Ireland has the cheapest hotels in Western Europe

Making calls with your cell phone while traveling abroad can be a hefty investment. Domestic carriers have a wide range of international calling plans and roaming fees that can quickly add up. But there are some alternatives coming onto the market. Canadian company Polar Wireless has come out with a "global key chip," a thin SIM card that can be inserted into most GSM (which account for more than 80 percent of the market) and some CDMA cell phones, which allows users to bypass their carrier's roaming fees. Polar Wireless' average rates are 28 cents per minute, compared to what the company claims are the average international carrier rates of $2.59 per minute. Polar Wireless subscribers with GSM devices will be able to take their phone (with their existing phone number) to 213 countries with 500 partner carrier networks. They will have access to voice, data and texting services. The company says it provides carrier grade connectivity via standard cell phone towers globally. Polar Wireless touted that one of the advantages of the global key chip over mobile services such as Skype or Google Talk is that those require Wi-fi, which is not available everywhere. Another option is getting a global phone. Tour company Big Five Tours & Expeditions has partnered with Wireless Traveler to promote Wireless Traveler's global phones, which can be purchased for between $95 and $180. With the Wireless Traveler plan, the phones work in more than 200 countries and have no monthly fees. Users are charged per call and per text. So, for example, if you're with your phone in France, an outgoing call to the U.S. costs 65 cents per minute and outgoing texts to the U.S. are 38 cents per minute. Incoming calls and texts from the U.S. to your phone in France are free. Rates vary depending on which country you're in and which country you're calling to, so it's worth comparing and doing the math compared to your carrier's calling plan. More from Budget Travel: Using Your Cell Phone in Europe What's the biggest phone bill you've ever been socked with after returning from a trip? What's the best social network for travel?

I'm not going to lie, I didn't hate "Step Up 3," the movie I selected after already watching three other not-great, not-horrible movies ("Conviction," "Never Let Me Go" and "Going the Distance," if you must know) on a recent EgyptAir flight from Cairo to JFK. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('c8013b13-3c98-4123-806b-d55904003b25');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)But, it was also a flick I probably would not have watched under any circumstance other than being trapped in a seat, sleepless, for more than 10 hours, the ultimate captive audience member. In-flight entertainment options are a crucial part of our flying experience, and while mile-high WiFi and the rapidly increasing number of cinematic options on our portable devices is making the airline-provided movie choices less vital, for many passengers what's playing on the little screen in the seat in front of them is still the only available distraction. For the most part, there's a method to the airlines' madness. Their selections are, believe it or not, deliberate. American Airlines, for instance, has a movie polling site, vote.americanairlinesentertainment.com, on which passengers and employees can vote on the available upcoming selections. American then reviews the results and makes its final picks. American selects between 350 to 400 feature films per year for all its domestic and international flights (a feat that dwarfs any Netflix queue). Virgin America and Virgin Atlantic pride themselves on their in-flight entertainment options. Virgin Atlantic "is one of the few airlines to have their own in-house acquisitions team and much time, care and research goes into the monthly in-flight entertainment selection," the airline said in a statement. Each selection cycle begins six to eight weeks ahead of the playdate, according to Virgin Atlantic. "Our selection criteria takes into account each title's theatrical release date, box office success, critical acclaim and any award nominations. We also consider seasonal implications, for example, we program more children's movies during school holidays," the airline explained. Undoubtedly, Virgin has some pretty solid movie options. But had I flown Virgin rather than EgyptAir, I would never have gotten to watch the mesmerizing dance sequences in "Step Up 3," and consequently dreamt up my plan to become a break dancer. Do you look forward to in-flight movies, or dread them? Have you had any pleasant surprises? Let us know by voting in our poll or commenting below. More from Budget Travel: Southwest undercuts competition with $5 in-flight Internet Top 10 Beaches From the Movies: Photos Rating airlines: what factor matters most?

It's no coincidence I road-tripped Route 66 during Spring Break of my senior year in college; my American Lit class had just covered Jack Kerouac's On the Road. There's a reason I hopped on the Trans-Siberian Railway this summer, and its name is War and Peace. (If you have the patience to plow through that behemoth, you deserve a vacation-reward of some kind!) For me, nothing inspires wanderlust more than a well-crafted travel book. Sometimes, that may come in the form of a novel that really captures the essence of a place, like War and Peace. Other times, it may be a non-fiction travel narrative, like the wonderful works of Bill Bryson, a personal favorite. Last month, we recognized the most travel-inspiring movies of the year by doling out our first-ever round of Budget Travel Oscar awards, and I'll be the first to admit that films can do wonders to put destinations on the tourist map. (If the stunning vistas in the Lord of the Rings trilogy didn't at least make you consider a Kiwi tour, well, then, you might be dead.) But I'd argue that the experience of reading a book sells a place even more. (Not a surprising perspective, I suppose, coming from an editor…) To really get acquainted with a destination, it's not enough to just look at pretty landscapes (my apologies to the LOTR cinematographers); you need to absorb the details of its history, get a sense of its layout and landscape, learn about the food its residents eat, the music they dance to, the smells in the air. Books have the home-court advantage here—they have more time and space to describe such details. Here, then, we've decided to spearhead an effort to come up with a definitive list of the 25 greatest travel books of all time. (Consider it a bookworm-friendly compliment to our BT Oscars!) We plan to pick the brains of top travel writers and editors for nominations, but first, we wanted to go to our favorite experts—yes, that's you—our readers! Please tell us your favorite travel book and why it holds your top spot. (I need a few new titles to add to my summer reading list, so I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say!) And keep your eyes out for our article on the 25 greatest travel books of all time. It'll grace the pages of this very website soon! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: BT Bookshelf: 3 specialized summer guides (Finally!) A coffee table-worthy photo book How a Kindle can help you travel