4 Most Controversial Blog Posts of 2012 (So Far)

Americans will continue to travel this summer, despite the dire predictions of some overheated "experts" on cable TV news. After all, we've been through this before: In July 2008, America faced record high gas prices of $4.11 a gallon. Official surveys after-the-fact found that Americans still hit the road and took to the skies throughout that summer. This summer, it's reasonable to expect that Americans will once again be determined to take their hard-won vacations, despite their (totally understandable) grumbling about high gas prices. For more on economic studies that prove this point, see "Rising Gas Prices Don’t Actually Affect Americans’ Behavior" in the New York Times Magazine today. Nevermind the nattering nabobs of negativism—who today are citing unscientific predictions that everyone's going to stay in their backyards this summer and play with their Slip n' Slides. C'mon. Americans love their vacations, and they'll find creative ways to take them despite the rise in gas prices. All that will change this summer compared to some years ago is where Americans will go (namely, to destinations that are cheaper to reach) and how they will travel (more affordably, natch). Here's some fresh data to prove that summer travel will remain strong this year. It comes from booking engine Kayak. The most searched for US destination for summer 2012 travel is Las Vegas, while Los Angeles had the largest increase in search share year over year. Searches on Las Vegas are up 20 percent, compared with last year, while searches on L.A. are up up 22 percent. Travelers are turning their eyes south as well, with Caribbean resorts seeing a lot of interest despite the expected summer heat. The country receiving the most interest is the Dominican Republic. Kayak's seen a 15 percent spike in searches to the country's main hotspots of Punta Canta, Puerto Plata, and Santo Domingo. Further south, the Central American countries of Belize and Costa Rica continue to receive interest from American fliers. Searches for summer travel to Placencia, Belize are up 83 percent, while major Costa Rican resort towns are seeing spikes of interest of between 20 and 30 percent, says Kayak. Americans are looking west, too, with jumps in searches on Kahului, Hawaii (up 19 percent) and China—with Shanghai up 28 percent in search volume and Beijing up 16 percent. The gains are at the expense of interest in Europe's major cities, which all saw severe declines in interest. The company's data is from travelers' searches in January for trips this summer that include a Saturday overnight stay, with "summer" being defined as between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Back in the States, there are a lot of deals to be had. Hotspot Las Vegas has plenty of offers, such as a package for airfare-plus-three-nights-at-the-Mirage-right-on-the-Strip, from $402. (Totally affordable!) There's also plenty of interest in San Francisco (up 14 percent), with lots of hotel offers available. Is it just me, or do some cable news TV people need to take a vacation? SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Top Budget Travel Destinations for 2012 10 Most-Visited Caribbean Islands 25 Most Photographed Places on Earth

It doesn't get much more beautiful than blossom season, and while cherry trees tend to get all the love this time of year, there are plenty of other arboreal displays to admire. The problem—for those of us who aren't particularly savvy about these things—is figuring out exactly what kind of tree you're appreciating at any given time. Turns out, an app we featured last fall in our roundup of leaf–peeping–season gear is just as useful for shedding a light on spring's spellbinding displays as it is for illuminating fall's most colorful foliage. The Leafsnap app, which works with iPhones and iPads (and is absolutely free), is a continually–updated electronic field guide that puts 2,500 high–res photos of native American trees' leaves, bark, fruit, and flowers in the palm of your hand. Flip through the images in the database for fun, or snap a photo with your device and upload it to the app to find the match. And if you just feel like doing some armchair blossom–spotting, check out the Field Guide to Flowering Trees of the World Flickr group; it's got more than 11,000 photos of some 1,300 different species of tree, all labeled with their scientific names. And don't forget to click through Budget Travel Readers' Best Cherry Blossom Photos while you're at it! Do you have a favorite blossoming tree (other than the cherry)? Tell us in the comments! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Travel Deals For Cherry Blossom Festivals D.C.'s Cherry Blossoms Without the Crowds The 14 Most Beautiful Home and Garden Tours in America

The Easter holiday is only about two weeks away on Sunday, April 8. More than 100 communities are making final preparations for their Easter egg events, which include parades, egg decorating, egg rolling, and egg hunts. The most famous of these events is the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on April 9. The annual ticket lottery for that event closed earlier this month. The tradition started in 1878 with 19th President Rutherford B. Hayes, who invited children to play Easter games on the White House lawn after mean Congressmen banned the youngsters from the Capitol grounds. Here are some other events nationwide. Some events are non-denominational, while others are led by local churches. Merrillville, Indiana. At the Living Hope Church in Northwest Indiana, about an hour's drive from Chicago, about 100,000 plastic eggs will be hidden throughout the grounds, with a hunt beginning at 10 am for children 11 and under. Midday, there will be a helicopter candy drop. April 7, Lake County Fairgrounds, morning, lhcweb.org Coconut Creek, Fla. On the morning of April 7, this town near Orlando runs hosts its second-annual hunt for 60,000-plus eggs at a local high school for kids up to fifth-gade. " target="_blank">eggstravaganza.org Minneapolis/St. Paul The suburban town of North Maple Grove hosts the Twin Cities' largest annual Easter Egg Hunt, with 30,000 colorful candy-filled plastic eggs being hunted on the grounds of Maple Grove Senior High School. April 8; kids up to sixth grade. Free, but reserve tickets online. Fremont, Ohio The Hayes Presidential Center holds several egg-rolling and egg-decorating contests, with every child receiving a balloon, a pass to the Hayes Home, and treats. Admission is three hard-boiled colored eggs. afternoon of April 7, kids up to age 10, rbhayes.org/hayes Copper Mountain Ski Resort, Colo.. On April 8, kids up to age 11 can search for 50,000 eggs in the Colorado's largest Easter egg hunt. Big kids can hunt for six "copper eggs" using Facebook check-ins as clues and with substantial prizes. midday, kids 7-11, Copper Mountain Ski Resort Felton, Calif. Children hop on a steam train, hearing the story of Peter Rabbit, and then reach a patch in Bear Mountain where they search for chocolate candy eggs. midday, roaringcamp.com, $24, adults, $17 kids, 2-12. Appleton, Wisc. Pathways Church, on the morning of April 7 will host a hunt with 30,000 Easter eggs and 3,000 pounds of candy. pathwayschurch.us LIST OF 100-PLUS EGG HUNTS. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Our Best Ideas for Traveling with Kids Is Legoland Florida Worth the Cost? Flying With Kids: A Survival Guide

At one time or another, we've probably all felt daunted by the high cost of visiting a certain place we really, really want to go—London, Venice, New York, and Australia come to mind right away. But I'm curious how many BT readers have ever chosen a vacation destination purely on the basis of its exceptional cheapness. The latest Hotel Price Index report came out last week on Hotels.com, and while rates worldwide are up 4% on average, there are still a slew of places where your hotel dollar goes far. Domestically, the ten flat–out cheapest cities for hotel rates in 2011 (which, in many cases, correspond with general cost–of–visit rates) were: Columbia, S.C. (average room rate $65); Macon, Ga. ($72); Albany, Ga. ($75); Dothan, Ala. ($76); Lima, Ohio ($78); Bakersfield, Calif. ($78); Ottumwa–Kirksville, Mo. ($79); Glendive, Mont. ($79); Montgomery/Selma, Ala. ($79); and Parkersburg, W. Va. ($80). And if you're looking for luxury at a low cost, here are the top international destinations for affordable five–star rooms, based on prices paid throughout 2011: Warsaw, Poland (average five–star room rate $130); Marrakech, Morocco ($168); Cairo, Egypt ($189); Budapest, Hungary ($191); Pisa, Italy ($193); Lisbon, Portugal ($195); Brussels, Belgium ($196); Berlin, Germany ($198); and Beijing, China ($203). Does knowing that you can stay in Columbia, S.C. for $65 a night make you more likely to consider a visit to the South Carolina capital, with its historic homes, riverside zoo, and university–city energy (not to mention all that old–fashioned comfort food)? Or are you more tempted by the idea of living like a king in one of Warsaw's finest hotels for the cost of, say, a run–down pension in Paris? How much do accommodations costs affect your vacation decisions? Tell us in the comments! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Top Budget Travel Destinations for 2012 8 Cool New Tools for Finding the Perfect Hotel World's 16 Most Picturesque Villages