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.

How my main squeeze (now husband) and I ended up at one of the most romantic hotels I’ve ever visited, I’m not quite sure. We were itching for an international adventure. We decided Spain was calling, so we loosely planned a journey to Barcelona and, from there, the island of Majorca. We decided to stick to a budget in Barcelona, a decision that landed us in a very hot, very small (and very cheap) room without windows located about one block on the “wrong side” of Las Ramblas.

But during our visit to Majorca, we decided before the trip that it was crucial, in the vernacular of the day, to pimp it out in a phat hotel. And somehow, our pimp dreams led us to the tiny town of Arta and the Hotel Sant Salvador, a grand Spanish manse once home to a wealthy Majorcan family that now houses an eight-room, family-operated inn and Restaurante Ca’n Epifanio.

While most of the tourist attractions on the island are clustered near the famous beaches, Arta sits inland from the northeast coast. There is no water in sight, only dust from uneven roads that are more like medieval alleyways. Clotheslines are still hung between windows on the town’s main roadway. The remains of a castle tower over the hilly little enclave, where one car must often pull off the road to let another pass. Other than hike, golf (there are four courses within 15 minutes of the town) and stroll through the unpopulated streets, there is very little to do. But that is, perhaps, the most pleasing thing about visiting Arta. Its pace is otherworldly.

Each morning of our stay in the hotel’s second-floor Dos Mujeres room (pictured), a basket of fresh fruit, juices and other edibles appeared quietly outside our door. We’d rifle through it, then head out to explore the island in our blaze orange Opal, a hilariously little pod of a car. Afternoons brought happily uneventful hours spent by the Sant Salvador pool, time to admire the manicured grounds within its white walls, more time to laze about in our cavernous room, on the terrace and in the confines of the tiled bathroom’s decadent bathtub. Evenings followed with long, relaxing meals of regional cuisine at the hotel’s wonderful restaurant, a few glasses of wine in the bar, a conversation in the courtyard under the stars.

I’ve traveled many places since and stayed everywhere from bare bones tree huts to five-star hotels to a bed and breakfast with a glaring red heart-shaped Jacuzzi tub. And yet, when I stopped to recall the most romantic hotel I’ve ever visited, Sant Salvador jumped right from the annals of my travel memory to declare itself the uncontested winner.

I won’t go into the hotel’s particulars. Rates and discussion of in-room amenities would spoil my jaunt down memory lane. So in lieu of that practical information, which you can easily find on your own, I’ll end with this: here’s hoping every traveler has such a hotel in his or her future.

Yeah, last minute travel can be cool. But it can also leave you cash poor, especially when you’re talking high-season travel in major vacation destinations. But as with most things in life, a just little edumuhcation can go a long way. Case in point: Kayak.com’s Fare Alerts.

Create a Fare Alert (or 12) on Kayak.com or SideStep.com for the summer getaway(s) currently sequestered in your noggin by clicking on the “Get fare alerts for this trip” link on the top right-hand corner of the flight results page. You can track fares for specific dates, a flexible span of time (e.g. summer weekends or, say, the month of June) or an entire region (e.g. Europe). When your daily or weekly Fare Alert (you choose how often it arrives) touches down in your email inbox, you’ll be able to make informed travel decisions.

Depending on what you ask it to track (specific dates, flexible span of time or even top cities in a region), each Fare Alert can show you:

- How much the fare for specific dates has increased or decreased in dollars since the last alert

- The airfare history for your trip dates based on searches made by Kayakers over the past 90 days

- A snapshot of prices in Kayak.com’s matrix view, so you can quickly compare prices by carrier and number of stops

- The lowest fare available during a specific span of time (e.g. the next four weekends)

- The best fares available for popular destination cities in a region you want to visit (e.g. Africa)

Who knows, maybe you’ll still pay craptons to travel to the most expensive resort on the hottest island right in the middle of the high season. After all, it’s high season for a reason. But at least you’ll be pimping it out with full knowledge of your unbridled American excess. Just remember the wisdom of G.I. Joe.

(**Editor’s note: Yeah, Kayak.com owns us. You wanna make something of it? I’ll have you know I was surreptitiously using Fare Alerts to aid in making my personal travel plans long before Kayak.com bought our parent company SideStep.com in December. Nepotism, bias, blah, blah, blah. Fare Alerts just make good travel sense.)

Once a family-owned second home on Spain’s Puigcerda Lake, the Hospes Villa Paulita is the latest boutique destination from the Design Hotels group. The original building - a 19th century Spanish villa - has been updated with two new annexes. Black, silver and cream tones runing throughout the 34 rooms, four luxury suites and public spaces are balanced by open wood beam ceilings, wrought iron fixtures, stained glass windows and a selection of antiques from the home’s original owners.

But of the unique features of this new hotel isn’t even inside the property. Interspersed throughout the manicured gardens surrounding the main building, glass pyramids usher a modern architectural edge into the bucolic setting. These pyramids are actually large windows that allow natural light into the Bodyna Spa, whose indoor pool and fitness facilities lie beneath the gardens.

Starting with Riga on Aug. 25, a select number of European cities will be celebrating Notte Bianca (White Night), an event started in Paris in 2002 that turns a city into an all-night party space, arts exhibition and cultural experience. Many museums, shops and other venues stay open all night and feature special performances, screenings and exhibits in celebration of their city’s White Night. If you’re traveling Europe this September, head to a White Nights celebration and pull an all-nighter crash course in the city’s arts and cultural institutions. Here’s the schedule for this year’s celebrations:

Aug. 25 - Riga, Latvia

Sept. 8 - Rome

Sept. 22 - Madrid

Sept 29 - Brussels, Belgium

Oct. 6 - Paris

White Nights Europe

Earlier this week, 30 guests took to Madrid’s Hotel NH Alcala with sledgehammers. But hotel management is praising their efforts - not punishing them. Why? Link below. Honestly, I could see this scenario getting adapted for a U.S. reality television show.

The Latest Quick Fix for Stress - Smash up a Hotel

Just when you thought we couldn’t get any cooler, we come out with our brand-new, super fabulous Guide to Wireless Access at 80 International Airports. See, we’re thinkin’ about ya and your tech addictions wherever it is that you roam, not just within the US of A.

Where can you find free wi-fi? These airports offer it:

Vienna International Airport

Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport

Madrid Barajas International Airport

Montreal - Trudeau International Airport

Vancouver International Airport

Toronto - Pearson International Airport

Nassau International Airport

Grantley Adams International Airport (Barbados)

Antigua - VC Bird International Airport

San Jose - Juan Santamaria Airport (Costa Rica)

Sao Paulo - Guarulhos International Airport (Brazil)

Beijing - Capital International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport

Osaka - Kansai International Airport

Tokyo - Narita International Airport

Taipei - Chiang Kai Shek International Airport

Each of the above airports offers free wi-fi somewhere - not necessarily throughout the airport. Clearly, Canada and the Caribbean are kicking all our international butts with the free access, though many Asian countries also offer free wi-fi. Check out the chart for more juicy wi-fi info from around the world.

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

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