With that in mind, it seems kind of silly to stay at a hotel for this trip. I don’t want to drop $100+ on a room that I’ll spend, at most, 4 hours in.

So, I’ve decided to skip the luggage, skip the room, and just spend the night at the airport.

If you’re traveling on a tight budget (or if you’re just a tight-wad like me) you can all kinds of info about which airports are safe to nap in at Sleeping in Airports.net.

I just found myself having spent over 2 hours on various travel sites attempting to get the cheapest rate on a trip to San Francisco at the end of the month.

After all that time what happened?

I saved a whopping $8 – and ultimately chose not to do that because it would require booking on two different sites, which is a royal pain.

So what does this teach us?

Basically that the sites are all the same. Sure, there is a dollar or two there that can be saved, but ultimately, I should just go to my favorite site, Orbitz, and book the damn thing.

It’ll save time, and confusion – and the money will virtually be the same either way.

So do yourself a favor – don’t over think it. If you compare two or three sites and its all about the same – don’t bother pulling your hair out over it – just book the darn thing and move on.

As I write this, I’m sitting on an uncomfortable bed, in a hot room, in The Wellington Hotel in New York City. Tomorrow I will be heading back to my home in Texas, having had a great trip to New York in spite of this hotel – not because of it.

For starters, the rooms are very small. That’s not a big problem for me, because I didn’t intend on spending much time in the room anyway, but you should know going into it that you’re basically getting a very small room with a very small bathroom and a very old TV.

Even the elevators are compact in size, but I’m sure a good portion of that can be attributed to the fact that the hotel was built in 1906.

The fact that some people got stuck in the elevator while we were here can probably also be attributed to that fact – but it doesn’t make me any less nervous as I consider taking the stairs every time I have to go down to the lobby.

The beds are uncomfortable. The room is very hot – and I have no control over the thermostat. An “engineer” came by yesterday to “fix” the problem – but nothing has changed.

The wi-fi Internet access here is also pretty terrible, and not something I would recommend to anyone who needs the ‘net while traveling.

The cleaning lady also has a habit of coming into the room without knocking – which is a bit upsetting to say the least.

All in all, we’ve had a great time in New York, but I can’t really say that any of it has had to do with this hotel. The next time we take a trip to his city, we will be staying elsewhere.

The State Department said last week that it expects to issue 12 million passports in this fiscal year, which is down 25% from last year.

Demands is dropping so fast and furious that the State Department has been force to make “painful reductions” to the number of contract employees.

Still, if you’re planning on taking a trip anytime soon that will require a passport, you’d be well advised to get your paperwork in sooner rather than later…while there are still people working there to file it.

Right now we’ve planned to see “Mary Poppins” on Broadway. We’ll be stopping by the Statue of Liberty, and also dining at a restaurant called “Ninja”.

In addition that we’ll be spending some time at the “New York Comic Con” which I’m also quite excited about.

It’s looking like a good trip, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to explore the city a bit. Most of the time I travel I’m stuck at a convention or something like that. While I will be at the New York Comic Con – I won’t be stuck there, and I don’t plan on spending the entire time in that location.

Jordan wins.

This young man is trying to become the youngest person to ever climb “The Seven Summits” seven of the largest mountains in the world. The trend for climbing the summits was started in 1985 by a man named Dick Bass, and since he did it, dozens of thrill seekers and adventurers the world over have given it a shot.

Young Jordan got the climbing bug at age ten, and has climbed Elbrus (Europe), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), and Kosciuszko (Australia) since then.

His next climb is Carstensz Pyramid in Papua New Guinea this summer, and after that he’ll be hitting two more moutains, Everst and Vinson to complete his task by the time he’s 16. Cartensz and Kosciusko are often replaced with one another in the official “Seven Summits” depending on who you ask – so Jordan isn’t taking any chances.

The company is combating the drop in bookings by offering dramatically lower prices than they have before. This is clearly a time to book if you’re planning on doing it this year.

Royal Caribbean has said that the January quarter, which is typically the busiest time of the year for them, has remained on par with last year, but only because they have dramatically reduced their prices.

So if you want to book a cruise this year…now is the time to do it! Call a travel agent, or visit a travel site

Egypt is a place I have always found fascinating, and will one day visit. It’s a beautiful country – as this image clearly shows.

Below you’ll find the uploader’s description of the image.

“Sunset in the White Desert, also known as Sahara el Beyda. The White Desert of Egypt is located 45 km north of Farafra, Egypt. The desert has massive chalk rock formations that have been created as a result of sandstorms in the area.

The sunset turns the colors of the white rocks into yellow, cream and orange tones. ”

You can find up to 50% off multiple hotels in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Mexico. You can find 40% off hotels in Las Vegas, 55% on trips to the Caribbean.

They even have some ski trip offers for as much as 54% off.

If you’re in a position to take a vacation this winter, Orbitz is a great place to find some unbeatable deals.

Click Here for more info.

The economy has hit everyone hard in different ways, but when even the Superbowl is having a hard time selling out – you know there’s a problem.

BizJournals.com has an interesting article up about how some travel agencies are having a hard time getting Super Bowl packages together – and are seeing very little demand for their services thanks to airlines like Southwest and JetBlue offering low-cost fairs to the game.

Many of the folks that are having a hard time selling their packages (and even game tickets) are quick to come up with excuses as to why the situation is what it is…and most are citing the economy. It seems to me that the economy situation has become a lot like gas was last year. If something isn’t successful for you – blame the economy (just as people blamed gas for slows in travel and rising prices on various products).

Still, if you’re looking to make the trek to the Super Bowl – this might be the year to do it…you know, assuming you’re not broke.