Over two-thirds of Americans now book their flights online. But when exactly is the best time to book to get a cheap flight?

Flying midweek is an effortless way to save money: you’ll find emptier and cheaper seats.

If you can’t avoid flying on a weekend, at least BOOK your flight midweek; airlines tend to raise their fares Friday and bring them back down on Monday.

Another hint: book your flight after the 7th of every month, as booking is busier right after payday on the first and 15th. Mondays and Tuesdays are the busiest days for bookings, so you’ll save by searching for flights when no one else is, like very early or very late on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

So if you’re planning …

Editor’s Note: The following is the first of a series of columns about fitness on the road, by personal trainer Annette Lang. It goes without saying that you should always check with your physician before beginning any fitness routine.

It’s no secret that getting and staying in shape can be a daunting task, and traveling just makes it more difficult to stick with any fitness program.

But don’t despair!

You can get in better shape, and maintain your fitness level while you’re traveling, by taking it on the road.

The first workout is a basic one, and is fairly easy to follow. However, don’t confuse this with being an easy, starter routine; it can be made …

Why traipse around an unfamiliar city on your own when you can get a local to guide you instead? And the best part is, in some cities, it’s free. So if you want to get a local guide without busting your travel budget, check out these services. The Chicago Greeters will line up a local to spend a day with you for free, sharing such local wisdom as which L train boasts the best views of the city. In New York, the Big Apple Greeters offer walking tours of some of the city’s lesser-known neighborhoods.

Overseas, Goodwill Guides of Japan lead tours of little-known sites like fishing villages and family-owned pottery shops. The tours are free, though you’ll have to …

One of the hottest new trends in travel is taking a learning vacation to get hands-on experience. Here are some that are really “hands-on.” The Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington, Pennsylvania, was founded to help preserve traditional mountain crafts, and offers courses in everything from blacksmithing to stained glass. At the Shelter Institute in Maine, visitors can learn the ins and outs of homebuilding and repairs, a popular course with homeowners.

In Portland, Oregon, at the Northwest Woodworking Studio, you might build anything from furniture to a guitar during one of their classes. They also offer courses on specific skills like finishing and joinery. And at the Wooden Boat School, you can learn the fundamentals of wooden boat-building in …

If you’ve visited China with any frequency over the past few years, you may have had the opportunity to personally witness some amazing changes.

High-rise buildings are filling out formerly empty city skylines, superhighways are replacing rutted country lanes, and personal automobiles jam once deserted roads.

If you don’t believe it, just take a walk through one of China’s traditional neighborhoods. You’ll see the following character , chai, written in chalk on the sides of many of the buildings you pass. (the character is pictured at left above)

This character means, “to demolish,” and it’s written everywhere.

At the same time, clusters of high-rises are painting a new silhouette onto the sky. The continued development …