Lots of Americans these days want something more from a vacation than vegging out on a beach, a mojito close at hand. Some 30% of respondents to a Travel-Ticker.com survey put adventure travel on their 2012 wish list, and spending in the category has been growing 17% a year, even as economic woes slowed leisure travel overall.
Phrases such as "reviews you can trust" and "reviews from real travelers" have misled TripAdvisor users in the United Kingdom, according to a judgment issued Wednesday by the Advertising Standards Authority in Britain.
Whether it's balanced on the rim of a volcano or made of crystallized salt, the right hotel can provide you with a good year's worth of bragging material. These are the kinds of places you have to go at least once, if only to say you have.
CNN's Alison Kosik offers tips to make an adventure out of your next vacation.
Whether you want to leap from a helicopter onto the icy slopes below or cycle through the Italian countryside, adventure travel is filled with niche experiences for any personality. But finding one that suits your budget, fitness level, expectations and safety needs can feel overwhelming.
The Web should make things easier for travelers, but the sheer volume of services out there is often more overwhelming than useful. Unfortunately, you don't always know which outfits pay off until you've already invested your time. The Budget Travel team puts websites -- new and established -- to the test every day.
The room service arrived in a canoe and exotic fish frolicked just beneath the floor when Gary Leff spent his honeymoon in Bora Bora.
When Americans think of "five star" hotels, they conjure up images of on-site spas, white-gloved service, and pillow menus. That's no surprise, given that the dominant rating systems in the U.S. are two of the most trust-worthy on the planet -- Forbes and AAA.
Post-recession penny-pinching has kept many Americans from jetting off in recent years. Still, your family has to go on vacation sometime.
There's no doubt about it: Airfares for this summer are higher than they were a couple of years ago, especially for business trips that don't require a Saturday night stay.
If you're looking to get away this summer, brace yourself: Airfares are likely to be 10% to 15% higher than last year, warns Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com.
The president and CEO of TripAdvisor's number one dirtiest hotel says he's taking the bad publicity very seriously.
When you want the scoop on what other travelers think of a hotel -- good or bad -- it's easy to find out from user ratings on websites like TripAdvisor.com.
While it's true that most travel destinations aren't like haute couture -- "in" one year and "out" the next -- there are some points on the map particularly worth visiting in 2011.
The crowds. The lines. The security and scanning. The sprint to the gate. All of it can overwhelm air travelers -- especially during the holiday rush -- but it doesn't have to be that way.
CNN's Kate Bolduan looks at concerns over the more aggressive airport security measures.
The USDA is trying to develop a pesticide to beat down an alarming resurgence in bed bugs. CNN's Kate Bolduan reports.
A hotel may tout a great location, tasteful decor and soft Egyptian cotton sheets, but for many people looking for a room these days no amenity can shake the dread of what could be lurking just out of sight.
Finally, a Caribbean beach that's everything a Caribbean beach should be -- quaint, with hammocks strung from palm trees, crystal-clear water perfect for snorkeling, white sand, a first-rate beach bar and enough water toys to keep the kids happy (banana boat ride anybody?). Welcome to Rum Point on Grand Cayman's North Side.
Hotels want to know who you are, especially if you're reviewing them anonymously.
Call me a frequent-flier program skeptic.
Traveler outrage grows with each new airline fee, and this week's air travel chatter has fliers wondering how many more ways the airlines can devise to nickel and dime passengers.
With many airlines now charging a fee for checked luggage, the next step had to come sometime: A carrier asking passengers to pay for the privilege of bringing carry-on bags on board.
Fresh on the heels of one budget airline announcing that it will ask passengers to pay extra to bring carry-on bags on board, another is considering charging them for using the lavatory.
Oh, the things hotels will do for a good review.
By the time Debbiie White spotted some uninvited guests of the insect kind in her hotel room, she had already had enough.
CNN's Elizabeth Cohen shows us places where germs could be lurking that people often overlook.
Air travelers bracing themselves for the annual Thanksgiving rush this week may have something else to fret about: passengers who could be bringing a little extra baggage of the viral kind on board.
The Gomez family may be one of the few in the country who won't be too disappointed if it rains over the Fourth of July weekend.
It's germ warfare at some world attractions. CNN.com writer Stephanie Chen looks at the world's germiest destinations.
They scream germs: Used gum. A flock of pigeons. A tomb covered with kisses.
The following five sites have proven the most consistently useful for the editors of Budget Travel, who do thousands of searches a year.
These days, it's not unheard of for hotels to charge $15 for a mini-bar diet Coke, $40 for access to the gym, or $45 for rush laundry service. (Alas, these are actual fees on T+L editors' receipts.) But there's good news ahead: the extra charges are expected to decrease by six percent this year as hotels and resorts compete to attract guests.
Four of the most trusted sites in the business have devised new tricks to help you find the killer deals -- with a little help from your fellow travelers.
There was a time when airline travel was a special treat, the kind of occasion that inspired passengers to dress up.
Identifying the world's finest airports is easy. Hong Kong International Airport, Singapore's Changi and Seoul's Incheon have topped the ranks of airport awards for the last decade.
CNN's Ayesha Durgahee examines what it takes to become Airport of the year in Hong Kong.
I hate to be a nag, especially on vacation.
I wasn't sure my sister would ever forgive me that Thanksgiving.
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