Great literature is supposed to spark our imagination, but it can also inspire many of us to travel.

In fact, many of us can’t help but want to take a pilgrimage to the settings of our favorite novels or poems.

You may have read the works of legendary American authors Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe. But now you can do more than just visit the places where their famous works are set; you can also take a tour of the places where they were written.

The following are just some of the many places you can visit to perhaps get a closer, more inside view of the life of some great American …

Planning a Caribbean getaway, but still want to stay connected? Find out which islands are high tech - and which ones aren’t. One of the most connected islands in the Caribbean is Puerto Rico, which boasts dozens of Wifi hotspots and Internet cafes. Jamaica has seen a recent, rapid expansion of connectivity, and now doubles the Caribbean average. Many businesses, from cafes to car washes, are now offering free Wifi to attract well-heeled customers.

Barbados is also a standout in the Caribbean, with free Wifi at the airport, and many hotel lobbies. In fact, hotels are a great source of free Wifi on many islands, since most are so laid-back, they don’t worry if someone is quietly using their …

Want to make sure the bedbugs don’t bite while traveling? Find out what you need to know about the increase in bedbugs in hotels — and how you can avoid them. Before going to bed, look around the headboard and mattress in your hotel room. If you see dark blood spots — evidence of bedbugs — request a different room, or even a different hotel, immediately.

As a general precaution, don’t leave your clothes on the floor or near the bed, and the same goes for your suitcase. Bedbugs will often hide in items of clothing, which can transmit the bedbug problem from the hotel room to your own bedroom. So put your suitcase on a luggage rack as far …

Time in Bangkok

From backpacking soul seekers to cosmopolitan business travelers, Bangkok is a mecca for adventure seekers worldwide. The city pulsates with modern life but is inextricably linked with a deep sense of tradition.

You can spend one day scoping brand names in a glitzy shopping mall and the next haggling with local vendors in the marketplace. Rickshaws rattle alongside buses crammed full of commuters, while the reliable and dependable SkyTrain zips you around the central city. You’ll find yourself alternately dealing with massive commotion and moments of zen, and loving every minute of it.

When to Go
You’ll often be blessed with warm, tropical weather …

With tourist traffic increasing dramatically to the Arctic and Antarctic, is it time to say “bye, polar?”

Or can tourism be a boost to the farthest reaches of the planet?

According to Virtuous Traveler Leslie Garrett, the answer in this International Polar Year seems to depend on a light touch…

The official Transportation Department statistics are in and it’s official: 2006 was a pretty bad year to be an air traveler. Delays are up again this year, and again, Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time record, followed by Frontier and Southwest. You can find the detailed statistics on delays at http://BTS.gov.

Mishandled bags are up by one million bags for the year, a jump of over 30%. Again, Hawaiian leads the pack with the fewest lost bags, with JetBlue right behind. The bottom rankings are all held by regional carriers like Atlantic Southeast, Comair, and American Eagle. And if you don’t like complaining, or at least flying on airlines that get a lot of complaints, avoid United, which led the …

As many of you know, Earth Day — a day dedicated to the appreciation and awareness of our environment — was Sunday, April 22.

However, if you missed it, don’t worry — there are still plenty of ways in which you can show your appreciation for the planet.

In fact, with the help of some groups, you can do it year-round, even in your own community — in many cases within 100 miles of where you live.

The following are just some of the many organizations dedicated to putting nature first, along with information on how you can get involved.

The American Hiking Society (AHS) is an organization dedicated to protecting America’s hiking trails and the …

April 19, 2007A few weeks ago, I was flying from Atlanta to Frankfurt, and had to check bags. Those of you who read or watch me regularly know I’ll do anything not to check bags… in fact, I WON’T check bags domestically — I courier them ahead of time.

But for overseas flights? I don’t have much of a choice.

To courier bags abroad is prohibitively expensive, so I check them. But what happens if something goes wrong overseas?

When my flight landed in Frankfurt, one of my bags was missing.

Uh-oh. That meant long lines at the airline bag office, filling out forms, and waiting for bag that might never …