32 Good Things That Happened in Travel in 2010

It's time for year-in-travel recaps, but I can't bear to read one more word about bedbugs, patdowns, or Steven Slater. So let's look back at only the good and the cool of 2010, in no particular order:

1. The Harry Potter theme park opened. (Yeah, that's Brendan Fraser.)

2. The Obama administration forced airlines to change their ways to avoid long tarmac delays—and it appears to be working.

3. The new Hotel Elysian in Chicago instituted a no-tipping policy.

4. Cruise lines are warming to the idea of cabins for solo passengers.

5. Continental is testing passengers' self-swiping of boarding passes.

6. A high-speed train now connects Madrid and Valencia in just 95 minutes.

7. The World Lens app can translate words it sees through your phone's camera.

8. California's Mammoth Mountain ski resort is launching snowcat food trucks.

9. Westin is stocking hotels with borrowable workout clothes, including sneakers.

10. Singapore's Changi airport now has a 40-foot-slide.

11. The Canyons ski resort is bringing the heated chair lift to North America.

12. Google Earth has live flight tracking.

13. Holiday Inn and InterContinental are testing letting guests use their smartphones as room keys.

14. Chile designated 58,000 square miles as a marine reserve.

15. In-flight wi-fi is becoming far more prevalent—and through January 2, Google is paying for it on AirTran, Delta, and Virgin America.

16. Bike sharing programs are popping up everywhere.

17. Google Maps added bike directions.

18. ANA is allowing coach-class passengers to buy business-class meals.

19. Air New Zealand will sell three coach-class seats (with a footrest of sorts) to two travelers at a reduced cost.

20. Harrah's dropped the resort fee at all of its Las Vegas hotels.

21. A new site, Autoslash, automatically rebooks you if the rental car you reserved is available at a lower rate.

22. Disney's California Adventure theme park debuted its water show to raves.

23. Bus travel has never been nicer—and it remains a great cheap alternative to flying.

24. The Hoover Dam bypass bridge opened.

25. Smartphone boarding passes have entered the mainstream.

26. The federal government tightened security rules—minimum railing height, mandatory peepholes on cabin doors, etc.—for cruise ships.

27. Some hotel chains—including Hilton—are selling space-available upgrades for cheap.

28. Dubai's airport is limiting the number of announcements.
29. You can now search SeatGuru by flight number.
30. The first-ever theme park for the disabled, Morgan's Wonderland, opened in Texas.
31. A new trend in Vegas: Self-service beer taps.
32. Starbucks made wi-fi free at all locations.