The 4,000-passenger Disney Fantasy cruise ship is under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. Budget Travel was invited to see the work in progress. The ship debuts in March, cruising from Port Canaveral (near Orlando).

CLICK HERE FOR A SNEAK PEEK INSIDE THE NEW CRUISE SHIP

The Disney Fantasy is a sister ship to last-year's Disney Dream. And let's face it, it's hard to top a ship (Dream) that received much–deserved fanfare for its first–ever water coaster at sea and such high tech innovations as cabins with Magical Portholes for virtual views and artwork that springs to life with animation.

All that good stuff remains—including the Aqua Duck coaster, a 765-foot long twisting ride above the upper decks. But Fantasy also stands alone as the first Disney Cruise Line ship built specifically for week–long itineraries—Dream as well as the earlier 1,754–passenger Disney Magic and Disney Wonder were designed for three- and four-day cruises, which passengers would combine with a theme park stay.

The tweaks on Fantasy mostly reflect the ship as its own destination—with more for passengers to do on their shipboard vacation.Here's what's new:

FUN FOR KIDS
Kids of course will get star treatment on the ship with activities day and night including at the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab (for kids ages 3–11). There are separate clubs for 'tweens and teens, and the ship also has a nursery. Little is changed in these spaces from Dream—but it was fun touring a construction site with giant "Toy Story" characters already in place.

On the open decks, new features include AquaLab, a wet play area for families with two–dozen water jets, leaking walls with holes kids can try to plug, a leaky boat and spill buckets. Despite the fact most of the features weren't yet in place on our shipyard tour, it was easy to imagine squeals of delight from kids. Cleverly, there's a parental viewing area above for any adults who don't want to get wet.

At the popular Animator's Palette, where the dinner show features animation, including a talking "Crush," we got a preview of a cool new feature that will allow guests to create a cartoon character on their placemats and see it automated as part of the show—your creation will march, dance and wave with Mickey and other animated Disney characters on the restaurant's video screens. This will no doubt awe the kiddies, and many adults too (pre–debut the software has already won a peer award).

DISNEY CHARACTERS
Of course there will be plenty of opportunity for kids to spot Mickey and Minnie et al around the ship including in the fanciful Art Nouveau–inspired atrium lobby—where a bronze statue of Mademoiselle Minnie in vintage attire will provide the must–do photo opp.

Lest you think Disney would miss a marketing opportunity, "The Muppets," including Fozzie and Gonzo, will be shipboard too—as part of an interactive video game that has kids uncovering clues hidden in animated artwork around the ship to solve a mystery.

ADULTS-ONLY
Across the ship, above the adults–only pool (there are also pools for families and kids) is another new wet spot, a small family wading pool that will entertain with mist and bubbles. New shaded areas nearby will hold loungers for those who want ocean breezes without sun.

Above that is a new wet schmoozing spot for adults, a 24–inch deep pool with a waterfall feature and circular bench where you can enjoy a drink from the nearby bar while soaking your legs. It's cleverly located around the ship's real TV satellite.

RESTAURANTS / NIGHTCLUBS
As on the earlier ships, the Disney Fantasy will feature the line's unique rotation dining system, which has passengers dining in three different themed restaurants, their wait staff moving along with them.
A surprise when the Disney Dream debuted last year was how much space was dedicated to adult passengers—the pool area, a fancy spa, two adults–only alternative restaurants (Palo and Remy) and a nightclub area.

The nighttime area is expanded even more on Fantasy, where it's Europe–themed and called Europa. Adults will beable to mingle at night in a posh champagne bar called Oooh La La, an Irish pub/sports bar called O'Gills, a Skyline bar boasting virtual skylines of major European cities and a London subway–themed disco, The Tube. You enter the district via the La Piazza lounge with a carousel bar as the centerpiece (nope, the carousel does not move).

ENTERTAINMENT
Moving to a seven–day cruise focus, Disney is enhancing entertainment offerings on Fantasy to include a new 45–minute Broadway–style musical, "Wishes," about the importance of adults recognizing their inner child, and featuring original music as well as numbers from "Tangled," "Pinocchio," "The Little Mermaid," and other Disney movies and TV shows.

Fantasy will also debut shipboard "Disney's Aladdin—A Musical Spectacular," from Disneyland. The shows are in The Walt Disney Theatre, equipped for all sorts of stage wizardry and creative use of animation. Cruise line officials told us on the shipyard tour you'd be hard–pressed to find a more technologically advanced theatre anywhere.

Another new feature may not appeal to parents on a budget. At the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and The Pirates League (inspired by similar venues at the Disney parks), kids will be able to get a complete Disney princess or pirate makeover including costume, hair, makeup and accessories–paying for each item you say "yes" to. As on the other ships, "Mickey's Pirates IN the Caribbean" is a highlight deck party with fireworks—costumes optional.

ITINERARY/PRICES
The Disney Fantasy will sail from Port Canaveral on week–long cruises alternating eastern (St. Maarten and St. Thomas) and western (Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Mexico) Caribbean itineraries. All the cruises stop at Castaway Cay, Disney's private islands in the Bahamas. Fares are from $959 per person for the first two in a cabin, less for 3rd and 4th passengers.

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Soon, you won't have to ask that question, because airfare ads will have to include all mandatory taxes and fees.

When does a $59 flight cost a lot more than $59? Pretty much always. By now, most travelers understand the annoying particulars of the typical airfare sale, in which prominently listed flight prices are followed by tiny asterisks. In the fine print below, it's inevitably revealed that all sorts of additional (and mandatory) taxes, fees, and surcharges aren't included in the featured prices.

Figuring out exactly how the traveler actually has to pay out of pocket for such the flight requires a visit to a booking engine or the airline's website. In some cases, it turns out that the true cost of the flight is 10 percent, or even 20 percent more than what was advertised.

All of this rigmarole should soon disappear, though. Starting on Jan. 26, 2012, the Department of Transportation states that all "carriers will be required, among other things, to include all government taxes and fees in every advertised fare."

As a result, the prices travelers see in ads are the full prices, in their entirety, that travelers can expect to pay (provided availability). Hopefully, this will mean that fewer travelers feel like they've been subjected to a bait-and-switch, in which the fare that first attracted them to book is replaced by a flight that isn't quite as good a deal.

In the months before the new rules take place, the DOT has gotten more aggressive in dealing with airlines that fail to properly information regarding fees and taxes. In early January, the DOT fined AirTran $60,000 because the airline's website listed routes and prices in one place, but failed to provide details regarding taxes and fees in the same spot. (To get that info, a customer had to scroll way down to the bottom of the page.)

Likewise, in November, Spirit Airlines was fined $50,000 by the DOT for the way it advertised $9 fares on billboards and posters and made consumers jump through multiple hoops before revealing mandatory taxes and fees, along with the requirement that to qualify for such a fare, a round–trip purchase was necessary.

Mind you, it's only the non–optional taxes and fees that must be included in advertised fares. A wide range of optional fees, including those for baggage, seat selection, in–flight entertainment and refreshments, won't be included in the fares you see. For some travelers, these fees will come as a most unpleasant surprise.

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How's this for upsetting? Many airlines have been turning nonstop transatlantic flights into stopovers due to strong headwinds on the way from Europe. The Wall Street Journal had the scoop that Continental Airlines, owned by United, had to divert of 43 of 1,100 flights headed to Newark and Washington's Dulles Airport in December. That's a fairly large number, and about three times the rate of a year earlier.

The trips all involved Boeing 757s, an aircraft that has a shorter range and holds less fuel than a larger Boeing 777.

US Airways and American Airlines had to divert planes to Canada or Iceland, too, though they don't use as many of the aircraft (featuring only 170 to 220 seats) for routes across the Atlantic, reports USA Today.

Flying a smaller aircraft across the ocean increases the chance of unscheduled stops because its fuel tanks aren't as large. If that's a concern for you, be sure to opt for flights on planes that are larger, like Boeing 777s or A380s. You can see jetliner information listed in the details of a flight before you buy a ticket. Picking a larger aircraft is one way to reduce the chance of an unscheduled pit stops in Canada on your way back from Europe or the Middle East. If you need to make a flight connection, that can be an important factor.

Headwinds on flights returning to the US from Europe have been blowing more than average, or about 54 miles per hour, compared with the 28 mph typically, according to Bloomberg.

United may add auxiliary fuel tanks to its smaller panes jetliners, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il last month may have actually helped the reclusive country’s allure as a travel destination according to several travel companies that bring intrepid Western tourists there.

"The spotlight thrown on North Korea during the funeral and transition have made the phone ring here," said Bruce Lazarus, vice president of marketing for New York-based Remote Lands. "People are more curious than ever and we have received a few new bookings for this summer."

Walter Keats, president of Chicago-based Asia Pacifica Travel Ltd., which has been bringing clients to North Korea since 1995, concurred that people are more interested in traveling to North Korea in the aftermath of the the long-time dictator's death.

When Kim Jong Il, who had ruled North Korea since 1994, died on Dec. 18, and power was transferred to his youngest son Kim Jong Un, numerous questions surfaced about whether the transition would pave the way for improved relations between the U.S. and North Korea, as well as between North Korea and South Korea.

Initially, there was a great deal of uncertainty following Kim Jong Il’s death and whether it would lead to instability in the region.

If anything, according to Keats, the transition is likely a positive. "Whenever you have a leadership change, there is a potential for some kind of change," he said. "We’ll see what happens in the future."

Today a new hotel metasearch site debuted, called Room Key. It's run by several major US hotel chains: Choice Hotels (Comfort Inn, Quality Inn), Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental (Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo), Marriott, and Wyndham (Howard Johnson, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8).

As of now, 23,000 hotels are available for booking in the U.S. and some selected international cities. In comparison, Expedia and Kayak each list more than 100,000 hotels. The site says that more rooms will be bookable after next week, when another chain is expected to join. Room Key has a goal of listing 80,000 rooms available by the end of 2012, according to HotelNewsNow.

The site is limited right now, given that it has just launched. But my advice is that you avoid using it indefinitely.

The site isn't useful now for leisure travelers, and it probably will never be. Right now, you can't see independent hotel reviews from former guests, like online travel agencies offer. The company promises it will add independent review, but how broad of a selection will they truly add? Because the hotels themselves own this booking engine it is unlikely they'll ever allow a show off a unvarnished view of their properties. (Most Marriott hotels may be great, but can you trust the company to tell you about its lemons?)

In another blow, the site's design and interface aren't as slick as competitor sites, such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, Kayak, Hipmunk, and Momondo. In other words, you may find it frustrating to use compared to what you've grown accustomed to elsewhere. Case in point: Sties like Expedia allow you to enter your credit card information once rather than have to enter it for every single booking, as Room Key requires.

On the plus side, Room Key aims to provide a way to comparison-shop for hotel rooms from the major brands and then be directed to the hotels' own sites for booking. Direct booking can be helpful for consumers because hotels tend to set aside their best rooms -- and deliver their best customer service to people who reserve directly through them (partly because they don't have to pay commissions to third-parties.) If you don't believe me, you've never booked via Priceline and ended up in a tiny room with no view squeezed between the ice-making machine and the elevator.

Another (potential) advantage of booking direct is that guests may be able to make better use of one's loyalty/rewards membership. Critics hope that the site will allow guests will be able to enter their hotel loyalty membership numbers once and then see discounted rates. But it strikes me as unlikely that the hotel companies will be that innovative.

Bottom line: The companies running Room Key are the hotels themselves, and they are not going to make available their rock-bottom rates on the site. They also won't let you know about independent (mom-and-pop and boutique) hotels that may offer more personality for your money.

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Bummer! Japan Won't Be Giving Away Free Flights After All

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Here's more proof that there's no such thing as a free lunch, let alone free airfare.

A few months back, we reported that Japan's tourism bureau was planning on giving away 10,000 flights to foreigners visiting Japan. The potential giveaway followed on the heels of a miserable summer for tourism in Japan, thanks at least partly to fallout from the country's catastrophic earthquake-tsunami-nuclear meltdown of 2011.

For the peak tourist months of July and August, visitation figures were down about 30 percent in Japan compared to the same time period in 2010. Tourism officials were hoping that an old-fashioned giveaway would generate interest and boost visitor numbers.

Unfortunately, the would-be historic giveaway, which we clarified was "not a done deal," is now off the table, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization, which recently stated:

... it is with regret that the Japanese Government announced the budget for this proposal has been declined, so the flight give away will not be going ahead.

Why the change of plans? Well, for one thing, the giveaway was going to be quite costly. For another, though, there were concerns that it would seem insensitive "for the Japanese Government to give people free flights to Japan when the cities, towns and villages devastated by the tsunami are still in desperate need of funding for reconstruction."

What's more, such a giveaway could offend donors who generously opened their wallets after tragedy struck:

We also would not want people thinking that the generous donations given from around the world to aide those affected by the disaster was being spent on giving people free flights.

In any event, if you were hoping for a free flight to Japan, it's probably best to start compiling a whole lot of frequent flier miles.

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Delta, United, American, and US Airways have added a $6 round-trip surcharge for flights between the U.S. and Europe since January 4, reports the AP. Carriers are passing on the extra cost of complying with a new European Union pollution management scheme.

Officially, airlines haven't explained the purpose of the $6 surcharge. But aviation experts say the fee is meant to compensate the airlines for payments to the European Union. The charge is essentially a new jet fuel tax. Since January 1, airlines in the U.S. and other countries must pay the European Union for certificates for permission to emit carbon dioxide in European airspace.

The rule applies to foreign airlines operating the route, too. So, Lufthansa says it will raise current fuel surcharges soon for transatlantic flights that depart from the U.S.

Strangely, the E.U. has not sent any bills to the airlines yet, given that the program has just started. So, the airlines don't exactly know how much they need to pay. That hasn't stopped the airlines from estimating the cost of buying carbon dioxide (CO2) emission credits and passing the cost along to passengers.

Infuriatingly, airlines may be profiting from the surcharge, according to Reuters. A study released today and part-funded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has revealed that airlines may be able to use the surcharge as a way to artificially increase ticket prices, collecting "windfall profits of $2.6 billion between now and 2020."

Ordinarily, government laws prevent airlines from colluding in price rises. But airlines will effectively be able to charge more for their services without having to add additional costs or engage in a price war with competitors. (Plus, the income from the fees isn't taxed.) The study, published the Journal of Air Transport Management and done by researchers mathematicians from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, predicts that profits for U.S. carriers may increase.

Once the airlines know how much exactly they have to pay the E.U., the fee for passengers may change. In the first two years, the E.U. is only requesting small payments from the airlines. But after two years, it is scheduled to ask for much more money, and airlines may pass along the cost to passengers, with price hikes of $15 to $45 each way on a transatlantic ticket. Additional costs related to the CO2 plan may hike ticket prices by an average of 3 percent in the long run, aviation information provider OAG told Bloomberg News yesterday.

Airlines that operate older planes and that don’t fly as many business-class and first-class passengers will be the most affected by the new law, say analysts.

The EU defends its charges by saying that it’s not fair that foreign airlines are allowed to pollute their airspace without paying any price. Hence, the new scheme.

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In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the National Park Service has announced that all 397 national parks around the country will be offering free admission from Saturday, January 14th, to Monday, January 16th, 2012.

“Dr. King’s story and those of so many others whose efforts changed our country are preserved in the national parks, places where history happened," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "I hope every American can take advantage of the upcoming fee free weekend and visit their parks to experience their history firsthand.”

Those wishing to learn more about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., can pay a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia, where both the home he was born in and his tomb with the Eternal Flame are on display. Follow in his footsteps along the National Historic Trail from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, now a designated historic byway. If you happen to be on the east coast, visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and sit on the steps from which Dr. King delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech, or visit the newly opened Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in the National Mall. Events commemorating Dr. King's life will also take place at Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Tennessee, while the MLK Film Festival will be held at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington D.C. from January 14-16.

Not sure where the closest national park is? Use this tool to find a national park near you and see what activities and events are offered in each park. It should be noted that all National Parks will also be free on the following dates: April 21-29, National Park Week; June 9, Get Outdoors Day; September 29, National Public Lands Day; and November 10-12, Veterans Day Weekend.

We want to know: What are your favorite National Parks? Are there certain ones you take your family to every year, or others you plan to visit in the future? Tell us all about it!

—Kaeli Conforti

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On Sunday night, PBS's Masterpiece debuted the second season of the British costume drama Downton Abbey, earning record-breaking ratings.

As fans know, the World War I-era TV series follows the trials of the Crawleys, a family that spins into gloom when the noble Earl and patriarch Robert Crawley loses his male heirs. The film was shot on location at a castle where lords and ladies once threw real-life parties with champagne and pearls.

The show may inspire you to travel to England to see the history behind the fiction. As a Londoner, I have already seen the second season of this Emmy-award-winning show (which screened this fall) and can assure you that the TV series has even more heart-stopping dramatic moments this year than it did in its first season. It remains "reality-free" in an enjoyable way. I also had the good fortune to visit the filming location last year, and I recommend it as a fun outing on your next vacation to England.

Highclere Castle
In Hampshire, this grand 1840s castle plays the role of Downton Abbey. The Edwardian mansion, built in 1842, is within striking distance of London, and is open to visitors. It still inhabited by a real-life Lord and Countess of Carnarvon.

As visitors walk around the lavishly furnished three floors of the house, they can see framed family photographs featuring Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, and other friends of the family. Traipse through its 1,000 manicured Berkshire acres, under cedars and by chocolate-box cottages. Pretend that you are Dowager Countess of Grantham, played on the show by Dame Maggie Smith, and say things like "Do tell!" and "What is a 'weekend'?"

In the second season of Downton, the estate opened itself to nurses and beds to tend to wounded soldiers, and that was true in the real Highclere Castle as well, with the lady of the house hiring nurses, “dressed in stylish strawberry-pink uniforms,” to attend to the war wounded, as reported by The New York Times.

Surprisingly today, the cellars of the mansion feature an exhibit on ancient Egypt. It turns out that a previous Lord who lived in the mansion was a sponsor of the archaeological investigations that ended in the discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922. The castle has a tribute to that history, with ancient antiquities on display.

The estate is about 70 miles west of London. From London's Paddington Station, hop National Rail and ride an hour to Newbury (from £20, or about $32). Once there, take a cab or bus about 6 miles south to the castle.

The mansion is only open on selected days this year: April 2-15, again for a few days in May and June, then, from July 1, it is open on Sundays through Thursdays until September 13. (adult admission, from £16 (up from £9 last year!), or $25, full schedule (opens as a PDF), highclerecastle.co.uk

The Carnarvon Arms, in nearby Newbury, is an old coaching inn that used to offer food and drink to visitors and staff to the castle that's been renovated in the past decade. Rooms from £60, bespokehotels.com. The nearby village of Hungerford has countless antique shops where you can put your hands on many furnishings similar to what you might see at the castle, from silver lion salt shakers to wooden butter churns.

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Among the latest revelations from passenger confrontations with the TSA: You can't bring a tub of cream cheese through a checkpoint. Spread it on bagels, though, and there's no problem.

Snow globes and holiday sweaters are on the strange list of items that could possibly get you held up at airport security. Liquids and gels are also no good, and have been banned for quite some time now.

As many travelers are aware, though, the rules for what is and isn't OK are often confounding, especially because enforcement of the rules seems so haphazard. The Freakonomics blog highlighted a recent head–scratcher of a situation, in which a flier tried to pass through security at the Milwaukee airport with a package of bagels, lox, and cream cheese to bring home. The bagels and lox were OK, but the cream cheese was a no–no because of it was gel–like and held in its own container.

Apparently, the TSA agents considered the cream cheese potential dangerous. But they didn't confiscate it. Instead, they offered an interesting solution, in which the woman could still bring the cream cheese through security:

They agreed that it would be okay, and she could bring it on board, if the cream cheese was spread on the bagels.

Salon.com's Patrick Smith, meanwhile, followed up on a recent situation in which TSA agents in Texas wouldn't allow a passenger's cupcake through security because the heaping of frosting was too big and "gel–like." When Smith asked the TSA about what happened, a spokesperson told him, "In general, cakes and pies are allowed in carry–on luggage."

Well, that clears that up. It's as clear as cream cheese.

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A 1,000-year-old Native American settlement that had been dismissed as a tiny encampment turns out to have been a surprising city near present-day St. Louis, Mo.

A report in the latest journal of Science reveals that the settlement, called Cahokia by today's archaeologists, stretched for eight miles on either side of the Mississippi River by East St. Louis, and may have had more than 500 rectangular houses and more than 10,000 residents at its peak.

The discoveries of a large number of artifacts and ruined buildings were made during the construction of a bridge that will connect St. Louis and southwestern Illinois.

If the findings are true, Cahokia would be North America’s first city, the largest of Native American communities north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The town thrived from 1000 to 1500 AD and was distinguished by “massive monumental mounds of dirt and ceremonial plazas,” according to researchers.

The area’s settlements are being described as America's one of the Native Americans’ most notable legacies. The Osage Nation is the Native American group believed to have the closest possible ancestral link to Cahokia’s founders.

Cahokia is an archeological find that’s been on third base for a long time and just needed to score. While the excavation site remains off limits to visitors, you can get a sense of the scope of the former city by visiting its better known nearby site, the Monks Mound at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site near Collinsville, Il. This 2,000-acre park is a designated National Historic Landmark and a World Heritage Site.

If you've ever dreamed of riding Space Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean at 3 in the morning, here's your chance.

In honor of Leap Year, Disney is keeping its two most popular parks, Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, open for a full 24 hours in row. The special event, dubbed One More Disney Day, takes place on Leap Day, a.k.a., February 29. Both parks will open at 6 a.m. and remain open through the night. Rides, concessions, and restaurants won't close until 6 a.m. on March 1.

Despite the unexciting name of the event, which almost sounds like "just another day," this is big news in certain circles. The average visitor goes on nine rides during a day's park visit, but experienced self-proclaimed "Disney dweebs" can easily do triple that. Or more. The unofficial record, according to one BT commenter, is 72 attractions in 11 hours.

With the prospect of having a full 24 hours to take in rides and attractions, some Disney enthusiasts are salivating over the idea of breaking all sorts of ride records. The Motley Fool's Rick Munarriz, who says he "practically grew up at the Florida parks," advises against sticking with any one ride during the full-day admission:

If your game plan is to marathon-ride Space Mountain -- and I'm sure plenty will attempt to do exactly that -- you won't make it 24 hours.

Can you imagine? Twenty-four hours in a row on Space Mountain doesn't sound like fun. It sounds like a job, or perhaps even some unusual form of punishment doled out to kids who habitually cut the line.

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This season, whether you're trying to distract yourself—or your children—during a long car ride or flight, we've rounded up some great apps to help pass the time. (All apps can be purchased in the iTunes store and are compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad).

FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS:

The App: TapShot

Cost: $0.99

Why You Want It: This App lets you customize your smart device's camera experience, enhancing the camera that already comes with your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch by letting you adjust focus and exposure, plus adds high-quality zoom and other effects.

The App: Hipstamatic Disposable

Cost: Free. (Original Hipstamatic App, $1.99.)

Why You Want It: Fans of Hipstamatic rejoice! They've recently developed a new app called Hipstamatic Disposable that acts as the world's first social media camera, letting friends share rolls of "film" in sets of 24 photos at a time. The photos are released as an album that can be featured on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.

FOR MUSICIANS:

The App: Magic Guitar

Cost: Free.

Why You Want It: Brought to you by the creators of Magic Piano, I Am T-Pain, and Glee Karaoke comes an app that lets you play your iPhone (or iPad) like a guitar—giving you control of the instrument's pitch, notes played, and speed, with a songbook including music by KISS, the Rolling Stones, Santana, and Poison, among other artists. Break out your inner rock star and let the hours disappear in a blaze of glory.

FOR SKI ENTHUSIASTS:

The App: Liftopia

Cost: Free.

Why You Want It: Attention anyone who plans to go skiing this season: Liftopia has just launched a new app allowing you to search, browse, and purchase exclusive deals on ski resorts and lift tickets around the country. You can even get updates on weather conditions and information on ski supplies.

A handful of destinations in the world are so iconic as to be instantly identifiable by a single, simple image—say, the looming triangle of an Egyptian pyramid, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the Space Needle (or perhaps the Starbucks logo) of Seattle.

In his new book Paris Versus New York: A Tally of Two Cities, out next month from Penguin Books, Paris–based graphic designer Vahram Muratyan delivers more than 100 diptychs representing elements of the two title cities, a compilation of side–by–side symbols created during a stint in New York City and published over the course of about a year on Muratyan's blog.

Between its covers, you'll find an outline of a baguette (avec beurre demi-sel) staring down a bagel (with cream cheese); renderings of the steel–and–glass dome of the Grand Palais and the constellation–strewn ceiling of Grand Central station; and a battle royale between a stack of macarons and a sprinkles–topped cupcake.

The duos go way beyond comparing apples to apples (Big or otherwise); there's also a hefty dose of cultural commentary in the mix. Paris's winter page (hiver) is subtitled: "Cinc centimeters et c'est le panique." (Roughly: Two inches of snow and it's chaos.) New York's "Go" page, which depicts a cluster of joggers (all sporting Apple–white earbuds), counterbalances Paris's "Pause," wherein a trio of ladies stand obscured by a cloud of their own cigarette smoke. Architecture, fashion icons, modes of transportation, snack foods, tourist traps, singers, artists, neighborhoods, cocktails, and coffees all get their due. Even vermin appear—although New York has the dubious distinction of claiming both rats ("pigeons without wings") and pigeons ("flying rats").

And of course, it wouldn't be an icon smackdown without these two: The Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty, both of which were designed by Frenchmen. (Do we detect a bias here?) The whole project has me inspired to rethink my own travel journals—to find ways to say more with less, to observe more sharply, and to always remember the small details that make the big picture. It's also inspired me to peruse the Paris Versus New York page on the Society6 online art shop, where 25 of Muryatan's pairings are available as frame–ready prints or stretched canvases (prices start at $24 for an 8" x 10"). Unfortunately, the book itself doesn't hit store shelves until the end of January, but you can pre–order it now on Amazon.

When it comes to customer service, Twitter and Facebook are the new 800-hotlines. These social networking sites are increasingly the place where passengers turn to gripe about shoddy service—and to seek solutions from airline customer service departments.

This year, the following airlines did an especially good job of using social media to help customers.

1) Delta Air Lines
Delta was one of the first airlines to embrace using Twitter to communicate with passengers. This year, it improved on this effort in two ways. The airline made a pledge to answer tweets within 10 minutes, and to resolve customer service problems within 24 hours, via @deltaassist. This month, the airline added a Spanish language version of the service @DeltaAssist_ES. Meanwhile on Facebook, Delta launched comprehensive customer support on the Delta Assist tab of the company's Facebook page. You can also book tickets through the page.

2) JetBlue Airways
As we reported in February, JetBlue has begun letting users earn rewards program through Facebook. Customers look up JetBlue's fan page on Facebook and click on the "Go Places app." This free tool allows fliers to check in for flights using a smartphone, iPad, or other wireless device at JetBlue terminals across the country. Each time you do so, you'll earn 25 points in the airline's popular TrueBlue loyalty program. JetBlue also offers other deals via the Facebook app.

3. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
This year SAS became the first airline to change its route map based on social media feedback. It asked its 118,000 followers on Facebook to decide the 21st of its new summer routes. The Turkish town of Alanya became a new route from Oslo, Norway, after it won the most votes in a online poll.

4. Estonian Air
You may not have flown Estonian Air, but the company hopes its social media efforts will someday change that. In October, the company created a new type of rewards for users of its Facebook app, which could be redeemed for perks such as access to faster security lanes. Earning points is easy: just post a trip report on Facebook or use the company's Facebook fan page to book travel.

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