It's hard for me to think "ad" without immediately sticking "banner" in front of it. And with such a strong modern association between advertising and the internet, it's even stranger to consider that hand-painted ads and posters were the norm just a few decades back. So, as a tribute to commercial travel's rich history--and a visual break from the twitching, screen-devouring flash ads we've gotten so used to--I'd like to share 25 of my favorite vintage travel ads:

(Source)

As I've mentioned before, I'm a native of Panama City, Florida. Very few of us have left the Redneck Riviera--and that is probably because the Emerald Coast is one of our nation's best kept secrets. It's gorgeous there. Hand on my heart, the beaches blow away anything I've ever seen in Hawaii or California and are on par with the best shores of the Caribbean. But my quiet--and okay, a bit backwater--town may soon be thrust into the tourism spotlight.

I have many celeb sightings to my name, including Meryl Streep (getting into a taxi in New York), Michelle Obama (walking down the street towards me in San Francisco, flanked by Secret Service men who were escorting her into an Italian restaurant), and Dexter Holland from The Offspring (schmoozing it up in the Met Bar in London.) Okay, wait, maybe that last one doesn't really count. Dexter who?

Looking at Travelocity's Thanksgiving travel data, I can tell you that the average domestic airfare is $361, but taking a deeper dive into the number reveals a much more informative story for travelers who are trying to save a buck. A day-by-day analysis of flight bookings from Nov. 22 thru Dec.1 shows a dramatic swing in airfares, going from $280 to $459 depending on what days you fly.

Check out average domestic airfares on the chart below to determine which travel days may be cheapest for you.

Think your whirlwind, no-sleep, three-week, nine-country spin through Europe when you were in college was a crazy travel feat? Ha! Pshaw! And, so tame, I say! How about trying to walk your way back home to England—from Chile? Living on airplanes for an entire month? Or dancing your way around the world? Check out these five crazy travel feats.

I’m in the process of moving, and this past week, every ounce of my free time has been poured into packing. But now, sitting on a throne of taped-up boxes and disassembled furniture, I'm wondering how effective my packing methods really are. I've got that organizational madness that makes it hard for me to put so much as a spoon in the wrong box, which is great when you're finally unpacking. On the other hand, I've seen friends move entire apartments in garbage bags and fare just as well.

So, in tribute to a week of box-stuffing, laundry-folding, and glassware-wrapping, I'm handing down three different ways to stuff a suitcase:

I knew I could make the move from New York City to San Francisco the moment I first laid eyes on Napa Valley. It felt like a wonderland to me, a spot of much-needed European charm and pastoral quietude just a quick hour down the road from the hustle and bustle of the city.

And now three years into my great California adventure, I have developed my way of enjoying Napa and Sonoma. Much like how Coloradans debate the relative merits of competing ski resorts, we here in the Bay Area enjoy holding forth about the "right way" to explore the wine country. There are two valleys to choose from, at least 10 quaint towns, and a huge variety of activities, including hiking, biking, wine tasting, gourmet dining, air ballooning, spa going, and more.

Everyone remembers Angus MacGyver, the eponymous hero of 80s television sensation MacGyver. But what did we really learn from him? Well, first of all: duct tape can be a whole lot more useful than anyone ever imagined. And second of all, every problem has a solution, as long as you're willing to get a little bit creative with the tools you use to solve it. Here are seven travel-related snafus, along with a handy-dandy, DIY-style remedy for each. Just don't forget to throw that duct tape in your carry-on.

Packing a carry-on bag for a flight has never been effortless; it’s always taken a bit of ingenuity to arrange things so you can reach what you might need. And for a long time now, we’ve had to remove any scissors or blades and bid au revoir to bottles that hold over 3 ounces. But now? Now we have to do all this and also pack our carry-ons as if they’re about to be checked: no valuables, no breakables, no necessary medications.

Since airlines began charging checked-bag fees last year, many of us have adjusted our habits to avoid checking any luggage. In my opinion, the problems this has caused—overly full overhead bins and major delays boarding—are only getting worse.

It's 2007. Post-Katrina travel to New Orleans is just too cheap to pass up, so I jump on the discounted opportunity to cross Mardi Gras off my travel to-do list. I hop on a flight from Dallas to the Big Easy with a few friends, and stay at the historic Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter. Supposedly, the hotel is haunted. But it's fabulous and affordable, so I take my chances. This is where the story gets a little weird.

We spend the evening sucking down Hurricanes at Pat O'Brien's and getting to know the locals and tourists before we go back to the supposedly haunted hotel for some shut eye. The powerful libations send me into a restful slumber, but I awake suddenly to a deep voice in the room.

The most advanced camera I've ever owned is on my desk right now--integrated into my cell phone. I know, I know. It's no digital SLR. But have you held one of those things? You may as well be hoofing around with an extraordinarily-expensive boulder in tow. Not an ideal situation for most vacationers--myself included.

But here's the thing: you don't need a leviathan of a camera to take crisp, professional-looking photos. You just need to think like a photographer. Try these simple tips for starters:

Ah, the Hawaiian luau, so much a staple of the Hawaiian vacation experience. Before I actually went to one, I pictured a giant big fat pig roasting on a spit. I envisioned scantily clad men and women dancing near tiki torches under the stars and moon. And I imagined there’d be lots of loud shirts and goofish tourists scarfing down umbrella-clad cocktails.

Some of that vision was myth, and some was, indeed reality, as I found out last month at Waikiki Starlight Luau at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort & Spa. So what really goes down at a Hawaiian luau? Read on, and I’ll give you the luau lowdown.

I would like to apologize to the friends, family, and strangers about whom I’ve said negative things when you were pickpocketed. I thought that if you'd known everything I know about how to secure wallets, you never would have lost yours. I was wrong.

A pickpocket targeted me in Dubrovnik last month inside a gelato shop (talk about being punished for gluttony!). I was overwhelmed by a desire to get out of the jam-packed store, and when I abandoned all my pocketbook principles in favor of a quick exit, a woman saw her opportunity and grabbed it.

The gadget guru is back! My iPhone has completely revolutionized how I travel and I'm not just talking about having access to my email and Google maps. Here are my top 10 travel apps I can't live without when I'm on the road. I've noted what devices they are compliant with and their cost. And please chime in with your favorite apps in the comments section. I'm all ears!

As someone who works in the travel industry, I often feel a lot of pressure to do anything, see everything, and be everywhere when I travel. This past trip to Hawaii, in between Aloha Festivals activities, it was very important to me that I made some time to do absolutely nothing at all. For the sake of “research,” I wanted to park myself on that world-famous Waikiki beach and zone out to the horizon, holding a pulpy paperback in my hand, and reading snippets in between swimming like a buoyant fish. After all, isn’t the beach the reason so many people come to Waikiki in the first place?

The Society of American Travel Writers Foundation announced their picks for the prestigious Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, and The Window Seat took home the Gold for Travel Blogs.

It's quite humbling to look through the list of winners in categories ranging from travel magazines to travel news, spotting our blog named alongside honorable publications such as USA Today and Budget Travel. A big thanks to SATWF, the judges at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication and to our readers for perusing our pages. We are honored!

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 some of the most intriguing adventure seekers on our planet.

Be inspired by: Evelyn Hannon
Follow her: @journeywoman

Chaps, I have two words for you: Fried Butter.

When I heard they’d be serving it at the State Fair of Texas last weekend, I knew I had to pop over to Dallas and see what all the fuss was about. A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips, you say? Bah humbug! I defy you to try Fried Butter without swooning. And just for kicks, I had a slice of Fried Pizza too. Calories, schmalories. If fair food is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

--Inscribed on the Statue of Liberty's tablet

Lately, everywhere I turn, I hear a new horror story about how people are treated entering our country. Meanwhile today our new president won the Nobel Peace Prize. How can it be that a country that prides itself on being a safe haven for refugees from war and famine can treat the average tourist with such contempt? It feels so completely out of step with our national values.

Travelocity's 2009 'Rudeness Poll' results have just been announced and it seems travelers are misbehaving at every stage of the trip. I bet you think you're not guily, but read on and see if you recognize any of these traits.

Do you shower before you get on a plane? If not, you are the most disliked passenger on your flight. In fact, people would rather sit next to a person who is coughing and sneezing than sit next to you.

Do you try to bring too-large carry-on luggage on the plane? Nearly 1,600 North Americans agrees that is the most irritating passenger behavior when boarding the plane. If you're a loud talker, you are the most annoying person during the flight, though you have some competition form the person who kicks the back of the seat in front of them.

Recently, while I was lying on the beach in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, resting up from the Aloha Festivals’ Floral Parade and sucked 100% into a paperback mystery, a man approached me, wallet in hand. “Are you going to be here for awhile,” he inquired.

Startled, I looked at the time. “A little while,” I answered warily.

“Then, would you mind looking after this for a few minutes,” he asked. And with that, he took his wallet and placed it down in the sand right next to my towel.

I looked at it like it was a crawly bug or something else undesirable, and then looked back at him. He had a huge grin on his face as he continued on to say, “I know you won’t take it, darling,” and before I could even open my mouth to reply, he walked away and into the ocean, going in with a show-off dive.

I'm all about getting sporty on my trips. When I was training for the NYC marathon, I had to visit Washington, D.C. at a crucial point of my training. Instead of halting training or spending hours running on the hotel treadmill, I hired a running guide through City Running Tours who took me on a sightseeing run through our nation's capital.

So when I heard about a physical fitness event  -- again, in Washington, DC -- coming up on October 11, I thought I would share it with you. Bike for the Heart is a day-long event put on by the Sister to Sister organization, a group dedicated to educating women about heart health and risk prevention and providing free heart health checkups.

The day consists of four events:

 - a family-friendly five-mile bike ride around our nation's capital (this would be my choice)

Classic vacations are okay--the postcard vistas are lovely and the art museums are all very educational--but sometimes I hit the road with a desire for something else entirely. Something inarguably tacky, wholly unplanned, and perfect for October: paranormal attractions.

I'm not about to claim to be a veteran road-tripper. Yes, I've been to the Great Corn Palace, and sure, I've stopped over at mystery house here or there, but I'm not dedicated. I don't have that magnetic belly-pull toward the bizarre that takes people tripping across miles of country road. But when the mood strikes, it's good to know where the goods are at. And with Halloween lurking just around the corner, these California oddities are a perfect way to get your October started:

Much like the rest of the world, I've become a Twitter fanatic. However, unlike many Tweeps who will follow anyone to get a follow back or who Tweet about their adventures at Starbucks, I've chosen to implement a strategy based on a specific set of travel intentions: to engage with interesting travelers, to offer useful tips and advice and to stay on top of industry news.

Objective: Engage with Interesting Travelers

Here are some of the numbers: 13 floats. 14 marching bands. 27 vintage cars. 3 trolleys. 1 royal court. 1 private mounted unit. And an uncountable number of flowers. All this and about 4,000 other parade participants was about to converge on Waikiki’s Kalākaua Avenue, where I’d snagged a curbside seat in the bright morning sun. I’d just come from the pre-parade preparations, which I described in my last blog entry, and was eager to see everything come together.

You may have heard of Ryanair, the low-cost---and I do mean low-cost---carrier that started in Ireland in 1985 and now has 32 bases and more than 800 low fare routes across 26 countries. I've even flown Ryanair myself, actually: London to Dublin and back again for the princely sum of one pound. Yep, that's about a buck sixty right now. I think I spent more on the cup of coffee I bought at the airport.

That was the headline of an Associated Press article that came out this morning. Indeed, I do think airfare is stabilizing, a comment I also made to Roger Yu at USA Today. Loyal readers know I don't pull this stuff out of thin air, rather, I rely on the vast data and resources of Travelocity.