Today is Halloween, I am aware. However, there is something about fall weather in New York that gets people thinking about one thing in particular: The Marathon (We don’t call it the ING New York City Marathon. We’re New Yorkers, there is no need to modify. We live in the City, we eat pizza and cheesecake, and we run in the Marathon). This weekend, I am running the Marathon. A mixture of excitement and fear has been welling up for weeks. This will not be my first marathon, but it will be my first marathon in my hometown. To help with my training, I was recently given the opportunity to take a running tour around my fair city with City Running Tours, which popped up in a post this time last year

I was on a flight from San Francisco to London last week---that's a ten-hour flight, may I remind you---and I found myself with a curious problem. In all my years of flying, I'd never seen---well, heard---anything like it. And so I didn't know how to deal.

The problem? The people sitting behind me would NOT. STOP. TALKING.

Seriously, they just wouldn't stop. There were three of them and they were chattering as we sat on the runway. Then they were chattering as we took off. Then they were chattering while drinks were served, then they were chattering while dinner was served, and then they were still chattering while the shades were drawn and the lights were dimmed and everyone else in the cabin took the hint and went to sleep. And they weren't chattering quietly---or even at a normal level, come to think of it. These people were loud.

Perturbed, I tried giving them a meaningful look. (A tad passive-aggressive, I know, but it's my tried-and-tested method for dealing with seat-kickers and armrest-stealers, and it usually works like a charm.) Nothing happened: the talking continued. Loudly. I put my earphones on and tried to watch a movie instead.

The kicker? I COULD HEAR THEM TALKING OVER MY MOVIE.

And so I turned around.

I’m currently facing one tough decision: sassy new fall boots or New Year’s getaway? If only I could have both…or can I? With the economy taking a slide, Americans are thinking about everything from dining out to travel expenditures to big ticket buys. But, what if my fall wardrobe could actually pay for my weekend trip? Well…maybe it can.

According to the Wall Street Journal, more and more consumers are redeeming their frequent flier miles to help pay for their trips. The question is: are you well on your way to a free getaway? Or are you losing opportunities to accumulate miles? With the holiday travel (and buying) season coming up, there are a few things you can do that will get you closer to your trip.

I was recently rushing down a street in midtown Manhattan, trying to dodge raindrops, when an unusual sign stopped me in my tracks: a storefront was inviting me in for a nap.

I decided after a moment that I had enough willpower to pass up the offer and make it to my appointment on time (plus, the store looked suspiciously like one of those fancy new frozen-yogurt shops), but I kept thinking about the unusual spa, and when I got home, I investigated.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member quinius

I am 32 weeks or eight months pregnant. And I still travel everyday, mostly to work or the doctor. I've got a biiiig ol' belly. Yet still I manage to hoof it down the street and huff down the steps of the New York City subway or onto the bus. Though I must admit I'm not quite as agile as I used to be standing on a moving vehicle. When you're pregnant, and the larger you grow, the more off-balance you seem to get. At least that's how it is to me. (To imagine what this feeling might be like picture yourself with a 20 pound beachball tucked into your shirt. You're probably starting to get the picture...) And yet, I stand almost everyday wherever I go. And it's not because I am dying for the adventure -- it's because people are really clueless! And it's not just in New York.

The Window Seat blog is deeply saddened to have lost one of our own writers Jessica Tyler. We are dedicating this day to celebrate her memory and her passion for travel.

These are a few of our favorite posts by Jessica: Mountain Musings, Life in the Slow Lane, and Guerneville Gaycations.

She will be missed.

Well, it seems hay fever is hitting a little early this year.

I live in San Francisco so I’m no stranger to eco-friendly trends. Vegan coworkers chide me for my diet soda consumption and sprinkle nutritional yeast on their home-cooked lunches. People collect used cooking oil from their favorite eatery down the street and run their car on it. And virtually no one uses incandescent light bulbs anymore. And yet, I’ve never known a soul who stayed at a “hay hotel.”

Apparently hay hotels or "heuhotels" are the latest trend in Germany, where working farms have converted barns and other outlying buildings into communal, green accommodations for guests, complete with hay beds. Usually travelers must provide their own sleeping bags and towels and be comfortable with sharing their quarters with 10 or 15 people.

USA Today reports traditional paper boarding passes will continue to be replaced with scanable bar codes on cell phones and PDAs.

About 10 years ago, Hollywood wasn’t really much to see. Rundown and dirty, you had to dodge the homeless and their shopping carts to see the handprints in the ground at Mann’s Chinese Theater. The stars on the Walk of Fame had lost their luster, and many tourists went back home disappointed. But last weekend, I headed to Hollywood for the first time in years, and was shocked. It’s got its star power back! The streets are clean, the stars are bright, and stores like H&M have opened up and are thriving. Once again, Hollywood is the land of movie stars and fancy cars--and I was about to have a weekend straight out of the pages of Us Weekly.

Photo: Me and a scary new friend at the Quarantine movie premiere.

This news just in, according to a USA Today report airlines have cut 11 percent of their Thanksgiving holiday flights. That means 2.6 million fewer direct routes for passengers this Thanksgiving season and amounts to 3,000 fewer flights per day. Given that I recently polled travelers and found that a majority of would-be holiday travelers had not yet bought their tickets this is not good news for a lot of travelers out there.

I spoke with Good Morning America about this very topic over the weekend. It's important to remember that many of the routes cut were unprofitable for the airlines and flew relatively empty. But it doesn't mean that if you have been waiting around to buy you should continue to do so.

I recently took a look at travel patterns on the days leading up to the three Presidential and one Vice Presidential debates and found a significant uptick in travel to host cities. Nashville (up 54 percent), Oxford (up 56 percent), St. Louis (up 72 percent) and New York (up 16 percent) all saw an increase in arrivals when compared to last year.

With the election less than three weeks away, more people are expected to visit the “swing states” in a final attempt to win votes for their candidate. Whether you’re looking to fly to a destinations or drive to a political battleground closer to home, for those passionate about politics, here is a sampling of last-minute deals travelers can find to Florida, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia:

photo courtesy of IgoUgo member ArnyZona

My new book Getting Into Guinness, was released by Harper Collins on September 16th, and ever since, my life has been a frenzy of radio interviews, plus the occasional book signing and television appearance. This activity, in turn has taken me places I might never otherwise go-- like Philadelphia!

Philly is a great tourist town, and I can’t say why I haven’t been in about 15 years, other than that I grew up in New York and went to school in Washington, D.C., and always just sort of took it for granted. But its attractions are many, and packed into a very user friendly pedestrian downtown. From one of the world’s greatest art museums (and for film fans, the steps Sylvester Stallone ran up while training as Rocky) to an American Icon, the Liberty Bell, downtown is full of tourist sights worth seeing.

This weekend, I was walking in my neighborhood when a family suddenly stepped into my path wielding two sharp questions that forced me to confront a couple of embarrassing issues:

1. I do not speak a lick of Spanish.
2. I don’t actually know where the New York Stock Exchange is, even when I am standing on Wall St.

In that one short exchange, my hopes of becoming a Big Apple Greeter were dashed.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member tvordj

When a good friend of mine told me last month that she was considering spending this New Year’s Eve in Iceland, I nearly laughed her right out of the room. Iceland in the wintertime? You know that’s north, not south, right? Besides, Iceland has such a high standard of living. Who has the kind of cash to travel there now given the state of our economy?

Well, maybe more of us than you’d think. Iceland’s largest bank collapsed yesterday, the last of the island nation’s three major banks to tank in recent weeks. This flurry of financial problems is bad for Icelanders, but potentially good for U.S. visitors. Earlier this year, one U.S. dollar was worth around 70 Icelandic Krona; now it trades for 100 Krona or more. Which means this island nation might actually be a splendid winter destination for budget-minded U.S. travelers.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member Ksu.

I am getting married in exactly 30 days and then stealing away on an exotic two-week honeymoon in Thailand, the Land of Smiles. At least that was the plan. Today my iGoogle news ticker reported the headline, “Blood on the Streets of Bangkok: Political Crisis Worsens,” and my spirits slumped.

When we booked our trip six months ago, all was calm in Thailand and we dreamed of nothing more than touring a few temples and relaxing on a deserted tropical island. The second half of our trip to Chiang Mai and Koh Phangan should be fine, but we’re increasingly asking ourselves if going to Bangkok is a good idea.

This week in Barcelona at the World Conservation Congress Ted Turner announced the first ever Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. It is a massive undertaking with coordination across the public and private sectors lead by the United Nations Foundation (UNF), the Rainforest Alliance, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Travelocity and others. Each and every one of these entities are determined to make tourism sustainable as the number of global tourists double over the next decade.

I have something to admit: I am not very up on international affairs. I know the last names of a few politicians and world leaders who happen to be in the news more often than others. You are probably the same—PoliSci and International Studies majors need not apply—and you may or may not care. If you're not sure where you stand, take a quiz. I didn't do very well and just barely passed. I guessed more than once.

Does that make me a bad person, or a selfish American, or even a bad traveler?

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? The Washington Post asked this question in a fun reader poll recently, and top answers, unsurprisingly, had to do with travel. In first place, with 46% of the vote, was time-travel, and coming in at second place with 31% of the vote was teleportation. The other options were flight (surprisingly, only 12%), super-strength, and x-ray vision.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member writeonthespot.

Suddenly have a lot of free time on your hands? With the jobless claim at a seven-year high, chances are you or someone you know is out of work. Being unemployed may hamper your finances, but those of the “lemons into lemonade” mentality will consider turning this sudden abundance of free time into an opportunity to travel. So if that severance package is burning a hole in your pocket or you’ve got money saved up, consider these five budget-friendly trips for your extended “vacation.” Who knows? By the time you get back this mess could be cleaned up and you’ll be refreshed and ready to re-enter the workforce.

Anguilla
Anguilla is known for its white-sand beaches, fine dining and upscale resorts. What this island in the northern Caribbean is not known for, however, is being inexpensive. Anguilla makes this list for one reason – a deal offered at the Arawak Beach Inn geared at guests staying for one month or longer that makes living the good life affordable. Guests who book extended stays are eligible for a rate of $825 / month – or less than $30 per night – with a three month stay. According to the website, a two month stay it is an additional 20 percent and 25 percent more for one month stays. Accommodations are in an oceanfront room with a kitchen.

Asia Cruise
A month touring Asia? Who has that kind of time? Well – you do. An Asia itinerary on offer from Azamara cruise line is priced from just $1,999 (not including airfare) for a November departure, or about $84 per night. A great value, considering the price includes your accommodations, all meals and transportation between ports. The ship departs from Athens, Greece and calls on exotic locales like Cairo, Dubai, Mumbai and Taiwan before the last stop in Singapore. That should give you enough bragging rights for a lifetime. This particular cruise departs on November 22; there are many shorter cruises and different itineraries available depending on your needs.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo.com member Koror

So we're finally into October now, and you know what October means, don't you? Why, it's only home to America's second favorite holiday: Halloween.

What, you thought Christmas was popular? Thanksgiving? Fourth of July? Think again, my friend: it's all about the candy and the costumes these days. And with airfares typically sky-high around more traditional holiday periods like those above, savvy travelers are turning Halloween into prime vacation time instead, picking the week surrounding October 31st--and often way, way earlier--as a great time for getting out of dodge.

What does this mean? Well, since Halloween isn't so much a single-day affair anymore as its own holiday season , hotels and theme parks are cashing in on the widened scope for terrifying trips.