the occasional ice cream break at Dairy Queen.

The most memorable road trip was one that we took to Red River, New Mexico the summer after fourth grade. It was the first time I saw a mountain range. I remember winding our way through the beautiful scenery, stopping at various outlooks to relish the views and explore. To me, road trips have always been about more than just getting from Point A to Point B; they’re a chance spend quality time with family and to see parts of the country that you’d otherwise overlook.

Knowing that summertime is limited and road warriors have a lot of ground to cover, I consulted the road-tripping gurus at RoadTrip Wizard to get their recommendations on making the most of America by car. They suggested 15 drives to introduce the family to some of the country’s most beautiful, natural landscapes, but I whittled the list down to my five personal favorites: