With the dramatic increase in the value of the US Dollar against the Icelandic Krona, Iceland is now a top bargain destination, giving consumers nearly twice the spending power compared to last year.

In August 2008, USA today picked Iceland as on of 5 top destinations for Fall ‘08 travel. Since then the Dollar has become even stronger against the Krona, increasing in value by at least 25%.

Take advantage of the great exchange rate in Iceland and travel with our Winter Airfare Special:

Choose from:

Economy Class:
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As oil prices fall, both U.S. and foreign airlines are cutting fuel surcharges on most flights to Europe, a move that will save fliers $50 on flights to Paris, Rome and Madrid, and more than $60 on flights to London.
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Getting to Florence will be a bit cheaper as airlines cut…
Tom Parsons, chief executive of the discount travel site Bestfares.com, has been tracking the surcharges since October 2007. He says the fuel fee from San Francisco and other West Coast cities to the majority of European cities has dropped from $330 round trip to $280 round trip, about 18 percent. London fuel surcharges that were at $428 round trip from the West Coast have dropped to $366 round trip, about 17 percent.

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At least 50 domestic and international flights were canceled by the troubled state airline, operating only one flight per destination and leaving hundreds of travelers stranded at Greece’s main international airport in Athens.

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THANASSIS DIMOPOULOS/EUROKINISSI

Employees of the state air-carrier Olympic Airlines joined a large-scale workers’ strike yesterday to protest the government’s plans for its privatization. OA canceled more than 50 flights. Other flights were affected too, as air-traffic controllers joined the action. The city center clogged up as citizens relied on their cars due to a public transport strike.

Traffic ground to a halt in the city center and flights were canceled at Athens International Airport yesterday as tens of thousands of workers joined a strike to protest the government’s privatization plans and the rising cost of living.

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This morning, as part of NBC’s week-long promotion to go green, National Geographic Traveler Editor-in-Chief Keith Bellows appeared with Al Roker on the Today show to discuss the November/December cover feature, “Places Rated: The World’s Best Islands.” Al was interested in hearing more about the integrity of popular tourist destinations Phuket, Molokai, and Key West, but we suggest picking up the issue to get Geotourism Editor Jonathan B. Tourtellot’s complete list to learn how some of the world’s most beautiful places are faring.

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As we mentioned last week: IT loves to escape into a good travel book (andTraveler’s new book columnist, Don George, has promised us a bevy of great titles). This weekend provided a bounty of other great travel reads, from the Washington Post, who reported on a new selection of green guidebooks, and whose Book World went literal this weekend with its roundup of 25 books that span the globe. The New York Times Book Review’s cover story featured The Discovery of France and an inside review of two New York City-centric titles from Times reporters. The Economist’s Furthermore blog has been posting a guidebook roundup with a quickness that impresses, and our friends at Gadling always add to our reading list with their “One for the Road” posts (and thanks for the “Trip Lit” shoutout last week!). But that wasn’t enough for us, so we polled the office to learn what books are on our nightstands, helping to seed great travel dreams:

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IT caught up with urban designer Ron Fleming at a recent APA symposium on green planning. We spoke with him about the subject of his latest book The Art of Placemaking, which discusses the importance of public art in creating meaningful destinations and homes. 

What is the art of placemaking?

Placemaking is a way of thinking about urban design to maximize a people’s connection to the history, land, flora, and fauna of where they are from. It’s a way to anchor people to their locale.

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Lately, it seems everyone has been thinking about what travel will be like in the future. The lovable blokes behind the book (and phenomenon) Freakonomics posed the question about how things would look ten years from now to a series of industry bigwigs on their New York Times blog, and got some interesting responses:

Brookings fellow Clifford Winston proposed charging airlines fees for every flight that is delayed, and suggested a “satellite-based air traffic control system that, among other things, would give pilots the freedom to choose the most efficient routing.”Gary Topping, CEO of Topping Travel, foresaw the end of First Class, a renewed focus on happy airline employees (phew!), and the fabulous suggestion that “baggage will be electronically tagged, never to be lost again.” Josh Marks, founder of MAXjet, spoke of increasing specialization for airlines based on traveler’s spending preferences (evoking a ‘there’s room in the market for both Wal-Mart and Saks’ theory); and warned that GPS and “data communications between aircraft and controllers must replace the antiquated radar-and-radio infrastructure that we have now outgrown.”

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By Karolos Grohmann
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece’s only seaplane operator promises tourists cheaper and faster access to remote islands as well as a nostalgic feel of the pioneering days of air travel.

However, regulatory and safety issues have meant that AirSea Lines has endured a bumpy ride since its launch last year.

The Canadian-led company had to stop flying its two Twin Otter DHC-6 planes, that can carry up to 19 passengers each, to meet new safety standards just two months after acquiring routes serving the popular Aegean island market.

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Summer vacation season is approaching fast, and now is the time to plan your getaway. Every year, you??™ll find the travel industry and tour companies chiming in with their list of perfect destinations ??“ but this list is a little different. It highlights the six travel destinations in the U.S. that you are not visiting ??“ but should be!

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