Shopping aficionada Sarah Lahey recently jetted off to London on an off-season adventure where she uncovered bargains and deals galore.

Dear Peter,
It’s been spitting rain thru the London fog, but that hasn’t dampened my spirits or slowed me down. I’ve found bargains galore!

Yeah, I know that’s difficult to calculate with an exchange rate of $1=£1.65, but it’s true.

Starting next month, Japan’s All Nippon Airways will assign one lavatory on most international routes to be used exclusively by women.

Airline officials say that this move comes in response to numerous requests.

A recent survey also showed that 90 percent of women polled were in favor of the idea.

The island of Phuket, Thailand has long been known as a great destination for beachgoers, but these days there’s a lot more than just surf and sand.

Read on to find out how Suzy Gershman’s partner-in-crime, Sarah Lahey, took on Phuket for some family fun and, of course, lots of shopping.

Dear Peter,
I’ve never been much of a beach person, but since I was headed to Thailand to research our new Born to Shop Bangkok & Beyond travel guide, I invited my sun-loving husband and daughters to join me in Phuket (say Poo-ket) for a few days.

Dear Peter,
Now we’re in Munich! It was a quick drive from Oxford to the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport.

As you know, Terminal 5 is the newest addition to LHR—after the initial meltdown on opening day, today many think it’s a great arrival/departure point.

Dear Peter,
So there I was, driving toward Jordan Winery in the Alexander Valley of Sonoma County and I pass vines that have the Rodney Strong label posted over them.

I am very excited to be able to test both these wines together as I have recently enjoyed an earth-moving experience with Rodney Strong and my grocery store.

It was a few weeks before I left Texas, I was making a leg of lamb for a dinner party and I wanted a nice big wine to go with it.

When times are tough, sometimes a little R&R is just what the doctor ordered to get your spirits up and your mojo flowing again.

But it needn’t cost you a bundle.

Find out how travelers in need, from cancer survivors to uninsured individuals, can take advantage of promotions being offered throughout the U.S.

Dear Peter,

The rain in Spain stayed mainly at the mall and I escaped—off to London for an overnight and then onto Oxford, with its university, High Street and yup, the factory outlet mall.

The pound may be high these days, but that’s why they invented outlet shopping.

A generation ago, young travelers hit the road with nothing more than a backpack, a few dollars and a Eurail pass to cover as many Western European countries as possible.

But these days, that Eurail pass can take travelers far past the west-to-east borders, all the way to the Black Sea.

Already jaded by her Western European experiences, Dara Bramson reports on her journey south and east as part of a new generation of intrepid backpackers.