A winter storm expected to hit the Northeast over the weekend will likely cause flight disruptions throughout the region, according to reports issued Friday. Several states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont are likely to get hit.

Passengers with plans to travel to, from, or through destinations impacted by the storm are advised to check the status of their flight before leaving their home and to prepare for delays at the airport. Dress comfortably, bring a fully charged cell phone, and have access to the phone number of an airport hotel should you experience overnight delays. As always, Travelocity customers should visit the Customer Care page for information on receiving assitance with their travel plans.

Airlines have begun issuing waivers for customers who wish to postpone thier travel. See below for a list of airlines that have instituted flexible travel policies. Visit your carrier's web site for details and restrictions.
United Airlines
US Airways

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Whether your mama is voting for Obama, you think Hillary has more verbal artillery left in her, or you're catching a ride on the Straight Talk Express, there's no denying that this is one of the most exhilarating elections in recent memory.

Like many of you, I'm hanging on every poll, obsessively reading CNN, and toying with the idea of getting more involved. The national conventions for both major parties offer excellent opportunities to observe the election process up close and explore a little of the heartland. Here's the scoop on how to get in on the action.

Democratic National Convention: Get Wonky in the Mile-High City

Dates: August 25-28, 2008

Place: Denver

How to Get in: Unfortunately both national conventions are only for the candidates, the press, and the delegates. But this doesn't necessarily mean you can't get past the blue-velvet rope. One great way to gain entrance is to pitch in. The Democratic Convention needs over 10,000 volunteers, so start filling out your application right away.

What if you're not of voting age? Budding politicos in Colorado can enter to win the Write to Lead Essay Contest and Delegation Ambassador Program. With just the stroke of a pen (or a few keystrokes) students in grades 6-11 can enter for a chance to serve as ambassadors to state delegations. Plus, two Presidential Winners will actually get to attend the convention itself.

Republican National Convention: Grand Old Time in the Twin Cities

Dates: September 1-4, 2008

Place: Minneapolis-St. Paul

How to Get in: The principled folks of the GOP might not share many views with the Democrats across the aisle, but they do agree on the strict limits on who may attend the national convention. But volunteers are welcome and currently the Republican Party is accepting applications. In their budget conservativeness, the national convention is only looking for a mere 8,000 volunteers, so better act quickly if you're interested.

Plus, college students have the unique opportunity to apply for an unpaid convention internship, which runs from June 2 to September 4, 2008 and is contingent upon your academic overloads giving you a hall pass.

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Posted in Educational & Historic, Family & Kids, Guides & Planning, Trip Tips
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This past weekend, Virgin flew a 747 from Heathrow in London, to Schiphol in Amsterdam. Of course, this wouldn’t normally be such a big deal, except it was on time. No, I’m kidding. What was of note on this particular flight was that one of the four engines was powered by a mix of jet fuel and coconut and babassu palm oil. The idea, of course, was to test out using biofuel in the sky to try to cut back on what is an increasingly noted issue of air travel pollution. What is also noteworthy here is that, by using a biofuel that is not from a staple crop—like corn, we can avoid using both food supplies and some other crucial crops

While the irony is not lost that, in testing a way to minimize a plane's impact on the environment, Virgin flew a passenger-less jumbo jet from England to the Netherlands, this is at least a step in the right direction. An article in The Guardian includes interviews and opinions from various sources claiming that biofuel is, to paraphrase, nonsense. The claim is that researching biofuel is expensive and not worth the tiny amount of change that it effects. Also, the paucity of babassu palms along with the immense number of coconuts needed to fill an engine make the premise ludicrous, and that to use an alternate source, such as algae, only creates more pollution.

Well, shoot.

At least they’re trying, no? For all you cynics out there, this may be merely a publicity stunt, but it is difficult to ignore the fact that consideration for our planet is now more in the forefront of discussion than ever before, and that’s a good thing. By and large, and almost by definition, travelers are aware of their surroundings—literally, the environment. Also, we are conscientious about what we do and how it affects where we are; it’s part of the love of travel that you want to leave things as you found them for the next person who comes along.

Everyone can try to do something to help offset air travel, but when it comes down to it, we all fly because it’s too convenient not to do so. We can assuage guilt by planting a tree or going to any of a variety of carbon offset sites, but is that really enough? The answer may be yes. I'm not the definitive source here; I’m but a cog who uses energy-efficient light bulbs and reusable shopping bags, but I still think that when a corporation as large and influential and intertwined with the world of travel as Virgin takes the time and resources to pitch in and start to do its part, things are starting to look up towards cleaner skies.

What’s your take?

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The Associated Press (via USA Today) reports that US Airways announced Tuesday they would begin charging travelers $25 to check a second piece of luggage. This follows a near-identical move by United Airlines earlier this month. Southwest Airlines began charging customers $25 to charge a third bag in late January.

The additional charges come at a time when airlines are struggling to turn a profit. On Tuesday, the price of oil again topped $100 a barrel. The price of oil is closely tied to that of jet fuel.

The new charge will be effective immediately for tickets purchased starting Wednesday, March 27 for travel on or after May 5.

US Airways already charged customers who checked between two and nine bags $80 per extra bag, and they are now boosting that charge to $100.

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I think it was the fact that I’d already spent so much time above the clouds in Rio de Janeiro, from gawking at the Christ the Redeemer statue atop Corcovado to watching the sun set from Pão de Açúcar’s peak, that led me to decide that I just couldn’t leave the city without hang-gliding from Pedro Bonita. Whether I was high on bird’s-eye beauty or just suffering from altitude-induced delirium, I’m not sure. Either way, on my last morning in town, I found myself running at full speed off a ramp in tandem with a hang-gliding instructor I’d met 10 minutes before. This was about 45 minutes after paying $10 for my “pilot’s license” and 5 minutes after practicing my liftoff run (one time).

At any one of those steps, I probably should have been tipped off that this may not be the best idea I ever had. Or when one of the men issuing us our pilots’ licenses was wearing a neck brace. But as Holly wrote here in September, travel has a way of masking our fears and making us abandon any usual sense of caution.

Before I knew it, I was running off the ramp and soaring above the city—the sea, beaches, mountains, mansions, and favela slums grew more detailed as I flew closer to the ground, a gentle wind the only thing between me and Rio. But the considerable thrill of flying was nothing compared to the shock I got upon landing.

Just after I touched down on the beach and began to free myself from my glider and my instructor, I turned around to see the hang-glider directly behind me crash. The emergency parachute deployed, the glider twisted awkwardly and just cleared a cliff before landing hard on the sand.

It turned out that it wasn’t either of my friends waiting to take off, but there were several tense minutes until this was confirmed. A rescue helicopter landed next to the beach, and the professional hang-glider and his tourist client were examined and transported to the hospital. They were moving and conscious, but, if nothing else, suffered serious abrasions from pieces of the broken glider.

If I had to do it over again, I’d probably still go hang-gliding. And I don’t believe that, in general, this or any other adventure activities are inherently unsafe. But my close call was a reminder of the unpredictability of life, which is especially true when traveling. And that’s probably something it wouldn’t hurt to recall once in a while.

What surprises have others faced while traveling that caused you to pause and reconsider your decisions?

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Last week's announcement of Fidel Castro's retirement has Americans abuzz about the fate of the long-standing US embargo against the island nation. What does it mean for travelers?

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member bnicolas007

For now, not much. Americans have sidestepped travel restrictions to Cuba for years by routing their trips through other countries, and that trend may actually intensify now that Fidel has stepped down. Many hard-core travelers, it seems, want to visit Cuba before American tourists ruin it. Indeed, as Fidel’s legendary dictatorship ends, the country is facing indeterminate change, and the Cuba we encounter should the embargo be lifted will almost certainly be a different landscape than it is today.

In the short term, however, experts agree that change will come slowly. In the meantime, there’s plenty of virtual traveling to be done. Two of my favorites are this photo journal from ext212.com and a 2006 article from the LA Times that conveys Cuba’s complicated allure.

What are your thoughts on travel to Cuba? Who’s been there, who’s going, and why?

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Rick Steves shows us Europe off the beaten path. Jacques Cousteau plunged us into fascinating underwater habitats. And Anthony Bourdain brings culinary bravado from around the world right to your T.V. screen.

Now, video artists Lauren Tabak and Alexa Inkeles take us along on intimate city tours by those who know the inner workings of the urban world better than most: Rock stars.

Why rock stars? Being an aspiring one myself (albeit on a relatively small scale--insert self-deprecating laugh track here, please), I can personally attest to the vibrant social life of the musician trying to move on up in a fast-paced industry. What gives rock stars such a well-framed perspective on city hotspots is that they know where the good times are. After all, it is their job.

So far, the “Rockstar Guides to the Galaxy” series consists of two hip, informative videos by musicians from two different hemispheres. In the first one, you’ll get a glimpse of San Francisco from the perspective of Ice Cream Socialites, a homegrown Frisco dance-rap duo. The second video takes you on a whirlwind tour of Sao Paolo, Brazil with a member of dance-pop group CSS. Check them out for a close-up look at those two destinations--you might even end up tapping your feet along to the beat as you do.

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Last night, when the pizza was delivered, I made my boyfriend run out and pay for it. Correction, I paid for it---hey, I'm an equal opportunity kind of girl---but he signed the credit card slip. The reason? Tipping makes me nervous. Or rather, knowing how much to tip makes me nervous. And it's even worse when the delivery guy is standing right there. Math in a bar? Taxing, but doable. Pressure math in the lobby of your building? Much scarier.

Of course, tipping is fraught with even more uncertainty when you're in a foreign country. How much to give? Is it included? Can you add it to the credit card bill or should you leave it on the table?

If you've been wondering how much extra moolah you're going to want to cough up on vacation, here are a few guidelines.

In England, a service charge of 12.5 percent is usually included at restaurants (if not, you can leave it on the table yourself, if you like.) When taking a taxi, a ten percent tip is generally expected; depending on the fare, you might just want to round up to the next whole number.

In Mexico, 15 percent is a fairly decent tip for good service at a restaurant. In general, taxi fares that have been negotiated beforehand will usually include the tip---or at least the driver's idea of what he'd like as a gratuity---though there's certainly no harm in handing over a few extra coins if you feel you got a particularly good deal in the bargaining.

In France, a service charge is usually included in the bill at the end of your meal; if not, 15 percent is pretty standard. Taxi drivers generally don't expect to be tipped.

In Russia, it's good practice to tip 10 percent at restaurants, and between 5 and 10 percent for taxi rides.

In China, restaurants don't---by and large--expect a tip. I've heard of people being chased down the street by waiters worried that they'd forgotten to take some of their money with them. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't tip if you really want to, especially if the service was particularly good.

For all the other countries of the world, there's a great tipping guide here. And you'll find some general rules for leaving a gratuity in a foreign country here. For situations other than eating---taking a guided tour, for instance---the amount you tip (if any) is really left to your own discretion. Do remember that in many poor countries, a little goes a very long way.

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Right now, we’re riding the crest of cruise wave season, the heaviest time of year for cruise bookings and prime time to find steals and deals on ships both large and small. When you factor in that all your meals and much of your onboard entertainment is included in the cruise price, it truly is one of the best bargains in vacationing today.

Now I know there are a lot of people out there who think “cruise” and roll their eyes (are you one of them?), but as someone who previously doubted she’d ever be able to find anything to like about sea legs, I’ve been proven wrong again and again.

Case in point. My first emotion upon hearing that I was being sent on a press trip on the Disney Wonder cruise ship was raw fear. I pictured a floating happy-land, where wild children ran amok and everyone wore mouse ears and sat around all bug-eyed singing songs from the Lion King. And, yes, there was some of that, but there were also quiet moments with champagne and strawberries on a moonlit balcony watching dolphins jump out of the Caribbean Sea. There were unhurried gourmet meals and mind-numbing massages followed by relaxing, sun-lit soaks in outdoor, adults-only hot tubs.

On another ship, the Adventure of the Seas (pictured above), I went to a guided coffee tasting, splashed through a water park, watched wanna-be surfers take to The FlowRider, egged on some very heartfelt karaoke singers, ate myself silly, played mini-golf, visited the ice rink, and--perhaps my crowning achievement--went to each and every one of the ship’s 22 bars and lounges (just to make sure they were okay, of course. I take my job as travel writer very seriously).

Jaunts on other cruise ships have yielded similar results. The appeal of cruising is that it’s really an escape. In the absence of land, you’re forced to relax and go with the flow. Fun is for the taking--like so much buffet food--and there’s a natural sense of camaraderie with fellow cruisers that evolves from a “we’re all in this together” mentality. When I travel, I often scramble to explore the places I visit from top to bottom, but cruising provides a surprisingly necessary reminder to just slow down, sit still, and watch the world and its waves go by.

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Spring Break is here again. If spring break happens year after year after year -- why is this one different? Well for one, because it's the spring break that shouldn't be happening. We've all been hearing all about a possible recession. We're all feeling the pinch. Real estate, consumer confidence, spending it's all been looking rather bleak. And yet, for inexplicable reasons this spring break people are still traveling. In droves.

So lets stretch beyond these puzzling facts and just say – clearly Americans want their vacation time. Even if prices are high and they must scrimp elsewhere in order to take it. That means that this year with high prices continually on the rise, travelers booking further in advance than ever – it's increasingly helpful to know where to find the deals.

I took a look at pricing data and here's the skinny on where to find good pricing this spring break.

Picture from IgoUgo member btwood2

Beach markets where pricing is down or flat year over year making them bargains for Spring Break 2008:
Bonaire & Curacao - fares are down 7%
Cayman Islands - fares are down 8%
Barbados - fares are down 4%
Trinidad & Tobago - fares are down 22.5%
Maui & Lanai - fares down 22%
Puerto Vallarta is flat year over year.

Other domestic & ski destinations good deals this spring break are:
Jackson, Steamboat, and Kalispell which are all flat year over year.
Aspen is a bargain with fares down 3%
Idaho Falls is down more than 7%
Charleston is down 16%
Santa Fe is down 29%

These tips may just help you score a deal at this late date. And if that doesn't work, there's always a last second deal to be had out there.

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Have you heard about the latest reduction in Frequent Flier miles at USAirways? That's today's news. Yesterday's news was the fact that so many carriers were shortening the timeframe for using your miles. Note to self: Fly a lot or lose all those precious points I've been working hard to accrue!

The business people say the airlines are doing this because airlines miles are bad for their books. But c'mon. What's a flier to do in order to keep their miles in this day and age?

For one, you can read the fine print. Sometimes you can keep your account active by adding miles to it so a credit card, magazines, or even takintg a miles-based trip might help you meet the quota. But you can't treat all the programs the same way because they're each different. If you don't fly that often and you want to get perks (some might say what perks?) from airlines these days you'd better pick one and stick with them.

My trick these days is to try and fly my favorite airline whenever it makes sense, but where I get most of my milles is on my Travelocity credit card. I know this seems like a cheap plug, but the truth is it's more flexible than any frequent flier program, it's on par with those accrual systems, there are no black out dates and you can apply instead of miles actual dollars off for your Travelocity purchases. Imagine getting $100 off your next vacation just for charging things on your Travelocity card. I don't know about you, but I'm digging that flexibility these days.

How do you keep your frequent flier points in check?

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Cupid’s arrow still hasn’t found me. (I think he needs to invest in GPS.) But, it’s managed to find Lisa Tabb. She’s been married 10 times.

Co-Authors of Beyond Vegas: 25 Exotic Wedding and Elopement Destinations Around the World, Lisa and her husband, Sam Silverstein, eloped in 10 of the world’s dreamiest destinations.

“We chose places that embodied romance,” Lisa said. “But also [places] where people could duplicate our experience and had short residency requirements.”

Lisa and Sam wanted each of their weddings to be special – and official – so they obtained marriage licenses and scheduled officiants each time, “repeating our vows again and again and again,” she said.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, I pried into Lisa’s love life to find out about their most memorable experience and if there are future plans for more wedding bells.

TWS: What inspired you and your husband to get married 10 times?

Lisa: The original idea was hatched when it seemed that everyone in our immediate universe was planning a wedding. And no one appeared to be enjoying the experience. We were fielding phone call after phone call from exasperated friends and relatives, each of whom would unleash a long rant about the agony of developing their guest list or choosing a caterer, then let out a sigh and say, "We should just elope." It occurred to us that a book of eloping options might find an audience... and provide an excuse for us to marry on the fly ourselves.

TWS: Where have you gotten married?

Lisa: We were married at a castle in Scotland and on a white sand beach in the British Virgin Islands; aboard a yacht in the Galapagos and beneath Acacia trees in Kenya. In Jerusalem, our ceremony took place amid the ruins of a military citadel built 2,000 years before. In Fiji, the bride arrived on a raft and then was carried ashore by men, Cleopatra-style, with nary a petal out of place in her bouquet. In Bali, we were married by a Hindu priest in a garden decorated with more than 1,000 flowers at the Four Seasons’ Jimbaran Bay Resort. In Italy, the local mayor married us at City Hall in the tiny town of Asolo. In Greece, we flew from Mykonos to Santorini because the eloping process is easier there. The officiant married us on the balcony of our hotel room. In the end we chose to get married in the U.S. at the top of a ski lift in Tahoe.

TWS: Why did you choose not to get married in Vegas? It seems like you need that one to round out your experiences!

Lisa: A book that described how to elope in Las Vegas would be a short one, high on camp and low on scenery. This was not for us. We were interested in going beyond Las Vegas -- literally and figuratively -- and exploring the other end of the spectrum, places that are not only wedding friendly (with little or no residency requirement or bureaucratic hurdles involved in procuring a marriage license) but also tasteful and exotic.

TWS: What’s your most memorable ceremony?

Lisa: Kenya was the first and for me the most emotional. We arrived on a two-seater plane into the middle of the Bush and Chuka drummers lined the carpet, dancing and singing as we walked toward the officiant who was the local judge. It was electrifying to know we were surrounded by elephants and giraffes. There was something auspicious about the ride in the Land Rover back to our safari tent when we spotted a mother silver-backed fox and her six babies.

TWS: Do you have any wedding experiences that you wish you could forget?

Lisa: Well, I can’t say the day in the Nairobi government offices was my favorite. The Attorney General's bare-bulb-lit office in Nairobi in search of a marriage license is to understand the source of Kenyans' great patience and mild temperament. We had to go from one office to another getting various papers signed and each time we arrived the bureaucrat was at an extended lunch. The whole process took more than six hours to complete – and that was just for the paperwork.

TWS: How did you incorporate local culture into each wedding?

Lisa: We searched for ways to incorporate as much local culture as we could, while keeping in mind we were eloping and needed to get it done quickly. In Jerusalem, our ceremony took place amid the ruins of a military citadel built 2,000 years before and we grabbed some passing soldiers to hold up our Hupa. In Bali, my bridesmaids were traditional Balinese dancers from the local village. In Fiji, we both wore local wedding attire made from Tapa cloth. Sam’s outfit looked like a dress (my 4-year-old daughter was just looking at those photos and asked whether Daddy minded wearing a dress for our wedding). And the list goes on.

TWS: What’s the most interesting relic you’ve uncovered from your ceremonies?

Lisa: We still have our Tapa cloth wedding clothes. They are folded up under our bed, but I often consider framing them to put on a wall.

TWS: Are there any future plans for more wedding bells?

Lisa: We are pretty busy with our two kids, but you never know. If I had the time or luxury, I’d love to go back and update our book.

TWS: What types of misconceptions do you think people have about eloping?

Lisa: I think people think an elopement would be lonely and simple. Everywhere we went people rallied around us and more importantly we were able to have extraordinary, exotic weddings.

TWS: What’s your number one piece of advice for couples wanting to elope?

Lisa: Go with the flow. You can’t do this if you have a specific expectation about how things are going to go.

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Posted in Guides & Planning, International Travel, Offbeat, Q & A
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If you're still looking for Mr. Right or Ms. Walks-on-Air this February 14th, you might wonder if your chances would be improved by a visit to Valentine, Texas or Valentine, Nebraska. Recently a single friend suggested I write a travel blog called: You Don't Have to Go to Alaska to Meet the Man of Your Dreams. She wanted me to figure out where the most single men live so that she could vacation accordingly.

The travel matchmaker is in. After quite a bit of research, I have some basic findings to report. If you're looking to meet a single guy, go west. If you're looking to meet a single girl, it's time to visit the East. As this helpful map from National Geographic shows, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans, and Miami are chockfull of single women.

On the flip side, single men seem to love to hang their hats in Texas. Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston all have high quantities of testosterone. As you move westward, the manliness continues. Single men outnumber single women in Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. In fact, the map tells us that the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana area has the highest amount of single men in the nation, with at least 40,000 more single men than women!

But Men's Health was worried that this data wouldn't be clear enough. Not wanting to squander an opportunity for their readers to make love connections, the editors boiled down the statistics and ranked the top 10 cities to meet a guy. Here's the top five:

1) San Jose, CA
2) Boise, ID
3) Anaheim, CA
4) Minneapolis, MN
5) Dallas, TX

While it might not have occurred to you to take your next single friends getaway to San Jose, now you have mathematical motivation. The capital of Silicon Valley is a veritable male wonderland. I do believe it actually rains hot dates there and eligible bachelors grow on palm trees.

Your mother might scoff at the idea that you'll meet your next leading man in Romeo, Colorado, but statistically the odds are on your side. Singletons, pack a bag, call up your wingmen and gal pals, and travel for love.

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Posted in Austin, Bars & Nightlife, California, Dallas/Fort Worth, Las Vegas, New York City, Offbeat, San Francisco, Texas
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I recently returned from a week in Trinidad & Tobago. Before you look outside at the wintry weather and curse me for basking in the warmth of the Caribbean, let me tell you that it was not all bath-warm water and coral beaches. Some of it was, I won’t lie, but I was there for Carnival. Trinidadians take their Carnival seriously and their celebration is the largest in the Caribbean—and one of the biggest and wildest in the world. Hmm, that doesn’t seem to be eliciting much pity from you either. Understandable, I suppose, but you are also looking at it with a chilly and rested eye. Carnival is all about sleep-deprivation. They say that when Trinidadians are not celebrating Carnival, they spend their time talking about how great last year’s party was, or how great next year’s is going to be. They’re not kidding; I’ve never seen people dance, drink, party, and generally revel in an event like Trinis at Carnival.

Americans tend to think of themselves as pretty fun-loving. Clearly, we like to party and celebrate, getting together with friends and family. Personally, I like to think I can hold my own with just about anyone when it comes to having a good time. However, I know that when I haven’t slept enough or if I’m just made uncomfortable by heat or cold or hunger, I’ll become a miserable mess and just want to go home. So, when offered the opportunity to take part in the biggest party in the most conducive party climate in the world, I jumped at the chance to prove myself.

I’d already been on the island three days when Sunday came around. Sunday before Carnival is a big deal as Sunday night signals the semi-official start to the festivities. There are parties all week the previous week—from your typical all-you-can-drink, live music dance party inside a stadium (the band went on at midnight), to the Soca Monarch show in the cricket oval, or even Panorama, a steel pan competition in which teams of dozens of steel pan drummers move in perfect synchronicity—but it’s all just a warm-up. I woke up around 7:00 Sunday morning and went off to Maracas Bay, a glorious beach hemmed by high lush hills, skirted by creaking palm trees, and barraged with water whose balmy temperature didn’t shock me, but whose rough surf impressed me and reminded me of thoughtless mid-Atlantic waves. After several hours of imitating a rag doll in the water, my compatriots and I headed back to Port-of-Spain to watch the Super Bowl. I know, I know, I shouldn’t be watching TV while in such a tropical locale, or talking about football on a travel blog… no, who am I kidding? I lost years off my life, but emerged victorious and celebrated with various local Trinidadians who happened to love the Giants, and my fellow travelers (mostly Brits, ironically) with a round of Macallan 12 which—heartbreakingly—had to be consumed immediately so as not to miss a bus back home. Chugging expensive scotch with Brits and Trinis in celebration of the Giants is not where this night gets weird.

Back at our hotel, we simply stayed up after the game, sampling countless batches of the locally brewed Stag beer. The decision to stay up was not a difficult one as we had a 2:15am wake up call on Monday, a mere three hours away. The Monday of Carnival is something call j’ouvert (zhoo-VAY), short for jour ouvert, or “opening day.” This consists of donning clothes you don’t care about, red devil horns (or some variety of costume), arming yourself with paint, and meeting around 3:00am with hundreds of other lunatics. As you mill about in the street in the middle of the city, tractor trailers built of speakers blast the year’s carnival Soca music. It doesn’t take long for the crowd to get restless and start spraying their bottles of paint on others. By the time the march starts, everyone is a striated version of themselves. Not that you’d really know; it’s not even 4am and it’s still dark. As the music blasts, you chip* down the road, periodically lifting a plastic cup to a nearby truck which fills it with any variety of libation you ask.

*“Chipping” is the primary means of transportation for any Carnival-goer. Since you spend so much of the week crammed amongst tens of thousands of other partiers, you can’t take a full step and, since the beat-heavy music is pervasive 24 hours a day, you sort of dance-shuffle your way along the parade route. Chipping is like a combination of a slow samba and a walk, it’s easy, and totally addictive. If it didn’t take me so long, I’d chip to work in the mornings.

As you try not to get run over by the booze truck or the thousands of people straining to get near it, you spend your time chippin’, trying to keep the inside of your cup clean, and alternately throwing paint and getting paint thrown at you. Oh, yes, there are also random pickup trucks, wheelbarrows, and barrels full of mud, chocolate sauce and paint that are being transported around by fellow flingers. As far as the eye can see (which is “not very” thanks to the combination of darkness and free rum) are people wearing horns, covered in muck. The most interesting part: they are ALL smiling. I was, too until, in my blindness, I whacked my sandaled toe against some errant concrete slab. Nonetheless, I half-chipped, half-bled my way down the street, until around 8:00am when we finally corralled our group in a park. As we hobbled up to our hotel about a mile away, they had set up showers outside for us to remove most of the filth so as not to destroy the hotel drains. After also showering for about a half hour in my hotel room, I passed out for an hour and a half. When I woke up, I donned some new shorts to get ready for our noon meeting to—you guessed it—drink and chip. As I exited the elevators, I saw people walking by still covered in paint. They were just heading home. They’d go shower off, change, then meet me and my group for another five or six hours of dancing under the cloudless sky in the 85-degree heat. Every time my colleagues and I left a party, slept, and returned to another party, we saw people wearing what they’d been wearing a day before. They still hadn’t slept. And they were still dancing better than I could.

This sort of revelry, which ultimately culminates in Mas (masquerade) where tens of thousands of people don ornate headdress and little else, where everyone coexists for days in immediate proximity to strangers, could never be so effectively achieved anywhere else in the world. I’ve seen bar fights break out because of minor bumps, spilled drinks, and stepped-on feet. Carnival is for neither the claustrophobic nor the agoraphobic. Yet if you can simply relax, enjoy the music, and move your feet a little bit, you’ll have the time of your life and find yourself thinking about how to get back there next year.

What's the wildest party you've traveled to, and was it exhilarating or just exhausting?

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From how Beijing plans to eradicate rain to when athletes will arrive in China, I’ve been obsessed with reading the latest Olympics news (and emailing it to all my friends—sorry, guys) for the past year. I thought that as someone who had both recently visited Beijing and attended previous Summer Olympics, I might be uniquely obsessed with the 2008 Games.

It turns out that plenty of Americans are not only interested, but set to attend: Travelocity’s Beijing air bookings are 70% ahead of where they were last year, and Beijing hotel bookings are on pace to be 200% ahead. With only 178 days before the opening ceremony at the “bird’s nest” stadium, there isn’t enough flight and hotel availability to accommodate everyone at the current paces, so you’d best book now—or get creative.

Here are some tips to get you there, along with ideas to let you cheer on your team while experiencing Beijing at its best.

1. Consider alternate (and sometimes cheaper!) routes to Beijing

Add a second destination to your China vacation: fly from the US to Shanghai, Tianjin, or Nanjing, and after visiting, hop a domestic flight or train to Beijing. Shanghai was a last-minute add-on to my Beijing trip, and I loved the city. The overnight train I took from Shanghai to Beijing was nicer than any I’ve traveled on in the US or Europe—just be sure to book a soft-sleeper compartment on a Z-class (newer) train. And when the time comes, head for the Western-style bathroom.

Nanjing and Tianjin are rail gateways as well, and even cheaper places to book a room than Shanghai or Beijing. Plus, they offer massive amounts of history: Both will be on my itinerary the next time I go to Asia. If you prefer to fly China’s skies, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines service all these cities.

2. Choose a hotel located in a hutong neighborhood

These traditional courtyard communities, with their winding streets and neighborly atmosphere, are the perfect antidotes to a day spent among the hordes at stadiums and major tourist sights. And as properties independent of an internationally recognized chain, they still offer Olympics availability for those in the know. I recommend the Far East International Youth Hostel for hotel-like amenities at deep discounts. Just a 20-minute walk from Tiananmen Square, the alleyways around the hostel seem far away from the massive plaza and tourist hub. The family-owned Red Lantern House also gets high marks for its friendly hutong hospitality.

3. Avoid crowded hotels altogether with a homestay

Connect with a host family for the most authentic visit around—you might even make friends for life. Travelers who regularly stay with local families while abroad (I’ve done it once to great success, in France) report that there’s no better way to experience a city. Tour-Beijing’s website is one where you can browse families willing to host visitors, while the Homestay Beijing 2008 site allows you to rent a home sans its inhabitants.

4. Embrace the capital’s public transportation

It’s safe, fast, easy, and cheap—and a window into daily life in China’s capital. A subway ride costs only 3 yuan, and the system is fairly small, so while not convenient to everywhere you’re going, it’s at least easy to navigate.

Buses, on the other hand, go almost everywhere in and around the city. The sheer number of them makes the routes confusing at first, but once you figure out what bus number you need, signs are plentiful and buses well marked.

5. Pack a sense of adventure—and your own tissues

Beijing is never boring, including when it’s time for a bathroom break. You’ll come across a Western toilet every once in a while, but more often than not, public restrooms consist of a squatting hole (sometimes with markers as guidelines for your feet) and sinks shared with the men’s toilets. Toilet paper is rare. But all in all, the challenge was minimal. I only ran screaming out of one bathroom over the course of 10 days.

6. Get a proper introduction to the city at the Temple of Heaven

Marvel at the complex’s Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in person, before you start seeing it on every postcard and T-shirt for the rest of your stay. The scale of the temple (which is known in Chinese as Tiantan) gives you a sense of what to expect in Beijing, and it’s typically not as overwhelmingly crowded as other sites. It’s laid out over a big enough area that you can find a tree under which to duck and listen to the locals who are out singing or playing the flute.

7. Seek out your Great Wall

There are many segments to choose from, but the right one for you depends on the type of traveler you are. I appreciated the desertedness and challenging inclines of Jin Shan Ling and Si Ma Tai, but many people would be less than crazy about the 3 hours it took to get there—in the back of an un-air-conditioned, swerving van. Badaling is closer to the city, but more heavily touristed and boasting less original parts. An hour from Beijing, Mu Tian Yu could be a good compromise—but it all depends on what you’re looking for and can fit into your busy Olympic schedule.

8. Enjoy at least one Peking Duck meal

The tradition involved in preparing the dish is fascinating, and the end result is delectable. My top choice for dinner has to be the ever-popular Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, which has several locations around the city. But Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant has its legions of fans as well. At either restaurant, a crispy-tender duck arrives with pancakes, green onions, plum sauce—and its head. As you savor the dish, you’re awarded a certificate stamped with the number duck you’ve eaten. A feast and a souvenir for a small price is hard to beat.

9. Take a breather from the city at the Summer Palace

Despite Beijing’s traffic and factory-emission curbs during the 2008 Olympics, it’s summer in the city: Beijing will be hot and smoggy. Escape the heat at the nearby Summer Palace. The grounds (and playgrounds) of Empress Dowager Cixi boast a large lake and wooded areas for relaxing. Other curiosities include her famous marble boat, a must-see.

10. Save some energy for Beijing by night

Nightlife is wild in Beijing; head to areas like Houhai or Sanlitun to see and be seen while executing floor-shaking dance moves, or visit Tiananmen Square for a different kind of after-dark spectacle: a square awash in the glow of thousands of twinkling lights. What can seem oppressively barren by day becomes magical when the sun goes down. Meanwhile, clubs like The World of Suzie Wong make you wonder how anyone can think of the Chinese as regimented or reserved.

11. End your visit with the most affordable massage of your life

Prep for the long plane ride home with some pampering. Salons are ubiquitous; just follow locals to one that catches your eye. For mere dollars, you can choose from foot, leg, or full-body massages in rooms by yourself or with friends. What better way to reward yourself for an intense vacation full of walking, navigating, and, most importantly, supporting your Olympic team?

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You know those Facebook profiles that are absolutely cram-packed with applications: Wall, Super Wall, Fun Wall, quizzes, compare-your-friends tools, What Kind of Car Are You? assessment, and so on? They’re the visual equivalent of a noisy construction site, a virtual brain dump that doesn’t really tell you a lot about a person besides revealing their propensity for accepting every application invitation they receive. These junked-up online profiles are my latest pet peeve. But while I don’t really care which of my friends was voted #1 hottie or which Disney princess everyone is, I’ve long held that knowing how someone travels is an excellent indicator of personality.

Incredibly, Facebook counts 421 travel-related applications in its roster (who else had only heard of the “Where I’ve Been” application?). Some are humbling (I’ve only been to 8% of the countries in the world); some are affirming (my result on the “What City Should You Live In?” quiz: New York, natch); and some are just fun (I’ve spent a good hour or two on the Traveler IQ Challenge). Among other travel applications, there’s a way to flag your profile with the countries you’ve visited, a way to track your friends’ spring break plans, even a way to test your “travel personality” by where you’ve gone.

What is it about travel that makes it at once a badge of honor and a powerful way to connect people? For me, travel goes beyond preferences in the vein of favorite TV shows or other interests; it’s a window into a person’s identity. As someone who grew up in a place where it’s not uncommon to meet people who have never been beyond the state line, I have always considered travel a lifeline to a greater capacity for understanding (and greater personal sanity). Experiencing different landscapes, both physical and philosophical, and dipping into unfamiliar ways of life is an inimitable thrill, and I know that someone who shares that sentiment, regardless of how high or low our “movie compatibility” is, is someone with whom I’ll get along. Conversely, there are travel-personality traits I just can’t get down with: a love of Señor Frog’s and the destinations it occupies, an aversion to foreign foods, or an affinity for cruising.

Can I tell all this from an online profile? Of course not, but I’ll take one nugget of information about what kind of traveler a person is over all the personality tests on Facebook (and that’s saying something). What tip-offs to someone’s personality do you find based on his or her travel preferences? What clinches a connection for you, and what are your deal breakers?

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Yesterday marked the official beginning of Chinese New Year. To many people, this late winter holiday means vibrant street festivities complete with fireworks, colorful dragon floats, and tasty Chinese goodies galore. To others, the term “Chinese New Year” barely rings a bell. But given the growing influence of Chinese culture, more people are learning about the holiday and making plans to participate in celebrations across the country and the world.

Let’s start with the basics. Chinese New Year takes place on the first day of the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar, and as such is also called the Lunar New Year. The ancient Chinese believed that a man-eating beast called the Nián emerged from his lair each year on this day to prey on humans. Believing this beast to be sensitive to loud noises and the color red, the early Chinese frightened it away with fireworks and bright red colors. These customs eventually evolved into the scintillating celebrations we enjoy today.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member captain oddsocks.

But it gets a bit more complicated than that--and a lot more fun. Each year also has a rotating animal theme. There are 12 themes in all: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. This particular year is the Year of the Rat--a concept which might not go over too well with Westerners. The Chinese zodiac, though, paints the rat (also sometimes referred to as the mouse--the Chinese character used doubles for both words) as hardworking, highly organized, and charismatic. The Year of the Rat also marks the recommencement of the 12-year cycle, and as such is said to be an exceptionally lucky year.

These days, Chinese New Year is a 15-day-long bonanza of fun, food, and fireworks. Cities from Hong Kong to London hold massive street festivals. Here in the U.S., major cities like Seattle, Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, and, perhaps most famously, San Francisco, also have plenty of upcoming events. Even smaller cities with less prominent Chinese-American populations often throw celebrations; check your local news sources for more information.

Happy Year of the Rat--and Gung Hay Fat Choy!

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We all have travel rules we adhere to. I, for instance, firmly believe that there's always that smidge of a chance I might get upgraded if I make sure my purse matches my shoes. Or at least that I'm wearing shoes. You, for example, might have a complicated maneuver regarding the correct storage of overhead luggage or a strict don't-touch-the-comforter commandment when staying in a hotel.

I was recently pointed in the direction of the Rules Of Thumb website, which claims to compile "every rule of thumb on earth in one place." And, joy of joys, they even have a travel section. Read on for some popular rules of thumb for traveling. How many do you agree with?

On eating:
"When traveling in a foreign country, avoid restaurants with menus printed in more than two languages--they are for tourists."
--Michael Rider, art director, American Demographics

At a theme park:
"At Disney World, the crowd is most likely to turn to the right. Therefore, the rides to the left are less crowded."
--Carolyn Lloyd, 15-year-old student, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

On a cruise:
"The more expensive your cabin on a cruise, the greater the possibility that you will get seasick. This is because the expensive cabins are found forward, high, and with outside bulkhead exposure. This subjects them to more rolling and pitching than the less expensive cabins located near the ship's center of gravity."
--Gerry M. Flick M.D., Ship's Surgeon, S.S. Constitution off Hawaii

When crossing time zones:
"On average, it will take one day per hour difference to get over your jet lag."
--Koen, IT Professional, Sydney, NSW, Australia

When riding public transport:
"You can plan how long most subway trips will take by multiplying the total number of stops by two minutes and adding five minutes for every time you change trains."
Adam Meyers, New York, New York

When choosing a hotel:
"The most important part of your hotel room is the bathroom. No matter how nice your bedroom, if the bathroom is bad, it can ruin your trip."
--Bob Greene, author

When you're packing:
"Pack half your clothes and double the money."
Katelynn, Executive Assistant, Denver, Colorado, USA

And the rest:
"If you are ever in the vicinity of a restroom---whether in an airport or at a restaurant while on a road trip---always attempt to pee. Especially if you are traveling with children!"
--Contri

"In the tropics, don't eat fruit you can't peel."
--Francine Green, Cherry Hill, New Jersey

"When traveling in a country whose language you don't know, the words for "Yes," "No," "Beer," "Please," "Thank you," "That," and as many numbers as possible will get you through about 90 percent of the situations you encounter. Memorizing complicated expressions is useless because you will not be able to understand the response. Grammar is irrelevant; correct pronunciation is vital."
--Phil A. Schrodt, Associate Professor, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

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Rick Steves, an avid traveler and author of European guidebooks, recently spoke about the value of travel in today’s world at a Bay Area event, a talk that was filled with thoughtful political insights and personal anecdotes. With a presidential election on the horizon and politics on the brain, one story he told struck me as especially relevant to the political climate of today.

During a trip to Afghanistan, a man approached Rick while he was sitting in a cafeteria in Kabul, a moment he recalls as his most memorable cultural experience. The local man said, “You’re an American, aren’t you? Well, I’m a professor here in Afghanistan. I want you to know that a third of the people on this planet eat with spoons and forks like you do. A third of the people eat with chopsticks. And a third of the people eat with their fingers like I do. And we’re all just as civilized.”

Although Rick admits his wife needed to do some “retraining” upon his return home, he ate with his fingers for the remainder of that trip, an experience he described as “a joy…very natural.”

I was able to catch up with Rick to get more of his thoughts on why he thinks traveling abroad is essential. He graciously responded to all my questions, as I asked him about everything from who will get his vote in the 2008 election to what travel follies he hopes his mom never finds out about.

TWS: You’ve said that you believe travel is a “vital force for peace.” Why do you believe this?

Rick: Naturally, people who wage war (rightly or wrongly) find it convenient if there is no real understanding of the day-to-day humanity of the people on the receiving end of their bombs. When you’ve traveled in what becomes “enemy territory” and see how the media “introduces” us to that land, you understand why they say, “Truth is the first casualty of war.” It’s simply harder to go to war with people you have met, eaten with, laughed with and hope to see again.

TWS: How can Americans use travel to change our image around the world?

Rick: Just like we Americans can misunderstand foreigners if our impressions are based solely on government and corporate-sponsored information sources, I believe people oversees can misunderstand us when all they have is their media. On the whole, I believe that Americans are good, caring and likable people. Especially when we have a government that is unpopular abroad, it is important that people abroad meet traveling Americans. If someone believes Iran’s government or America’s government is evil, it’s important for them to realize that both governments were elected against the wishes of nearly 50 percent of that nation’s people. Travelers learn this.

TWS: How do you work to bridge cultural gaps and foster cross-cultural understanding through your personal travels?

Rick: I remind myself that while we Americans find many truths to be “self-evident and god-given,” other people find other truths to be self-evident and god-given. I’ve learned that people with nowhere near the affluence, freedom and opportunity that I’ve been blessed with would not trade passports with me. They don’t have the “American Dream.” They have the Bulgarian dream; or the Moroccan dream; or the Latvian dream; or the Sri Lankan dream. I am not threatened by this…I celebrate it. And in my travels I enjoy trying to understand this.

TWS: What was your most challenging cultural experience?

Rick: My most challenging travel experience has been three trips to El Salvador and Nicaragua over the last 20 years - seeing a popular revolution succeeding then crushed and the effects of globalization in a “dollarized” El Salvador. (They no longer use their own currency.) I don’t know if globalization is good or bad for the half of humanity trying to live on $2 a day. But, from the perspective of a family’s dirt floor, it’s painful to see. In Central America - where there are an abundance of Dunkin’ Donuts and armed guards these days - they say, “Globalizatio