Forget Apps! What Are Your Favorite Old-School Travel Planning Tips?

Fewer and fewer people are unplugging on vacation—a recent study by the University of Michigan shows that wireless use is 15 percent higher on vacation. Of course, that doesn't mean that all of these folks are logging on to work—most of them are checking the local weather, transportation schedules, and restaurant recommendations in their destinations. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('a5e1644c-5406-4f19-855d-c64b9346c1ef'); Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info) That said, there are plenty of people who do log on to work while they're on vacation, myself included. Now that it's easier than ever to get online from anywhere, it can be harder than ever to unplug from the office—and everyone knows that, your boss included. For me, I actually don't mind logging on while I'm on vacation. I limit myself to 30 minutes once a day to check email and respond to urgent questions. I find that less stressful than returning from vacation to find my inbox about to explode. But not everyone agrees. A good friend of mine simply refuses to check her email when she travels to the extent where she even leaves her computer and her smartphone at home. What about you? Do you make time to work while you're traveling for fun? Vote in our poll! SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Longer Vacations Don't Harm Economy, Studies Say How Do You Pay For Your Vacation? TSA Misstep Causes Teen to Lose Pricey Medical Equipment

It seems that each time I fly, the entertainment options are more satisfying than the last. For me, “satisfying” means programming that’s appealing to—and appropriate for—my two young daughters while also offering a classy movie for my wife and music that, regardless of where I’m flying, can take me from Nashville to Vienna. For as long as I can remember the very phrase "in–flight movie" has been a simultaneous setup and punch line—everybody’s got a story about a movie so bad it maybe never even made it to theaters, or a decent film whose content was butchered in the process of editing it for a general audience. When we asked you last spring what you thought of in–flight movies, you were overwhelmingly underwhelmed—78 percent of you called airline movie offerings a “mixed bag,” while 8 percent of you flat–out hated them. (A genial 14 percent said you “love ’em.”) For that 86 percent of you who felt in–flight entertainment could use a lift, Lufthansa is obliging, at least for sports fans: It’s announced that it now offers live sports television from Sports 24, with a satellite transmission directly to its FlyNet broadband service. The service, available on three new Airbus A330s, is free of charge and will include the 2012 Olympic Games, the Super Bowl, and major tennis, golf, and European football events. Even better, Lufthansa will soon include the Rave system, which essentially puts a tablet–like system with a touchscreen at travelers’ fingertips; content is stored in each seat, allowing users to access programming without being connected to the Internet or a server. Presumably, this could mean a near–endless supply of movie, television, and music choices in the near term. We’d love to hear what you think: Is a first–rate in–flight entertainment system something that could lure you to an airline you’ve never flown before? —Robert Firpo-Cappiello MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL 11 Surprisingly Lovable Airlines 4 Most Common Reasons Airlines Lose Luggage Airlines Suspected of Fibbing About Seat Availability for Families

TripAdvisor recently announced the top 10 zoos in the U.S., as measured by rankings compiled through the site. Top honors go to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, which boasts the largest indoor desert in the world (you'll find cape cobras and meerkats, among other heat–loving critters, inside). Coming in second place is Saint Louis Zoo, which is unveiling a new sea lion exhibit at the end of this month. And in third place: Cape May County Park & Zoo, located in one of BT's Coolest Small Towns. And as for the rest of the list? The Southern U.S. had a decent showing, with four zoos in the top 10, including: Columbia, S.C.'s Riverbanks Zoo and Garden (4th place); Tennessee's Memphis Zoo (5th place); Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Fla. (8th place—and featuring a new zip line course); and New Orleans' Audubon Zoo rounding out the list at number 10. Perhaps the famous zoo in the country, the San Diego Zoo, came in at number six, while spots 7 and 9 went to The Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kans., and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colo., respectively. Though BT's reigning Cutest Zoo Baby, Maggie the Giraffe, won't be found at one of TripAdvisor's top 10 zoos (she's at the Oakland Zoo in Oakland, Calif.), we love any reason to check out a wildlife wonderland. And breaking the bank isn't a requirement: Admission for these zoos runs the gamut, from the pricey ($42/adult for The San Diego Zoo) to the blissfully budget–friendly (both the Saint Louis Zoo and Cape May County Park & Zoo offer free admission). Here's the full list: 1) Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, Nebr. ($13.50/adult; $9/child aged 3–11) 2) Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, Mo. (free; though charges apply for certain exhibits) 3) Cape May County Park & Zoo, Cape May, N.J. (free) 4) Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, Columbia, S.C. ($11.75/adult; $9.25/child aged 3–12) 5) Memphis Zoo, Memphis, Tenn. ($15/adult; $10/child aged 2–11) 6) San Diego Zoo, San Diego, Calif. ($42/adult; $32/child aged 3–11) 7) Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita, Kans. ($13.95/adult; $8.95/child aged 3–11) 8) Brevard Zoo, Melbourne, Fla. ($14.50/adult; $10.50/child aged 2–12) 9) Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs, Colo. ($17.25/adult; $12.25/child aged 3–11) 10) Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, La. ($16/adult; $11/child aged 2–12) What do you think? Are there any zoos missing from TripAdvisor's list? SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL The 35 Cutest Zoo Babies of 2012 13 Best Places in the U.S. for Wildlife Viewing More Adorable Animal Encounters

Just last week I was at cocktail soiree at the French Consulate to kick off their fifth annual free summer films series (for more info visit FrenchCulture.org). During the event, I was shell-shocked to see a waiter carrying around a colorful tray of cupcakes. "That's not very French," my companion remarked. "Cupcakes have caught on in France," our hostess explained. I didn't believe her until I opened the New York Times this weekend and saw this article about Food Trucks in Paris. It seems that the cupcake isn't the only American culinary delight to have taken Paris by storm—so have bagels, burgers, and bloody Marys. My eyes bugged out of my head. The French? Bagels? Never! The article features two food trucks—Le Camion Qui Fume (The Smoking Truck), a burger venue operated by an American expatriate from California, and Cantine California, a taco truck run by a Frenchman with American roots. What once seemed like an unlikely enterprise (no one believed the French would ever eat food from a truck), has turned out to be a roaring success. As someone who has spent a lot of time in France, I have to say that I never expected this day to come. In my experience, the French have always been very focused on being French. I remember moving to France and trying to open a bank account—I imagined that it would fairly easy to find a bank teller who spoke English, especially since in New York City you can walk into any bank and find a teller who speaks your language, whether that's Spanish, Chinese, or Arabic. Not so much in Paris, where bank tellers speak French, French, and more French. If you ask them to speak English they will speak French, albeit very slowly. Long story short, I learned how to speak French. Is that changing? Could be. Paris has long been a multicultural center, even if the focus has been on preserving French culture. As the New York Times article suggests, the Parisian youth may be more open to these various cultural elements than previous generations. Then again, the French have always celebrated food. Maybe it just took an enterprising young food truck owner to introduce them to a new way of thinking about a concept that has always been very French—a satisfying meal. Of course, the real question is whether or not food trucks will catch on outside of Paris and that remains to be seen. What do you think? Are you surprised by the fact that American food has caught on in Paris? Or do you think that this exchange of culinary ideas was bound to happen? SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Southwest is Going International Secret Hotels of Paris 5 To-Die-For Parisian Sweetshops