Well, another scary airline incident is going to result in increased security once again. This time, a 23-year-old Nigerian man named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to ignite some sort of explosive on Northwest Flight 253 as the plane was arriving in Detroit from Amsterdam. Details of what officials are calling an attempted terrorist attack are still a bit sketchy, but apparently Abdulmutallab tried to ignite a powdered explosive called PETN with some sort of chemical that was possibly injected via syringe.

A preliminary explosion did in fact take place, but passengers quickly jumped on Abdulmutallab to prevent any further damage. Several people were treated for burns related to the incident.

Well it’s going to be interesting to see where this investigation leads. Abdulmutallab says he was acting on orders from Al-Qaeda, which has fueled speculation that this could have been a test of both the explosive device and airport security.

Thank god he didn’t succeed.

(AP Photo)

I just read an article in the USA Today about how the bad economy is actually good for would-be vacationers. A lot of people are just staying home instead of taking their normal summer holidays, which is hurting the travel industry. For instance, Las Vegas hotels are reporting occupancy rates in the 80-85 percent range, which is unusually low for Sin City. So now the hotels in turn are offering amazing discounts on their room rates in order to attract travelers.

The article listed lots of places in Vegas where you can get a room for under $50, and even a bunch of places with rooms under $20. I’m not sure exactly what kind of accommodations you’d be getting for that price, but who cares! Nobody goes to Vegas to sit in their hotel room all day!

We really need to start planning a vacation soon. It’s been ages since we’ve been anywhere interesting!

My in-laws have both been retired for about a year now, and are starting to do the things that you’d expect from people entering these “golden years”. They’re taking golf lessons, spending time with each other, and making big travel plans. In fact, that’s what I think I envy most about their situation: they’re going to be traveling all over the world while I’m stuck here at home!

They’ve already made a list of places they want to go to. I took a quick peek the other day and saw that Egypt (for the Great Pyramid), Rome for the Colosseum and other historical sites, and Switzerland for the Alps.

I desperately want to go to all of those places, so as I said, I’m extremely jealous right now! I’ve been to Rome before, but I so want to go again as I fell in love with the city almost from the moment we landed.

And it doesn’t help that my in-laws are constantly talking about their travel plans and buying things for their upcoming trips. In addition to brochures from these exotic destinations, they’re always debating the merits of annual travel insurance policies, discussing which airlines to fly, and even arguing about which suitcases to buy. All of it reminds me that I’m stuck here at home… sigh.

Well, at least I’ll get souvenirs from wherever they go!

So we’re actually thinking about taking a trip to Guam and Saipan soon. I know those seem like kind of odd destinations, but Jerry wants to go for the scuba diving. I just want to go so I can lounge around in a beach hut for a few days with an armful of books and an endless supply of umbrella drinks. When I get tired of reading, I can either go for a swim or pull down the bamboo shades and take a nap. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

We have enough in our vacation fund for a basic travel package, so all we need to do now is work out the time off from our jobs. That can be a bit tricky, especially with Jerry’s employer, which is why most of our vacation plans fall apart at the last minute.

At any rate, we’ll aim for January and consider ourselves lucky if we can make it!

Now that my son is getting older, I’m starting to make a list of historical sites in the U.S. that we can visit during our vacations. Most of these places will inevitably be out east, what with Boston, D.C., and Philadelphia being biggies, of course. I also want to take him to see Colonial Williamsburg, Gettysburg National Park, and even to the Outer Banks to see the site of the Wright brothers’ first successful flight at Kitty Hawk.

It would be great if we could take two weeks off to drive to these places and see the sights at our leisure, but Jerry never gets that much vacation time all at once. It’s been too long since we’ve gone somewhere, though, so I definitely want this historical tour to happen soon!

… to South America, that is! One of my cousins graduated from college over the summer and is taking time off to travel, relax, and just have fun before joining the rat race for the next 40 years of her life. Sounds like a good idea to me!

Anyway, after spending two months in Europe, she’s ready to head off again, this time to South America. She’s been checking into Brazil vacation packages because she wants to hit that country first, and will likely follow up with jaunts to Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile.

I’ve got to admit that I’m pretty envious of her right now. I remember when I used to be able to travel a lot — way before marriage, kids, mortgages, and car payments, of course. I just wish I’d done more of it when I was younger. My cousin definitely has the right idea about how to live it up in her early twenties!

The end of the school year is just around the corner, which means that it’s almost time for summer vacation. This is when most people try to get away for at least a few carefree days with friends or family, and we’re no exception.

This year will be a bit different for us, however, as rising prices and the general state of the economy are putting a strain on our budget. Nevertheless, we’re determined to find some way to make a family vacation a reality this summer, so I’ve been looking at a few alternatives.

There’s no way we’ll be able to afford a vacation that requires air travel, but we could definitely rent a car. Renting a car would make sense for us for a couple of different reasons. First, our vehicle is a major gas guzzler and costs us a small fortune every time we stop to fill up. We could rent a more fuel-efficient vehicle to save money at the pump. And second, driving a rental allows us to save our own car from extra wear and tear, keeping it in pristine condition for trade-in time.

I was checking out a few different car rental companies today, and saw the best offers at Advantage Rent a Car. They have a number of convenient U.S. and international locations, and each one features a large fleet of newer vehicles to choose from. Plus, thanks to their frequent specials and discounts, car rentals begin at just $19.99 per day. Now that’s something we can afford even on our limited budget!

If you’re planning to travel without your car in the near future, check out the rentals available at the Advantage Rent a Car website. Their prices can’t be beat, so there’s no reason to have to rely on public transportation at your destination!