This is a terrific, (mostly) sensible, hallelujah can I get a witness post with advice for women traveling solo. Road Junky, as usual, tells it like it is. For example, on bringing a journal: So tell your journal all about the delicious club sandwich you had for lunch and spare your friends the boring stories.

“What do you do about the boys’ education?” I get asked that question all the time. Granted, given the fact that John and I are long-time teachers most people assume we know what the boys need to learn and know how to teach it. But the reality is we mostly allow Mother Nature to be their teacher.--Family on BikesYou can't help but wonder about education when those lucky - and resourceful - families - pack up the kids and hit the road.

It's only a few weeks away. But it's not too late to make plans that ease the annual journey to stuff ourselves on turkey and pie and then, boomerang back where we came from, wondering why we ate so much. There's plenty of great advice on easing your travels. In case you think it's too late to get a ticket...

When I first started hefting a carry on into the overhead compartment, it seemed like everyone looked like me. Traveling was for Jewish kids sent off to work on the kibbutz or pale colored language students favored by their teachers enough to get the foreign exchange program recommendation. The browner travelers I saw were primarily visitors to family members divided by circumstances. I did meet travelers from all over the planet, but if they had any color to them, it's because they'd spent the last month on a Greek island or hanging out in the Sinai. Wandering was, it seemed, for the white.

or, stuff they have in Tampa that we have not so much of here in Seattle. Hey, it was only three days. Here's some stuff I noticed. 1. Palm trees: Wow, they're every where. In fact, the greenery there is the stuff that's limited to house plants in our part of the country. Whoa, is that a spider plant? What's with all the hanging moss?! Bougainvillea and hibiscus everywhere! Wow! Florida Backyard has a list of nice local sites - including a botanical garden and some chow recommendations.

Beth is the author of Wanderlust and Lipstick: For Women Traveling to India. She also blogs about travel on her site. ...India is Beth's second book for women travelers. I talked with her about traveling in India - what's hard, what's not, and what is it about India that's so unforgettable? Let's cut to the chase. What do you think it is about India that gets under your skin so? I've heard travelers say there's no place that leaves you changed the way India does. What are your thoughts on that?

I've rarely been drawn to take the bus as an option - as much as I like road trips, I prefer to be on my own schedule, especially - let's face it - for those bathroom breaks. There's something film noir about Grayhound in the US - though I understand that in some places on the planet, the bus can be the deluxe option for getting from point A to point B. In other places, it's how chickens, their owners, big bags of rice, the belongings of a family of eight, and that family get from point A to point B.

Airlines -- especially international carriers (including US carriers that also fly overseas) -- have long cozied up to their "best" customers, with front-cabin comfort, service and amenities. Now, reports Brett Snyder on BNET, a business site, these carriers are "already seeing premium cabin weakness internationally as the economy softens, and now the financial crisis is only going to make things worse. All those rich bankers in New York spend a lot of money sitting up front . . .

I spent the weekend gathering my belongings for my upcoming big adventure in NYC. I did laundry, wrote invoices, made a to do and to pack list, the usuual stuff I do when I'm trying to get my head around a trip. I experienced more than a brief moment of annoyance upon discovering that my travel sized tube of toothpaste is nearly empty and I wondered: Is the war on toothpaste over yet?

When I drove into the gas station in Vancouver,B.C. this weekend, the sign said Full Service. I looked for the self -serv line but couldn't find it. When I didn't see an attendant coming my way I got out of the car, put my credit card in the scanner--just like at home .However, before I could  start pumping, the attendant grabbed the pump out of my hand. Was I supposed to tip him? He didn't wash my windows, check under the hood, he just pumped. I would have preferred doing it myself.

Torn up about traveling to China? You're not alone. Human rights, oppressive politics, environmental disasters, con. Incredible food (thanks Kalyn!), a culture so rich it's mind boggling, a nation in a staggering state of change? Pro! Every time I read about travels in China, every time I crack a National Geographic that's got a China feature I think two things. First, WOW, do I need to go to China. Do I ever. And secondly, WOW, China looks difficult and exhausting...I can hardly wait.

First things first, the editorializing. Pay the extra bucks and get a real passport, already, okay? Now, from the State Department: