A new way to get cash back when fares drop

Hobart Fowlkes, our "Budget Travel Convert," reports regularly from around the world. Today he updates us on a recent trip to Panama where he spent time relaxing on the beach and exploring the historic canal and the pleasures of Old Panama City. I will just assume that you have never traveled to Panama, so let me begin by saying that it has a gorgeous landscape which is, for the most part, quite unspoiled. Out of a population of 3 million, more than 1.5 million live in Panama City (the rest are dispersed in little villages around the country). See photos from my trip to Panama. Now, of course, the first thing you think about when you think about Panama is the canal. If you are like me, you pretty much yawn and feel satisfied to be in the general vicinity of a human accomplishment that changed navigation and our perspective of the modern world. An early morning phone call from my father (who was not aware I was traveling), however, convinced me that I should at least get in a taxi and go look at the canal. He was SO right. Trust me, it's worth 2 hours out of your day to cab it to the Miraflores Lock and watch a gigantic cruise ship pass through. Plus, the vintage 1914 U.S. Military Canal Zone architecture is awesome. Besides the Canal Zone, Panama City at first glance might seem to be the Dubai of Latin America, by which I mean it is really a giant cluster of skyscrapers that I don't think are occupied...yet. The Old City is CHARMING (in all caps). It has the flavor of a Spanish Colonial town, is inhabited by the same locals who have been there for generations, and seems to slowly be cultivating a hip, artsy culture of clubs, bars and restaurants. It is definitely worth a visit. Where I stayed: I spent two days at the Royal Decameron Golf Resort in one of their golf course villa rooms. It is on the Pacific Coast, only a two-hour bus ride from Panama City. How much I paid: I paid $150 per night, and EVERYTHING is included (room, meals, alcohol). Why I recommend it: Royal Decameron is a chain with 11 properties spread throughout Latin America and North Africa. The property I stayed at is enormous with 1,170 rooms, 2 big buffets, 8 specialty restaurants, 11 bars, 11 pools (eight for adults, three that allow children), a disco, a full-service spa, and three boutiques. Even though I don't typically go for big resorts, in a place this enormous you can easily make it your own by finding a quiet spot away from the crowd. No one insists that you get drunk at 10AM and sing karaoke or have salsa lessons by the pool (although that seems to be what most of the guests do). As a result their long pristine beach is mostly empty and can be all yours for as long as you like it. (Tip: The further you get from a bar, the more privacy you have.) Likewise, avoid dining at the all-you-can-eat buffets. If you wake up early, make reservations in one of the many restaurants and you are guaranteed a pleasant experience. If, by some chance, your only option is the buffet, then try to get there when it opens and before the other guests have picked everything over. For a heftier price (not too bad, like $200/night) you can have one of the fancy rooms down by the water (though you will be subjected to disco dancing and karaoke until the club shuts down at 1AM). In my opinion, however, the best option is to stay in one of the cheaper $150 golf course villas, which feel like having your own little house far away from the hubbub. Next up: Tune in again with me next month when I head to Greece, where LOTS of amazing hotel deals can be found nowadays (on account of their ugly little economic crisis) So, I'll be reporting to you from the Adrina Beach Hotel on the Tiny Island of Skopelos where they filmed the movie version of Mamma Mia. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: 10 Beach Products You Never Knew You Needed How to Deal With Lost Luggage (video) 9 Great Memorial Day Getaways

Meet our new blogger Hobart Fowlkes: high-end jetsetter by trade, budget globetrotter by choice. We fell in love with him and his travel tales, and think that you will, too. He'll be updating us regularly from around the world—but first, a personal introduction. I've seen from the inside how the other half travels, and let me tell you, it involves an awful lot of disappointment and complaints. Here's why: When fabulous folks pay zillions of dollars on travel, they expect perfection; anything less incites anger. Who wants to waste time in Milan, Melbourne, Mumbai—or Montana, for that matter—getting worked up over trifles like no robes and the occasional lukewarm shower? In 1993, I landed a life-changing gig with a private investment-management firm [the parent company of Budget Travel LLC, the owners of BudgetTravel.com] I was to be a sort of personal travel planner, coordinating and accompanying busy execs on high-end business trips, as well as all of their meetings and conferences. The firm, deeply enmeshed in a deal to open an Italian company at the time, hired me for my foreign-language skills—and I suddenly found myself jetting off on chartered planes, dining at Michelin-starred restaurants, and staying in five-star hotels around the globe. I became quite well versed in luxury travel. And, yes, it was a treat, to be sure, as long as someone else was paying. It wasn't until my work for the company changed and the travel opportunities slowed a bit, that I reconnected with why I fell in love with travel in the first place. All that fussing with luxury had turned travel into a chore rather than adventure. It had become quite the opposite of what jump-started my wanderlust in the first place. At the green age of 14, I decamped to Europe as a cheapo student with not much more than a copy of Let's Go Europe, cash for a Eurail Pass and a pocketful of contacts—friends of my parents and grandparents who were sprinkled around the continent and who were kind enough to host a restless, couch-surfing teenager. By the end of that first mind-expanding summer abroad, I was sold, and I continued to globetrot during my college years. For a time I planted myself in Rome, where I studied art and worked for Christie's auction house, scouting for bid-worthy items among the attics of recently divorced or widowed locals, and picking up Italian, French and German along the way. I was officially hooked—even when I had to sleep on sofas or floors. Nowadays, I mostly (but not exclusively) travel on my own dime. I look for places that cost around $150/night or less. Like us all, I need to get the best bang for my buck, but I've also noticed that it is only through such a venue and experience that a place will reveal itself by showing me local flavor, introducing me to the awesome characters that make a town tick—and, when I am not paying a zillion dollars for something, I'm a lot less likely to freak out if it is less than perfect. But as Budget Travel readers, you already know all this. It's just when it comes to the specifics—Which hotel in Panama, exactly? And why?—that we could all use a little guidance now and then. To that end, I welcome you to accompany me on my journey. Think of it as a personal-travel-planning service for the down-to-earth set. Follow me! SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: 7 Affordable Farmstays Secret Hotels of Paris 6 Essential Items for a Successful Vacation

The Mekong River meanders between some of the most scenic and notable destinations of Southeast Asia, so it's no wonder that river cruise companies are increasingly realizing the opportunity to view them from one of the best vantage points — the river itself. Suddenly, a flood of new river cruise ships are being built to sail the Mekong, with itineraries that include Siem Reap in northeastern Cambodia, the site of the sprawling Angkor Wat temple complex, Phnom Penh, the bustling capital of Cambodia, and Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, complete with small fishing villages and floating markets along the way. Many also include or offer the option to tack on a visit to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and the picturesque Ha Long Bay on the South China Sea. Avalon Waterways is the latest company to announce that it will have a new ship on the Mekong, the 32-passenger Avalon Angkor, which will launch next spring. The Avalon Angkor will sail a 14-day "Fascinating Vietnam, Cambodia & The Mekong River" itinerary from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok, priced from $3,819 per person, not including international airfare. But until then, there are plenty of new river cruising options already sailing the Mekong this year. Ama Waterways sails the 92-passenger La Marguerite, which launched in September 2009, and has a second ship, the 124-passenger AmaLotus launching in early fall. Ama's 16-day itinerary from Hanoi to Siem Reap starts at $3,398 per person, not including airfare. Later this year, Pandaw River Cruises, a Singapore-based river cruise line with head offices in Scotland, will unveil its fourth Mekong River ship, the 60-passenger River Saigon, which is being chartered by Uniworld River Cruises. Pandaw already sails the Mekong Pandaw, Tonle Pandaw and Indochina Pandaw on the Mekong River through Vietnam and Cambodia. Starting next year, Lindblad Expeditions will also be offering Mekong River cruises on the 48-passenger Jahan, a ship owned by the Vietnamese company Heritage Line. The 14-day itinerary will include stops in Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Rates start at $7,980 per person, based on double occupancy. More from Budget Travel: Better than Ha Long Bay, Vietnam? Cambodia's Comeback River Cruises: Into the Heart of Europe

if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('bf533ab3-800b-4996-a4c8-ec2ddbd5e6e2');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)According to the country's largest airline trade group, Air Transport Association of America (ATA), things are looking up for the travel industry. Despite a tough economic climate, Americans are still flying—and they're going abroad in record numbers. Major U.S. airlines are expected to carry 206.2 million passengers during the peak summer season, a 1.5 percent increase over the summer of 2010. Sure, these numbers aren't quite up to the pre-recession highs of 2007, when an all-time high of 217.6 million people flew during the summer. But in a time when rising fuel costs are making headlines almost every day, even modest annual gains seem to be a healthy indicator that nothing will stop Americans from going on a well-deserved vacation. Here's a quick look at their findings: if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('c33f6ceb-5af1-4bb4-92d7-103e3245d4a5');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)How many of those travelers will fly domestically? The ATA estimates that about 180 million Americans will fly domestically, an increase of 2.7 million over last summer. How many are heading overseas? Perhaps the most surprising finding from this year's study was that international air travel is expected to hit an all-time record high of 26.3 million passengers. The previous record was the summer of 2010, which saw 25.8 million passengers flying abroad. How much will an average ticket cost? Surprisingly, airfares have remained relatively steady over the past decade. The average price of a round-trip domestic ticket in 2000 was $314. This summer, the average ticket is $316. (I dare you to find another product or service that has only rose $2 over the past ten years!) Now it's your turn: Sound off below about your summer travel plans. Will you be flying this summer? If so, where? SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: The Threat of Rising Airfares Finally! Affordable Hotels Have Arrived in New York City Vote Now for the World's Best Cruiser