Stevens Pass Avalanche: This Air Bag Backpack Saved a Life

We get to share our travel picks with you all year long. Now it’s your turn. Over the next several weeks, we’ll be asking for a few of your favorite things, both large (airline, cruise port, national park) and small (which hotel has the best toiletries?). Then we’ll compile your suggestions and let you vote for your top pick in May. Come back often—we’ll be posting a new question almost every day. Today’s question: What is your favorite rental car company? And tell us why! Previous questions: What is your favorite historical spot in America? What's the top destination on your bucket list? Which airport features the best food? —Marc Peyser MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL World's 16 Most Picturesque Villages Secrets to the 10 Most Popular Cruise Ports 21 Girl Trips You Absolutely Love—and Deals to Match

Lately, pickpocketing has been a hot topic. In a recent National Geographic TV special “Pickpocket King," expert Bob Arno slipped into a criminal ring in Naples, Italy. To earn respect, he stole a watch off of one pickpocket. Once respected, Arno learnt the latest techniques of modern-day Artful Dodgers. (See the video, below). Pickpockets are everywhere. Today in London, a court hears testimony in the case of a family of pickpockets working the city’s subways. This past weekend, New York City caught two thieves who snatched iPhones from passengers on the subway. Last month, in suburban Deer Park, Mich., the customer of a Panera Bread restaurant had her purse fleeced, according to police. To avoid getting robbed, many travelers have been swapping tips on the social networking site Reddit in the past few weeks. There’s even a reader Q&A; with someone who claims, persuasively, that he is an amateur pickpocket. We did the reading and watching of all these pickpocketing tips to skim the best advice. Check out this rundown of some of the strategies travelers use to avoid getting pickpocketed. • Don’t hang your purse or backpack on a chair in a restaurant. Secure the bag, and keep it within view. • Keep your wallet in the front pocket of your pants. Better than back pocket or the inside pocket of any jacket. • Some women wear pushup bras without the padding to insert a few extra items with cloth tape. (Your mileage may vary.) • Don’t have all your key belongings in one place. Use clothing that has hidden pockets for stashing emergency belongings, such as passports and spare cash. Examples include " target="_blank">Scottevest Travel Boxers, which includes an iPhone-sized pocket ($20) • Ideally wear a money belt, around your waist and under your clothes. Nylon models resist sweat and water better than than cloth kinds. The most praised model is Rick Steves’ Silk Money Belt, from $10 on Amazon. Doug Dyment points out that some people may prefer a belt that hangs down inside your pant leg for greater comfort, though such a model can be less safe. • Be careful of crowds watching a street performer. While distracted, you make an easier target. • Beware of any strangers approaching you who start touching you for any reason. A classic trick is for someone to spray you with mustard while you’re not paying attention and then come along and offer to help you clean it off. While they’re cleaning it off and babbling to you in a foreign language, someone is working your pockets. This is the pickpocketing video: Fun fact: The term "sidekick" originally was a name for a pickpocket's partner. The sidekick's job was to filch items from the "kick", or the front side pocket of a pair of pants. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL RIGHT NOW Is There an Easy Way to Get Through Security With a Little One? (17 comments) Video: How Safe Is Your Hotel Room Safe? (50 Facebook likes) Luggage Theft: A Couple May Have Stolen Nearly 1,000 Bags from an Airport (9 comments)

As we get ready to enter into Europe's high travel season, it's time to start facing the potential sticker shock of how much it is going to cost to hop the pod this summer. It's no secret that fuel prices and economies on both sides of the Atlantic have been volatile of late, and consequently airfares are in flux too. As you start to plan your summer vacation, do you have a mental cap? Some say that once the price of the airfare exceeds the total cost of the rest of trip, travelers will forgo the destination. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('1e9b7316-9852-4d1d-b224-a09828f724d6'); Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)A quick search for flights to Europe for this summer yields a wide range of prices. A round-trip flight on AirFrance from New York to Paris in June runs about $1,700, based on a quick search on the airline's website. A Kayak search, however, for the same dates brought up one flight for $800, on XL Airways France, and flights on Icelandair and Aer Lingus in the $950 to $1,050 range. A round-trip Delta flight from Atlanta to Rome in August starts at about $1,600. Lufthansa flights from Los Angeles to Frankfurt in July range from about $1,600 to $1,850. And of course these are all economy fares. A search for flights on Kayak from Dallas to Amsterdam brought up rates that started at $1,553 on Delta. What about you? How much are you willing to pay for a flight to Europe this summer and what is your strategy for trying to get the best fare possible? More from Budget Travel: The Secret to Flying Around Europe on a Dime Euro Dips Under $1.30, Making Europe Affordable Fares to Europe May Spike in 2012 Due to International Showdown