This year, the Winter Games are kicking off in Vancouver, giving Canada a chance to showcase its glorious slopes and friendly citizenry. But that doesn't mean Whistler is the only Olympic-powered playground.

As it turns out, both the U.S. and Canada are packed with professional-grade terrain just ripe for the carving. So even if you can't make it out to the 2010 festivities, you can still bundle up and trace the tracks of the Olympic skiers, figure skaters, curlers, bobsledders, and other athletes that starred in Winter Games past.

Lake Placid, New York
1932, 1980

Hey Steve,

It's been a while since we talked. First up, I just wanted to say thanks again for my MacBook and my iPhone. They have completely revolutionized how I travel, which is well documented here and here and here.

There are travelers out there who firmly believe that gadget-free is the only way to go globetrotting, but don't worry. The Gadget Guru is always trying to win hearts and minds to the ways technology can enhance a travel experience.

Which leads me to my reason for writing. Do you have a moment to chat? Steve, Steve, Steve. I had Wednesday, January 27th marked on my iPhone calendar as Tablet Day! No one was more excited than me about TABLET DAY!!!

If there’s one thing women know about, it’s romance. And if there’s one thing the staff of The Window Seat Blog know about, it’s travel. With that in mind, the bloggettes came together and picked nine hotels in North America they would recommend for Valentine’s Day or a romantic getaway any time of year. For great deals on hotel stays for Valentine’s Day, visit Travelocity.com/romance.

Highly subjective and listed in no particular order, the Window Seat Bloggettes' most romantic hotel picks:

El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa

Farjardo, Puerto Rico

Flying from Canada? Be prepared to spend a ridiculous amount of time going through security. After the underwear bomber on Christmas Day, travelers are paying the price for upgraded security...with their precious time. No doubt that safety is paramount, but are we being fooled into a greater sense of security by a Potemkin village of pat downs, ID checks and inane questions?

My most recent Toronto airport security experience, which culminated with a line of questioning about the book I was carrying on board, leads me to believe that this so-called security is just all for show. Hoping to get some clarification on the new procedures, I went directly to the source, (kindly) asking the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority what the point is behind the theatrics.

Hello there, Window Seat Readers! It's the Travelocity Roaming Gnome here. I’ve just got back from a trip to Banff, which was a splendid antidote to a nasty case of cabin fever I’d been battling. Despite worrying that my beard might freeze upon stepping off the plane in Calgary—only a 90-minute drive from Banff!—the weather was pleasant and sunny.

Nicholas Wolaver is a PR man by day and an Olympics superfan and historian by...well, also by day. He’s managed to marry his interests with a career that’s sent him to a half-dozen Olympic Games—experiences he blogs about at Olympic Rings and Other Things. From his temporary post in Vancouver, he talked to us about his travels, Vancouver and Whistler tips, and social media at the Olympics.

When the news broke last week that a flight was diverted due to a suspicious passenger engaged in a prayer ritual, I couldn’t help but remember a trans-continental flight I was on, many years earlier, to Jerusalem. At the time I was a very nervous flyer, the kind who has to stay awake all flight long to make sure “nothing happens.”

Last week, I was asked to appear on FoxBusiness.com's web show to discuss baggage fees. We also discussed tips to avoid the fees, airfare for spring, and the value of hotels.

A century ago, skyscrapers were the marvel of modern architecture. Today, the spotlight has shifted to cruise ships. And as architects continue to build their ships longer, taller, and larger, clever cruise lines are finding some very innovative ways to fill an increasing amount of deck space.

I’m not sure why, but putting a piece of food on a stick always puts a smile on travelers’ faces. Maybe it’s because we associate skewered snacks with childhood pleasures like lollipops and popsicles; maybe it’s because sticks make for easy cleanup when we’re on the go.

Either way, certain destinations are held in high esteem for their unforgettable (for better or for worse) meals on sticks. Here are 10 picked especially for brave travelers—stick it to your friends when you complete one of these challenges.

It is with heavy hearts that we at the Window Seat have been watching the coverage of the disaster in Haiti. Political instability, economic poverty, and a series of natural disasters have kept many would-be tourists from experiencing the rich culture and beautiful shores of this small country--but this has not kept the travel industry from responding with donations and acts of charity. Here’s how a few travel companies have stepped up to help.

Travelocity: As of Tuesday, 1/19, Travelocity/Sabre Holdings and its employees have already committed $30,000 to relief efforts.

I'm still paying off sleep debt from my Las Vegas vacation. Between the electric-tinged twilight of the casinos and the uncertain daylight of Nevada's winter, I found myself waking at a different hour every day. Lucky for me, it didn't matter if I was up at 8am or 8pm. Vegas was true to its 24-hour nature. I could always find breakfast.

Breakfast in Las Vegas is a fantastic affair. You get lavish buffets, roadside diners, gourmet sit-downs--every option imaginable stuffed into a few sparkling miles of Strip. There's zero excuse for a cigarette and espresso breakfast. Not that you'd want an excuse.

As the manager of Travelocity's Travel for Good program, one of the big questions I get asked is: Does the carbon offset money really do anything? Do they really plant trees with it?

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!!!

Every single penny donated to our carbon offset program goes to The Conservation Fund's Go Zero program. We partnered with them because they focus on reforestation and they work right here in the U.S. of A. Plus, the Fund has been awarded an A+ rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy and a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. In straight talk, that means your dollars go to work and are not frittered away on high overhead or silly expenses.

Earlier this week, the New York Times published their list of The 31 Places to Go in 2010 and I devoured it instantly. It's not that I need any help deciding where to travel---I've got a list as long as my arm---but rather that I love finding out where other people are traveling, and why. That said, the story was packed with inspiration---Damascus, anyone? Gargano? Macedonia?---and that arm-sized list I mentioned is now....well, as long as both of my arms. And maybe a leg too.

Pity the poor Florida traveler right now. Maybe this is their one beach vacation for the year, the one they’ve been saving up for, and instead of frolicking in the warm waves and pulling up fish from the sea, they’re shivering on the beach in a scarf and wishing for mittens. The current cold wave gripping much of the country is treating Florida especially hard, threatening staple crops like the state’s ubiquitous oranges, and keeping the fishing charters tied up in harbor due to lack of interest.

But all is not lost if you’re a tourist on a Florida vacation right now. Yes, if you were planning on beaches and suntans, you may have to call an audible, but there is much you can still do in the Sunshine State that doesn’t require warm temps and, well, sun.

The Gadget Guru is here to alert you to two travel apps you might want to download if you're heading to Los Angeles or hitting the slopes soon.

If you're anything like me, the last thing you want to be is the dork whipping out a map every five seconds on vacation. That's why I LOVE my Google Maps app on my iPhone. Hey, I might be checking my email for all you know, and not, ahem, looking for a store that's right behind me. But the Google Maps app is fairly bare bones when it comes to entertainment, so that's why I love fun travel map apps like the Celebrity Star Maps and iTrailMap.

What with terrorist plots and emergency landings, you've already got enough to worry about when flying these days. The chances of something happening are slim, obviously, and most of us just shrug it off, get on the plane, and open up a magazine or take a little nap to get through the flight.

But now we've got to be worried about sleeping on airplanes too?

It’s c-c-c-c-cold outside--and not only here in New York, where you can count on January being bitter. Huge swathes of the U.S. and Europe are being battered by arctic air this week, catching some sun-seekers by surprise. When I watched a video this morning of three children swimming at an icy Florida beach, I decided I had to offer up some tips for enjoying a trip even when the mercury drops. (For one thing, get out of the water!)

So here are the five things I always pack to keep warm--the items that I think make the most difference when it comes to staying comfortable in cold weather. I’ve used all five of these things in cities and in the backcountry, in wind chills that have dipped to -40 degrees. I even wore two of them on my walk to work this morning.

With the start of a new year and a new decade, Dubai unveiled what is now the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, which stretches to a height of 2,717 feet. To put that in perspective, the San Francisco Bay Area’s Mt. Tamalpais reaches a height of 2,574 feet, which means that Dubai’s new building is taller than a mountain.

In addition to apartments and offices, the world’s highest swimming pool and mosque, and a hotel designed by Georgio Armani, the building will also have something for tourists to add to their “must-do” lists: the observation deck on the 124th floor, which boasts views beyond the cityscape into the surrounding desert and toward human-made islands in the shapes of palm trees.

For many people, getting in shape tops the list of New Year’s resolutions, but those who travel frequently for business or pleasure know that keeping up a fitness routine on the road is challenging. Fast food at the airport, high-calorie business lunches, an unfamiliar fitness center at your hotel or a reluctance to run in a city you’ve never been to are just a few of the things that can derail your fitness routine. Here are five ways to travel and keep your New Year’s resolution to get fit on track.

It’s no surprise that security measures are multiplying following December 25th's botched bombing. And while you’re unlikely to encounter a full-body scanner while traveling domestic (at least for now), nearly all airports will be ramping up bag searches, pat downs, and random screenings in 2010. But does this actually translate into more delays?

Yes, but the delays aren’t as bad as you’d think.