It may not be the bargain European destination of yesteryear, but the Dalmatian coast is still one of Europe's most enticing locations -- and there are plenty of tour options by land or by sea. Link

L.A.'s home to the rich and famous, but that doesn't mean that the penniless can't experience the city of angels at its blessed best. Here are the 10 things to do without spending a dime. Link

Uruguay has over 120 miles of Atlantic coastline boasting white sandy beaches, along with an inland landscape of colonial cities, thermal hot springs, vineyards and a charming capital city. Link

Eager to explore Italy this season? This all-summer-long deal let's you spend seven days touring Sicily by car while staying in country farmhouses by night. Link

With the grounding of thousands of flights, is something basically wrong airplanes? Well, yes, there is something wrong, but it's not the safety of our airline fleet. Link

Armed with a map, compass, hiking boots and a blue Honda, a hiker tackles the highest point in each New England state. Link

With top-tier actors and affordable tickets, the city?s theater scene is rich and intimate. Link

The area south of San Francisco buzzes with cultural spaces, lively restaurants and a hyper-educated workforce that has no problem keeping up. Link

With live music, food offerings and other activities, Maryland?s wineries offer a good time as well as a good sip. Link

East London feels light years away from central London, and is totally self-sufficient, thanks to a host of enticing restaurants, shops, markets and hotels. Link

A portrait of Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni is the centerpiece of a show at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. Link

Several kinds of insurance can come into play and it behooves travelers to seek information on driving rules and road conditions in the countries they plan to visit. Link

Conveniently situated in the heart of the city?s densest cultural quarter, steps from the Prado, the Radisson?s first location in Spain is a bargain, and an ideal business hotel. Link

This store in Sonoma County stocks 10,000 carnivorous plants and offers a self-guided tour for fans. Link

The Incas called gold 'the sun's sweat,' but it's the sweat behind that civilization's handiwork with the cherished metal that's on display in Paris, from Sept. 10 to Feb. 6, at the Pinacotheque de Paris museum. Link

Through research in Ottoman archives and out in the provinces, Istanbul chefs and restaurant owners have salvaged dishes that seemed lost to history and resurrected ancient Ottoman, regional and home cooking. Link

He's already suggested installing coin-operated lavatories and selling standing room on flights, so it may not be surprising that the latest idea from the colorful CEO of Ryanair is once again pushing air travelers' buttons. Link

Reading glasses sit at the community table in the corner of The Hotel Coffee Shop. It's for the men too stubborn to bring their own. Link

'There is a kind of old-time charm and innocence there that you just don't see in many places anymore,' said iReporter Diana Korczynski about Canada's smallest province. See snapshots of lovely Prince Edward Island. Link

A JetBlue flight attendant whose fame took off after his dramatic exit down an emergency chute is is no longer employed by the airline. Link

Recession and Tropical Storm Earl aside, more Americans were expected to hit the roads and airways this Labor Day weekend. Link

Travelers with Labor Day weekend plans along beaches in Hurricane Earl's path should proceed with caution, check road conditions and confirm lodging plans before starting out, safety and tourism officials say. Link

With a dozen humanitarian missions behind her, Ashley Judd has ventured to Africa to challenge the relationship between valuable minerals and unspeakable violence. Link

Bomb squad investigators were at Miami International Airport on Friday after a suspicious item was spotted in a baggage screening area, authorities said. Link

The end of summer is approaching fast and everyone wants to get out and enjoy those last few days in the sun. Link

Tattoos, tulle and eleven-inch heels: Sydney's gay community turn up the heat and take it to the streets. Link

Walk through the treetops with Fleur Bainger as she sways on a series of suspended bridges 40m above ground level. Link

Two miles' worth of clubs, music stores and boutique hotels: saunter down Cape Town's most cosmopolitan street. Link

Meet an elder who paints his tribal songs, find out how to behave on the Islands and track down authentic art. Link

Car horns and the call to prayer - take an aural tour of Cairo and get a taste for the latest short-break hotspot. Link

First sung by a freed black slave, the call to prayer is a vital part of the Islamic tradition. Baxter Jackson visits the Middle East to find out all about it. Link

Got a hunger for fresh lobster, surfing and swimming with seals? Poppy Stockell finds all three on a tiny island off Scotland's west coast. Link

Dive in with Fleur Bainger as she heads to Coral Bay and gets up close and personal with whale sharks and their 300-tooth smiles. Link

You've heard the podcast, now get the facts on Brighton and get to Britain's famous seaside. Link

Is hearing believing? Listen in to the wild tales of Iceland's resident gnomes, dwarves, elves and hidden people. Link

Check out the latest gallery of photos sent in by msnbc.com readers and vote for your favorite. When you're done, upload your own vacation shots. Link

Make the most of Labor Day this year by packing up the car and escaping for the weekend. Link

Vacationers can overlook bad weather over a weekend getaway, but when we've scrimped and saved for that annual big trip, what can we do when weather interrupts our fun? Link

Msnbc.com readers share funny photos from their globe-trotting adventures. Link

Chinese officials have found that 200 pilots falsified their flying histories, with more than half of them working for the parent company of an airline involved in China's worst plane crash in several years, a report said Monday, citing the head of the civil aviation administration. Link

A flight attendant who captured America's attention when he told off a plane full of passengers and then slid down an emergency chute resigned from his job last week and wasn't fired, his lawyer says.  Link

Nine people were killed after a light aircraft used for skydiving crashed in New Zealand's South Island, police said Saturday. Link

A former US Airways Express pilot will spend nine months in prison for selling a powdered drink mix over the Internet that he claimed was '100 percent' effective in helping drug-using truck drivers, pilots and train engineers pass federally mandated drug tests. Link

In southwest Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park, it's easy to wonder what family life must have been like for the ancient Puebloan families who lived in these amazing cliff dwellings. Link

It's happy trails for Buckskin Joe, the replica Old West town that served as a setting for Westerns that include 'True Grit' and 'White Buffalo.' Link

After a day of sun, surf and sand, it's good to sink into an old- fashioned bed steps from Newport's pier.'It's nice to know there are still some quaint and out-of-the-way places even in the O.C. The location offers good access to lots of iconic SoCal sites,' says reader Caitlin Tusher of Placentia, in her nomination letter. Link

Readers weigh in on places that let them down but also share some pleasant surprises.You know those destinations you feel obligated to visit but don't really want to? Travel section readers do. We asked them to tell us about some of the places they were certain weren't right for them, and here's what they said. Sometimes, the destination was a wonderful surprise; other times, not so much. Read more online at latimes.com/placeswehate . Link

A family happens upon adventures small and large in Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium.We're packing the mobi for a madcap trip across Europe to see as much as we can in 18 days. If this trip goes badly, it's our daughter's fault. This is her idea, pitched from her apartment in downtown Antwerp during a call months earlier. Link

Tag along with a Metro-riding native who visits parks, restaurants, galleries and other favorites, all for less than $20 a day.Boasting posh restaurants, luxury boutiques and a flock of millionaires who indulge in them, Moscow is considered one of the most expensive cities on the planet. Just take a walk through the rows of tinted Range Rovers and Bentleys parked behind the Bolshoi Theatre and you'll understand why this is the city that hosts the conspicuously named Millionaire Fair. Link

A casual trip from Corfu, Greece, to Sarande, Albania, is more delightful and history-filled than you might expect.Somewhere on Earth there must be a cheaper, easier, more exotic cruise, packed with even more beautiful sights and filled with more history, providing even tastier food, but for now, I'm happy to settle on this one: Ionian Cruises' daily excursion from Corfu, Greece, to Sarande, Albania. Link

If you go THE BEST WAY TO MOSCOW From LAX, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Delta, British and Swiss offer connecting service (change of planes) to Moscow. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $602. Link

A Thai center plucks dozens of the animals from brutal labor camps and shelters them in a tranquil setting while offering interaction with visitors. You might get close enough to hear them purr.It was, unquestionably, the best $2.55 I've ever spent on vacation. Link

Visiting Barcelona, Málaga and Granada, a mom learns to just let the fun happen for her kids, husband and herself.My husband, Tony; my daughter, Callie, 15; and son Zeke, 12, and I spent 10 days traveling in Spain in July. Callie had been living with a family there for three weeks before we met her in Málaga, on the country's sunny southern coast. From there, we traveled to Ronda and Granada before settling in Barcelona for five days. It was a lot to fit into a 10-day trip, but I had it all mapped out. Day by day. Hour by hour. Link

She dreamed of being a bejeweled samba dancer at the annual party. So how did she end up in a frumpy white suit and tricorn hat?It was near midnight and the rain-drenched streets had already stained my white satin slippers. A Napoleon-style hat, adorned with golden beads and white plumage, was perched precariously atop my head. Stepping delicately in my soggy shoes, I gripped my ruffled lace pant legs to keep them from dragging on the wet cobblestones. Link

SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN A room with a view If you book Royal Caribbean's '7 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise' through eCruises.com by Feb. 28, you'll get upgraded to a balcony room. Aboard Adventures of the Seas, you'll glide over azure waters and disembark onto no fewer than five of the region's most attractive islands. Link

Jim Benning Algerian musician Rachid Taha. I discovered him recently on a flight—he was a featured artist on Delta’s in-flight audio entertainment system. He has covered the Clash’s “Rock the Casbah.” Here’s a taste of something perhaps slightly less familiar: Link

‘Tis the season for lots of vacation talk, and so the Capitol Hill crowd turned its attention to shrinking vacation syndrome this week: First, a British columnist speculated that Americans “find it hard to relax” because of their Puritan heritage. Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein responded: I’d say it’s more closely related to the fact that it’s hard to pass social welfare legislation in the American political system, and thus America is the only industrialized country that doesn’t guarantee its workers some amount of paid-vacation leave. NRO’s Reihan Salam followed up with a mild defense of the American system. (Via The Daily Dish) Link

Album Tacos. Brilliant. Just one example of many: Link

What makes a good travel tweet? Here are eight favorites from the past month. Link

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news Link

On the trauma of luggage gone astray (and how an inconvenience turned into an obsession) Link

Anyone who has ever tried to learn even a few words of Chinese will appreciate the difficulty of the task. It turns out it was a serious challenge even for a woman with a Ph.D. in linguistics and six languages already under her belt. That would be Deborah Fallows, author of the new book, Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love and Language. NPR just profiled her. My favorite passage from the radio piece concerned her attempt to order take-out Taco Bell, of all things: Her tones weren’t very good at that point, though, so Fallows’ request for “takeout”—dabao—was met with a blank stare from the Taco Bell employee. Fallows tried saying dabao with every combination of tones she could think of—rising tones, falling tones—and when that didn’t work, she started pointing at the menu, and then miming the action of walking out the door with a bag of food. After a consultation with several other employees, finally—eureka! Yes, dabao! Yes, of course, they did takeout. I feel Fallows’ pain. Link

What was it? A battle? A shot over the bow? Maybe, looking back, it was just a misfire. But it got L.A. Mexican foodies pretty excited for a few days. At a talk in Orange County last week, Pulitzer Prize-winning restaurant critic Jonathan Gold—a hero of ours who has made a career of championing great hole-in-the-wall ethnic restaurants in SoCal—took a shot at PBS TV host and restaurateur Rick Bayless. The chef, whose Frontera Grill in Chicago gets rave reviews, just designed the menu for a new upscale Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, Red O—his first project in the region. Now, L.A. loves its homegrown Mexican food. It’s a source of pride. So the arrival of Bayless earlier this year was bound to raise eyebrows. The Los Angeles Times gave Red O a favorable review. Then Gold took the mic at a gathering of journalists last week. Reported the OC Weekly: Gold said Bayless was a “good” chef who knew his way around Mexican recipes, but he sneered at Bayless’ nerve in coming to Los Angeles and opening a restaurant—Red O—that presumed to introduce Angelinos to “authentic” Mexican cuisine. In particular, Gold zeroed in on Bayless’ inclusion of chilpachole—a glorious seafood soup from Veracruz—as some rarity, when Gold said the soup was easily available in the Southland, along with dozens of other Mexican regional specialties. Word reached Bayless, and he tweeted: @thejgold Thought a Pulitzer meant you checked facts. Sneering at me for something I never said is either mean or sloppy. I’m offended He also posted this comment on the OC Weekly’s article: I know it’s all the rage for journalists to go into unsupported hyperbole, but I never said I was going to introduce Southern California to “authentic” Mexican cuisine. I said I was going to bring the flavors of Frontera Grill to Los Angeles. Ouch. As of today, however, both sides are tweeting that the spat is behind them. Gold’s tweet: @Rick_Bayless and I have kissed and made up, I think. Further thoughts will have to wait for the full review. Bayless’ reply: Yes, i think we have :) RT @thejgold @Rick_Bayless & I have kissed & made up, I think. Further thoughts will have to wait 4 the full review. Taco détente. Whew. Now we can all go back to eating our enchiladas in peace. Link

Fascinating story in the New York Times about how language shapes our thoughts and feelings. Here’s but one interesting nugget: In a different experiment, French and Spanish speakers were asked to assign human voices to various objects in a cartoon. When French speakers saw a picture of a fork (la fourchette), most of them wanted it to speak in a woman’s voice, but Spanish speakers, for whom el tenedor is masculine, preferred a gravelly male voice for it. More recently, psychologists have even shown that “gendered languages” imprint gender traits for objects so strongly in the mind that these associations obstruct speakers’ ability to commit information to memory. For some reason, all this reminds me of Al Shamshoon.   Link

The Canadian Coast Guard removed 110 passengers from a cruise ship stranded in the Arctic Ocean this weekend. The ship was exploring the Northwest Passage when it got hung up on an unmapped rock—presumably, we’ll see more of these incidents as the passage becomes increasingly viable, so Canada, keep your icebreakers sharp. Link

Enjoy some tips for a family Vacation in Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park. Link

You can have fun in Napa Valley without crushing your budget. You just have to know where to look. Here are five things to do that cost $25 or less each. Link

Smith Island is just 3 hours from Washington, give or take a light-yearSmith Island is just 3 hours from Washington, give or take a light-year. Link

Julia Dimon's career as a travel journalist began almost by mistake. As a college student she was stuck on the Italian island Elba with no money, so she turned to panhandling. Link

If you can travel when you want, fall is great. The weather is good in most tourist areas, summer crowds are gone and the snowbirds haven't started their migrations yet. Link

A quick getaway from Seattle is how city slickers often look at this place. Maybe a loop around the island on a bike. Now people come for the bounty of heirloom tomatoes, French beans, and loganberries, fresh and ripe, plucked right off the farm. Link

Errol Segal of L.A. lost the 346,000 miles he had earned on United Airlines because of account inactivity while he was serving time for fraud. If he'd only contacted the airline earlier, he might still have them. When it comes to airline miles, the rule is pretty clear: Use 'em or lose 'em. Link

In Spain's Andalusia region, revelry and religiosity go hand in hand: The same passion and energy dedicated to partying are put into religious processions that clog city streets. Link

NEW YORK (AP) — The new iPhone application mTrip is a travel guide and then some: It uses the latest in smart phone technology to make it easier to stay on track in a foreign locale. Link

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