Does this happen to you too? As soon as you book a trip somewhere, it seems like everywhere you turn you start to see or hear news articles and stories about where you’re going. For me it seems like a day hasn’t gone by since I booked my trip to Colombia when I haven’t come across something about Colombia. Last weekend there was a huge article in the NY Times about dining in Cartagena, a couple weeks ago Lonely Planet released a video about travel to Bogota, the blogs have been abuzz with plenty of stories (here’s one and here’s another) and just this year Anthony Bourdain taped one of his episodes there.

And not to be outdone, Budget Travel, that bastion of provocation and instigation amongst travel circles (ok, well not really but a few Argentinians may have some contention with the following) is proclaiming in this article that Cartagena is : “The Next Buenos Aires.” Slam! Take that you Porteños and your world-class football. But seriously, it does seem that Colombia is finally — and deservedly — receiving the credit’s it’s been due. I’ll be leaving for there in three weeks to work on some videos and articles. E-mail me if you have any requests for what you’d like me to check out while I’m there. I foresee lots of eating and drinking, listenting to music, enjoying the sun and beaches, and practicing my broken Spanish with the locals. But I’m open to suggestions.

Is anyone else surprised to find out that Reader’s Digest still exists, and that they’ve managed to reproduce their print writing on that newfangled box called the personal computer? I think the last time I saw a Reader’s Digest it was located in a magazine rack in the bathroom of a retiree’s house.

Anyways, a quick scan of Digg’s “Travel & Places” section turned up this article by that venerable publication that ostensibly aims to reveal the best ways to save money in all facets of life, including travel. And now a run-down of these hilariously unhelpful and often ridiculous tips:

1) Ignore The Internet And Call The Airlines For The Best Price (Despite Phone Booking Fees)

Apparently you shouldn’t trust the internet for the best fares. Who ever heard of deals online anyways? RD recommends you call the airline’s “800 number” (how thoroughly modern) and find the best deal that way, never mind the fact that airlines almost universally will tack on a fee to your ticket for the audacity of bothering their customer representatives. What about wiring a telegram to the Pan Am head offices and demanding the best rates? Would that work as well?

2) Don’t Fly The Day Before Thanksgiving

Wait one second here, are you saying that the law of supply and demand does in fact apply to plane travel and that ticket prices are actually higher on one of the busiest travel days of the year? Shocking! I wonder, what happens to prices the Sunday after Thanksgiving? What about the Fridays before three-day weekends? Same rule apply?

3) Head To A Cheaper Destination That’s Close To Your Original Plans (Even If That Means Heading To Lame Miami)

Is that dream vacation to culture-rich Orlando more expensive than one to Miami? (Where, I may remind you, there are far fewer Disney attractions to spend your days and, even worse, the Applebees per capita ratio is far lower.) RD suggests a trip to Miami! Why not? I heard there’s a few things to do there as well, including several Hard Rock Cafes and some excellent movie theatres. (Actually, I’m not making this up, the exact quote from the article is: “There are plenty of things to do in Miami.” Intriguing — who’d have thought?)

4) Periodically Check Prices, They May Go Down

Finally, to the amazement of all, RD points out the fact that fares fluctuate, moving both up and down. And what’s the best way to detect this odd occurrence and to lock in the best rate? RD audaciously suggests looking up the price more than once! Beware, this suggestion is not for the faint of heart or for pregnant women.

A little while back I started a group on Vimeo, the high-quality video-sharing site based here in New York where, unlike YouTube, you can actually watch videos in high definition (or regular videos in much better quality than YouTube).

This site is also great for discovering some excellent travel videos, including the one above that was recently added to my group. Click to watch how a short hike from your house in the Hawaiian coastal town of Hilo can reveal a string of beautiful waterfalls, all just minutes apart from each other. Let’s see, the last time I took a short hike from my house I stumbled across six vacant lots, three coffee shops, and a homeless guy singing Enrique Inglesias to strangers on the street. Ah, the natural wonders of Brooklyn.

The Beach may have given SE Asia’s beaches a bad name (by the way the book is far superior than the crappy Leo movie, which is usually true of any book made into a movie, but in this case it’s just more true) but I can assure you that you’re more likely going to run into the beach of your dreams before you run into any self-exiled groups of deranged backpackers who spend their days taking hallucinogens and killing off their fellow villagers (although it’s a big region, you never know).

This article describes some of the area’s most idyllic getaways in the region, from Thailand to Vietnam.

Vietnam

It notes how Vietnam, with a population that’s half under-25 (that’s around 40 million), is really taking off as a major destination in the world, and many are heading to the pristine white sands of China Beach to enjoy surfing and to stretch their strong currency.

Indonesia

To get away from the crowds head to isolated Gili Trawangan in Indonesia where cars are forbidden, snorkeling is aplenty, and given the hippyish vibe here you may run into that long-lost English teacher you had in high school who used to listen to the Dead and drove a beat-up station wagon.

Cambodia

And for a whole string of beaches and a little more development there’s Sihanoukville, Cambodia’s most popular getaway. Here you’ll find many beaches to explore as well as dozens of islands nearby to keep you occupied just in case you get really bored of relaxing and having a good time.

And by “it” I mean travel, why what were you thinking? Forget Dubai, the Disneyland of the Middle East. Doha, the half-million strong capital of Qatar, is not usually high on many travelers’ lists of destinations, but with temperatures in the mid 70’s at its coldest and a modern, cosmopolitan feel co-existing with its timeless culture, Doha should be a must for any trip to the ancient land. Here’s a look at what it’s like to travel to the city that’s home to the Al Jazeera headquarters (surprisingly pleasant looking studios) and some of the region’s best beaches. And if you think some of your friends or family might worry you’r heading there just tell them you’re heading to Dubai instead and that you’ll bring them back a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt.

Cartagena, Colombia, has been experiencing a dramatic upsurge in the number of visitors over the last few years, with over a million in 2006 coming to see this colonial city on the Caribbean coast. Besides being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as being one of the region’s top beach getaways, Cartagena has also been attracting the attention of food lovers the world over, most recently in the NY Times this Sunday where the paper explored three of the city’s best restaurants.

In describing the eclectic influence the city’s many cultures have had on the food, the Times notes, “[o]ccasionally, the chef may give a nod to French or Italian cooking, but tamarillo ratatouille, grilled squid and homemade coconut broth are never far away.” And, if you weren’t already convinced, take a look at Anthony Bourdain’s recent excursion there where he munched on some of the best ceviche that he’s ever had.

Imagine if you could only find clothes on sale twice a year. What would be the result? Semi-annual Black Friday-like shopping melees? Caddy women (and a few men) jockeying for prized items? An upsurge in foreign tourists hoping to pounce on deals of up to 90% off on luxury goods? An intermittent upsurge in personal debt? Try all of the above.

Les Soldes is France’s twice a year state-sanctioned event where sellers are allowed to drop the price on clothes and other goods below cost and when, as observed in this article, it’s not uncommon to see women during the week before, slyly eyeing their upsuspecting prey for the day when they can attack with a vengeance and snap up their long-sought-after prizes for basement prices. If you’re planning on heading to Paris and taking part, the next Les Soldes takes place from January 9th to the 20th, just in time to get your mind off of your credit card bill from Christmas!

Discovered only a few decades ago, La Ciudad Perdida, Colombia’s Lost City is accessible to those willing to endure a days-long trek, a couple of treacherous river crossings, and oh yeah, the possibility of contracting one of several tropical mosquito-borne diseases. But that’s half the fun isn’t it? Here’s a great account of one such journey, detailing the highs and lows of a trip to this truly unique destination. Not reccomended for those wusses who though Macchu Picchu was a difficult trip.

Budget Travel has put together list of the top 7 surf towns in the world which, if you’re like me, are all somewhere I’d much rather be now that the it’s getting cold enough that I can nearly see my breath in the air when I get out of bed in the morning (I really need to invest in a heater).

Fernando de Noronha, Brazil’s mostly unknown tropical archipelago that boasts arguably the country’s best beaches, tops the list, with Troncones, Mexico (where a surfer from San Fran was mauled to death by a shark at the end of the summer) comes in second, and Ericeira coming in at number three.

For the rest of the list click here.

It’s being reported this morning that Argentina, already in the midst of a severe economic turndown as a result of weakening commodity prices and international market conditions, is seizing $29 billion in pension assets, this after the country announced a few days ago that it would be devaluing its currency from its current rate of $3.20 pesos per dollar to $3.80.

So what does this mean? As a historical note, the last time the country seized pension assets was shortly before the disastrous 2001 financial collapse. This is also certain to cause the peso to slide below the target rate of $3.80, which means real trouble and higher inflation for Argentinians. Of course, not to belittle the plight of the country, but this also means even more favorable exchange rates for foreign visitors, especially for those of us in North America and Europe who were already enjoying lodging and entertainment costs 1/3 of what they’d be elsewhere. For example, last November when I was in Buenos Aires, a high-end meal for two with wine came out to about US$40 and a hostel cost around US$5.

So, if anything, one way to help out Argentina is to boost its tourism industry by heading there this year and discovering all that the country has to offer and to hope for a speedy recovery. That’s a lot easier than trying to single-handedly prop up the price of soybean and wheat.