Rental cars: Which ones are the safest

Last fall, Budget Travel's Valerie Rains praised an airline-ticket search site called Hipmunk. It's like Kayak, only it presents streamlined fare results with a wink. This meta search engine sorts tickets by something called an Agony Index. It ranks flights by a mix of price, duration, and number of layovers. For instance, redeye flights score poorly. Having innovated with fare search, the site has since debuted a tool to find a perfect room: hipmunk.com/hotels. It has three key perks: • All the major hotel chains are included in search results. But the site also covers rentals in people's homes and in bed-and-breakfasts via Airbnb. (That's a site we've blogged about before.) • Hotels are color-coded by their rates. See which neighborhoods have the best deals. • The site plots the location of the accommodations on a Google map. But there's a twist: It has a "heat map" for cool restaurants and hangouts. Lots of green dots mean there are lots of fun things to do nearby. • Sort properties by "ecstasy," a mix of rate, amenities, and Yelp rating. Booking is handled by Orbitz or AirBnB MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Which hotel toiletry products do you snag for the road? (14 comments) London hotels: Want that towel? You have to pay $2.40 (14 comments) A bon voyage for less? (20 comments)

It may be the most controversial article Budget Travel has published: Confessions of… a Flight Attendant. This article's most provocative point was about tipping. Our anonymous confessor wrote: Tipping is not encouraged by the airlines, but greatly appreciated by the staff. The key is insisting that we take the money; we're not allowed to accept it on the first attempt. I make doubly sure to attend to the needs of anyone who has tipped me, sometimes throwing in a free round—and the drinks are always strong. The article received many passionate responses. One was from Jennifer S. Callewaert, a flight attendant for more than two decades: I have never and will never accept a tip from a passenger no matter how much he "insists". The "free round", that your flight attendant confessed to, is not hers to give.… I guess it just shows you that one person in uniform does not speak for all of us. Another reader commented: I didn't realize I had to pay or bribe a flight attendant for service. Silly me, here I thought that in-flight service was part of the fare…. Perhaps you can tell me what the correct amount is for a tip. I was reminded of this debate recently. The debate over tipping flight attendants has popped up on the Internet again. The cause this time is a comment by the popular writer Spud Hilton. He recently blogged for the San Francisco Chronicle: I've often wondered why it is we don't tip flight attendants, who, frankly, work a hell of a lot harder than most of the people I currently tip for even remotely adequate service. I take Hilton's point. I've tipped flight attendants myself. But only when they've voluntarily gone above and beyond in helping me. For example, a flight attendant once treated me to free beverages. I was in the last row of the plane, and my seat couldn't recline—for a transatlantic flight. Her gesture wasn't required, but I appreciated it. I returned it with a tip. I passed it quietly, via a handshake. The flight attendant said no, but I insisted. So exceptional circumstances may justify tipping. In general, America's tipping culture seems out of control. Things should be different. If you work hard, you ought to get a predictable financial reward. Your pay shouldn't depend on a whim or someone's mood. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('58c77a20-7c9b-4b9f-8677-f0d6ae2f536b');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)Also: When it comes to flight attendants, "tipping" is often the wrong word. Doesn't "tipping" refer to a reward for good service, given after the fact? Yet on an airplane, you often give money in advance to ensure better service. For example, you might slip them some cash for a chance at an extra drink. In that case, the more apt word is "bribe." Whether you call it tipping or bribing, it's not a truly respectful approach. Do we really want to treat professionals—who are trained to save our lives in an emergency—as feudal serfs? On the other hand, giving cash may be the best way to boost in-flight customer service. Name a country where tipping is rare, like England. Its customer service is poor, isn't it? The U.S. has better restaurant and hotel service because its people work for tips. What do you think? Should we tip flight attendants? Sound off now! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Confessions Of... A Flight Attendant A Flight Attendant Sounds Off About "Rude" Passengers 8 Things an Airline Would Never Tell You

Like most travelers, I tend to take an overwhelming number of photographs of the same thing. Twelve photos of the Paul Revere House in Boston, forty-four sunsets in Thailand, and on a recent trip to India, 312 (yes 312) photos of the Taj Mahal (one can never have enough). Of course on my vacation high, I have grand plans for these photos. Grand indeed—Christmas cards, scrapbooks, cookbooks, a bathroom wall dedicated to framed photographs of bridges… I even draft witty captions to accompany the photographs as I snap away. But then for some reason, after the trip hangover has faded, I tend to do…nothing. Sometimes, I don't even print my photos, and sometimes, I don't even take them off my memory card (I know, shameful). However, after a recent computer crash, I finally decided it was time to manage all of the photos crowding my hard drive. So I did some research and realized there are many, many was to document your travels. Here are some ways to immortalize your trip from a reluctant scrapbooker. The Traditional Scrapbook If you prefer the traditional scrapbooking route (aka a handheld book you painstakingly craft together with a glue stick and shears) visit scrapbook.com. There you can purchase supplies, read tips on how to get started, and connect with fellow scrapbookers for ideas and support (they are really helpful!). Remember to collect memorabilia—ticket stubs, train tickets, brochures, and postcards—as you travel to add to your scrapbook. Keep a journal on the road to help you remember your thoughts and observations about the trip. Include your best photos (the ones where you look particularly dapper) and remember to edit (14 pictures of the same things is 13 too many). It's easy to get overwhelmed by the project so start small and focus on creating something you like. The Published (sort of) Scrapbook If you don't trust your trimming skills, or simply don't have the patience for an arts and crafts project, consider creating a book online. Blurb.com lets you make your own book online by adding photographs and text to a predefined template (Budget Travel photo editor Michael Mohr is a fan of this method). You can create softcover or hardcover books and there are a variety of different sizes to choose from. And there's no need to limit your creative genius to a traditional scrapbook either. If you love to cook or took cooking classes on your travels, include your favorite recipes and intersperse them with photos from your trip. Once you've finished your book, print copies or share it online with friends (a 7"x7" softcover book with 20-40 pages costs $12.95). Later you can place the book on a coffee table, and feign modesty at the inevitable compliments it will garner, "Oh that's just something I put together about my recent trip. Yes, yes, it is rather ingenious." The Virtual Scrapbook There are hundreds of opportunities to create scrapbooks or share your photos online. Scrapblog.com, Smilebox.com, and Scrapo.com let you build digital scrapbooks by dragging photos into templates and adding text. You can then share your digital scrapbooks online with friends and family. If you prefer movies, Animoto.com lets you add photos, videos, and music to create slideshows that you can share through social media platforms, or burn to DVD. There are also a number of sites where you can create travel journals as you travel. Everlater.com lets you geographically organize photos, videos, stories and trip details on their easy-to-use online platform. Tag favorite restaurants and hotels as you travel, and add tips for fellow travelers. The site lets you easily connect and share your trip with other social media sites, and you can even turn your online journal into an 11" x 13" hardcover book. MyBudgetTravel allows members to keep online journals of their trips and upload photos and videos to it. Other members can comment on stories and search for trips written by other users. How do you document you trip? Do you create scrapbooks or photo albums of your travels? What's your favorite tool? — Madeline Grimes MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Take Your Best Shot Scrapbooking Tips Digital Photo Editing Tips for Tough Photo Scenarios

Crises and government-issued travel alerts go hand in hand. But what do these alerts mean and how seriously should travelers take them? In the wake of the earthquake, tsunami and ongoing aftershocks in Japan, the U.S. Department of State issued a travel alert advising against non-essential travel to the island country. Last month, the State Department recommended that U.S. citizens evacuate from Egypt due to the political uprising there, and the current travel warning advises U.S. travelers to defer non-essential travel to Egypt. First off, it's worth noting some differences in terminology. According to the State Department's website, a travel alert is issued for short-term events, things such as political demonstrations, or a health issue, like the H1N1 outbreak. The State Department issues travel warnings "when we want you to consider very carefully whether you should go to a country at all." A travel warning might be issued for a country in the midst of a civil war, ongoing violence, or frequent terrorist attacks. "Travel warnings remain in place until the situation changes," the State Department noted. "Some have been in effect for years." Generally speaking, travel companies, tour operators and travel agencies will respect the advise of a travel alert or warning at first. For example, in the case of Egypt, travel companies worked to evacuate their clients out of the country. But now, tour operators are starting up trips to Egypt again, even though the State Department's travel warning is still in place. In an attempt to reactivate tourism business, tour operators will often gather their own intelligence about whether it is safe to return to a destination, provide the clients with that information and let them decide. "Our decision to head back to both Egypt and Tunisia came after extensive meetings with our ground operators, community leaders, and tourism officials," said Alan Lewis, chairman of Grand Circle Corporation, which owns the travel brands Grand Circle Travel and Overseas Adventure Travel. To further complicate matters, U.S. embassies also send out "warden messages," messages that used to actually be delivered by a "warden" to U.S. citizens in a foreign country. Today, these messages often provide additional helpful advice and information attained by U.S. embassies. For instance, with the nuclear threat in Japan, U.S. Ambassador John Roos in Japan has been issuing updates daily. The latest recommendation is that American citizens within 50 miles of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant evacuate or remain indoors. The State Department encourages U.S. citizens traveling abroad to sign up for STEP, its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, which enables travelers to register their contact information and travel details prior to leaving for a trip. The State Department then uses that information to communicate travel alerts, warnings and updates from embassies to U.S. travelers, and also to try to contact them to make sure they are accounted for in the event of a crisis or emergency. More from Budget Travel: Budget Travel reader reaches out from Japan Tsunami watch: Facts for travelers Is Egypt ready for tourists?