Source: Shutterstock

Summer is around the corner, and one of the things I really look forward to is planning trips for me and my friends.  I love coordinating plans, exploring new places and looking for discounts. It’s all fun in the sun until it’s time to book and suddenly no one can pay for a few days in paradise.  Traveling with friends can be tricky because you really don’t know someone until you’ve traveled with them.  Some people get “brand new” in unfamiliar places, and others have the best of intentions but no follow through.

Vacations are one of those things that will truly test a friendship, but new adventures shouldn’t end old friendships. Keep the following in mind before you book your next getaway with the besties:

Here’s some info you can use…

Daily Infographic and LovingApartments.com has created an infographic (of course) that details the tipping protocol across continents and regions around the world. With the summer travel season upon us, this comes to us just in time.

Note the differences in places like Europe, where tipping is minimal, versus Asia where it’s actually insulting to offer money. Can you imagine that in the US? We tip for bad service here!

Unless you don’t tip ever. Which — gasp! — please say that ain’t so. What are your tipping rules? Do share in the comments section.

Global Tipping Etiquette infographic

Shutterstock

Someone queue up Will Smith’s “Summertime” and pass along a fruity drink with a small umbrella. Ladies and gentlemen – summer is just about here, which means the time has come to start planning for a much needed vacation!

Everyone needs to pack up and get away at some point during the summer months. You need a break from the hard work you put around the office, or to simply seize the opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with your children once school goes on hiatus. Whatever the case, just know you are worth it and deserve a summer trip, whether you plan to stay in the United States or travel abroad.

Keep in mind, a vacation requires money. You don’t want to come home to financial stress. So be sure your bank account can handle the cost of travel, accommodations, and all of the sights and sounds of the destination. ICYMI: We offered some tips for traveling like a baller. Check it out here.

There are some getaways that take a little more time to plan. Here are the summer vacations you should start planning ASAP.

via @DateMissTravel

Airports, the new hot dating spot? Well, people used to say the best place to pick up single women and men was at the grocery store, so why not airports? And with busy executives spending a lot of time traveling, airports might be the only place they come in contact with new people—and potential dates.

Many jet setters might be interested in a new survey by travel dating website MissTravel.com that uncovered the most popular airlines for single women. Delta Airlines topped the list for finding single women, while United Airlines came close at #2 on the “7 Airlines Most Single Women Fly” survey. US Airways, Southwest Airlines, Virgin Airlines, Jet Blue Airlines and  AirTran Airways followed (in that order).

“Aside from the reasonable fares and amiable customer service, male business travelers frequently choose Delta,” says Brandon Wade, founder and CEO of MissTravel.com, said in a press statement. “Increasing the airline’s appeal to a woman traveling for leisure, who may have her eyes open for a potential love interest.”

And, found the polling, single women are willing to talk to strangers in airports. A whopping 64 percent of women admitted they spoke to strangers while at the airport or airplane than anywhere else.

And the odds are in the single lady’s favor as single male travelers (meaning men traveling by themselves) outnumber lone female travelers by 15 percent.

So what we’re wondering is, where is the list of airlines single men prefer?

Shutterstock

With travel prices soaring, every saved penny counts. And industry analysts say airfares will keep rising for 2013, according to USA Today. Passengers can be expected to pay more add-on fees. The airlines, which are cutting flights, are making money from these additional costs. According to the newspaper, airlines collected $924 million in baggage fees alone in the third quarter of last year. They made another $652 million from fees to change reservations.

It is not just airfare, car rental agencies, hotels, and cruise lines  are adding new fees. But there are actually ways to get a few free things the next time you travel. We lay out a few of the opportunities.

Shutterstock

When you’re traveling, there are a dozen excuses not to stay on track with your diet and fitness plan: you don’t want to get lost jogging in a new place, you don’t want to miss out on trying the local cuisine, there’s no gym etc. But don’t use those excuses! Barricade yourself against the fattening but oh-so-fun experience that is vacation with these easy preparations.

Press Association via AP Images

As the Northeast hunkers down for the blizzard dubbed Nemo, airlines have canceled more than 3,000 flights for Friday, mostly from New York, Boston and Chicago airports, reports KTLA.

Amtrak has also canceled some trips. CNN is saying 30 inches of snow is possible in Boston.

According to the flight-monitoring site FlightAware, this is in addition to 475 flights canceled for Thursday and 454 canceled for Saturday.

Storm warnings and blizzard conditions have been predicted, and the snow is already falling in many places. According to the National Weather Service, two weather systems meet over the next 24 hours to “produce a major and potentially historic winter storm for the Northeastern U.S.”

KTLA explains: “A wet subtropical system rising from the Gulf Coast will collide with a polar front rolling in from the Midwest to produce a potentially historic winter storm. The icy rage is expected to begin in the New England area Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service predicts, and will last into Saturday.” The storms are expects to hit some of the areas that were devastated (and still recovering from) Superstorm Sandy.

But many of the nation’s largest airlines have announced they will waive the fees they normally charge to rebook a flight with a non-refundable ticket, reports the LA Times.

Shutterstock

It always baffles me when beautiful women consume all of their energy worrying about a man. Why he hasn’t called me? Why doesn’t e like me? I wonder what he’s doing. As Tionna Tee Smalls says, “Girl, Get Your Mind Right!” There are other things you can work on other than being preocuppied with a man who may or may not even be thinking about you. Here’s a list of things you can do to keep busy

There’s nothing more precious than sharing Disney Time with your kids. But the magic doesn’t end with family time – it’s for parents and adults, too. With ultimate relaxation at world-class spas to championship golf to award-winning fine dining, there’s plenty of grown-up Disney magic around the entire Walt Disney World® Resort.

Time out – outside the Theme Parks

When it’s time to relax and recharge, take a little retreat to Senses – A Disney Spa at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, a luxurious Victorian-themed oasis where your mind, body and spirit get the pampering they deserve. If your idea of down time is more like tee time, then there are four championship courses ready to challenge you, with magnificent tree-lined fairways, spacious greens and enough pixie dust to make your round memorable.

Ready to really shift things into gear? Get behind the wheel of a NASCAR-style car at the Richard Petty Driving Experience and punch it at speeds up to 120 mph down the mile-long, tri-oval racetrack! Of course, nothing complements a magical day like a special dinner. Even outside the parks, you have the world at your fingertips (and taste buds). Discover the bold flavors of traditional African, Indian and Mediterranean cuisine at Jiko – The Cooking Place. Or take in the fantastic fresh seafood and wondrous décor at Flying Fish Café, located at Disney’s BoardWalk Entertainment District. With an amazing selection of delectable choices throughout the Walt Disney World® Resort area, you’ll find just the right menu and ambiance to make that special meal unforgettable.

Grown-up memories that never get old

All four Theme Parks at Walt Disney World® Resort are great for bringing out the kid in you. But be sure not to miss out on all the grownup fun and excitement beyond the Parks. Enjoying a little special “me-time” without the family can be just as magical as your time together. However you choose to spend your Disney Time, the one thing you can count on is great memories that will last a lifetime.

spirit of america / Shutterstock.com

Obama and the rest of DC are gearing up for his inauguration on January 21. This time around, when President Barack Obama takes the oath of office, there will be a marked difference in turnout. It will be a much smaller affair, with officials estimating that attendance will be fewer by half, reports Fox News.

The first time around, some 1.8 million people packed onto the National Mall to see the first black President of the United States being sworn in. Now, hotel occupancy is weak compared to 2009, when you could not find an empty hotel room for miles. The special hotel packages aren’t being booked like before, Kate Gibbs, spokeswoman for Destination D.C., a nonprofit corporation that promotes D.C. travel and tourism, told Washington Whispers blog in US News And World Report. Back in 2009, hotel occupancy was 98 percent with guests paying more than $600 that night, according to hotel tracking firm STR, reports Fox News.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is also expecting less congestion with 800,000 fewer people using the rails, compared with 1.54 million users in 2009.

There are fewer official events as well. There will be only two official balls, versus six in 2009. The Inaugural Ball is expected to draw more than 35,000 people at the Washington Convention Center. The Commander In Chief’s Ball, which honors U.S. troops, has actually doubled in size from 2009 and will host about 4,000 participants at the convention hall. The events will, of course be star-studded — performers include Katy Perry, Smokey Robinson, Usher, Alicia Keys, and Brad Paisley.  Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson and James Taylor will perform at Obama’s signing ceremony.

Separately but equally interesting, President Obama will use two bibles for this swearing in, reports The Root. One of the bibles was used during the first inauguration in 2009, and was also used by Abraham Lincoln at his first inauguration. The second bible will be one used by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., according to a news release from the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

“On the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, this historic moment is a reflection of the extraordinary progress we’ve made as a nation,” Steve Kerrigan, president and CEO of the committee, said in the release.

The MLK bible was actually Dr.King’s “traveling bible.” According to The Root, Dr. King’s children announced, “We know our father would be deeply moved to see President Obama take the Oath of Office using his bible. His ‘traveling bible’ inspired him as he fought for freedom, justice and equality, and we hope it can be a source of strength for the President as he begins his second term.”

In a private swearing-in ceremony at the White House on Jan. 20, the President will use a bible from the First Lady’s family. “The Robinson Family Bible was selected specifically for the occasion. The bible was a gift from the First Lady’s father, Fraser Robinson III, to his mother, LaVaughn Delores Robinson on Mother’s Day in 1958,” writes The Root. “Mrs. Robinson was the first African-American woman manager of a Moody Bible Institute’s bookstore and she used the Bible regularly.”

Will you be there? MadameNoire recently reported on nine reasons to attend.