In a move likely to make it the lodging darling of New England’s environmentally-aware and intellectual travelers, The Charles Hotel in Cambridge (whose bedspreads, fittingly enough, continue the vehicular theme by reminding us of oldschool taxis) has plans to juice up guests’ hybrid and electric vehicles for free and offer discounted overnight parking rates to drivers of smaller cars.

Dubbed the Charles Hotel Juice Bar, the car-charging stations will occupy two parking stalls in the hotel’s garage that will be able to charge hybrid and electric cars in two to four hours. While they wait for their cars to re-up (or anytime during their stay), guests can get around on one of the hotel’s complimentary bikes outfitted with shopping baskets. Through a partnership with the Liberty Hotel in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood – about four miles away – guests can ride one way across town, drop their bikes off at either hotel and taxi or ride public transportation back.

Each of these new green initiatives from the hotel officially arrives on Earth Day, April 22, 2009.

Before you set off on your next roadtrip, you can enhance the trip ahead — not to mention your day-to-day driving adventures — by prepping your smartphone with traveler-friendly applications we dare say go the extra mile (we know, we know).

The New York Times recently reported on some useful driver-minded apps for the iPhone and G1 that do everything from organize mileage and car maintenance records to calculating blood alcohol level (unscientifically, of course).

One of our favorites mentioned in the story is ParkMark, an app that helps drivers remember where they parked using GPS technology. It’s a handy little tool that will get you back to your car every time – a nice feature when you’re out late in an unfamiliar city.

Another we like (though we hope we won’t have a need for it anytime soon) is iWrecked, which reminds users what info they’ll need to collect from the other driver after an accident and allows them to add photos and save pertinent facts, phone numbers and insurance details all in one place.

Here at TravelPost.com, we’re big fans of listening to what everyday travelers have to say about hotels. But that doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to opinions from travel industry experts – after all, other than the most frequent world travelers, they’re the people most likely to live and breathe travel day-in, day-out – not to mention the people on top of the latest lodging options, travel trends and recent developments in major cities.

So we had fun perusing the destination picks from top travel industry players in a recent survey by our friends at NileGuide, a site that allows travelers to find recommendations from local experts in destinations around the world and create custom trip guides. Along with folks like Lonely Planet’s Todd Sotkiewicz and Five Star Alliance Cal Simmons, our own Ross Weber was even one of the experts chosen to weigh in.

Here are the places the experts chose:

Top country to visit: United States

Top city: New York

Top journey: Driving Highway 1, California Coast

Top region: The Big Island, Hawaii

Top icon: Golden Gate Bridge

Top hotel: The Four Seasons Maui (pictured) vs. The Peninsula Hong Kong

You can find the complete the results here and here.

With just a few hours left in good ‘ole 2008, we’re looking ahead to next year and what the coming months will hold for travelers. Over the past year, travelers have had their fair share of unpleasant travel developments to contend with. We’re talking sky-high gas prices, airline fees, bankrupt airlines and unprecedented airfares, just to name a few. With those realities in mind, we’re happy to report that there are plenty of things for the avid traveler to look forward to in 2009.

Here are five:

Wi-fi, finally: Virgin America, American Airlines and Delta Airlines have already started rolling out AirCell’s Gogo in-flight wireless Internet service on select planes, but most travelers have yet to find themselves on an aircraft that offers it. Expect to finally be able to test the service in 2009, as each airline adds the service to more of its fleet. Also in 2009, we hear GoGo rival Row 44 has plans to bring its in-flight Internet service to Southwest and Alaska Airlines.

Liquid relief: Nothing’s official yet, but next year may bring the end of the super-annoying restrictions on liquids and gels at the airport. TSA Chief Kip Hawley told the media in October that he expects his administration to relax the rules next fall, thanks to new X-Ray machines capable of better liquid bomb detection than previously available.

Deals, deals, deals: Though travel is expected to drop-off significantly during the first part of next year, those with the funds and inclination to travel will find plenty of ways to do it on the cheap in the coming months. Although we’re expecting airfares to hold steady for the time being, there will be plenty of deals to be had at hotels, resorts and on cruises – especially if you’re willing to book now for a trip later in 2009. At the beginning of the year, be on the lookout for ongoing promotions at ski resorts. Many are expecting a seriously slow winter season and are rolling out deals on lodging, lift tickets and equipment rentals to compensate.

More roadtrips: Who doesn’t love hitting the open road? Especially when gas is the cheapest it’s been in years. In 2009, road trips will once again be affordable for travelers. Need some suggestions for where to go on your next behind-the-wheel adventure? Check out our round-up: 4 Great U.S. Roadtrips that Spin Our Wheels.

London calling: With the British pound hitting record lows against the euro in recent days, it’s an excellent time to visit the UK – a destination many U.S. travelers have crossed off their lists over the last few years simply because of the high cost of lodging, dining and entertainment. While the pound is, at present, still stronger than the dollar, its falling value should take the sting out of a visit to London in ‘09.

Gas prices have plummeted lately and, for travelers, that means roadtrips are more enticing options for travel than they’ve been in several years. But here’s another reason to make your next trip one that involves the open road: U.S. highways are safer than they’ve ever been, says U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.

Highway-related fatalities are expected to reach a record low in 2008, down 10 percent over last year. That’s certainly welcome news for the many travelers who’ll trade the expense of flying for hours behind the wheel this holiday season and on into next year.

Ah, the freedom of the open road. In honor of dropping gas prices and the four wheels of America’s favorite mode of transportation, here are four great drives that send our traveling hearts from 0 to 60 in record speed:

Highway 1, CA
Meandering along the Pacific Coast between the craggy cliffs of Northern California’s Fort Bragg and the wide swathes of beach peppering Southern California’s shores, this winding roadway ushers drivers past such iconic sites as the Golden Gate Bridge and Hearst Castle, while offering long stretches in sparsely populated and breathtakingly gorgeous areas like Big Sur. Chances for rustic relaxation abound along the drive. Camp at state parks like Big Sur’s Julia Pfeiffer Burns or bunk in luxury tents near Half Moon Bay at Costanoa. For posh overnights, there are plenty of options in the upscale towns dotting this route. Try mixing woodsy retreats with stops in the chic enclaves of Sausalito, Carmel and Malibu. Snaking past San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbera, Los Angeles and San Diego, this drive also promises plenty of opportunity for urban adventure.

Blue Ridge Parkway
From the forested hills of Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park to its southern end at the entrance to North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this 469-mile drive can be done in a day or spread out over longer periods of time. In the summer, outdoor enthusiasts and cyclists slowly make their way along the route, with stops at the nine campgrounds or jaunts into the surrounding wilderness areas and family-friendly attractions like Linville Falls, the Shenandoah Caverns and Natural Bridge. While colder months put a damper on camping and hiking along the way, the drive can still be a rewarding one simply for the bucolic landscape and quaint country towns you’ll spot. Head to Virginia’s Wintergreen Resort for golf in the summer and skiing in the winter or plan a relaxation-driven stop in artsy Asheville, NC with an overnight at the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa.

Route 66
Crossing two-thirds of the United States on its way between Chicago and Los Angeles, this historic roadway offers a lot more than a chance to get your kicks. While there are some long and relatively boring portions that are worth skipping, doing the drive in its entirety can be rewarding just for the sheer wonder that comes with watching the Midwestern landscape give way to the central plains and, later, barren desert, morph into the Grand Canyon and then change yet again once you reach California. Lovers of kitschy roadside attractions will revel in all this drive has to offer. Stop in Holbrook, Arizona at Stewart’s Petrified Wood to view giant mannequin-eating dinosaurs statues or bunk on the town’s Wigwam Village Motel. Park it in Springfield, IL and pay homage to our nation’s gas-guzzling past with a visit to Shea’s Gas Station Museum. Or view the world’s largest rocking chair in Fanning, MO.

Overseas Highway from Miami to Key West
Though this three-and-a-half-hour drive is easily manageable over the course of a day, it’s one that many combine with longer getaways on the islands along the way or in the hot cities at waiting at either end. Follow the mile markers from the mainland along the route, which crosses 42 bridges – the most famous of which is the Seven Mile Bridge connecting Marathon to Bahia Honda State Park. Farther south, Big Pine Key boasts the world’s sole population of tiny Key deer, who make their home in the island’s National Key Deer Refuge. At the drive’s end lies Key West, known as much for the party spirit that always seems to be alive and well along Duval Street as it is for cultural attractions like the historic Ernest Hemingway Home and the Southernmost Point just 90 miles from Cuba’s coast. If you have extra time, spend a day at Fort Jefferson Dry Tortugas National Park located 70 miles off the coast and accessible via ferry rides onboard the Yankee Freedom.

Bolt Bus, a new low-cost bus line with service planned up and down the East Coast, has announced it will launch a Boston to New York route in April. The New York-DC route begins on March 27th.

Why would you want to ride the Bolt Bus? Well, for one, you get free wireless Internet access (though the company admits it can be spotty at times), power outlets in the seats and three more inches of legroom than found in standard coach buses. On top of that, fares start at $1. Yup, there are a limited number of $1 fares, but hey, at least they offer ‘em. The company suggests buying tickets several weeks in advance to score the lowest ticket prices.

A pesky little practice called the Frequent Flyer Tax Recovery Surcharge means car rental companies are actually charging travelers daily fees for the privilege of earning airline miles (and in some cases, hotel points) through partnership promotions. Here’s how it works: You rent a car, and the company tells you that you can earn miles for your chosen airline. You end up paying between $.06 and $.50 a day for the privilege of earning those miles – and usually you’re not even earning that many miles to begin with. The fee is the car companies’ way of recouping their cost – levied by the airlines – for participating in the partnership and offering miles to you, the end customer. Here’s an interesting little tidbit I spied yesterday on the Consumerist blog:

Budget’s Free Frequent Flyer Miles Promos Will Cost You

If you ask us, it’s pretty shady to quietly charge travelers for the privilege of earning miles through a promotion. So we checked into it, and Budget is hardly the only company whacking travelers with hidden – or to be fair, very quiet – charges.

Avis Frequent Flyer Tax Recovery/Surcharge

Thrifty Frequent Flyer Tax Recovery/Surcharge

As I am sure you’d imagine, there are so many ins and outs to these surcharges that it’ll make you feel like the car rental companies are doing you a favor by charging you so you don’t have to read all this crap. But interestingly, the surcharges vary quite a bit depending on the combination of frequent flier program and car rental company in question. For example, Thrifty only charges $.06 per day when you earn American Airlines miles, but $.50 if you choose to earn Alaska Airline miles.

And buried in Northwest Airlines’ Special Offers for Elite Members, I learned that World Perks members will pay $.24 per day when they earn miles for a Dollar Rent A Car rental.

If you really want to geek out on how all this works, the topic has been hashed out in detail by the intrepid travelers on the FlyerTalk Forums:

Frequent Flyer Tax Recovery/Surcharge on FlyerTalk

In the end, the charges are so small that most travelers will just continue renting and earning miles as usual. But it sure makes for good cocktail conversation.

If you’re going to be in New York this weekend and you love travel, consider checking out the New York Times Travel Show, a veritable smorgasbord of travel information from resorts, hotels, spas, cruise lines, tour operators, tourist agencies and adventure travel companies from around the world. Along with vendor booths and live entertainment performances representing a vast array of cultures, the show features a Taste of the World Pavilion filled with international cuisine and cooking demonstrations, a Spa Pavilion offering sample treatments and discounted packages at spa resorts, travel author appearances and special travel deals offered to folks brave enough to book their next vacation on the spot. And with travel experts Rick Steves, Arthur Frommer, Ian Wright and Stephanie Abrams – among many others – leading seminars, the show offers a rare chance for face-to-face learning from leading peeps in the industry. Cost: $15.

Avis is offering up to 10 free tracks from eMusic when you rent a car from one of its U.S. locations. I took advantage of a similar offer from Avis a while back – the songs came from iTunes – and while it doesn’t make much sense to rent a car from the company just to get this deal if you can find lower rates elsewhere, it is a nice perk of renting directly through the company if you’re already planning to do so.

To receive your free music, you have to register for an Avis Wizard number in advance, then use that number when you make a rental reservation. Rent a car for one to four days, and Avis will email you a code – good for 30 days only – to download five free eMusic songs. Rent a car for five to 10 days, and you’ll get 10 free songs.

eMusic tracks work on the iPod and Zune. Really the only catch is that eMusic exclusively carries independent labels – and that may be an added bonus for many of you. Just don’t go in thinking you’re going to get the latest JT track.

Rent on Avis and Get Free Music