AirBnB Offers Free Pro Photography of Your Home

Facebook is a fun way to connect with friends and family, but it can sometimes be tough on relationships—especially when it comes to sharing vacation stories. Sometimes one person in a couple shares online a lot of details about upcoming vacations or vacations you've just come back from, while the other doesn't, thinking it's T.M.I. (Too Much Information). For some, it's about safety. It may be deeply unnerving when your sweetheart posts on Facebook about upcoming vacations. A spouse might say, "I don't think it should be public knowledge about when we're out of town." Or, more sarcastically, "Why don't you post a giant sign advertising to robbers the best time to break in to our place?" There's a serious point here. Say your house is, in fact, robbed while you're on vacation. True, there aren't any known cases of an insurer invalidating someone's homeowners' policy because the policyholder broadcasted his or her vacation whereabouts via social networks. But that day is coming. UPDATE November 10, 2011: That day has arrived: Burglar targets traveling Facebook friends --MNSBC U.K. insurance website Confused.com is warning people they could eventually face hikes in their home insurance premiums if they use social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to reveal vacation information and then they're burglarized. For others travelers, the worry is about hurting the feelings of family and friends with the news of your vacation. Consider the story of BT reader Noah Cole: My wife and I recently spent 3 weeks in South Africa during my sabbatical. Facebook and Twitter were great for keeping people up to date while traveling — it is amazing to be on safari in Africa, take a photo of a lion with my iPhoto and upload to Facebook via a 3G connection for instant viewing by people around the world. Many people thanked me for the photos and liked to live vicariously through them. Others, however, were clearly a bit jealous and didn't hesitate to let me know that they didn't appreciate having to see me on sabbatical while they were sitting at work. My wife and I also had several disagreements while there and again once we were back while choosing photos to post about the amount of information I was sharing via Facebook. My view was that I should be able to choose which photos and what information to post for my friends, relatives and colleagues. Her view was that since I'm friends with many of her friends and family, I need to respect her wishes for what is shared. Ultimately I agreed not to post a few specific photos, but it is a tricky area. Key points to make here are that you need to understand the latest privacy settings. Have you talked with your traveling partner about what's okay to share and not share online? Are you sure that only your immediate friends and family can see your whereabouts? Let us know what you think about sharing information about your trips via Facebook and Twitter.

This year, as we put together our annual story on the best new boutique hotels in the world—all with rooms for $150 or less a night—we noticed a surprising trend: Many chain hotels have started adopting boutique-type amenities. Here are the four most noteworthy new developments of the year: Fairfield Inn & Suites is going local—make that hyper-local. The 670-strong chain has begun customizing its properties to better reflect its zip codes. The Fairfield in Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown, for instance, reopened in March featuring red-lantern-inspired light fixtures and a 7' x 22' graphic dragon mural in the lobby. Elsewhere, you’ll find a 400-pound glass-jellyfish chandelier in Santa Cruz and even a swanky rooftop bar in New York’s Times Square. The world’s largest hotel chain, the Holiday Inn Brand, has spent $1 billion in the last few years reinventing its 400,000 rooms around the world. Now the brand is concentrating on its lobbies. In June, Holiday Inn introduced the prototype of a 24-hour gathering space they’re calling the Hub, which combines the communal spirit of a B&B; with perks such as a sports bar (complete with big screens and signature cocktails), Wii consoles, and a made-to-order chef station. Can a personal trainer whip an entire hotel chain into shape? Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is banking on it. This year, the company invested $120 million in fitness centers at its 400-plus hotels worldwide. Each will offer signature workout classes from NFL trainer Mark Verstegen. Guests can also get a free “workout in a bag” delivered to their room, with resistance bands, mats, and foam rollers—much better than an order of room-service nachos. You may never have to shell out for a lame pay-per-view flick again at La Quinta Inns & Suites. This September, the chain rolled out its new “plug-and-play” feature in 50,000 rooms, as part of an extensive revamp of the in-room entertainment model. Guests can pack a cord (HDMI, tri-color composite cables, or Apple dongles), plug in their smartphone or other personal device, and view their movies and TV picks on new 32-inch flat-panel TVs. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Best Hotel Rate Guarantee Ever? Quiz: Name That Hotel Chain Readers' Choice: What's the Best All-Inclusive Resort Chain?