Find out Peter’s advice on making your holiday travel plans as smooth as possible.

When is the best time to get plane tickets for Christmas in Phoenix? I plan to stay about a week and will fly Southwest out of Baltimore. Thanks for your help.
Marlene W.

Normally, you’d want to wait 45 days before your flight to book your ticket, but the rules change during the holidays.

October 29, 2007

From Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio…

You know, every week I say summer’s not over until I say it’s over.

Well, there’s an old quote that says that climate is what you expect, weather is what you get. So I’m officially announcing—as it’s raining outside in New York and the temperature is hovering in the high 50s and about to drop—summer is over. (But not everywhere.)

There were a lot of people on the West Coast who wished they had our rain today. Our hearts and prayers go out today to the folks in Southern California, also a place where I live, where the wildfires destroyed …

If you plan on doing lots of walking or biking on your next vacation, make sure that your destination has “complete streets.” What is a complete street you ask?

Complete streets have sidewalks, shoulders, and bike lanes that save vacationers and locals alike from veering too close to oncoming traffic and risking their lives.

According to the Federal Bureau of Transportation, about one quarter of all walking trips take place on incomplete streets.

As a result, more than 5,000 pedestrians and bicyclists die each year on U.S. roads.

The most dangerous places to walk and bicycle are sprawling communities with streets built for driving only.

So don’t put your ride, walk, or life in jeopardy by traveling on an incomplete road.

Do a little research before …

Autumn conjures images of leaf-raking, harvest cornucopias, and pumpkin carving, but many of us also enjoy the thrill of the spooky— and sometimes ghooooulish—ambiance Halloween invokes.

Whether spider webs, bones, death, ghosts, devils, or medieval punishments frighten you with excitement, here are some places to visit that are sure to give you the heebie-jeebies.

Here in Southern California, where upwards of 1 million residents have been evacuated from their homes, nearly everyone knows someone who has been affected by the wildfires.

As of Thursday, firefighters are starting to make headway on the 22 fires that have ravaged parts of San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles County, Santa Barbara, and Santa Clarita. At last count, 881,000 residents forced to evacuate their homes, and 1,285 homes and commercial buildings have been destroyed.

So how is the travel industry dealing with the biggest natural disaster in the U.S. since Hurricane Katrina?

If you’re one of the millions of travels who stayed in a Hostelling International (HI) youth hostel during your adventures, you probably have a soft spot for dormitory-style accommodation and shared kitchens.

But did you know that there’s a youth hostel located inside a ship in Stockholm? A lighthouse in California? A castle in Scotland?

There are more than 4,000 HI hostels in 89 countries, on six continents around the world. Now, the USA branch of Hostelling International is asking for your help.