November’s issue of Conde Nast Traveler features the results of its annual Readers Choice Awards. The issue goes on sale Oct. 24th. In the mean time, you can check out the top three winners in each category. Real travel junkies can compare this list to last year’s Readers Choice Awards:

Top Cities - United States:

1. San Francisco, CA

2. Santa Fe, NM

3. New York, NY

Top Cities - Asia:

1. Bangkok, Thailand

2. Hong Kong

3. Chiang Mai, Thailand

Top Cities - Europe:

1. Florence, Italy

2. Rome, Italy

3. Venice, Italy

Top Cities - Africa/Middle East:

1. Cape Town, South Africa

2. Marrakech, Morocco

Top Cities - Pacific Rim:

1. Sydney, Australia

2. Melbourne, Australia

3. Queenstown, New Zealand

Top Cities - The Americas:

1. Vancouver, British Columbia

2. Buenos Aires, Argentina

3. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Top Islands - Europe:

1. Mykonos & the Cyclades, Greece

2. Madeira, Portugal

3. Capri, Italy

Top Islands - Pacific Rim:

1. Maui, Hawaii

2. Kauai, Hawaii

3. Moorea, French Polynesia

Top Islands - Caribbean/Atlantic:

1. Bermuda

2. St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

3. British Virgin Islands

Top Islands - North America:

1. Vancouver Island, Canada

2. Kiawah, South Carolina

3. Nantucket, Massachusetts

Top Islands - Asia:

1. Maldives

2. Bali, Indonesia

3. Phuket, Thailand

Top International Route Airlines:

1. Singapore Airlines

2. Emirates

3. Cathay Pacific

Top Domestic Route Airlines:

1. JetBlue

2. Midwest

3. Hawaiian

Top Car Rental Agencies:

1. Hertz

2. Renault Eurodrive

3. Avis

Top Large Ship Cruise Lines:

1. Regent Seven Seas

2. Crystal Cruises

3. Disney

Top Small Ship Cruise Lines:

1. SeaDream Yacht Club

2. Grand Circle Cruise Line

3. Regent Seven Seas

Top Resorts - Africa:

1. Singita - Ebony & Boulders Lodges

2. Chief’s Camp, Botswana

3. Chobe Chilwero, Botswana

Top Resorts - Canada:

1. Pan Pacific Mountainside, Whistler

2. Four Seasons, Whistler

3. Westin Resort, Whistler

Top Resorts - Atlantic:

1. One&Only Ocean Club, Bahamas

2. The Reefs, Bermuda

3. Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos

Top Resorts - Central/South America:

1. Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo

2. Explora en Patagonia, Chile

3. Llao Llao Hotel & Resort, Argentina

Top Resorts - Asia:

1. Four Seasons Bali at Sayan

2. Four Seasons, Chiang Mai, Thailand

3. Banyan Tree, Phuket, Thailand

Top Resorts - Mexico:

1. La Casa Que Canta, Zihuatanejo

2. Royal Hideaway Playacar, Riviera Maya

3. JW Marriott, Cancun

Top Resorts - Pacific Rim:

1. Four Seasons Lodge at Koele, Lanai

2. Four Seasons Hualalai, Big Island

3. Voyages Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef

Top Resorts - Europe:

1. Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland

2. Westin Turnberry Resort, Scotland

3. Mount Juliet Conrad, Co. Kilkenny

Top Resorts - Caribbean:

1. Malliouhana Hotel, Anguilla

2. Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman

3. Sandy Lane, Barbados

Top Resorts - United States:

1. Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, AZ

2. Inn at Palmetto Bluff, SC

3. Inn at Spanish Bay, CA

Top Hotels - Asia:

1. Fullerton Hotel, Singapore

2. Amandari, Bali

3. The Peninsula, Bangkok

Top Hotels - Caribbean/Atlantic:

1. Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France

2. Ladera, St. Lucia

3. Waterloo House, Bermuda

Top Hotels - Pacific Rim:

1. Rialto Hotel on Collins, Melbourne

2. Park Hyatt, Sydney

3. Lilianfels Blue Mountains, Australia

Top Hotels - Africa:

1. Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza

2. Cape Grace, Cape Town

3. Sofitel Palais Jamai, Fez

Top Hotels - Europe:

1. Four Seasons Gresham Palace

2. Chateau Les Crayeres, Reims

3. Four Seasons George V, Paris

Top Hotels - South America:

1. Hotel Monasterio, Cuzco, Peru

2. Four Seasons, Buenos Aires

3. Swissotel, Quito, Ecuador

Top Hotels - United States:

1. The Peninsula, Chicago, IL

2. Watermark Hotel, San Antonio, TX

3. St. Regis, New York, NY

Top Hotels - Canada:

1. Auberge du Vieux-Port, Montreal

2. Hotel Dominion 1912, Quebec City

3. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City

Top Hotels - British Isles:

1. Buckland Manor, The Cotswolds

2. Gidleigh Park, Devon

3. Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London

Top Hotels - Central America/Mexico:

1. JW Marriott, Mexico City

2. Esperanza, Cabo San Lucas

3. Casa Santo Domingo, Guatemala

Top Hotels - Middle East:

1. Grand Hyatt, Amman

2. King David, Jerusalem

3. David Citadel, Jerusalem

Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers Choice Awards

Access Trips makes me really wish I had $2446. The adventure travel company’s Hike & Ride Boat Cruise combines riding the slopes in pristine Norwegian backcountry with nightly accommodations on a ship that ferries passengers to various destinations in the Arctic Circle. The 8-day program promises lots of powder and scenic views in a remote part of the world most of us couldn’t explore on our own, but also teaches backcountry safety skills and avalanche rescue techniques.

The trips aren’t cheap, but they will leave you with more than memories. All Access Trips programs combine outdoor adventure with new skills for beginners to advanced levels. Among the offerings are sea-kayaking trips along Mexico’s Baja coast, mountain biking through Cappadocia, surfing in Morocco and rock climbing Italy’s Dolomites mountain range.

Access Trips official site

Congress is considering an extension on the passport deadline that would require U.S. cruise passengers to carry passports:

Passport Law Could Strain Border Ties

SmarterTravel announced its Top 10 Luxury Hotels list today. These are the hotels that SmarterTravel editors deem splurge-worthy:

Forte Village (Sardinia) (pictured)

Ladera Resort (St. Lucia)

Mount Washington Hotel (Bretton Woods, NH)

Hotel Secreto (Isla Mujeres, Mexico)

New York Palace Hotel (New York, NY)

Casa Santo Domingo (Antigua)

Wentworth By the Sea (New Castle, NH)

Four Seasons Resort Nevis (West Indies)

Prince of Wales (Ontario)

Cheeca Lodge (Florida Keys)

While the hotels on the list are no doubt gorgeous and splurge-worthy, this list of hotels and resorts picked from “around the globe” doesn’t mention any properties outside North America. Just a head’s up.

Perhaps you’re jonesing for some of that French rap you heard in gay Paris or the Afro-Peruvian beats you soaked in on Peru’s coast. Hey, you may get back there someday to hear your favorite international music genres in person, but in the mean time, check out National Geographic’s World Music department. You can listen to a bajillion genres you’ve never even heard of, listen to and download your favorites. And there are free downloads offered each week. Cool beans.

I learned of this new development via World Hum. Must give credit where credit is due.

The AAA is warning would-be travelers abroad not to fall prey to international driver’s permit scams, which can result in fake licenses for as much as $350. Why would you want to fork over a hunk of change when a real international driver’s permit costs only $10?

All you need to get your international driving permit is your U.S. license, $10 and two original passport-size photos (or let them take ‘em for you at the AAA office). You can apply for your permit in person or by mail.

The permits are valid - as long as you have your U.S. license to show alongside the international permit - in 150 countries for up to one year. They also have your information printed in 11 different languages - helpful if you’re traveling outside English-speaking countries.

AAA International Driving Permit

The only thing more amazing than attempting South America in four months with a two-year old, is TravelPoster mistylee917’s pics of Argentina’s Glacier National Park. This iceberg is unreal! Click on the pic for more info about and amazing photos of the creaking, creeping glaciers.

South America is next on my list of continents to conquer and when I found out about new hotel Home, I put Argentina at the top. This adorable boutique hotel boasts a vintage mod aesthetic and is located in the fashionable Palermo Viejo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. 17 rooms from $115 a night are hip yet comfy with air-conditioning and stereo systems (with ipod connectors!). There’s a bar next to the outdoor pool and rumor has it the bartender makes a mean mojito, with mint right from the hotel’s garden! Treat yourself to a facial ($48) or a 60 minute massage ($48) at their bliss-inducing spa. Run by a London music producer and his wife, a former PR manager, they are bound to clue you in on all the hottest spots in town. After a night out, you know you’ll have a home to come to.

Home Hotel official site

I’ve always wondered what a piranha looks like up close. Check out those choppers!
This pic was taken by TravelPosters The_Windleys in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia. Be sure
to peruse their South America 2006 itinerary - with Chile, Argentina and Bolivia
already under their belt, they’ve got a ton of recommendations and price points for everything!

Okay, unless you’re going to Hawaii, Marriott’s Stay For Breakfast summer promo isn’t being offered in the U.S., but it is good for Marriott hotels in the UK, Australia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Africa. Here’s the deal: Book a two-night stay at a participating Marriott, JW Marriott or Renaissance hotel with your Visa card between May and September, have breakfast at the hotel, and you’ll receive a $100 pounds, Euro, etc., toward a future stay. The deal is also good for Marriott Courtyards, but you’ll only get $50. There are some pesky restrictions, but regular Marriott guests should take note.

Marriott Stay For Breakfast promotion