RSS: A better way to read blogs

Here are some of the smaller—but still interesting—stories that caught our eyes in the past couple of days. U.S. airplanes have been spewing fewer nasty emissions into the atmosphere. Airplanes on domestic routes ran 13 percent cleaner between 2000 and 2006, despite carrying increasing numbers of passengers, according to this report from the Environmental Protection Agency. The pollution from planes—especially carbon dioxide—are said to hurt the Earth's atmosphere and create a greenhouse effect. Apparently, rising prices for jet fuel have prompted airlines to burn less of it, which, in turn, has helped to cut back on pollution. (A related factor was the economic slump—and fall off in air travel—between 2001 and 2003.) Budding aviation expert Evan Sparks has read the report. He says that airlines have done several things to use fuel more efficiently. Perhaps the most vivid example is this one: "Alaska Airlines bought lighter aluminum beverage carts to replace their steel ones." Score one for market-based solutions to this environmental problem. There's a new website with info for students studying abroad, called Students Abroad (studentsabroad.state.gov). It's run by the Department of State and it has a youthful look and feel. It's loaded with helpful info on the documents you'll need and how to handle travel emergencies. Blogger BrilliantTrips points out that you should click on the "To Go" tab in the top right-hand corner of the Students Abroad site. There, you'll find a print-and-go card listing emergency info, plus, handy prep-and-packing lists. It's not too late to book a stay at a national park in the U.S. While more people may be traveling closer to home this summer, the number of people visiting the parks has been on dropping as a trend—down about 5 percent to 273 million visitors last year, from a peak in 1999. What does this mean? Last-minute planners can still find space in lodges. The key is to use online tools. For example, Xanterra.com, an online reservation site for several national parks, recently showed openings on the second and third weekends in July at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. Similarly, weekends in mid-August were recently still available at Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Cabins at Yellowstone National Park. Speaking of parks, California state parks have received a budgetary reprieve. In March, we blogged about how dozens of state-run parks were in danger of being shut down because of financial pressures. Well, the current budget plan now includes enough funding to keep most of them open, according to the LA Times Daily Travel & Deal Blog.

I've just returned from a 10-day trip to Italy, and I cannot sing the praises of Auto Europe enough. I had never used the company to rent a car before, but after checking the rates at all the major U.S.-based agencies (Hertz, Avis, Budget, etc.), I went to Auto Europe’s website to see what I could find. The rate for an automatic car for 10 days was at least $150 dollars cheaper than anywhere else I looked. The company, based in Portland, Me., is a wholesaler which gets discounted rates from the major rental car agencies to offer on its website. Auto Europe claims that its rates are lowest around. In fact, the company says it will beat any rate you find on any car rental agency’s website by 10 percent. But note that you have to pay your rental car cost in full, up-front. On top of that, the company gave me a partial refund when I returned the car two days early—how many rental car agencies or travel booking websites offer to do that? Has anyone out there had similarly good experiences booking through Auto Europe? Or bad experiences?

It seems wrong to gripe on a Friday, but… Yesterday, I had one of those crazy business-travel days with a lot of travel for very little business: I flew from New York City to Albany, rented a car, drove to very pretty Lake George for an hour-long conference appearance, then returned home the same way. Anyway, my gripe involves the car rental. This will be the last time I rent from National unless the company learns to go easy on the air "freshener." I spent the entire time I was in the car trying desperately to breathe (and leaving the windows open didn't help at all). I wouldn't normally whine about this (publicly, anyway), but when I returned the car, the attendant said that I wasn't the only person to complain. Apparently it's a policy to over-perfume the cars. Anyone else have this problem with National? (It's that same smell that trash-bag makers and other household-product companies call "fresh scent" but it's just disgusting—at least to my nose.)

We've all known that Europe is at its most expensive during the summer. But tour operator Trafalgar is now trumpeting the flip side of things: All the savings you receive if you travel to Europe during the rest of the year. And to make winter in Europe ever more appealing, Trafalgar has renamed the period between November and April 2009 its “value season.” Booking tours during this time will net you an average 20 percent discount off the cost of summer tours. As an extra incentive, Trafalgar is adding early-booking savings: Passengers who book and make a deposit on a tour by July 31 will receive a free pre- or post-night, or double your Trafalgar Club Discount and save an extra 10 percent; if you book and pay in full at least seven months out, you'll save an additional five percent off; pay in full at least four months in advance and get 2.5 percent off. Read the details on trafalgar.com. [hat tip to Travel Weekly] MORE ON AFFORDABLE EUROPE Florence discounts.