Recently I crossed something big off my must-see-before-I-die list: Machu Picchu. I took a day-trip to the stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site during my volunteer vacation to Cuzco, Peru. Machu Picchu is situated 8,000 feet above sea level and Cuzco, where I spent the majority of my time, was at 10,800 feet.

Leading up to the trip, every single pamphlet, website, and guidebook I read discussed how to avoid altitude sickness and I must confess, I skimmed it. It didn't feel like there were any good options. For instance, the side effects of the prescription medicine for altitude sickness are often worse than the actual symptoms of it. One woman on my trip who was taking it kept saying, "My nose is tingling! I can't feel my fingertips!" Uh...no thanks.

Here’s a secret: the two main reasons I spent a college semester in Paris were nine years of French lessons and National Lampoon’s European Vacation. I saw it when I was very young and could not wait to explore Europe…by car, of course.

In a classic case of careful-what-you-wish-for, that first spring-break road trip—through Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic—was indeed decidedly Griswoldesque.

But I’ve rented cars in Europe since then, and each trip goes more smoothly than the last. So as I prepare for another European road trip next week and ponder past hits and misses, I’ve come up with my top five tips for seeing Europe through the windshield. If you follow these guidelines, I'm confident you'll discover the joys of renting a car abroad.

One of my favorite opening lines to a book, from The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, reads: "It can hardly be a coincidence that no language in the world has ever produced the expression 'as pretty as an airport.'" Unfortunately, I don't think the same can be said about the expression, "as boring as an airport."

Anyone suffering through a particularly bad flight delay (or worse, cancellation) is going to experience two things before they finally board: (1) a sudden renewed faith in Murphy's Law, and (2) near-crippling boredom. And if--reaffirming the former--your book is mind-numbing, the power outlets have been spoken for, and your wallet's a bit thin, I suggest making your own airport adventure:

Labor Day weekend kicks off in less than two weeks, and what we're seeing for the holiday comes to no surprise. Keeping with the trend of 2009, airfare is down year-over-year as are hotel rates. In fact, Labor Day weekend is the cheapest three day travel holiday that we've tracked so far this year.

But, where can travelers go to nab the best deals for the holiday? I've been conducting interviews with media outlets across the country to talk Labor Day travel and have been asked this very question countless times. To find the answer, I looked to Travelocity booking data to analyze the top 25 vacation spots. Here are the big deal destinations that I found:

Domestic Deals for Labor Day Weekend

New York City - airfare down 18 percent, hotel rates down 20 percent

Honolulu - airfare down 13 percent, hotel rates down 21 percent

Who knew that the little honeys who opened the door for me everyday at Hotel Monaco in Seattle could inspire an entire blog post? It was the doormen's dashing good looks and mannish abilities to pull off the color purple that won them a spot on my 17 Things I Love About Kimpton Hotels list from a few weeks ago. However, it was brought to my attention by our readers that I neglected to include one key element in my post: proof that "a piece of eye candy will open the door for you."

Well, ladies, here's your proof...

Over the years that I've traveled, I've been lucky enough---on a few wonderful occasions---to be handed that exclusive and much-coveted card. You know the card I'm talking about. Nope, not the Fantasy Suite Card; I'm talking, instead, about the card that invites you to while away the time between check-in and boarding in an airline's VIP Lounge. Man, it's a nice thing to have in your hand at an airport. Free food, free champagne, and free wi-fi, far from the maddening crowds of other harried travelers? I'll take it!

But would I pay for the pleasure? I don't think so.

Alaska has been on my list of my top five dream destinations for years, and my plan is to finally explore the Last Frontier in 2010. The question I can’t seem to settle on, though, is when in 2010? Known for both its sun- and ship-drenched summers and its star-bright winters, Alaska has proven a challenge to my decision-making skills.

Highlights of a summer trip would be long days spent hiking green hills, kayaking the Inside Passage, sipping a local Summer Ale, and spotting wildlife in Denali National Park (where visitor services drop off dramatically after mid-September).

Missoula, Mi-zoo-lah: It’s a name that trips off the tongue singingly. And I’m hearing it sung through the travel grapevine that it’s where in Montana you want to be the last weekend of this month and the first weekend of September, for two very different reasons.

First, on the weekend of August 29 and 30, it’ll be time to put down your fishing pole, hang up your hiking shoes, get off your high horse (or llama), and come on down to Missoula for the fourth annual River City Roots Festival, which is absolutely free for all who attend!

Not sure if you've heard, but travel is a great deal right now. That's a joke, of course. If you've ever read this blog (or really, a newspaper or any other news source) in the last eight months, you already know travel is a great deal! In fact, our first-ever Traveler Confidence Report confirmed what we at Travelocity long suspected -- that travelers are encouraged by price decreases in airfare and hotels and plan to take advantage of the deals available.

But what interests me is not the fact that prices across the industry are down (one exception: rental cars) but that there are a few easy steps anyone can take to shave big bucks off the total cost of a vacation. Here are seven easy steps to saving $1,000 or more.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo.com member ripplefan2.  

Remember this moment? (Skip to 1:50) Well, I'm having one of my own. Just picture me standing at a podium with helmet hair like The Gipper, a stern look glinting in my eyes, saying, "Atlanta airport, get some recycling bins!"

If you're anything like me, here's how you feel about plastic bottles of water.

Cons:

Takes 1,000 years to break down in a landfill

Has a hefty carbon footprint and is made with petroleum

Leaches harmful chemicals into your water over time

Pros:

Convenient

Convenient

Convenient

If there’s a universal truth about travelers in 2009, I would say it’s this: before a trip, a traveler is comparing fares; after a trip, she is comparing destinations.

When was the last time you visited a place and didn’t describe it in terms of other places you’ve been? I remember combining Ireland and Tahiti to describe a spot in New Zealand, and pairing Brazil and Puerto Rico to put the Colombian Caribbean in perspective. And I often travel with a friend whose international tagline is, “It’s just like Jersey!”

I'm not the most "touristy" traveler. I often bypass museums in favor of wandering around dive bar districts, I never buy souvenirs (much to my friends' and family's chagrin), and I usually spend more time with the locals than I do with the tour groups. But there is one die-hard gawker part of me--the part that demands that I sample every bizarre local food, beverage, or beer that I can find.

So, yes, I've endured headaches from Chilean jote (red wine and Coca Cola), cringed a little at kefir (a fermented milk drink), and rather enjoyed pan-cooked alpaca (a cousin of the llama). And once I make it out to the rest of the world, I'm definitely checking off these four "fine" dining options as well.

I'm getting married in San Diego next month and, as such, I've been spending an awful lot of time down there. And as a result of that, I've been realizing just what a great vacation destination it is: for kids, you've got Seaworld, the San Diego Zoo, and Legoland. For grown-ups, you've got hip hotels like The Ivy---king-size bunkbeds with white fur bedspreads, anyone?--and great shopping and dining in the Gaslamp. For history buffs, there's the famed USS Midway and the iconic Hotel Del Coronado. And for surfers and beach bunnies, San Diego county has a whopping 70 miles of coastline, all of it picture-book gorgeous.

These Kimpton folks...they got it going on! If you've never stayed in one of their hotels, you absolutely must put it on your travel to do list. Cross my heart, it will be a treat. I've enjoyed sipping complimentary wine at 70 Park Avenue in New York City.

Later this month, I will be sharing a cabin on the north side of Lake Tahoe with 11 friends, plus one baby and two dogs. That’s 14 souls sleeping all under the same roof! Even though I’m expecting it to be tons of fun, and even though I live in a pretty big city where there are zillions of people everywhere and I can practically reach out my arm through my apartment window and shake hands with my neighbors across the way, I’m just not used to sharing such close quarters with so many people. And while I enjoy the company of everyone who I’m going with, I’ve got to be honest. I’m a bit wary of sharing living space with so many people in such a concentrated dose.

As the travel industry suffers from a downturn in business and group travel, destinations with a reputation for fun are among the hardest hit. According to the Wall Street Journal, Orlando, Las Vegas and Reno are three destinations believed to be on a blacklist when it comes to booking government meetings. The article quotes a Department of Justice spokeswoman as saying, "We do have guidance that says avoid locations and accommodations that give the appearance of being lavish or are resort destinations."