AP - Winter is a traditionally slow season for vacation home rentals. But if you're a would-be renter, you can score terrific bargains on offseason rentals and enjoy a different type of getaway, sipping hot chocolate in front of a cozy fireplace instead of running around to see the sights.

AP - Travelers have been able to score decent deals on hotel rooms and airfares over the last year. But car rental prices have increased dramatically despite the weak economy.

AP - The shimmering Gateway Arch on the banks of the Mississippi River is St. Louis' calling card. But the iconic monument set off from the rest of the city is, well, set off from the rest of the city.

AP - Happy first birthday, world traveler.

AP - As I tumbled down the mountainside in a gigantic beach ball filled with water, feeling somewhat like I was in a washing machine, it occurred to me that there had to be a better way to experience New Zealand.

AP - In November, I'll be quitting my job and heading out on one of the last true adventures left on earth: Driving around the world.

AP - Wade Johnson has plopped down in plenty of hotels, but the business consultant ranks his stays at 21c Museum Hotel in downtown Louisville as a one-of-a-kind experience.

AP - Last spring thousands of travelers canceled trips to Mexico after a swine flu outbreak there emptied beaches and resorts.

AP - Savannah was founded in 1733 and was one of America's first planned cities, with a series of squares and parks that can still be enjoyed today.

AP - Curtis Richardson hops around the front parlor of the 140-year-old house, animatedly recounting the enchanting tales of Brer Rabbit and Brer Wolf.

AP - The Bill Clinton First Home Museum will soon be a part of the National Park system, a designation that will give the modest structure on a busy street more visibility as a tourist destination.

AP - Sachertorte. Magnificent palaces. Splendid museums. When Phillip Kalantirsky had his fill of Vienna the Opulent, he stayed on for a taste of Vienna Noir — in a walking tour built around the cult film "The Third Man."

AP - There's an old story in New Orleans about a society matron who heard about a friend's death. Grief-stricken but practical, the matron immediately wondered if the waiter at Antoine's whom her friend had relied on for years was up for grabs, or if someone had already claimed him.

AP - New Orleans' most famous street is a nightly swirl of bright neon and happy tourists strolling with a beverage in hand.

AP - Joseph Marzelli is glad for the cheerful canary singing in the darkness of an Appalachian coal mine.

AP - Grapes aren't supposed to grow in the desert. But here in this southern Arizona town, surrounded by endless, rolling green and amber hills, the Callaghan family is de-stemming gigantic bins of grapes that will eventually produce a nice Petit Verdot.

AP - When the East German government built the Berlin Wall in 1961 to prevent its citizens from leaving, the regime failed to account for the ingenuity and creativity of those willing to risk anything to escape the communist system.

AP - Soaring statues of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, portraits of the city's most productive workers adorning a square, red flags fluttering in the wind during a Communist demonstration.

AP - On a Christian pilgrimage with her church group, Kristin Toorop looks up to Calvary and her eyes open wide.

AP - Tourists at the souvenir stands on the edge of Red Square smirk and chuckle as they buy T-shirts emblazoned with Lenin's glowering visage and Soviet propaganda posters. But 20 years ago, the Soviet Union was no joke.