Over the past several months, we've talked a lot about the silver lining in this gray recession cloud. That is, all the great travel deals that are out there. For the summer, we're seeing airfare that has dropped more than 17 percent over last year and hotel rates that have declined a good 13 percent.

But, there's more to the silver lining than just deals. Travelers are getting back to the basics, seeking to experience the world on a budget and taking the time to explore their own backyards. For many, that means hitting the road.

Take a look at the map below for road trip inspiration from your hometown. We've highlighted the cities that have the best average hotel rates on the continent and found some local-recommended festivals that are worth checking out and will help to keep you on budget.

Life is stressful -- your vacation shouldn't be. After all, most of us go on vacation to escape the stress of daily life. But given the economy, rising unemployment and seemingly constant changes in the airline industry, it almost seems like we'd be better off throwing in the beach towel and staying home.

Almost, maybe. But not quite. Followers of The Window Seat know if there is one thing I really can't stand it is a certain word that begins with a "s" and ends with a "taycation." Especially now, when the deals are so good and it's unclear how long they'll last.

We'd love to hear from you -- what stresses you out on vacation and what do you do to solve it? Discuss.

Editor's Note: Inspired by Follow Friday on Twitter, I am profiling (in far more than 140 characters) extraordinary travelers who you, too, should follow! Through these profiles, I want to introduce you to globetrotting souls that follow their hearts to places near and far, so join me each Friday in my quest to be inspired by some of the most intriguing adventure seekers on our planet!

Be inspired by: Michael Theys
Follow him at: @Africafreak

Are you sitting down? Because I have some sad news to tell you. Lonely Planet and I broke up. Now, now. Don't worry. I'm going to be fine...in time. It was for the best, really. We'll be happier now. I'm ready to play the field again, see what's out there.

What happened? Well, we got in a bit of a row while I was in Thailand. You see, LP mentioned in passing that we might experience "high winds" in Koh Samui in November. I live in San Francisco! High winds are nothing! I laugh in the face of high winds.

So it seems that in the world of gung-ho pursuits, there's adventure travel, and then there's adventure travel. You might think your skydiving and SCUBA diving trips are pretty hardcore, but have you met the people who pay to be shot at by pirates?

Oh yes, it's true. Luxury ocean liners in Russia are now giving new meaning to the term shore excursion by offering tourists with more money than sense the opportunity to patrol the pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast with the hope of engaging in battle. Has someone seen Pirates of the Caribbean a few too many times, perhaps?

For the grand sum of around $5,800 a day, participants are let loose in some of the most dangerous waters in the world, armed with an arsenal of lethal weapons, including machine guns and grenade launchers. Pony up an extra eight bucks and get an AK-47 thrown in---you know, just for kicks.

Is it terrible to be a tiny bit thankful for global warming? We've had near perfect weather here in San Francisco, an unusual occurrence for a time of year that typically leaves fog and dreary skies hanging over the city. I've been able to enjoy lunch in the sun and walks through the park that actually left me a little pink on the nose. Now, I'm no scientist, but I chalk this incredible weather up to global warming. I suppose there's a silver lining in every gray cloud.

If you follow the news, then you know that last week a pilot died mid-flight. Luckily, the plane landed without incident. The pilot was 60 years old, and apparently died of natural causes, which brings up a topic that we’ve touched on here before on The Window Seat: how old is too old to fly?

Back in December of 2007, then-president Bush approved fast-tracked legislation to raise the pilot age from 60 to 65. The thinking was that if a pilot could pass the same rigorous, standardized medical tests as the younger set, then there’s no reason to bar them from the yoke of the plane. Many people, myself included, applauded this decision, seeing it as an end to age discrimination.

Recently, the Roaming Gnome and I had the opportunity to visit Universal Orlando. Oh the fun we had -- I faced my fear and rode The Incredible Hulk Coaster and R.Gnome got down and sang "All the Small Things" at the Rising Star karaoke bar.

But it was not all fun and games! There was work to be done as well. At the top of the list was spreading the word about Universal Orlando's sweet summer offer. There were lots of interviews on that deal and others, but just in case you missed it, you can watch this video for details on the deal, our Traveler Confidence Report and Universal Orlando's soon-to-open Rip Ride Rockit!

Editor's Note: Inspired by Follow Friday on Twitter, I am profiling (in far more than 140 characters) extraordinary travelers who you, too, should follow! Through these profiles, I want to introduce you to globetrotting souls that follow their hearts to places near and far, so join me each Friday in my quest to be inspired by some of the most intriguing adventure seekers on our planet!

Be inspired by: Andy Hayes
Follow him at: @andrewghayes

Summer starts on Sunday, June 21, and I for one can't wait.  Michelle Doucette, our friend and fellow blogger, shared her picks for the world's best places to celebrate the summer solstice with USA Today.

Today I'm stopping by The View from the Bay to do a round-up of the best summer travel gadgets. Savvy Window Seat readers already know about a few of the gizmos I'm going to talk about, but here are my top five (in no particular order):

I wish I could have read Genevieve's enthusiastic endorsement of Mexico before I visited the country for the first time last week, but alas, I only had my family's swine-flu-and-violence hysteria to turn to. Luckily, I headed south of the border anyway--I'm old enough to know that anything that scares my parents is going to be great fun. Also, I had a work event to attend, and it happened to include five days of sun, sand, and frozen cocktails.

So what's Cancun like right now?

Okay, so reading The Other Boleyn Girl doesn’t exactly qualify as preparation for a trip to London. But it did introduce me to the goings on at the infamous Tower of London, one of London’s most notorious sights. Set on the lovely Thames River right downtown, the Tower dates all the way back to the times of William the Conqueror, in 1078. It’s an amazing anachronism, standing as it is surrounded by modern buildings.

I’ll admit it – I’m biased. I love Mexico. I’ve been twice so far this year – once to Riviera Maya and once to Riviera Nayarit – and am hoping for a third trip later this year.  That may be a little aggressive, even for a super fan like me, but the deals are so good right now, I’m not sure I can stay away.

Editor's Note: Inspired by Follow Friday on Twitter, I am profiling (in far more than 140 characters) extraordinary travelers who you, too, should follow! Through these profiles, I want to introduce you to globetrotting souls that follow their hearts to places near and far, so join me each Friday in my quest to be inspired by some of the most intriguing adventure seekers on our planet!

Be inspired by: Paul Sanchez
Follow him at: @wheresPAUL

Not all gadgets were created equal. Some are frivolous like the Mind Relaxer, some are awesome but expensive like the Amazon Kindle, and some are just right like X-ray-friendly laptop bags. If I had to recommend one travel gadget to frequent flyers, this is it.

Your student days may be long behind you, but there’s still an excellent excuse to head into the UCLA-centric district of Westwood the next time you’re in Los Angeles: the cookies.

Oh go on, do I have to twist your arm?

Iconic stalwart Diddy Riese---fondly dubbed Diddy’s by those in the know---has been churning out sweet treats since 1983, but it’s the ice cream sandwiches that have reached near-national acclaim. You pick the cookie---choosing a different variety for each side is practically de rigueur---and an ice cream flavor for the filling, and a Diddy’s employee slaps the whole thing together in three seconds flat. The grand total? Just a buck fifty. Including tax.

We're starting to hear that phrase again: capacity cuts. We began hearing it last year as airlines got hit hard with high fuel costs, weakening demand and a tough economy. Delta and American announced today that they will further reduce the number of seats sold on flights this fall, and other major airlines are considering it, a reminder that this recession is still alive and airlines are still feeling the crunch. These cuts are in addition to previous announcements made in March by both Delta and United.

Take our poll on the right side of the page! Would you travel to Mexico right now? Yes or no? Vote now!

Please join us in welcoming Catherine Sanderson to The Window Seat. She lives in Paris and is the writer of the popular blog Petite Anglaise.

Many visitors to Paris remain unaware of the existence of the Canal Saint Martin, a waterway constructed in the early nineteenth century to bring fresh water and freight into the French capital.

The sky was nearly cloudless, the air was cool, and the early-summer evening sunshine streamed over Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, a giant, natural geothermal pool just 45 minutes from Reykjavik. At a toasty but comfortable 102 degrees, the sometimes-florescent, milky-blue waters contain minerals from the nearby lava rock that are said to have healing powers.

There is no chlorine here. The waters are completely natural, which is why all visitors must go through a rigorous cleansing regimen before and after using the baths. After you pay, you’ll be given a locker key and sent to the communal showers, where you must soap up completely from head to toe before you are allowed access to the baths. There is even a shower attendant on hand to make sure everyone is completely lathered. It’s not for the shy, but the natives are so nonchalant about this routine that it’s hard to get embarrassed.

I've always been one to save a ton of money (haha) by shopping sales. Most recently, an online buying frenzy, the itch to travel and an unbeatable deal all played a part in booking a trip to South Korea. I got the ticket for $691 roundtrip; a deal just too good to pass up.

It seems that falling fares and hotel rates have inspired many other travelers to hit the buy button, too. In Travelocity's recent Traveler Confidence Report, we gauged travelers' plans and attitudes now as compared to six months ago, and we found a dramatic increase in travel intentions, indicating that traveler confidence is going up. In fact, 96 percent of our poll respondents said that the lower cost of travel has positively influenced their summer travel plans.

I’ve always believed noise-canceling headphones were designed by and made for one particular group of travelers: dudes. I mean, sure, I like to block out annoying travelers as much as the next person, but I couldn’t get behind the $300 price tag. How good could they really be? $275 better than my current headphones?

But as far as I can tell, men don’t think this way. From the moment my pair of QuietComfort® 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones arrived, the men in my office were on high alert. Just this morning I looked up and three of them were hovering outside my office, pointing at the box. “Did you get a pair of noise-canceling headphones?” “Can we try them on?” “Did they change your life?”

You know that saying "when pigs fly?" As in, "oh sure, you'll get that 10% raise---when pigs fly!" or "Brad Pitt? Yeah, he's totally coming over to my house later to eat hot fudge sundaes.  When pigs fly."

Well, I'm here to tell you, friends: pigs don't fly. They swim.

On my recent trip to the Bahamas, I had the great pleasure of boating through the Exuma Cays. We dropped anchor at quite a few of the 365 cays--"one for every day of the year," said our boat guide Pat with a broad grin--but the one that stands out most in my mind was the one where I swam with a posse of pigs. Yes, I said a posse of pigs. I'll say it again: I swam with a posse of pigs.

Hitting the road when you have a baby changes everything. Travel just ain't what it used to be.  Even me, a travel expert, was daunted by the idea of traveling with my daughter by plane for the first time.  As with everything there is a learning curve and you get better with experience. I'll save you some of the trouble and share some of my learninngs from our very first family vacation.

Here in New York, Memorial Day brings outdoor cafés, white wardrobes, and the March of the Visitors—the season when friends from out of town begin arriving to enjoy the city just as it's warming up. So I spent the last two weekends as a tourist in my city, hosting friends and hitting the streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to Broadway (that’s right, even Times Square). As you might imagine, it's not difficult to convince anyone to visit you when you live in Manhattan, a luxury I've never had before. It was a lot harder to fill the sofa bed when I lived in other cities. Come to think of it, I didn't even need a sofa bed.

One guidebook said it was an exercise in self-torture, but my friends and I were not dissuaded. We had eight days to circumnavigate a country, and we were going to take advantage of long hours of daylight to suck the marrow out of every minute. Starting in Reykjavik, we were going to circle the country of Iceland, from west to south to east to north, along the fabled Ring Road, and during a tumultuous time in the country’s history.

Once among the richest countries in the world, Iceland’s economy has completely collapsed in recent years. While it has wreaked havoc on the populace, for us it meant a favorable exchange rate and a chance to see a country that was formerly cost prohibitive.