How to Avoid 5 Common Scams in Bali

Our hearts go out to all those who lost loved ones on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on July 17. While the events in Ukraine and the ongoing investigations, and diplomatic and political consequences, are beyond the scope of Budget Travel's mission, we have been getting questions from those who wonder, "How could a commercial airliner fly over a dangerous region such as eastern Ukraine?" With that in mind, we share the Federal Aviation Administration's guidelines for the world's most dangerous flyover regions. The FAA's list of "Notices to Airmen" (abbreviated NOTAMs) restrict American-operated commercial carriers from flying in airspace that is deemed hazardous due to conflicts on the ground, weapons testing, or active volcanoes. (The United Nations maintains its own restricted list, which, like the FAA's, did not include eastern Ukraine at the time Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down.) Here, the 14 regions restricted to American-operated commercial carriers: Dnepropetrovsk (eastern Ukraine): Planes are not allowed in this airspace at any altitude. Iraq: Planes are not allowed to fly below 20,000 feet, except for those that take off or land at Erbil International Airport. North Korea: Planes are not allowed in this airspace at any altitude. Northern Ethiopia: Planes are not allowed in this airspace at any altitude. Libya: Planes are not allowed in this airspace at any altitude. Simferopol (on the Crimean peninsula, a region whose status is disputed between Ukraine and Russia): Planes are not allowed to fly in this airspace at any altitude. Afghanistan: Airlines are warned that there is a risk of attack from small arms and portable air-defense systems. Democratic Republic of the Congo: Airlines are warned against flying below 15,000 feet. Iran: Airlines are warned that Iran and the U.S. do not maintain diplomatic relations. Mali: Airlines are warned against flying below 24,000 feet. Kenya: Airlines are warned that there is a risk of attack from portable air-defense systems. Sinai: Airlines are warned against flying below 24,000 feet. Syria: Airlines are warned against flying in this airspace at any altitude. Yemen: Airlines are warned against flying below 24,000 feet.

I love road trips! Long before I became editor of Budget Travel with its popular Road Trips series, I always loved packing up the car and heading... anywhere! From childhood trips to Martha's Vineyard to college weekends down the shore, for me the notion of "vacation" and "great drive" have pretty much been one and the same. When my wife and I lived in San Francisco, we fell hard for the stretch of highway between the City and San Simeon—the incredible road trip that took us through Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Big Sur. These days, we live in New York's Hudson Valley (just outside New York City), and we are planning a trip out west—Billings, MT. I was pleased to discover an exciting new road trips tool right on the Budget Travel website: Destination Anywhere, sponsored by Firestone. Check it out: You can enter the start and end point of your "ultimate road trip" and a search engine with information from FourSquare will provide you with a route and destinations along the way. I'm getting psyched for some fun stops between New York and Billings, including Hershey Park, PA; Cedar Point, OH; and Chippewa Falls, WI; and much more. Using the Destination Anywhere road trip tool also means you can enter to win a 7-day vacation at one of 1,800 resort destinations, a set of 4 Firestone tires, or a $500 Firestone Visa Prepaid Card (you can enter once daily to increase your chances). Your ultimate road trip may not be quite as ambitious as the New York to Montana trip I'm considering, but here at Budget Travel we've always promoted Great American Drives, and over the years our readers have offered some incredible road trips tips. Here, some of our favorites. Happy trails! MUSIC. Create a "road trip mix" of songs—let your friends and/or family pick out favorites that you can listen to along the way. And the mix will become a memorable keepsake of the trip to be remembered long after you've unpacked your bags. TREATS. Traveling with kids? Stop at the dollar store before your trip and load up on cheap amusements you can hand out over the course of your trip. Nothing will stop fussing or the dreaded "When will we be there" like a new plaything! GET SMART. Audiobooks can be pricey. But Cracker Barrel restaurants lets you rent them and return them along your route. Whether it's an inspiring session of Arianna Huffington's new Thrive or a third (or fourth) listening to The Sorcerer's Stone, an audiobook, like a music mix, can become a unique and distinctive part of your journey. GAMES. My own family loves playing the license plate game: Keep a list of every state (and Canadian province!) that you spot along the way. You'll be surprised at how quickly you spot Hawaii (considering it's thousands of miles out to sea), and how some of the lower 48 can be a little rare. We also play 20 Questions and the nonsense variation I invented, Infinite Questions, in which there are no answers, only ridiculously worded queries—intended to crack up everyone in the car—that can go on, well, at least until someone needs to make a rest stop!

This article was written by Jake Redman, founder and host of ModHop. In addition to producing and hosting shows on SiriusXM Radio, he travels, spending his time in airports, lounges, and hotels, and shares his findings on ModHop.com to help others determine whether travel upgrades are truly worth the extra cost. Follow along with Jake's travel adventures on Twitter @ModHop and on Facebook. You what?! That's normally the response in my head when friends tell me what they just did with their frequent flyer miles or hotel points. "I bought a 19-inch Smarkyo TV for the bedroom, and it only cost me 50,000 frequent flyer miles!" Really?! Sure, I might spend a bit more time than most digging for the perfect redemption deal, but for that number of miles, you should be able to lock down a saver-level business class seat on a domestic flight (and even that isn't such a great deal). If I'm starting to sound like the travel version of the cranky know-it-all IT guy at your job, I'm not. Finding real value in your mile and point redemptions involves basic math, and I'm not at all good at it. The little I do understand is that points (airline miles in particular) can be valued between 1 and 2 cents each. Simply put it means that a small, off-brand sub $200 TV isn't likely as valuable a prize as a fancy plane ride to grandma's house. An over-valued merchandise-for-point exchange isn't the only blunder you can make when redeeming. Here are a few other examples of mistakes to avoid when you decide to trade yours in: Gifting milesSharing or "gifting" miles to someone can be the ultimate "ungift" to yourself. The bottom line is that unless the airline is offering a very hearty mileage bonus when you transfer the miles, it's not going to be worth it. Again, there's math involved, so bring a calculator if you decide to explore this option, and carefully consider the cost of the transfer, along with the airline's service charge. A 75-100 percent transfer bonus might be worth looking at, but those are rare and possibly near extinction. ForgettingA few programs have "miles that never expire," but many only give you a certain amount of time to use them before they disappear forever. One way to keep those miles alive is to earn more as cheaply as possible. For example, the Hilton Honors program keeps your points alive for 12 months after your last stay or point redemption. Once that time is up, bye-bye points. Our favorite way to save them from vanishing is to buy anything that costs any amount of money using their "Shop to Earn" portal. Any purchase made before your points' expiration date will keep them alive for another year. Whatever is on that direct-mail piece you just receivedThe dollar-to-credit card point value of what are sometimes referred to as "experiences" is subjective. A little bit of research shows that opportunities to try things like driving a real stock car or going for a hot air balloon ride is valued at about .01 per mile. If either has been your lifelong dream, and you don't know anyone with a stock car or hot air balloon parked in their backyard, then maybe—just maybe—there's personal value to this kind of trade. Otherwise, keep looking for something that gets you even just slightly closer to 2 cents per mile. Not using themI was at a convention of mileage and point nerds not long ago, and a newbie in one of the sessions asked what he should do with his miles. I forget the exact number, but, when asked how many miles he was sitting on he replied with a number so large that the crowd actually booed him. Don't be that guy. Airlines and hotels constantly try to find new ways to balance customer reward with profit, and it doesn't always favor you. Over time, it won't be much of a surprise to see those miles continue to be devalued, so time is increasingly precious. Find a way to use miles for things like seat upgrades on long flights or hotel rooms that cost a lot more than you would normally think of spending. Be patient, keep an eye out for the best value, and get the most from your piggy bank of points.

This article was written by Peggy Goldman, President of Friendly Planet Travel. If you've been paying attention to our latest Friday's Friendly Funny cartoons, then you've picked up on my distaste for airline fees. While some are unavoidable, one of the easiest ways to keep your airline costs down is by packing light to avoid baggage fees. If you're a serial overpacker, here are some of my quick-and-dirty tips to help keep your bags underweight and fee free. Shrink your shoe collection.First and foremost, limit your shoe obsession to two pairs. All you need is one casual pair and one that's slightly dressier. This will lighten your luggage immensely. Next, pack your shoes on the bottom of the bag, but don't leave them empty. You should stuff sneakers with socks, belts, and other small items to save space. Pack early.Don't wait until that last minute to pack your bags, since rushed packing usually leads to overpacking. Packing efficiently is like a science, so take time to really assess what you'll need and what you can leave at home. My favorite rule is to lay out everything you want to bring—then cut it in half. Leave it behind.Leave toiletries at home. Hotels usually provide shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, and anything else you need you can easily pick up in a convenience store at your destination. Also, forget your hair dryer. If you're staying in a decent hotel, they'll have one for you. Insider tip: Toiletries and hair dryers might be hard to come by in places like Cuba and Cambodia, so double check before visiting an "exotic" destination. Pack clothes that match.By choosing a color scheme for your clothes, you'll be able to mix and match everything with ease. For example, try packing black and white clothes with one accent color. This will make picking outfits easy and ensure all shoes, shirts, pants, and jewelry coordinate. Abide by the roll. Rolling clothes is the best way to save space when packing. Use rubber bands or Velcro straps to hold everything tight and keep items from unraveling. I also suggest packing a small bottle of wrinkle release to help smooth out clothing creases that might form during travel, but just be sure the container is small enough to follow the 3.4 ounce airline regulations. For clothes that you can't fold, like suits or dresses, try placing them in a plastic bag from the dry cleaner. The plastic creates a layer of separation and decreases wrinkling. Consolidate outfits.Certain outfits can serve multiple purposes. If you plan to go for a run or hit the beach in a t-shirt and gym shorts, why not sleep in the same outfit the night before? Try sleeping in your underwear to avoid packing nightgowns and pajamas. Also, if the climate requires that you bring heavier clothing like jeans and sweaters, I suggest re-wearing them. Spritz them with travel-size Febreze if needed, although daily showering and deodorant is generally enough to keep garments fresh on a short trip. Layer on the plane.The best way to transport bulky clothing items is by wearing them on the plane. Wear heavier items, such as sneakers, boots, jeans, and sweaters, on the flight to save yourself baggage space. The overhead bin always has room for a jacket or sweater if you get too hot on the flight. Sometimes it seems that the fight against airline fees is a losing battle, but by packing light, you can skirt baggage fees and avoid lugging heavy suitcases. We want to know: do you have any other tips for packing light?