Open secret websites for booking hotels

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

We spend a lot of time criticizing the TSA in our own country, but what about airport security outside of the U.S.? if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('fa4a632d-5708-48a7-82d5-2abc3aa802d2');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)We depend on other nations to keep us safe, but sometimes their airport officers can be maddeningly strict—or frighteningly lax. On the one hand, I don't want to criticize TOO much—we depend just as much on airport security abroad as at home to keep us safe. On the other hand, it's worth calling out when things go too far (or not far enough). This question came up in our office recently in response to an event at Heathrow Airport in which a woman was forced to get rid of the breast milk she was carrying before she was allowed through the security checkpoint. According to her blog, the Heathrow Airport specifies that you may carry baby milk if you "carry only what you need for the flight." When I checked the Heathrow Airport website, I found this statement: If you are travelling with an infant, these items can exceed 100ml and do not have to fit into the resealable bag. However, the amount must be sufficient for your trip only and you may be asked to open the containers and taste the contents. Since this woman was not traveling with an infant, whether or not the officers were in the right becomes a little more murky. Still, was it worth it to hassle a mother trying to transport food back to her child? It seems like determining whether or not the contents of the packages were breast milk should have been fairly simple. I've certainly had my share of frustration with airport security. I'll never forget the time I was denied boarding to a flight because I showed up—literally—thirty seconds too late. My traveling companion was just ahead of me and I saw him enter the plane just as I was turned away. I was furious, but no amount of complaining would convince the gatekeeper to change her mind. Then again, I've also been in airports where I was waived through security without so much as a second glance. It was fast and easy, but it didn't make feel particularly safe as I boarded that plane. All of this has me wondering—what's the most outrageous experience you've had with airport security OUTSIDE of the U.S.? SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Should TSA Pat-Downs Be Outlawed? 7 Surprising Items That Trigger Airport Security Confessions of an Airline Agent

Budget Travel has always tried to celebrate the companies that make travelers' lives easier, more enjoyable, and just plain better. Travel isn't exactly easy these days, and when a company dares to pull off a wonderful innovation, it deserves a hand. On May 27th, the Novotel Auckland Airport opened in New Zealand with some qualities we wish airport hotels around the world would emulate. Rates start at $149, which isn't cheap, but sometimes it takes a higher-end brand to have the guts to try new things. Here's are the five perks that most caught our attention: Bathrooms are built to make the whole room feel larger. Every bathroom has a clear partition, but it becomes opaque at the touch of a button. You can read comfortably in bed. Each headboard is contoured in a way for you to rest your back against it while sitting up in bed. In a nice touch, it's printed with images of the toi toi grasses native to New Zealand. Rooms are quiet, but their windows are still large. Even though the hotel is only 160 feet away from the airport, its guests will hear no airplane noise "even from an Airbus A380 taking off," promises the company. But while some hotels achieve soundproofing by either having tiny windows, this Novotel kept its windows large—but double glazed. Check-in is being speeded up. Soon, guests will be able to skip the front desk and go straight to their assigned room using a code sent to their phone to unlock the door. Its design reflects the local style. Rather than use a cookie-cutter look that could be located anywhere, the stylish lobby has "a living wall" of native plants and the restaurant has artwork by the country's Maori people. This Novotel also has all the advantages you would otherwise expect of an airport hotel: Its connected to the terminal, its restaurant is open all day, and its lobby has electronic monitors posting arrival and departures information. Do you have any thoughts on airport hotels to share? Feel free to post a comment. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL 5 airport innovations worth praising Coming soon: Turn your smartphone into a hotel room key 5 ways to keep your cords tidy and organized in your bag