Travel Ideas

What makes a destination the world's next "it" place to visit? Is it trendy new hotels, increased air access, exciting events -- or economy? Come jet away with us to our picks for 2011's hottest spots.

There are lots of ways to travel on the cheap: staying at a backpacker hostel, taking a gamble on a one-star motel. But what if you are looking for something really cheap? Say, free?

Just as travelers are getting upset about the rising prices and fees, airlines are taking issue with record fines being levied by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA has a dead serious stance against airline safety improprieties and since 2004 has imposed nearly $30 million in civil penalties against more than 25 carriers. And on Thursday, regulators levied a fine of $24.2 million against American Airlines. That figure, the largest fine in FAA history, nearly trebles previous sanctions.

As America the Beautiful so lyrically states, our country extends "from sea to shining sea," and some of the greatest escapes in the U.S. are to the islands that line our eastern and western coast (and don't forget the Great Lakes). The islands all have their own personalities and there is something for everyone -- breathtaking hikes through national parks, inns housed in quaint Queen Anne manses, plus maritime history to spare.

We're beginning to sound like a broken record. It was just in May that we last examined the extra fees increasingly imposed by airlines, and they are at it again. New fees, part of a practice dubbed "unbundling," include peak travel surcharges, fees for standby, early boarding, and seat assignment, many sneakily hidden in the overall fare. The Department of Transportation estimated that now airlines present passengers with more than 100 additional fee options. So what do you need to know before you book?