The year 2010 was a strange one in the world of travel, what with volcanoes closing down airports in Europe, UFOs closing down airports in China, and even honey jars closing down the airport in Bakersfield, California (the head-scratching airport security staff thought they were liquid explosives). But perhaps the stupidest airport shutdown was in Newark, New Jersey, when a Rutgers student slipped under a security rope to give his departing girlfriend one last kiss goodbye. Rappers, congressmen, Hollywood brats, Qatari diplomats and even crocodiles brought mayhem to the skies of the world in 2010. And don't even get us started on what Kim Kardashian did to the guy sitting next to her on one flight.

The exploding world of mobile apps is nothing short of overwhelming, especially when it comes to finding the best travel apps.

It's hard to believe that dramatic Thomas Crown Affair-style art thefts could actually happen in real life, but recent heists in Belgium, Egypt, and France have proven that museums should rethink their security systems. When four men broke into the Norway's National Gallery in 1994 and stole its version of Munch's famous The Scream, the thieves left a snarky note that said, "Thanks for the poor security."

There are lots of devices out there perfect for making travelers' lives easier -- PDAs, wrinkle-free clothing, and...flying alarm clocks? Whether it's a way to stash money in your laptop (because no one would think to steal that) or a cup holder that casually swings hot coffee back and forth over your luggage, there are a lot of questionable inventions geared at travelers. Thankfully, there are some that get it right -- think being able to translate words with the stroke of a pen or sanitize your hotel pillow with the wave of a wand. Here are our pick for the best and worst.

You never know where inspiration is going to strike. For designer Emil Jacob, it was on a 2004 flight to Paris from his homeland of Romania when he gave up trying to get comfortable in his seat and decided to simply lie on the floor. "I tried to sleep on three empty seats, but the armrests wouldn't go up since they were fixed," he says. And that is when the light bulb went off. "When you lie on the floor of an aircraft, you notice a lot of unused space above you," he says. "Even when you're sitting in a plane, there's all this unused empty space above you."