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: Heather Poole, Los Angeles
Follow her at: @Heather_Poole

Deal Alert: If you're looking for fall or winter getaways, check out these killer cruise deals...and I'm not just saying that because I work at Travelocity! Rates start at $149. Seriously.

I am going to scream if I talk about the silver lining in this economic crisis one more time. Well, cover your ears, people, because I'm belting it out...again. NOW IS THE TIME TO TRAVEL. When I say travel, I'm not talking cheap airfare and low hotel rates. This time, I'm talking about the tempting cruise deals that travelers can snag right now.

Photo of Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas

This weekend, I went from New York City to Washington, D.C., for one dollar on the BoltBus. Was it luxurious? No way—it was a 5-hour trip, and I can tell you that by hour three, I would have traded anything, including the free Wi-Fi and leather seats, for a foot rest (or, heck, an arm rest). But it cost me one dollar.

As a frequent traveler, I rely on deals like that one to keep traveling frequently. I’m lucky to work for a company that enables cheap travel, so I tend to be up-to-date on the latest deals. But it’s still a challenge to find those bargain-basement travel steals that become the stuff of legend, whispered to disbelieving friends of friends on planes and in pubs everywhere.

Confused about what you can do to go green while globetrotting? Here's our top ten tips for sustainable travel. It's all about conserving precious resources, reducing the impact of your trip, and benefitting the community you visit.

1)    Fly non-stop: Waffling between saving a little money and splurging on a non-stop flight? Treat yourself to the better option and help Mother Earth too. Non-stop flights reduce your emissions by up to 50%.

I have a bit of a checkered history when it comes to astronomical pilgrimages. Remember when Mars swooped near Earth on August 27, 2003? I waited in line until 4am at Atlanta’s Fernbank Observatory, only to catch a seconds-long glimpse of what could have been a speck of dust on the telescope lens.

It was a little disheartening, but I still find the idea of traveling for space events fascinating—and today’s total solar eclipse, the longest blackout of the century, is a big draw for starry-eyed wanderers.

On Sunday, my brother-in-law’s brother-in-law (that’s a mouthful, isn’t it?) competed in a half-Ironman competition up in California wine country near the Napa Valley (dubbed the Vineman Ironman). Our goal was to cheer him along during his race transitions and as he made for the finish line. In between, our plan was to visit wineries and enjoy a summer’s day.

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: Andrew Hickey, New York City
Follow him: @BrooklynNomad

This is a shameless plea for help. Has anyone else ever sent their precious documents through a very unforgiving spin cycle? My husband and I got back from Peru on Sunday--after traveling for 24 straight hours. Needless to say, I wasn't thinking clearly when I decided to throw my filthy backpack into the washing machine, complete with both of our passports in one of the pockets. Note to self: Sleep, then clean.

Is it bad that when I saw Monday’s post and read the phrase, “a reason to love Mondays,” my first thought was, “The Bachelorette!”?

Probably. But I feel a little less guilty about why I’m currently loving Monday nights when I think about the main reason behind my devotion to the reality TV show: getting a glimpse of the amazing locations featured each week.

Maybe it’s because I live in San Francisco where summer is a relative term, but I’ve found myself really craving all the staples of summer: backyard barbecues and lightning bugs, beach umbrellas and that coconut-scent of sunscreen, and--of course--a can’t-put-down page-turner of a paperback. As it is, we’re already well into summer and I haven’t blogged yet about this summer’s beach reading—maybe because it just doesn’t feel like summer yet out here in the fog-belt.

But I realize the rest of the country is simmering. And what's a beach vacation without a sandy book to take shelter in? So without further ado, click here for this year’s list from NPR, which includes everything from poetry and non-fiction to crime novels and cookbooks. Hunter S. Thompson interviews, wicked plants, tacos, and noir are among the broad range of subjects covered.

Today is round two of JetBlue's "cheep" fares on Twitter. Launched last week and already nearly 10,000 followers strong, word is out on these ultra-low fares. The "cheeps" are announced each Monday morning at 10am and are for one-way travel the following Saturday. The catch? You'll have to pay the regular fare for one leg of your trip. Still, the super-low one-way fare significantly decreases the total cost of flying.

Staying on top of these "cheeps" and being decisive is key to snagging one-way fares for as little as $9. I considered taking advantage of a $9 Portland to New York fare for this Saturday, but delayed on making a decision and ultimately missed out. There are between 25 - 50 seats allotted at the rock-bottom prices and once they're gone, they're gone. This morning's sale included:

Long Beach to San Francisco - $9

Burbank to Las Vegas - $9

Portland (ME) to New York - $9

New York to Washington, DC - $9

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: Keith Jenkins, Amsterdam
Follow him: @velvetescape

Please join us in welcoming Kristin Luna to The Window Seat. She lives in San Francisco and is the writer of the Bloggie-award-winning travel blog Camels and Chocolate.

When I scheduled my 28-hour stopover in Helsinki, I thought I’d do a whirlwind tour of the city, snapping some quality architecture shots in true shutterbug fashion and doing little else. Au contraire, naïve one. Instead, I spent the majority of my time in Finland getting acquainted with the downtown poliisi precinct.

On my way to the ferry station to purchase my ticket to Estonia, I was crossing at the green crosswalk like the law-abiding citizen I am. Out of nowhere, a minivan cab came whipping around the way, and performed an illegal U-turn—at a red light at that—before I had time to contemplate my next move.

So your mom joined Facebook, your dad's on Twitter, and last week your grandma showed you the pictures she took while bungee jumping on vacation. Know what we think? (Apart from the fact that you should probably untag yourself in a couple of those jello shot photos before your mom discovers your wall, we mean?)

Well, it might be time to get a little wackier with your vacation activities. You want grandma's bungee jump to be the most interesting travel story you've ever heard? We thought not. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:

Without a doubt, the greatest thing about living in—or visiting—New York City is the diversity of its offerings. The city that never sleeps can be anything to anyone, but it’s an exceptionally good fit for would-be world travelers: in just one day, you can stroll China’s alleyways in Manhattan, learn about Congo in the Bronx, discover Tibet on Staten Island, and get a taste of Italy in Brooklyn and Egypt in Queens.

You can even, I’ve discovered, escape the feeling of being in any city, be it New York, Beijing, or Rome. Here, my top picks for strolling bucolic pastures or burying your feet in the sand—without ever leaving city limits.

The man who once said, “I’ll always be Peter Pan in my heart,” had enough money, at age 29, to realize his own personal Neverland. When Michael Jackson purchased 2,700 acres in Santa Barbara County’s Los Olivos hills, he set out to create a retreat where he’d never have to grow up. He populated the grounds with whimsical landscaping, wild animals, manufactured lakes, and even a steam-powered railroad.

For years, Michael Jackson lived there within a giant mansion overlooking Neverland Ranch’s various amusements, including a giant ferris wheel, a zoo (remember Bubbles the chimp?), a classic carousel, and a glorified tree house. He sprinkled the property with a video arcade and movie theater, tennis courts, and a clock made entirely of flowers. Then he opened up the doors of his ranch, and invited children in. And we all know what happened after that...

Glastonbury? It's a mudbath. Bonnaroo? Been there, done that. Woodstock? Oh, that's so 1969, darling. If you're looking for the next big summer music festival, look no further than Butte, Montana, where the 71st National Folk Festival is taking place this weekend, July 10-12.

But what's it got going for it? Well, for a start it's gloriously, magically, wonderfully free, and we all know that free is the best price in an economy like this. For another thing, it sounds like an awful lot of fun: featuring everything from gospel to polka to bluegrass to klezmer to mariachi to western swing, the festival runs for three days on seven separate stages, meaning there's always going to be something to watch.

Last week in an unprecedented move, the House narrowly approved an energy bill that would limit harmful greenhouse gases--the first time any chamber of Congress has ever approved limits of this kind. Now the energy bill faces a tough battle in the Senate and already there is vocal opposition from many different camps.

Without access to Capitol Hill, I settled for the next best thing: taking straw polls at happy hour. I asked one simple question: If the climate bill passes, would you be more likely to offset your travels?

Forget stripped-down service from the airlines; how about a stripped-down staff instead?

Air New Zealand recruited actual employees to bare all for a new ad campaign promoting the airline as the carrier “whose fares have nothing to hide.” Wearing only body paint, the staff filmed both a TV commercial and an in-flight safety video (and you thought Delta’s safety video was hot!). Take a look.