Please join us in welcoming guest author Joel Frey, one of the Travelocity Roaming Gnome’s most trusted publicists.

Call me a sucker for good PR.  Over  the years, I've read a handful of glowing travel stories on Marfa, Texas, a town of a 2,121 people about 200 miles southeast of my home in El Paso. Most of these reviews first focused on the "Mystery Lights," followed by a summation of the artist Donald Judd's ties to the area and wrapped up with a few paragraphs on a revival which has seen an influx of galleries, restaurants and renovations spring life into an otherwise a dusty ranching town. Inspired by The New York Times, my wife and I recently spent a weekend there.

The old adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" is never truer than when you're traveling. Nothing tells the stories behind the places you visit and the people you meet along the way better than a photograph. So, how do we best capture the story behind a destination through our camera lenses? I asked Ewen Bell.

As a travel journalist and professional photographer, Ewen provides "inspiration and information to help you make the most of your travel and photography." On his website, Photography for Travellers, he shares practical philosophies for amateur photographers. When I asked him about his top photo tips, this is what he told me:

Holy guacamole! The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, just announced the hotel industry’s newest unusual perk: guests can now sign up to serve as Guest Guacamologist during the hotel's evening guacamologist ritual. Guests interested in playing sous-chef to the professional guacamologist need only call the hotel's public relations department for a complimentary slot slicing avocados.

This unusual opportunity brought to mind a few other favorite weird hotel perks:

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.

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.

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?

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).

Alright, I admit it. Last weekend I went to see the movie Hot Tub Time Machine, and while I’m not going to say it’s the most brilliant movie ever made, it did succeed in making me laugh—and that’s really all I could ask for on a gloomy and rainy Saturday night. In the movie, a group of guys check into a rather rundown ski hotel and find that the hot tub on the back deck has transported them to the year 1986 when neon was still in style, the Talking Heads were “letting the days go by,” and the Russians were the “enemy.” Don’t worry, I haven’t spoiled any of the plot.

Editor's Note: Inspired by Follow Friday on Twitter, I am profiling (in far more than 140 characters) travelers who you, too, should follow!

Sleep better with: Anya Orlanska
Follow her at: @SleepConcierge

After returning from a 10-day stint on the road (and not sleeping a wink), I was ecstatic to climb into my very own bed and get a good night's sleep on my plush mattress and super flat feather pillow. Heaven! As much as I love to travel, the new environment, the time changes and the busy agendas keep me up at night, but Sleep Concierge Anya Orlanska says it is possible to sleep as well, if not better, while you're on the road.

Good news for any woman who, like me, appreciates a good bathroom in the sky: Japan’s All Nippon Airways is rolling out ladies-only restrooms this month. Next time you have to powder your nose on ANA, ladies, the seat will be down and your spirits (the airline hopes) will be up.