‘Tis the season to take a European vacation, but with both international airfare and hotel rates up 16 and six percent, respectively, as compared to last summer, what’s a world wanderer on a budget to do? Here are my five top tips for booking a cheap vacation to Europe this summer.

1. Travel during the shoulder season.  This is May, early June and September. If you have the flexibility to avoid July and August, do so. Prices are lower in shoulder season months, crowds are fewer and the weather is just as nice — if not nicer. It’s too late for May or June of 2011, but consider taking a trip in September. If you want really rock bottom prices, go over Thanksgiving weekend. It will be on the chilly side in many locations, but may not matter if you’re planning on a city vacation.

When I was 16, my father, a West Point professor, took two cadets to Yosemite National Park. They spent 10 days there really roughing it up, learning about the environment and their instinctual selves. They even acquired rugged wilderness names–one cadet was named “Goat” and the other “Bear”! (They, on the other hand, just called my Dad “Sir”!). Upon my Dad’s return he was ecstatic; it was their first time in Yosemite and he had tons of photos, sketches, and stories to illustrate their adventure. Needless to say, he had me yearning to experience the great National Park as well.

Fast forward 10 years and I’ve been on four great backpacking trips through Yosemite.  It’s been a profound experience each and every time, and although I grew a lot in between each trip, I always seem to visit the same familiar landmarks each time.  It’s like visiting old friends that have seen you grow throughout the years, familiar faces that you must greet each time you’re there. So, Window Seat Blog reader, please meet my best Yosemite friends:

I’m a little biased when it comes to San Diego. I lived there for six months (which wasn’t long enough) and I got married there too. Now that my parents are living in the area, I find myself down there at least every couple of months, which is certainly enough time to craft a well-worn list of favorite activities in and around the area. Here are my top five:

The cactus garden at Balboa Park: Yes, Balboa Park itself is fantastic, from the world-class museums to the incredible architecture to the shady pathways just perfect for strolling. I’m partial, though, to the outdoor cactus garden right at the back, which you can explore for free. Take tons of pictures!

When the mercury’s rising, there’s nothing like a freshly-iced cocktail to cool the sweat on your brow. But which destinations boast the best libations? Check the list below for some history behind your favorite summer drinks–and a few fantastic places to sip them.

1. Hawaii: The Mai Tai
While it’s name conjures images of Hawaii’s blue swells, this 1950s favorite actually originated in California. There’s some dispute over whether it was Oakland or Los Angeles that perfected the popular mix, but there’s no dispute over its enduring popularity. For a more traditional pour, check out Tahiti Nui on Kauai or House without a Key on Oahu.

All I can think about at the moment is packing for my next big trip. Why? Well, it’s going to be a little like The Packing Olympics. I’m headed to a formal awards gala in Las Vegas (read: cocktail dresses) but first I’m stopping by the Grand Canyon for an ambitious hiking and camping trip. My suitcase/duffel bag is going to be confused to say the least.

Plus, though I’ve done a little camper camping in my day and plenty of day hiking, I’ve never gone on a full-fledged camping trip, much less one that involved plane travel to get there. I’ve decided that the trick is to bring the RIGHT amount of gear–not too much and not too little.

Score a cheap flight or outdoor vacation package, and then take a quick peek at my best packing tips. Plus, leave your tips in the comments section!

Surfing is a sport intrinsically tied to the California psyche. It captures that be-in-tune-with-the-universe craving that draws so many dreamers out to live along the Pacific-fed West Coast. It’s a chance to get a great work-out, be outside in a spectacular setting, and look super cool while doing it. And one of the best places in California to experience surfing in all its glory is the seaside city of Santa Cruz, where surfing is so hallowed that there’s an entire museum dedicated to it.

I’d been living in the S.F. Bay Area for over seven years before I finally discovered Reno. For those of you without a Jeopardy-grade geography recall, that’s like living in Salt Lake City and never driving up to Yellowstone: an unforgiveable travel offense. But don’t worry. I’m making things better by putting together a Reno/Tahoe bucket list for all you intrepid domestic travelers. And here it is:

When you live in San Francisco, one of the funniest sights is double-decker buses full of tourists shivering in their short-sleeve shirts. They were promised sunny California–and instead they got Fog City. Not only is our weather moody year round, but the summer is especially bone chilling. Just as tourist season swings into high gear, that famous fog starts rolling in.

But there is a nice side to this unexpected chilly clime: it’s always a good day for a nice cup of coffee. Perhaps that’s why we take our coffee so seriously here. Book a San Francisco vacation package and check out my top four spots to get buzzed.

It was late at night, in the time before the U.S. state department travel warnings and color-coded terrorist threat levels. I was running on no sleep, and I was surrounded by smiling people jabbering at me in another language. Shaking my head to clear the brain-fog, it came to me that they were asking me a very important question: What toppings did I want on my pizza? (It was the mention of corn that had thrown me off.)

I’d just arrived in the Mexican mountain town of Uruapan after a winding bus ride from Mexico City. The friends I’d made just a few days before had dispersed into the night, and I found myself alone with my new “family” for the next four weeks (I was 16 years old and participating in a program called Experiment in International Living), a young couple with two adorable and chattery kids, all excited and speaking to me at a fast-clip in Spanish. (The true test of fluency in a foreign language has to be, I think, to try and have a normal conversation on very little sleep with an overexcited seven year old and her five-year-old brother, who will show no mercy with regard to their pace of speaking or your mispronunciations but instead look at you with totally unfiltered hilarity whenever you respond like you’re talking in some sort of monkey language.)

Please join us in welcoming guest author and Travelocity employee Anna Wilkens, who originally hails from Sweden. Anna is currently based in San Francisco and enjoys traveling the world with her two-and-a-half year-old daughter.

I always knew that having a child wouldn’t stop me from traveling. But as I used to do at least a few adventurous trips every year—backpacking through India or southeast Asia, sailing around New Zealand, or following ancient trails in Guatemala—traveling did change after the arrival of my kid. Don’t get me wrong—I still enjoy it, just in a different way. The long and intense travels, like the adventurous trips, aren’t as appealing anymore.

Traveling for me is really about meeting people and having new experiences. And, as I’m sure you know, traveling in the company of a child is a terrific conversation starter and a way to connect with people, even the ones you never thought you’d find something to relate to. When we were in Mexico, for example, I learned twice as much Spanish just because of my daughter. In every taqueria and on every street corner, people started talking to our little curly blond haired girl and me.

Please join us in welcoming guest author Joel Frey, one of the Travelocity Roaming Gnome’s most trusted publicists.

At what point did pop culture and man-law decree that a weekend among fellas must occur in Vegas? Men, let’s face it: Swingers came out 15 years ago and Vince Vaughn has gotten hitched and added a few inches to his waist line. It’s time to challenge our thinking pertaining to the classic guy’s weekend getaway.

The key word, of course, is thinking and, generally, the less we guys have to engage our brains re: trip planning, the better. In my opinion, that’s why Vegas became the go-to option for bachelor parties and other manly gatherings. In the iconic words of Darth Vader, it’s “all too easy.” Once your feet hit the desert, you know that you’re going to eat, drink, gamble, go to a club and, maybe see a show. The only decision to make is in what order these events will take place.