READERS' CHOICE: What's The Most Useful Free Travel App?

There's spring break and then there's spring break. The one-week recess is not always a call to all high school and college students to get in their swimsuits and head to Miami or Vegas to party. So, where are the anti-spring breakers heading? According to recent data analysis conducted by the travel booking site Kayak, the top non-traditional spring break destinations for this year weren’t necessarily what you’d expect. The top searches overall on the site for the first three weeks of March, the window during which the majority of the nation’s schools have off, were the usual suspects — Panama City Beach, Daytona Beach, Miami Beach, and Las Vegas. But the top spring break destinations by hotel searches were Austin, Savannah, San Antonio and Phoenix. And the top spring break destinations by flight searches were Austin, Phoenix, Denver and Seattle. Clearly, the anti-spring breakers are still looking for some warmth, heading south rather than north. But they're opting for more urban destinations rather than sandy beaches. So, has the "Girls Gone Wild" take on spring break just finally gotten tired? Or maybe spring breakers are looking for better values, or (gasp!) more culture. Why do you think students are opting for these non-traditional locales? More from Budget Travel: U.S. Lists Non-Advisory Mexico Cities In Time For Spring Break Summer Trips You Need to Start Planning for Now 5 Ways to Cut Down on Rental Car Gas Prices

The vacation home rental market is booming, but what protections do renters have in the face of potentially inconsistent properties? In a step towards attempting to alleviate that concern, VacationHomeRentals.com has added an optional insurance product for its rentals that is meant to protect against a home that has been foreclosed on or is in bankruptcy, an owner who has double-booked the property, or a property that has been misrepresented in the ad. The insurance starts at $29, and goes up from there. For instance, for a total rental price of $2,000, the insurance costs $65. For a $10,000 rental, it runs $325. The protection is good for up to $10,000 in coverage. But as with any insurance policy, renters should read the fine print. For example, the item that probably catches most potential renters’ eyes is protection against a property that has been misrepresented. Anyone who has ever rented a vacation home has probably had some encounter with this item, but misrepresentation can be broadly interpreted. In the terms and conditions section of what VacationHomeRentals.com calls the "Happy Rental Guarantee," the site breaks down what the clause doesn't include in very precise detail. Additionally, VacationHomeRentals.com claims to prohibit owners from inflating their property reviews by having friends or family weigh in. How the site monitors this activity is not explained, however. But it did say that owners must pass a "rigorous screening process before being allowed to advertise their property on our site," executed by a third party "security enhancement firm." What has been your experience with vacation home rentals? Do you feel the market needs to have more protections like these for renters? Why? More from Budget Travel: The Dark Side of Vacation Rentals A service for finicky vacation home renters READERS' CHOICE: Which Airline Has The Nicest Flight Attendants?

The temperatures are brisk. Your gloves and scarves are still in rotation. That must mean it’s time to start thinking about summer? No, not just wistfully, but seriously. As crazy as it may seem, the annual deadlines for summer hiking and rafting permits are upon us and now is the time to secure your spot for summer fun. The rules for permits vary depending on what where you want to go and what you want to do. To help you plan, here is what you need to know. Start by shopping around and learning about your options. A good place for that is recreation.gov, which is a single point of access for gathering information and making reservations for multiple federal agencies. Once you know what you’re interested in, get your ducks in a row by checking the individual park’s website and familiarizing yourself with their application rules. Then make sure you’re in the right place at the right time to make your reservation. 4 popular permit deadlines to write on your calendar: Here are a few popular permit deadlines that are coming up. Many places offer both pre–reserved lottery permits and last–minute permits, but we recommend trying for a spot in advance. All charge application fees in addition to the permit fees themselves. Half Dome, Yosemite (California): The application process for climbing the iconic granite monolith’s cables gets an update this year when a lottery system replaces the first–come, first–served format that was abused by scalpers last year. Permit window: March 1–31 Submit: Visit recreation.gov. Mount Whitney (California): The highest summit in the Lower 48 at 14,505 feet elevation, Mount Whitney has good reason to be popular, and this is the first year that applications are online rather than snail mail. Deadline: March 15 Submit: Visit recreation.gov. Coyote Buttes North, Paria Canyon/Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness (Arizona/Utah): The photogenic "Wave" is a popular destination for photographers, but permits restrict the number of people in the area to 20 per day to accommodate the limited number of people who can comfortably fit there at one time. Deadline: 4 months in advance of desired dates. The most difficult months are April, May, September, October, when chances of winning lottery are 10%. Submit: Visit BLM.gov. Four Rivers—Salmon River (Wild), Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Selway River, Snake River (Idaho): Even though the original lottery deadline ended on January 31, any reservations unconfirmed by March 15 will become available again on March 16. Deadline: March 16 Submit: Visit or 877/444-6777" target="_blank">recreation.gov. Camping Camping reservations can be extremely competitive in the most popular parks during the summer. In Yosemite, reservations open up four months in advance on the 15th of the month on recreation.gov, and are usually filled within minutes on the first day they become available! Yellowstone Park, however, is one park that doesn’t offer campground reservations on recreation.gov—it runs its own reservation system through Xanterra Parks & Resorts. Apply online or call 866/439-7375. It can feel like a lot of work to plan this far ahead for summer, but before you get frustrated by the application process, keep in mind that permits are just a part of what keep the beautiful scenery beautiful. Anthony Bobo, Acting Deputy Division Chief, National Recreation and Visitor Services of the Bureau of Land Management, explains it this way: "Permits are used to protect natural resources and to insure high quality recreational experiences for public land visitors. They are a necessary tool for managing use in popular places." Once the dates are set, the months leading up to your trip are invaluable for other reasons, such as training, budgeting, and catching the off–season equipment sales—not to mention the daydreaming that gets you through the rest of the winter. Do you have any summer travel planning tips? Share them below! —Alison Brick MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL National Parks (Minus the Crowds) 7 National Parks You've Never Heard Of Quiz: Think You Know the National Parks?