Thursday, April 17, 2008

Back in September, we asked for your feedback about bona fide, no-holds-barred tourist traps that you loved anyway. Here are your top picks, along with a slide show. read more

• From the Editor: A Tourist Trap I Think I Love (25 Comments)

The Italian airline Alitalia is in trouble. Dozens of articles in the foreign press over several months tell the same story: The chances are very high that Italy's largest airline will be forced to stop flying between now and July. Here's our two cents: Do not book future tickets on Alitalia! But, if you've already booked your ticket, here's what you can do—and the backstory on Alitalia's troubles. read post

• What the Delta-Northwest Merger Means for You
• Deals: Spa Week Discounts Good Through Sunday
• Video: Now Use Google to Plan Bus and Train Trips
• A New Kind of Cruise Ship

When you really need a long weekend away, you don't want to waste a lot of time getting there. You're in luck, because we've pinpointed an easy escape for you and your girlfriends in your state—and the other 49. read more

• Perks & Packages: Girlfriend Getaway Deals
• The Summer of the Dress

These girlfriend getaway packages—available over Mother's Day (May 11) weekend—include spa retreats in Charleston and Scottsdale, a lavish brunch in New Orleans, and a tour and picnic in Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park, from $179. why they're a deal

• Oklahoma: A Mother-Daughter Road Trip
• A Mother-Daughter Team Scours the Country for Vintage Gems
• Four Mother-Daughter Trips
• Shopping for Mom? Our Books Make Great Gifts: Secret Hotels, The Smart Traveler's Passport, A Stingray Bit My Nipple!

Slide Show: It's So Worth It Forget all the recent gloomy travel news—these 15 inspiring photos will get you dreaming and planning that next trip…. Sailing (and Surviving) the English Channel Terry Darlington's offbeat memoir, Narrow Dog to Carcassonne, recounts how he and his wife, Monica, made the journey in a tiny canal boat with their whippet, Jim…. Should You Pay More to Fly? (59 Comments) Share your opinion on whether it's time for travelers to pay higher fares so that airlines can invest in their fleets and improve quality of service.

Airfare, five nights' accommodations, and a whirlwind tour that begins and ends in hip Reykjavík, with stops at breathtaking attractions like Skaftafell National Park, the icebergs of Jökulsárlón and scenic volcanic valleys, from $1,859. why it's a deal

• Eat Like a Local: Reykjavík
• Cultural Etiquette: How to Drink Brennivín in Iceland

An early-bird discount for airfare and a weeklong tour of this ethnically diverse, beautiful country—complete with tours of the capital city, Quito; the Amazon; the markets of Otavalo; the hot springs at Baños; and Rio Verde falls, from $1,199. why it's a deal

• Ecuador Nuts y Bolts
• Destination Unknown: Ecuador
• Scouting Reporting: Sarayaku Nation, Ecuador
• Dream Trips: Amazon Rain Forest

Honeymooners from Nevada get an inside look at Antoni Gaudí's Casa Batlló in Barcelona. read more

More on Spain:

• Eat Like a Local: Barcelona
• Madrid's Hot New 'Hood: Chueca
• High Style, Low Rates: Spanish Paradores
• Trip Coach: Family-Friendly Spain

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