As this TravelPost member’s journal entry about Barga, Italy explains, the 16th century Italians did their descendants a major favor when they built an uncommonly narrow stone bridge.

Heading on an all-inclusive vacation this summer? In Fodor’s Travel Wire, Lisa Oppenheimer warns that skipping the fine print associated with your vacation package could leave you reaching for your wallet instead of sipping cool cocktails by the pool. Well, that’s not exactly true. You can sip cocktails by the pool whenever you want. You just might end up paying more for that pina colada than you would for a bottle of rum at home.

True, in most cases, your day-to-day necessities and entertainment needs are amply met, and food is dished out til your bathroom scale begs for mercy. But it’s a miscalculation to think you won’t be digging into your pockets at all during your stay. Like that all-too-familiar toy disclaimer, additional parts are sold separately. And it’s those very things that your kids will want most.

Here’s a shock. Despite what hit television shows would have you believe, not everyone in the O.C. (a.k.a. Orange County, Calif.) drives a Beamer or a Benz or spends his or her time agonizing over whether to go with the Prada sunglasses or the Chanel. Jill LeGrow explains how you, too, can hang out in the O.C., even if you’re traveling on a micro-budget.

Apparently, waves can go rogue. Passengers aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship are suing the company after 70-foot wave jumped out of the ocean and attacked them. Rooms were flooded, windows broken and several passengers sustained minor injuries. If only the other waves had been able to keep this miscreant swell in check….

Major news con’t:

Starwood has broken ground on a new resort in Hawaii, the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort. When completed, it will offer a hotels accommodations and timeshare villas. Scheduled to open in 2007.

From CNN, we learn how long flights could lead to learning languages. Singapore Airlines is now offering programs in 11 languages. And you thought you’d never get around to learning Portuguese….

This USA Today story confirms that your chances of getting stuck behind a slow-moving RV the next time you get on the highway are high. Apparently, 1 million Americans spend time each year truckin’ in their motor homes or trailers.

Also from USA Today, United ticket prices are set to increase 3%. The hike goes into effect immediately.

A look at the today’s national news reveals:

ABC News wants you to be mindful of the law when traveling abroad. The jist? Don’t smoke pot, carry firearms, break speed limits or solicit prostitutes. It would be interesting to follow this up with a story on what you CAN do on trips abroad that you can’t do stateside.

Want to run into stars on the golf course? Daily Candy suggests the Dominican Republic’s Puntacana course, where Bill Clinton and Mikhail Baryshnikov have been know to schedule tee time. In Bermuda, Tucker’s Point counts Michael Bloomberg as a regular.

If ever you were missing London or wanted to get a glimpse of this fab city, this TravelPost member’s photos are not to be missed!

Nevermind the summer heat and its effects on subway riding comfort. A TravelPost member reminds us what a visit to New York City is all about. An excerpt:

We enjoyed the perfect summer weather while getting lost in Central Park, sitting down to watch a middle-aged man overly enthused about racing his toy boat in a lake, tasty cappellini at Isabella Rossalini’s restaurant, and exchanging photos and videos of brothers, sisters, and Moldovans, but it was the endless talking about the last 5 years of our lives and reintroducing ourselves from so long ago that made the evening so memorable.