As a child growing up, when my family was coming home after dark, I would always look for the Starlite Drive-In sign. That let me know that I would soon be home in my own bed.

Mom also taught us to play a game on road trips where we would look for different words on signs. Whoever saw the word first was the winner. I forgot what we won but I am sure the game was to keep us entertained and quiet on long drives. Read more...

By Jackie Sheckler Finch

Here comes the American Cruise Lines coach rolling down the road. The road?

Yep, the popular riverboat line has added personalized private coaches for the convenience and safety of passengers. It certainly is easy for American Cruise Lines passengers to identify their special bus when it pulls up. Read more...

I travel because …

As a child, travel meant one of two places – either we were heading to Cincinnati to look at the Christmas lights or we were going to Kentucky to visit my grandparents. Any other destinations outside of our small Ohio hometown were virtually impossible. Read more...

Flying is stressful enough. Unpredictable weather and delays can turn a dream trip into a nightmare quickly, especially if baggage gets misplaced or lost. There’s no worse feeling than sitting in a hotel without much besides what came with you on the plane, waiting for a bag to show up so that you can get a change of clothes or take care of something else essential. Here in the office, we’ve thought quite a bit about this lately – and we’ve come up with a list of some of the essential items that every carry-on bag should have that can be lifesavers when the checked bag doesn’t make it to your destination when you do.

The cruise is booked and you are set to sail for the very first time! Cruises are a really excellent way to see the world in a relaxing, stress-free environment, but its a very different type of travel than a guided tour or something on your own. There are secrets and strategies that make an experience extra special, and we want to share them with you. So without further ado, here are five tips to help you cruise like a pro!

This week, Carnival Cruise Line announced a restructuring of their fare system to take effect at the end of October. After a challenging year, for one of the world’s largest cruise lines, Carnival decided to simplify and streamline the pricing process. It isn’t without precedent.

About a year ago, Carnival Cruise Lines radically changed the way they sell vacations. The fare structure became a bit more structured over the last year, with six different specific fares to offer, each with their own specific rules about changes and refundability. Some allowed price protection, some didn’t. Some allowed cancellations, some didn’t. Frankly, it was all a bit confusing. There are no radical changes in this streamlining, just simplification. What will this mean for passengers? Let’s take a look.

The economy might feel a bit shaky, and the finances may not be strong enough to jet away right this second, but its still a great day to start planning a vacation. We get the question in the office a lot, “when is the best time to plan our next trip?” The answer: “Today!” In most cases, locking down a trip early helps guarantee good rates, good availability and has very little downside. And in the last few months of the year, the time is especially right to plan ahead. With fewer people looking to travel, tour companies and cruise lines are giving some of their best prices of the year, coupled with amazing amenity offers.

You may have heard the news in the last day that the FAA is seriously considering relaxing rules about whether that iPad or Kindle can be used during take-offs and landings. The New York Times, in fact, reports that an FAA review panel has basically said that passengers should be able to use the devices they want, whenever they want – which is good news for people with serious computer addictions.

Despite what many “consumer advocates” tend to say, travel insurance is not a bad deal at all. In fact, at least a few of its former critics are coming around, as evidenced by Caroline Mayer’s recent article in Forbes. And the truth is that taking travel insurance does make sense most of the time, especially for international travel, because its not just about protecting against cancellation penalties, but about making sure that there’s protection from the unforeseen when traveling abroad.

Winter weather is really starting to make a comeback this week and is stranding people across Europe, Asia and the midwest United States. It made us wonder in the office – where are the best places to get stuck? Fortunately, for me – someone’s already made this list so there was no in-person research necessary. MissTravel.com surveyed over 5000 travelers to get their answers, and some of the answers may surprise you.