Would you pay about $80 for an upgrade?

Sometimes it feels that wherever you go, you know everything about the place before you arrive. Your guidebooks and copy of Budget Travel have clued you in to the top attractions. TripAdvisor told you what to think of your hotel. Google Earth gave you an advance peek at the streets. Yet this effort to take uncertainty out of travel can also lessen the thrill. Sometimes you would rather take a trip into the blue. So here comes American Express with a solution called Nextpedition. It's aimed at twentysomethings, but the concept might appeal to all ages. First, you take a 15-question online survey about your hobbies and other interests. AmEx uses your responses to the multiple-choice questions to figure out what type of vacation suits you best. At the end, you'll be offered three likely "travel signs", or personality types. Pick the one which you think describes you best. For example, you might be a "Blisstorian," someone who likes sit at cafes and take in the scenery. Or maybe you're a "Detourist," someone who prefers to scope out the lesser known quarters of iconic destinations like Venice. If this sounds like marketing rubbish to you, then we have a lot in common with each other. (Maybe we need a name for ourselves. How about "straight-shooters.") But! There's still a good idea underneath this pile of goo. After you fill out the survey, you talk to a travel agent about your budget and what you liked about your previous vacations. Then you pay. Budget-conscious travelers will be disappointed to hear that the weeklong U.S. trips start at $1,000 per person. Overseas trips start at $2,500 per person. But let's say you're ready to splurge. You hand over your credit card details. Then, a few days before you are set to depart on le voyage mystère, Nextpedition delivers a smartphone that's preloaded with your secret itinerary. You also receive relevant guidebook articles and a packing list. Kinda neat, huh? Does the idea of paying for a mystery trip sound fun to you (whether its from AmEx or some other company)? Please let us know by posting a comment. Thanks. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Lisbon becomes an even more lovely bargain (140 Facebook likes) Should we tip flight attendants? (125 Facebook likes) Should D.C.'s museums start charging fees? (80+ comments)

It was a big week for economic news, which culminated with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke acknowledging our collective impatience with high gas prices, high unemployment and high foreclosure rates (admittedly somewhat therapeutic even if it's unclear whether and when any of it will get better). With the barrage of economic news — some good, some bad, depending on which barometer you're reading and which analyst you're listening to — does any of it affect the decisions you make about where you want to go this summer, how long you want to go for, or how you're going to get there? if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('f3b61558-f81a-429e-b063-b2fe1871c3d0');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)Does the fact that new home sales are stagnating make you worried about your property's equity? Does stock market performance give you the confidence to getaway? What about how much you're paying at the pump? While we've all gotten somewhat accustomed to the economic roller coaster ride that has become the "new normal," higher fuel costs likely have some travelers staying closer to home, and surely certain travelers aren't happy that a weaker dollar will make that cappuccino in Rome take a bigger chunk out of their wallet. Perhaps others are simply throwing their hands up and going wherever they want because we may very well be in this for the long-haul. According to travel industry insiders, the economic indicator that's probably weighing on travelers most is the rising cost of fuel. "Ultimately, the price of oil plays into everything," said John Lovell, president of Vacation.com. "I think that's the one I look at the most. It does have a direct effect on the price of airline tickets, where ships are deployed, tour product." Richard Launder, president of travel conglomerate The Travel Corporation, which owns several travel companies including Insight Vacations, Trafalgar Tours and Contiki, said there are five major economic indicators that he keeps an eye on in terms of their impact on the travel industry and travelers: oil, the value of the U.S. dollar (or lack thereof, which hits travelers heading abroad), the stock market, the unemployment rate (or the "employment rate" as he prefers to call it), and inflation. But Launder too said that travelers will most immediately feel and respond to rising fuel costs more than anything else. "We all have to fill our cars with gas on a weekly basis, and certainly for those of us that fly, for pleasure or business, we all see the impact fuel surcharges have on airfares. That's tangible," said Launder. "It does have some impact on where people are prepared to travel." When planning your summer and fall trips, what are you most concerned about? Have you actually adjusted your travel plans accordingly? Join the discussion by voting in our poll or commenting below. More from Budget Travel: Are you more loyal to hotel rewards or frequent flier programs? Overstock.com starts selling vacation packages Frequent flier: Get more than 100,000 miles fast

JetBlue will soon offer speedier lines at selected airport security checkpoints for a small fee. Within a few months, customers who buy the airline's "Even More Legroom Seats" will be granted access to speedier TSA lines at airports equipped to handle them. The service—which also comes with priority boarding and seats with about 38 inches of legroom—will vary in price from $20 to $50 additional each way. At airports without fast-track lanes, JetBlue may give paying customers a free pass to jump to the front of the ordinary security lines. (I wonder how well that's going to go over with other fliers.) JetBlue's offering takes the priority boarding concept to the coach class masses. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('3819fb01-aff7-42b3-8fee-42095f9f3176');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)For years, American and United/Continental have kept open fast security lines for their first-and business-class passengers. Since 2008, Southwest has offered passengers paying top dollar for Business Select status access to faster security lines at dozens of airports. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Would you pay extra for a fast-track security line? Vote in our poll! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Should D.C.'s museums start charging fees? Taxing controversy: Should hotels or booking engines be paying more in taxes? Rome to tax tourists instead of locals For more info on JetBlue's announcement: [Associated Press] [Jaunted]

How many times have you watched a television program about a captivating destination and suddenly had the urge to go there? It probably happens a fair amount, so it makes sense that the Travel Channel is finally making it that much easier for viewers to do just that by joining forces with Oyster.com, a hotel review and booking site. This week, the Travel Channel, home to shows such as "Man v. Food" and "Ghost Adventures," made a meaningful investment ($7.5 million, according to news reports) in Oyster.com, the company said in a release. The new relationship with Oyster.com "allows us to go beyond the inspiration and entertainment we offer on television," said Laureen Ong, Travel Channel president. So what does this mean for avid watchers of the channel? Well, according to the agreement, the Travel Channel and TravelChannel.com will have access to exclusive Oyster.com content, and the brands will also collaborate on programming and crossover promotions. For instance, TravelChannel.com already teamed up with Oyster.com to post a list of family-friendly spring break accommodations on its site. For now, you won't be able to find hotels in all the destinations featured on the Travel Channel. "We don't cover every city on the planet — not yet, at least," Oyster.com admits on its site. Thus far, Oyster.com covers hotels in several major U.S. cities (Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.) and in beach destinations (Aruba, Bahamas, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Jamaica and the U.S. Virgin Islands). The site was founded in 2008 and is intended to be an objective resource for hotel reviews — based mainly around numerous "honest" photos of properties taken by Oyster.com secret shoppers who go to the hotels unannounced, depicting the good, the bad and the ugly that hotels have to offer. Oyster.com recommends hotels in several different categories across destinations, ranging from boutique hotels in New York to all-inclusives in Aruba, and users can then book the properties listed on the site. "The only way to really know about a place is to actually go there. Everything else is just a guess," said Elie Seidman, co-founder and chief executive officer of Oyster.com. More from Budget Travel: Advice From the Hungriest Man Alive TripAdvisor tries to respond to fake hotel reviews Expedia reveals rewards program details