A computer algorithm that spots fake user reviews? Yup!

Google recently unveiled its new, experimental search tool, the Hotel Finder, and its innovations have us excited. It’s exactly in line with how we’ve been trained to think about finding things on a Google map, with some smart new features to help guide your search. Here’s how it works: You type in your destination, and up comes a map with a flexible square on it. Click and drag the shape’s corners until it covers all the ground you’re planning on for your trip. In Los Angeles, for example, you could concentrate on downtown, the beach, or recalibrate entirely for your weekend out to Palm Springs. One unique feature, called "Highlight popular areas" shines what Google calls a "tourist spotlight" on the most trafficked places in your search field—a clever idea that can help you navigate an unfamiliar city. (Interestingly, while this version of the Hotel Finder only works in the U.S. at the moment, these highlights can be seen all across the globe when you zoom out.) When you commence clicking on the hotels in your custom search grid, the reviews, photos, and contact info appear in a pop up box on top of the map, so you’re not navigating to another window—and if you see something you like, you can simply add it to your shortlist to review later. It’s a fun tool to play with, and we’ve found it to be really up to date, mining current Google user reviews as well. Give it a spin yourselves and tell us how you think it stacks up to other hotel search engines you’ve used! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL 25 Most Photographed Places on Earth 10 Best Affordable Beachfront Hotels 25 Greatest Travel Books of All Time

I love KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines). The flight attendants are always pleasant, the drinks always free, the entertainment options wide-ranging, and the in-flight perks for coach travelers rival those of business class on other airlines (lavender scented hot towels after meals, anyone?) So when I heard about their new KLM CityGuides I was instantly intrigued. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('625d9d23-b2bd-4d7b-a26a-753ac280b266');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)The product, unfortunately, has me (and most of my colleagues here at Budget Travel) pretty baffled. The website is attractive—you're greeted by a futuristic-looking globe with a preview of all of their worldly destinations, and you're invited to "create your own KLM CityGuide." I selected Paris from a lengthy drop-down list and was instantly presented with a message: "So you would like your KLM CityGuide to cover Paris. Is Europe also your favorite continent?" Huh? That's quite an assumption (not that I don't love Europe). I should have known then that things were about to get funky. From there I was taken through a maze of questions—I selected three main interests (nightlife, nature, culture), types of vacations that interest me (city trips, culture trips, beach trips), and I checked popular attractions in Paris that I'd be interested in learning more about. The whole process took about 10-15 minutes. Finally—I thought—my cityguide awaits! Except that it didn't. I was kicked to a screen with a most disappointing message: "You have successfully created your own KLM CityGuide. Enter your personal details below and we will send your KLM CityGuide to your home address at no cost within 4 to 6 weeks." Snail mail? Really? After all the tech-y pop-ups, graphics and questions I certainly didn't see that one coming (nor did I want to wait 4 to 6 weeks for my guide). I reached out to KLM to try and get a clickable version of a City Guide so we could at least try to show you what a finished product looks like, but there wasn't one readily available. I guess we'll find out in 4 to 6 weeks what these guides are all about. Or maybe all of this is just a clever way to collect data on what kinds of vacations their customers are interested in. So now I'm dying of curiosity—has anyone ever used or seen one of these KLM city guides? Or perhaps even more interesting—would you trust a travel guide that was delivered by an airline? Do you even use travel guides? Tell us below! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL The Ultimate Guide to Travel Apps 4 Most Common Reasons Airlines Lose Luggage A Family Field Trip Around the World

Items keep going missing from fliers' luggage. Are many airport and TSA employees thieves? Here are a few headlines, plus some tips on how to lower the chance your bag will be looted. • Political commentator Laura Ingraham told listeners of her national radio show that in July her crucifix may have been stolen out of her bag by TSA agents or employees of either Continental Airlines or Newark Airport. • In late July, surveillance video at JFK Airport revealed that a TSA screener spent six minutes with a gym bag belonging to a Brooklyn high school student, who says his bag was $100 in cash lighter after the screening was completed. • Earlier this month, a federal court arraigned a former TSA worker for having stolen watches and a debit card out of several bags he was in charge of monitoring at LAX airport. He is accused of attempting to re-sell the watches on eBay. Overall, about 14,000 travelers a year report to the TSA that items are missing from their luggage. Thousands more file claims with airports and airlines. Those figues may undercount the true total of suspected thefts, says Ingraham, in an interview with The Daily Caller: She said the process for reporting these kinds of crimes is so cumbersome that many people don't have the time or willpower to get to the bottom of them. For instance, Ingraham said a Continental Airlines customer service employee in Newark told her that she shouldn't be putting jewelry in her bag in the first place. "Blaming the victim is also a really lovely way to deal with the flying public," she said. Here are some precautions to take to reduce your chance of having your baggage pilfered. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('2e93321f-719a-4c53-b7f2-70333a0ff49b');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)• Don't put electronics, cameras, jewellery, or eyeglasses in your checked bags. Airlines do not insure those types of items, which are a prime target for thieves. • When packing, snap a photo of the items that you're putting inside. It'll help support your claim of stolen items later in case you're unlucky and get robbed. • Use a TSA approved lock for your bags. Two companies sell them, Safe Skies and Travel Sentry. • Follow the advice on the TSA's website: "ALWAYS watch your belongings as they advance through the x-ray equipment at the security checkpoints - for secondary screening, INSIST that your belongings be brought to you." Does bag thievery worry you? Vote in our poll. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: 4 Most Common Reasons Airlines Lose Luggage Confessions of a Baggage Handler New Shoelaces Ready for Airport Security

When a traveler dies, their frequent flier miles face an uncertain fate. Most airlines officially won't allow transfers of mile balances from the deceased's account into a spouse's account. But exceptions are made in special circumstances and for especially loyal customers. Case in point: United and Continental, two airlines that have tended to take different positions about what happens to miles after a frequent filer passes away. Continental has been quiet about it, but has allowed the miles of deceased OnePass members to be transferred to another member with a OnePass account at no cost. A copy of the death certificate is needed along with a letter from the executor, according to USA Today and AirfareWatchdog. United, on the other hand, has a different policy. Its rules state that customers don't "own" their miles. Upon a member's death, his or her miles become property of the airline. In reality, though, United will allow a transfer to a heir if the heir shows polite persistence, pays a fee of at least $75, and provides adequate documentation, such as a copy of a page from the will stating the name of the beneficiary. A United spokesperson told me that this policy is one of the areas that the merger partners have not yet aligned between MileagePlus and OnePass programs. A decision on it will be part of the announcement this fall of the new MileagePlus rules and procedures that take effect January 1, 2012. In the meantime, one workaround is for heirs who have access to the deceased's username and passwords to pretend to be the deceased person and redeem miles for an award ticket issued in the survivor's name. In general this is against the rules of the airlines, but, putting ethics aside, it is unlikely the airline will ever know. Is it wrong to pretend to be the deceased person? On the one hand, the deceased certainly would have liked to see the miles he or she earned be put to use rather than vanish. On the other hand, it can be painful to continue to receive marketing materials addressed to the name of your lost loved one. And if the airline catches you, it may lock the account and deny you future access. For me, the most galling things is that frequent flier miles aren't considered a traveler's "property." Since when? That's absurd. A flier earned those miles, and he or she should be able to pass them along any way they want, as far as I'm concerned. The other indignity, I think, is having to pay a fee of $50 or more to transfer the miles. Surely the cost of processing an electronic transfer is not $50 or more. It's an insult to customers, who have done nothing to deserve a fee. What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts by posting a comment. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Hipmunk: Finding "ecstasy" in affordable lodging 10 best affordable beachfront hotels How rental car companies undermine credit card insurance