AP Travel Columns

WASHINGTON - A slew of celebrity writers from John Irving to Jodi Picoult are scheduled to take part in this year's National Book Festival in Washington, scheduled for Sept. 26. Full Story »

Say you are a German food-eating, battlefield-visiting movie buff in an unfamiliar town. How can you build a perfect itinerary? With Earthcomber, a personal directory service with a dizzying amount of information. Full Story »

Renting a car is one way to see a new city, but for a real close-up (and a little exercise), how about renting a bike? Full Story »

NEW YORK - Restaurants in San Francisco, Cambridge, Mass., Chicago and Austin, Texas, are featured by Bon Appetit in the magazine's annual September restaurant issue. Full Story »

NEW YORK - This city is crazy for cupcakes. There are cupcake classes and cupcake tours, lines down the block at cupcake bakeries, a cupcake tea at a five-star hotel, and a cupcake truck with 6,000 followers on Twitter. Full Story »

DES MOINES, Iowa - Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts are claiming victory in their effort to restore the architect's last standing hotel, a northern Iowa landmark that has fallen apart over the past few decades. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - They're not the country's biggest rivers, or the best-known. But National Geographic Adventure is highlighting six wild and scenic rivers in the U.S. ideal for rafting trips. Full Story »

WORCESTER, Vt. - To prepare for a trip to Tuscany, Paul Boffa visited a local Verizon store to learn about options for taking his mobile phone with him. Full Story »

CHICAGO - Beginning in October, the Mobil Travel Guide brand will become the Forbes Travel Guide. Full Story »

NEW ORLEANS - The massive lobby, with its ornate trim, glittering Italian crystal chandeliers and mosaic floors, looks much as it did when Louisiana's Kingfish, Gov. Huey P. Long last strolled through. Some say a box full of kickbacks and shakedown money was tucked under his arm as he made his way to his regular suite in the 1930s. Full Story »

NEW YORK - Martha Stewart writes about her home in Seal Harbor, Maine, in the August issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. For foodies, the issue offers lobster recipes; for travelers, there are recommendations for places to go hiking around the Pine Tree State. Full Story »

When Daniel Carter logged on to a shared computer at a hostel in Rome to check e-mail, he had no idea he was in a hacker's sights. After his trip was over, he discovered someone had hijacked his e-mail account and sent a message to hundreds of his contacts asking for money. Full Story »

WINTER PARK, Fla. - Food, wine, sunny skies, golden sand and the turquoise sea: Now there's an inviting combination for a food festival. Full Story »

OAKLAND, Calif. - Lonely Planet founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler traveled widely with their children from the time they were babies. Full Story »

NEW YORK - The annual list of the "World's Best Cities" as chosen by readers of Travel + Leisure magazine was topped by a city that many Americans may not be familiar with: Udaipur, India. Full Story »

NEW YORK - Interested in New York history and architecture? Check out the walking tours offered by the Municipal Arts Society on everything from Beaux Arts buildings on the Upper West Side to the neighborhood around the city's new High Line, an old elevated train track reclaimed as a park. Full Story »

For high school students who have the time and money to travel, visiting a college campus is the best way to get a sense of the students, the faculty, and the feel of the place where they'll be spending four years (or more). Full Story »

NEW YORK - The incidents involving two girls traveling as unaccompanied minors who ended up on the wrong planes may have parents worried about safe trips for kids traveling alone. Full Story »