With all the canceled flights hitting travelers this week due to increased security inspections, I thought it would be a good time to highlight some past posts I’ve written about handling unexpected flight cancellations:

Call Airline, Then Stand in Line

Passenger Strategies for Canceled Flights

At the end of the day, there is no magic solution when a flight suddenly gets canceled. Whenever I’m stuck in that situation, I have a three-pronged attack:

1. First, I call the airline immediately with my re-booking request

2. While still on the phone, I hustle to the customer service/re-booking desk

3. Lastly, I embrace distraction. They won’t get you on the next flight, but a traveler should never underestimate the soothing power of some trashy magazines, a laptop, airport nachos and - let’s get real here - draaanks in the terminal’s watering hole.

Want a good value on your next vacation? Sure, we all do. Phoenix, shown here from atop Camelback Mountain, was recently rated one of the top places for good travel deals. According to the Hotwire Travel Value Index released yesterday, these are top U.S. cities for travelers to hit up when they’re looking to stretch their vacay dollars:

1. Phoenix

2. Dallas-Fort Worth

3. Orlando

4. Denver

5. Atlanta

6. Los Angeles

7. Washington, DC

8. Kansas City

9. Miami

10. Milwaukee

Frankly, I’m surprised to see L.A. and Miami on the list, as I was just last week hunting for decent deals on hotels in both cities and came up surprisingly short. I mean, yeah, you can stay somewhere cheap, but it often means staying somewhere really bland, really out of the way or really sketch. And that’s not what I call a “value.” In my mind, a good value is something a traveler can get excited about. Not just an inexpensive place to bunk in.

That said, the HTVI rates cities on more than just existing hotel rates. The range of activities in a city and availability of affordable entertainment also figure in. And both Miami and L.A. have plenty of affordable entertainment options (beaches, museums, landmarks). Then again, both cities also happen to have some of the country’s most expensive and exclusive restaurants, bars, retail shops and clubs. Really, in the end, whether or not you’ll get a good value in in any of the cities on the list depends heavily on what you enjoy doing when you travel.

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.

Picture it. You’re on vacation, contentedly minding your own business. Suddenly, you turn and realize you’re sitting at the table next to Nicole Kidman. Or maybe you look up from your beach towel just as Cameron Diaz plunges into the waves with her surfboard in tow. And like any self-respecting celebrity-obsessed, tabloid-reading traveler, you do what travelers do best: you whip out the camera. You snap away like a paparazzo beside a red carpet.

Do that, as a recent Wall Street Journal story The Rise of the ‘Citizen Paparazzi’ points out, and you’re likely to end up with more than some shots to dangle in front of your envious friends. These days, you could end up cold, hard cash. Read the article to find out how travelers are selling their vacation pics to companies who thrive on celebrity photography. Not that we needed the WSJ to tell us that regular citizens are the new celebrity photogs of the day, but the newspaper tends to say everything so much better than everyone else….

Since opening during the spring of 2005, 9 Beaches resort in Sandys, Bermuda has been making a name for itself with it’s eco-friendly practices and flip-flop-friendly attitude. And being one of the closest resorts to the United States that boasts over-the-water cottages with viewing windows in the floor, it’s a no-brainer for romantic getaways, weddings and anniversaries.

Just how eco-positive is the resort? The staff tools around the property on battery-operated vehicles. Lighting and hot water are powered by the sun, and rainwater is caught and recycled for hotel use. Local produce is used in the kitchen, and bicycles are available for guest use around the property. There’s even a “waterless” garden (known to enviro-geeks as a xeriscape).

We caught up with 9 Beaches General Manager Robin Gilbert, a native Bermudan and fount of local knowledge. Here, he gives us his picks for what to see and do during a visit to his island home.

9 Beaches has made a commitment to environmental stewardship. What unique environmental challenges does Bermuda face?

We get the majority of our water on the island by roof catch systems. There are centralized reverse osmosis facilities on the island, and we’ve all grown up knowing that water is very precious.

Things that other parts of the world are just coming around to, we’ve grown up with that thought process.

With transport, we’re limited to one car per household, and we’ve only had cars since 1968. From the get-go there was only one car per household. Most people have mopeds.

Tell us about the resort’s “waterless” garden.

Everything we have growing on the property is basically from Bermuda originally and doesn’t require a human being to be watering it. We have cedar trees, palm trees, cacti, succulents, aloe. Because nobody lives more than a half-mile from the sea, everything is covered in salt spray. We have to remember that when it comes to what we plant.

Your resort describes its dress code as “flip-flops required.” How many days a year do you wear ‘em?

Only on my day off.

On your ideal day off, where on the island would we find you?

Either on the beach or on the boat.

Most of the beaches are on the south coast. Horseshoe Bay is the largest beach on the island, and there are small coves on the east of Horseshoe Bay where it’s very quiet and there’s room for plenty of people.

Where would you send us to score postcard-worthy views?

For picture taking right on the property, there’s the sunset and the views of the Bay.

There’s the lighthouse, one of the high points on the island. It’s 15 minutes away.

The Dockyards is an amazing visitor attraction. It was built back in the 1800’s, and it’s been brought back to life. There’s a museum, restaurants, a small movie houses.

We want to watch the perfect sunset. Where would you send us?

The sunsets off the edge of the property are just absolutely spectacular. The sky lights up, and it’s just fantastic.

One morning, we’re feeling especially lazy. But we still want to see something of the island. What activity would you recommend?

If you want a lazy day, find yourself a beach. We have two 70-yard ones and also little ones.

For about $10-$15, one can rent a kayak and paddle around the point. There’s a shipwreck in a protected area, and we’re lucky it’s 100 yards off our property.

The next morning, we’re full of energy and ready to exert ourselves. What can’t-miss excursion would you recommend for active, outdoorsy travelers?

One option is to go to the Dockyards. It’s the most popular sightseeing attraction on the island. Get the Fast Ferry to St. George’s. It’s a great trip. You see the north side of the island. Look around St. George’s. There’s Fort St. Catherine, where the first settlers were shipwrecked. In folklore, this is what Shakespeare based his play The Tempest on.

The public transportation on the island is very good. For $4, you can get a bus all the way back to 9 Beaches. You can get back here in time for Happy Hour, or as we call it, Attitude Adjustment Hour.

As a blogger, staying connected is important (okay, an obsession), even when I’m on vacation. How wired is the resort?

The other day I was driving around with our techie on the golf cart, and he was picking up a signal on his laptop in most places - I would say about 70 percent of the resort.

What should every Bermuda visitor take home (i.e. special local product, souvenir, etc.)?

Bermuda Honey. We also have fantastic rum cakes. Down at the Dockyards, there’s a glass foundry. You can take home sand in a little jar. We’ve got enough to spare.

A day at 9 Beaches wouldn’t be complete without _______.

A Dark ‘n Stormy or a Swizzle. A Dark & Stormy is the most popular local drink. It’s made of black rum and ginger beer. Have it very cold.

And while we’re talking travel mags….Fancy yourself a travel writer, photographer or magazine editor? Budget Travel’s 10th anniversary issue will be written and photographed by readers. They’re in the home stretch, but are still looking for:

- Foodies in the Southwestern United States who can recommend great spots to refuel

- Pet travel photographs (you know you’re hoarding some cute ones)

- Someone traveling abroad in the next two weeks who’ll pick up some items from a foreign supermarket

- Your best family travel tips (e.g. how to usher get ankle-biters through airport security)

- Feedback on any trips you’ve taken after reading about them in the magazine’s 40 Best Deals section

Last Chance! Our All-Reader 10th Anniversary Issue Needs Your Help!

AT&T has launched an effort to warn iPhone users of the high charges they may accrue when traveling abroad. Sure, the phone automatically works outside the United States, but that doesn’t mean it’s cheap. In fact, as AT&T makes clear in a letter I received yesterday, simply opening an email with a 5 megapixel image in it while you’re traveling internationally could easily cost you $40. And with the dollar being what it is (i.e. lame), American travelers abroad need all the help they can get. Am I right?

If you travel abroad frequently, then it makes sense to pay for one of AT&T’s Data Global Plans ($24.99 or $59.99 per month). But if you’re only getting outside a few times a year, it’s probably more sensible to just curb your phone use while you’re away. In the PDF doc below (it’s a large file and may take a second to load), AT&T outlines steps travelers should take to prevent astronomical charges. For example:

- Turn off data roaming function (and you need to have the latest iTunes software on your computer to do this, apparently)

- Turn off auto-checking for emails

To learn more, check the doc below:

iPhone International Calling Charges

More often than not, articles that purport to offer travel tips are really just filler stories offering up a bunch of common sense knowledge. But Heather Eng’s Budget Travel story Psst! Broadway Tickets For Cheap had some advice I’d never heard before. Granted, I’m no theater buff, so maybe this is the most obvious tip in the world for a regular Broadway show-goer, but I’m copying it here because I think it’s a really worthwhile piece of travel advice for anyone headed to NYC who wants to catch a Broadway show:

Crack the codes

When you’re buying tickets online, the major agencies — Telecharge and Ticketmaster — ask for a promotional code, which can shave between 25 and 50 percent off the face-value price. You can find one of these codes by visiting Playbill, TheaterMania, and BroadwayBox.com. These sites list promotional codes for many shows, including blockbuster productions like “Hairspray.” Playbill and TheaterMania are more comprehensive but require registration. BroadwayBox.com posts a more limited number of codes, but you won’t have to cough up any personal information.

Insider’s tip: If you buy directly from a theater box office, where you can also use a code for savings, you will avoid the fees that Telecharge and Ticketmaster slap on the tickets they sell online.

While we humans groan at the thought of carrying a heavy pack, many dogs can’t wait to be put to work. Over the weekend, my husband and I invited a dog trainer friend over to evaluate our lovable, but somewhat neurotic pitbull mix. We were looking for pointers on helping her to become more relaxed in the many distracting situations that bombard a city dog each day, as well as friendly and confident around other dogs in potentially conflict-inducing places like other peoples’ houses, dog-friendly inns and hotels and the weekend getaway spots we often rent with our friends.

Our trainer’s solution? Well, there were many. But the one that I am most excited about is the doggie backpack. From now on, wherever she goes - on our daily walks, on hikes, on out-of-town weekend adventures - she’ll be dressed up like a canine mountaineer in Mountainsmith’s Dog Trippin’ Dog Backpack. I chose this model because it combines comfort features like padded, adjustable compression straps and a ventilated back (important for preventing hot spots) with its a set of dog travel accessories: two collapsible bowls, a fleece sleeping pad and a leash. I like the idea of her carrying her own supplies whenever we leave home, whether it’s for a 30-minute trek around our neighborhood or on the trip up the coast of Northern California we have planned for later this month.

At the risk of sounding like a traveling germ-phobic nutjob, I’ll admit I rarely get anywhere near an airport, bus or means of public transportation without fishing my trusty hand sanitizer out of my bag. And while I sometimes find myself wondering what happened to the free-spirited traveling self who would most certainly scoff at the more uptight version that exists today, I can say this: once you hit 30, getting sick starts to suck more. Way more.

While most hand sanitizers kill germs right when you apply them to your skin, SkinWear claims to continue killing pesky germs for hours and moisturize your skin at the same time (good for use during flights, when my skin starts to feel nigh on reptilian). The product is also non-toxic, biodegradable and vegetable-based. Once applied correctly, which requires rubbing the product into the skin for 60 seconds, SkinWear will do its thing through four rinses at the sink.

Not being scary germs ourselves, we can’t personally vouch for the product’s effectiveness. But not getting sick is good enough for me.