Fly vs. drive: a new website can help you decide

Airbus this week unveiled its version of what the cabin of the future might look like, complete with a renewal and relaxation area, virtual gaming options and seats that can adjust to passengers' body shape. The concept cabin, part of the aircraft manufacturer's vision of aviation in 2050, would be able to "identify and respond to passenger needs and enables bespoke features such as morphing seats which change to your body shape," Airbus explained. To create the concept cabin, Airbus suggests using a bionic bird bone structure that would facilitate an intelligent cabin wall membrane that could control air temperature and become transparent to give passengers open panoramic views (as seen in the photo above). Additionally, the cabin would be separated into "personalized zones," which would replace the traditional cabin classes. For instance, a "vitalizing zone" would offer a wellbeing and relaxation experience with vitamin- and antioxidant-enriched air, mood lighting, aromatherapy and acupressure treatments. An "interactive zone," would feature projections of everything from virtual gaming to virtual shopping experiences. The idea, according to Airbus, is that by offering different levels of experience within each zone, airlines would be able to charge varying prices for varying flight experiences. "Our research shows that passengers of 2050 will expect a seamless travel experience while also caring for the environment," said Charles Champion, Airbus' executive vice president of engineering. In addition to the enhanced experiential features, the concept cabin would have self-cleaning materials made from sustainable plant fibers in order to reduce waste and maintenance. It would also harvest passenger body heat to power cabin features. Last year, Airbus showcased its futuristic concept plane, which included technologies to reduce fuel burn, emissions, waste and noise. What is your take on this futuristic cabin concept? Will it work? Why or why not? More from Budget Travel: Would you fly more frequently if airplane seats were more comfortable? How far should the DOT go to protect travelers? Flight Innovations You'll Love

Everyone has heard of sites like Travelocity and TripAdvisor. But what are some of the lesser-known sites that are also helpful tools for finding a great hotel room at a reasonable rate? Here are Budget Travel's picks for five sites worth checking out. When you want to upgrade to a hotel's best room Some rooms are nicer than others because of their size, views, or location within a hotel's structure. To get the most room for your money, check out which rooms are best by using new site Room77, which has photos and floorplans for rooms at hundreds of hotels. Call on the day of your arrival to see if you might be upgraded. The prime time for receiving upgrades is between 4 and 7 p.m. on the evening of your arrival, say experts. If you care about getting perks instead of a bargain-basement room rate DealBase is a price-comparison tool for hotel packages. Punch in your destination and travel dates, and DealBase will fetch a list of Web-only deals, many of which you won't find through your favorite online travel agency. For instance, DealBase recently found a deal from Kauai Beach Resort in Lihue, Hawaii, which included a family-sized room, buffet breakfast, valet parking, free in-room Internet access, and all taxes for $145 a night. That deal compares favorably with room-only rates on more heavily-advertised travel sites. When location matters most It doesn't matter how cheap a hotel is if it's too far from your favorite beach, your wedding chapel, or other key attraction. If you have to be near a particular location, consider searching for hotel deals via Bedmap, a search engine that shows nightly rates and TripAdvisor reviews and allows you to filter results by common requests, such as "free breakfast." If you're visiting one of 17 major U.S. cities or a few European capitals, the site can tell you how long it will take you to go from your hotel to your favorite destination by using Mapnificient. If you want your hotel to be near interesting nightlife, try Hipmunk's hotel search, which gives you the option of taking a map of hotel locations and overlaying it with a map of points of interest related to restaurants, stores, and dance clubs. Plnnr will also help you see how close major attractions are from your hotel. When you're the kind of person who is especially proud at finding the most impressive bargain basement hotel online You shouldn't forget eBay, which lists travel auctions and buy-it-now deals for hundreds of hotels in the U.S. and overseas. As always, take common sense precautions while shopping. For instance, you should only buy from sellers with good feedback ratings from dozens of other eBay users, and you should never send money by wire transfer to a seller on eBay. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL ">Hotels: When a best online price guarantee isn't best 8 ways to save on hotel rooms Ireland has the cheapest hotels in Western Europe

The current E. coli outbreak in Germany is a sobering reminder of how important it is for travelers to arm themselves with reliable (and relevant) health information before they head out the door. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is one of the best and most comprehensive resources we have for travel health information. The World Health Organization also provides in-depth reports on global health issues. The CDC currently reports 15 deaths associated with the E. coli outbreak in northern Germany, and 642 patients that have been diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure associated with E. coli. In the U.S., there is one confirmed and three suspected cases of E. coli in people who recently traveled to Hamburg, Germany, where they were likely exposed, the CDC notes. "At this time, a specific food has not been confirmed as the source of the infections. German public health authorities advise against eating raw sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers, and leafy salads from sources in northern Germany until further notice," the agency stated. The CDC has a page on its website devoted to travel health notices. This is a good starting point for travelers preparing for any trip, no matter how near or far, exotic or not. The government agency also has a country search option where travelers can see the CDC's recommendations for a specific country. Before a trip to the Peruvian Amazon I took a few years back, my doctor actually pulled up the CDC recommendations before deciding which vaccinations to administer. The World Health Organization and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have an International Certificate of Vaccination, a handy yellow card (shown in the photo above) that travelers should keep with them in their travel documents case on which vaccinations are recorded, including the date and type of immunizations to help keep track of them all. Without mine, I would never have the answer to the inevitable question the doctor asks about what shots I've had and when (I got mine from my travel medicine doctor). Many vaccinations need to be administered between four and six weeks before traveling in order to be effective, so this is something to consider in planning for your trip. And not all doctors are travel medicine doctors, so a call to your healthcare provider would be advised to see if he/she is able to administer the vaccinations you need for your trip. If not, there are travel medicine doctors and clinics that specialize in travel medicine. Lastly, the CDC has a "Survival Guide to Safe and Healthy Travel," which covers all the other ways in which travelers can and should prepare for their trip from a medical perspective. More from Budget Travel: Study: No significant health threat from TSA's full-body screening Will Your Health Plan Cover You Overseas? How to fight a cold on the fly

It happened on a trip to the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town. It was a clear day—the first in a foggy, rainy week—and the type of weather that precipitated a trip up the mountain. Photography weather, and I was ready, snapping photos, capturing the fog covered mountainside, immortalizing my morning hike when the most menacing of messages appeared on my digital camera display screen: MEMORY CARD ERROR. And next to those three dreadful words, a large, compassionless symbol that seemed to blot out the sun: 0. Zero photos? 0 the display screen read, in all capital letters and Denda New font. (I googled it, because when something this horrible happens, it's important to know the type of font designed to deliver bad news.) I couldn't take any more photos. The card was frozen, dead. Maybe, I thought grasping at what little optimism I held onto, the card will work in my computer. But hours later in the café of my hotel, my laptop screen lighting my face in a dim glow, my card still read zero. Gone were the photos of my eco-stay in a Nqileni village, my visit to East London, the chicken peacefully nesting in my "hotel" bathroom. But were the photos lost forever? Turns out…no. After some research, a few frantic phone calls, and a Facebook status message eliciting advice from friends, I discovered there are some ways to recover your lost photos. Here are your options: 1. Stop What You're Doing Stop clicking, stop turning your camera on and off, stop everything. Clicking randomly could damage your lost photos further. Simply turn off your camera, and remove the card. You can begin file recovery at your computer by inserting your card into a card reader, or connecting your camera to the computer. Whatever you do, do NOT format your card. Doing so, will permanently delete any photos stored on the card. In the future, avoid turning off your camera or viewing photos while a picture is being written to the disk, and do not eject the memory card while the camera is still on. 2. Download Software There are many free and for-pay programs to help you recover your photos. Most services offer you a preview (or a free trial of the software) of resurrected photos so that you can choose to continue with recovery, or scrap it. Simply download the software, and follow the instructions to begin recovery. Note that for-pay services (typically $29-$49) are more likely to bring about desirable results than the free options. Options: Zero Assumption Recover, Recuva, Flobo Recovery, Pantera Soft, Photo Rescue 3. Take It to a Professional If you're not confident in your computer skills, or worry you could further damage your photos, consider having a professional help. Most photography or camera repair shops offer services to recover your lost digital memory, and save the photos to CDs. Prices vary (for example, I found three different prices in my neighborhood - $39.99, $59.99, and $129 per memory card); however, you only pay if there are photos that can be recovered. This was the option I ultimately chose. Fortunately, for me, I was able to recover all but a few of the photos using digital software at my local photo shop. Now, my only dilemma is what to do with the photos. — Madeline Grimes MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL 25 Most Photographed Places on Earth Take Your Best Shot Digital Photo Editing