Auto rental lot of the future: 'anywhere you can park five cars'

As a rain-bloated Mississippi River threatens to spill into more towns along its banks, water levels on Europe's Rhine River have dropped to 18-month lows, potentially impacting river cruise itineraries there. Tourism destinations along the Mississippi this week are assuring visitors that their sites and attractions are not underwater. "Graceland is safe. And we would charge hell with a water pistol to keep it that way and I'd be willing to lead the charge," said Bob Nations Jr., director of the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency. Elvis Presleys's home, the Graceland mansion, is in Memphis, Tenn., where the Mississippi River crested on Tuesday. But the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau said that only one downtown attraction has been affected by the high water, Mud Island River Park and Museum, which is temporarily closed due to the lack of road access. Further downriver, "New Orleans is not subject to the type of river and tributary flooding seen along other parts of the Mississippi River due to the extensive water diversion systems that guide high river waters away from New Orleans," the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau assured visitors. When there is "flooding from a river like the Mississippi, probably the best place in the country to be is Baton Rouge and New Orleans," said Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the New Orleans CVB. Meanwhile, in Europe, the Rhine River could use some of the Mississippi's overflow. Water levels on the Rhine have dropped to their lowest levels in 18 months and are threatening to fall further, according to a Bloomberg news report. Consequently, river cruise companies are having to come up with contingency plans in case the waters don't rise soon. Avalon Waterways, which is christening its new Avalon Panorama ship this weekend, had to send guests and media invited to the christening ceremony and inaugural "Romantic Rhine" cruise from Frankfurt to Amsterdam a "Plan A," and a multi-pronged "Plan B," dependent on daily monitoring of water levels. Other river cruise operators are also monitoring the situation, but haven't altered itineraries yet. "Starting today, there is rain in the Alpine region, which feeds the Rhine," said Rudi Schreiner, president and co-owner of Ama Waterways. "The forecast for the next seven days looks very wet and hopefully the situation will improve." If and when river cruise ships can't navigate portions of a river where the water level creates a problem, river cruise operators get creative to make sure that passengers can continue on their planned itinerary. "A few years back, we had a high water situation on the Danube and two of our ships were stopped at the Deggendorf Bridge in Bavaria. So, we performed a 'ship swap.' We simply moved guests and their belongings from one ship to the other, turned the ships around and both continued on their journeys as per normal," recalled Guy Young, president of Uniworld River Cruises. "Fortunately, the rivers of Europe are highly controlled through a series of locks and dam," explained Young. "Fluctuations in river water levels that impact the operation of passenger ships are therefore quite rare." More from Budget Travel: 25 Reasons We Love New Orleans 8 Places Every American Should See River Cruises: Into the Heart of Europe

Summer is our favorite time to get outside, soak up the sun and take in some tunes at the same time. Fortunately, it's also high time for music festivals across North America. To help you get a jump start on your rock 'n' roll planning, we've identified the best performances across the U.S. and Canada with an eye toward those events where tickets are still available. The season's hottest concerts sell out fast, so if something catches your eye you'll want to book tickets sooner rather than later. The Location: San Francisco. The Festival: Outside Lands. The Background: Staged in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, this three-day festival plays host to rock's and hip hop's biggest stars The Dates: August 12-14. The Acts: Muse, Phish, Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, DeadMau5, the Shins, MGMT, Erykah Badu, The Roots, and more. The Price: Most of the general admission tickets have already been sold out, but the regular 3-day ticket from $199.50 still has (limited) availability. The Location: Chicago. The Festival: Lollapalooza. The Background: Staged in Chicago's Grant Park, Lollapalooza has been a summer festival staple for the last 20 years. With more than 115 acres to showcase the 130+ diverse artists and bands, it's sure to pack in the fans. The Dates: Aug. 5-7. The Acts: Eminem, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Muse, My Morning Jacket, DeadMau5, A Perfect Circle, Cee Lo Green, and more. The Price: The early bird special is already sold out, but the regular 3-day pass is available and starts from $215. The Location: The Black Rock Desert, Nev. The Festival: Burning Man. The Background: Burning Man hosts 48,000 people in the middle of the Nevada Desert for a week to be "part of an experimental community" where art, music, and self-expression take center stage. It is up to each participant to decide how they will contribute to this year's theme, Rites of Passage. The Dates: August 29-September 5. The Acts: You! The Price: Tickets start from $210. The Location: East Hampton, N.Y. The Festival: MTK: Music to Know Music Festival. The Background: The inaugural Music to Know Music Festival will be staged at the East Hampton Airport over two days in August. Vampire Weekend and Bright Eyes are set to headline, and will be joined by 16 other bands. The Dates: Aug. 13-14. The Acts: Vampire Weekend, Bright Eyes, Matt & Kim, Cold War Kids, Chromeo, Tame Impala, M. Ward, and more. The Price: Tickets start from $195. The Location: Canterbury Park, Minn. The Festival: Soundset. The Background: This "festival of hip hop" has been around since 2008, and offers over nine hours of music from 40 artists on two stages. The Dates: May 29. The Acts: Atmosphere, Big Boi, De La Soul, Slaughterhouse, Brother Ali, and more. The Price: Tickets start from $38. The Location: Bethlehem, Pa. The Festival: Musikfest. The Background: For ten days in August, this city nestled in the Lehigh Valley will play host to famous rock 'n roll, pop, and country artists, with venues both in the historic district, and the south side SteelSacks. The Dates: Aug. 5-14. The Acts: Stone Temple Pilots, Maroon 5, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Miller Band, Alison Kraus & Union Station, Steely Dan, Train, Gavin DeGraw, and more. The Price: Tickets start from $34. The Location: State College, Pa. The Festival: The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. The Background: Known simply as Arts Fest, State College brings about 125,000 people to its downtown to celebrate art, music, and culture of central Pennsylvania. Now in its 51st year, Arts Fest has rock and roll, bluegrass, jazz, and more, as well as great family options, including "Children's Day" on the 13th. The Dates: July 13-17. The Acts: Billy Bauer Band, Straight Drive, The Ultra Kings, and more. The Price: It's free! The Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Festival: Osheaga. The Background: Since 2006, Osheaga has brought together musical artists from diverse backgrounds, both local and internationally renowned. Staged on Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène, Osheaga has played host to more than 70,000 music fans. The Dates: July 29-31. The Acts: Eminem, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, The Flaming Lips, Death Cab For Cutie, Cypress Hill, KiD CuDi, Lupe Fiasco, Janelle Monáe, and more. The Price: The three day festival, general admission tickets start from $225 ($217CAD). The single-day, general admission tickets start from $78 ($75CAD). The Location: Manchester, Tenn. The Festival: Bonnaroo. The Background: Bonnaroo is a four-day camping festival on a 700-acre farm where people are all about the music, man. Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, the acts are primarily rock and roll, but hip-hop, jazz, and electronica also play in the 100-acre entertainment village. The Dates: June 9-12. The Acts: Eminem, Arcade Fire, Widespread Panic, The Black Keys, Buffalo Springfield, My Morning Jacket, Lil Wayne, and more. The Price: Tickets start from $155. The Location: Austin. The Festival: Austin Wine & Music Festival. The Background: The two day festival combines wine-lovers, beer-lover, and music-lovers in Northwest Austin's The Domain where fans can enjoy the home-grown talent. The Dates: May 28-29. The Acts: Deadman, Dirty River Boys, Kimberly Kelly, Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights, and more. The Price: Tickets start from $35 for a one-day pass. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Vote now for World's Best Cruiser! Would you pay for American's new pay-per-view movies? Cheaper fares for sneaky risk takers

The world's only museum to tell the story of heartbreak is in the Croatia capital of Zagreb. It has the vivid name of The Museum of Broken Relationships. It showcases tokens of affection from the donors' lost loves and former marriages, such as teddy bears. It's a gallery for broken hearts. But you can be as easily smitten with a favorite destination as with another person. You can also fall out of love with a destination, too. One of the fun things about relationships is that ridiculously giddy feeling you have when things are great. Let's say you're in love with Disneyland. You can't stop talking about Disneyland to your family and friends. Your ears perk up anytime you hear a bit of news about the place, and you can't help chiming in about what you know as an insider—having been there yourself. It's natural for excitement to wane a bit over time, though. You can't be head over heels about a favorite city, beach, mountain, or tourist attraction your whole life. Your feelings will ebb and flow. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('bdb61f03-aef4-4641-bbe3-4963adfb0cee');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)Which leads to this question: When is it time to break-up with a destination, to stop going back, to call it quits? Here are top signs your favorite destination is no longer working for you: 1) When talking about vacation ideas with friends and family, you catch yourself mentioning some other destination far more often than your old favorite. 2) You have trouble planning a repeat visit to your favorite destination. You used to be so enthused to do research and to hear about what's new. But now, before your return trip, you just want to get on the plane and hope that when you arrive some special, old time magic kicks in and makes you feel reconnected. 3) When you arrive, you find yourself complaining more than oohing and ahhing. You feel the place has done you wrong by closing down favorite spots. Or by being overrun by "tourists" or by graffiti or by the opening up multinational chain stores you could find back home. Experiencing two or three of these signs? Trouble is brewing. Consider talking to a travel agent for some independent advice. Maybe there's a new Prague, a new Vegas, a new Kauai out there you haven't yet explored. Maybe at some point, your heart may want to cry out: "Atlantic City, I loved you as a child, I loved you as young adult, but now we're through. We're done. It's over." In the meantime, Croatia needs to invent a special exhibition at its Museum of Broken Relationships—one that showcases the souvenirs, photos, and mementoes of favorite destinations loved and lost. Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever broken up with a favorite destination? Have you been able to stay on good terms with an ex-favorite destination? Sound off in the comments. We welcome you to also vote in our poll to say whether you've ever been in love with a destination, meaning, repeatedly visited it. Thanks. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL American Airlines is testing movie streaming to passenger laptops American Express is selling packages to unknown destinations Britain's royal newlyweds are coming to California in July