Dear Editors,

I'm traveling from Puerto Rico to New York. Can I carry a bottle of perfume or cologne in my luggage?

Thanks,

Hector in Puerto Rico

Dear Hector,

Sometimes I think the elusive green entry light on hotel-room doors is my nemesis. At best, it’s a finicky friend--never there when I need it most, and certainly not amenable to coaxing.

But there’s hope for me yet: InterContinental Hotels Group is testing technology that allows guests to bypass the reception desk and enter their room with their smartphones.

Following the lead of airports already using smartphones as boarding passes, the Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago O'Hare Rosemont and the Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center will begin granting guests access to rooms via an app for iPhones, Android phones, and BlackBerries.

I think we all remember that ill-fated time I washed my passport. Thanks to that lovely experience I learned all about the RFID chips in new U.S. passports. Even back in 2006 when Bush made the decision to include these chips, travelers were concerned their identities could be stolen through them. And as it turns out--people were right to be concerned. Your identity can be stolen through your RFID chip, but luckily there is something you can do about it.

I could wax poetic about the tomato, but Neruda has me beat—not that he's the only lycopene-lover to celebrate the fruit. This summer, tomato season is flush with festivals from Buñol, Spain to Bradley County, Arkansas, and cities will be celebrating the "star of earth" in their own special ways.

This week couldn't go by fast enough, could it? In fact, you're already starting to pack for your Memorial Day getaway, aren't you? But, do you really need all of those shoes? Well...do you?! It's only a three day weekend. I say, pare down, and spend the $50 you would end up paying on roundtrip baggage fees on a nice dinner instead. Here's how:

10 Great Packing Tips

Dear Editors,

I am looking for a cruise line with Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Any help would be great.

Thanks,
Ron

Hi Ron,

Great question! Many travelers (including me!) are surprised to discover that cruise lines do indeed hold AA meetings on their ships. In fact, almost every major cruise line hosts these meetings, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Princess and Holland America. Once you're on board, just look on the daily schedule for an activity called Friends of Bill W. - named after the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Before you book your cruise, Travelocity agents would be happy to confirm that the cruise line will be holding the meetings during your sailing. You can call them at 1-877-815-5446.

Happy Travels,

Jennifer

If you’ve ever wanted to stroll the Champs-Élysées sans the honking, hulking madness that is Parisian traffic, now’s your chance: more than seven acres of plants will carpet the boulevard today through Monday as part of Gad Weil’s Nature Capitale project.

In every community, in every friend circle or family, there's a special woman that outshines the rest with her compassion, her commitment, and her care for the less fortunate. Travelocity's Travel for Good program and WE TV want to honor these super-star women for their tireless service.

If you know a special woman volunteer and you'd like to make sure she gets the recognition she deserves, nominate her for the We Do Good Awards today. There are three categories to choose from: the Travel for Good Award, the Women on Their Way Award, and the We Do Good Award.

Hoping to get away for summer's kick-off weekend? I shared my favorite tips for getting a great hotel deal with ABC News Now. For these and many more amazing hotel deals, check out Travelocity.com/memorialday.

Trend has it that more and more travel companies are finding an increasing number of ways to pamper the traveling animals of the world. I’ve heard of special beds for cats, complimentary pet toys at the front desk, treat menus, and even dog-walking services. But until now, the pet travel industry has been rather unfairly skewed toward living and breathing, flesh and blood animals. Shouldn’t we all be asking ourselves: what about travel tailored toward our pets’ stuffed animal brethren?

Dear Editors,

I've heard that it's a great year to go to Europe because there are so many deals out there. Is this true?

Monica

Hi Monica,

With everything that is happening economically in Europe right now, there seems to be a tiny misconception that prices to Europe have taken a plunge. That is simply not the case. Last year was THE year for deals to Europe with both airfare and hotel rates tanking. Overall, prices for this summer are up over last year, but Europe is still a good deal when compared to two years ago. That said, the economic crisis in Europe does have its advantages for American travelers. Have you taken a look at the value of the greenback these days?

I realize this is a rather grand statement but...Queenstown, New Zealand, just might be the world’s most perfect vacation destination. Though it hangs its tourism hat on its reputation as the adventure capital of the world, Queenstown has a surplus of diverse attractions for every type of traveler—including those of us who would sooner give up an entire year’s worth of vacation days than jump off a bridge with only rubber bands to break our free fall.

Sure, bungy jumping is a huge draw for some. Skiing, too, and paragliding, skydiving, and white water rafting. But for everyone else—foodies and shoppers, wine connoisseurs and birders, historians and culture hounds—Queenstown boasts an equal embarrassment of riches.

I always say that the mark of a good vacation is when you start looking at the "For Sale" signs on the homes. No matter how much a traveler loves her job, her hometown, her native country, the temptation to pull up roots and plant a flag somewhere new is always there. And the more I like a destination, the more detailed my Run Away From It All scenario gets. During my trip to Guanajuato, Mexico I had all but called up the airline and asked what would happen if I didn't show up for my return flight home.

Quick, what's your least favorite thing about flying? If you're a tall person--and even, most likely, if you're not--you're probably going to say this: having the person in front of you recline their seat directly into your knees. I've spilled many a drink and crushed many a laptop this way. And the worst part is, it sets off a domino effect along the whole plane. Oh, you reclined your seat did you, 13A? Well, in that case I'm going to recline mine too, right into the back of 15A's knees. Sorry 15A!

If you're flying Spirit Airlines in the near future, however, this may not be a problem. The no-frills airline has just installed "pre-reclined seats" on two of their Airbus A320 aircrafts, and plans are set to outfit more of the fleet by the end of the year.

Please join us in welcoming Holly C. Corbett to The Window Seat. She is the co-writer of the blog The Lost Girls and the new travel memoir of the same name.

I’d rather spend my vacation time exploring than vegging out on a beach. Belize’s mix of lush rainforests, labyrinth of underground caves, and Mayan ruins make this Central American country the perfect place for adventure. Plus, it’s just about a two-hour flight from Miami. I wanted to go diving, hike to ancient Mayan ruins, and look for wildlife, so I headed to the former fishing village of Placencia. Located on a peninsula that’s nestled between the Caribbean Ocean and a mangrove-fringed lagoon with the Mayan Mountains to the west, it offers the best of land and sea activities.

Please join us in welcoming Amanda Pressner to The Window Seat. She is the co-writer of the blog The Lost Girls and the new travel memoir of the same name.

Back when my fellow Lost Girls Jennifer, Holly and I first left New York City to begin a yearlong, round-the-world adventure, I assumed that the last places I wanted to visit were big cities. Hadn’t I just abandoned a cramped stressed-out, metropolis to find wide-open spaces and new horizons somewhere beyond U.S. borders?

Just how important is your vacation? Personally, I take vacationing very seriously. Typically, I take one big trip (more than a week) each year, plus several long weekend trips (three or four nights) plus many weekends (one or two nights) and then two family trips (one on my husband's side and one on my side) to the same destination each year for varying lengths of time. (Thankfully, Travelocity has a generous vacation policy).

Please join us in welcoming Jennifer Baggett to The Window Seat. She is the co-writer of the blog The Lost Girls and the new travel memoir of the same name.

Whenever I tell people that I spent an entire year of my twenties backpacking around the world with two friends, fellow Lost Girls Amanda and Holly, one of the questions I’m most often asked (after “Wow, and you three are still speaking?”) is “What was your favorite place?”

If you've never been to a car race, it can be hard to imagine the appeal of something like the Indianapolis 500. But it's the little things that lock it in--the visceral details that you can't pick up from the TV screen. Being up close to the track, you can feel the snare of the wind as cars snap around corners and the rumble of shifting gears shaking through your bones. It's a feeling that's overwhelmingly immediate. You're there. You're part of the race. And even if you don't know antifreeze from anti-lock, it's exciting as hell.

After two visits to New Zealand, I am very familiar with travelers' number-one question: just how long does it take to get there? The answer: about 18 hours’ flight time from the U.S. East Coast, or three in-air viewings of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But here’s why Down Under is worth the long haul: once you land in New Zealand—no matter where you touch down—some of the world’s most varied and striking landscapes are a stone’s throw away. In fact, you can visit half a dozen pristine national parks in the time it took you to fly from New York to New Zealand; big on beauty and small on space, New Zealand’s geography favors travelers tight on time. Plus, all Kiwi national parks welcome visitors with free entry and hospitable overnight huts.

I'm not sure what you think of when you think of hotels in Reno, but I think of noisy casinos, rowdy bars, and rooms that have probably seen better days. What I don't think of---or, should I say, didn't think of until I stayed at the newly renovated Atlantis Casino Resort & Spa recently---is sleek design, top-notch dining options, and a spa that rivals any I've ever been to in my life. And I've got a soft spot for spas.

Open since 1972, the Atlantis has recently undergone a stunning transformation that's led to an impeccable new concierge floor featuring rooms that would make the W Hotel proud.

Right now, there are a whole bunch of nervous tourists on Gulf Coast beaches ready to twitch away at the first sight of black oil washing onto those pristine white sands. Parents are expressing concern about having their children swim in Florida's western waters, diving and fishing charters are being called off in the Keys, birds and turtles crying tears of oil are washing up on shore in Mississippi, no one's ordering the N'awlins oysters, and many regional Gulf Coast resorts, hotels, and vacation rentals are fielding cancellation calls for as far away as August. But are the worries to tourists overblown?