AP Travel Columns

NEW YORK - It's an alluring vacation idea in a recession: To beat pricey hotel rates, you swap homes with a family in the city you want to visit. Full Story »

MONREALE, Italy - I am inside one of the most glittering monuments to Christianity — the mosaic-filled cathedral of Monreale - talking to a conservator, whose apron is covered in Arabic script, about President Obama. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - You don't have to go to the Himalayas or the Amazon for adventure. You can find it right here in the U.S., and the April/May issue of National Geographic Adventure magazine is offering a list of the 50 best American adventures, from surfing and climbing to paddling and pedaling. Full Story »

Fuel is cheaper than it was last year, so maybe it's time to think about the ultimate all-American vacation — the road trip. You could drag out an atlas or a stack of maps, or you could just browse the Web for information on routes such as U.S. 6, meandering through the hills and forests across Pennsylvania's "road less traveled." Full Story »

There's still time to organize a quick spring vacation getaway, and it doesn't have to be on some crowded tropical beach at the far end of an hours-long airline flight. Full Story »

Alabama doesn't have a very long coast on the Gulf of Mexico, but it gives visitors plenty to see and do there in the spring from nature hikes to sandy beaches to fishing. Now all you need to do is look through a few Web travel guides to get acquainted and start your planning. Full Story »

NEW YORK - From Vegas to Brooklyn, Saveur magazine's April issue offers a list of "12 restaurants that matter." Full Story »

New book from Arthur Frommer packed with tips Full Story »

It's spring in the Ozarks, wildflowers will be blooming on the hills and fish will be looking for baited hooks. And if that doesn't persuade you to plan a visit, follow a few Web links to learn about that tourist magnet called Branson, Mo. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - A new book from National Geographic asks celebrities to name their favorite places in the world, and the answers range from Nepal to Brooklyn. Full Story »

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - If you can't make it to Liverpool on your next trip to England but you're a Beatles fan, there are plenty of places in and around London where you can pick up the trail of the Fab Four. Full Story »

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Springtime means wildflowers, and Coastal Living magazine's April issue recommends 10 hikes along the coast where trails yield carpets of color as the weather warms up. Full Story »

It's barely spring, and there's still snow blanketing the high country, but they're already advertising the switch from snowmobiles to bicycles in Yellowstone National Park. Full Story »

NEW YORK - An exhibit of 750 postcards collected by the photographer Walker Evans is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through May 25. Full Story »

WINTER PARK, Fla. - Jungle lodges, beach towns and wildlife-watching can all be found on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, and Caribbean Travel + Life magazine took a look at the area in its April issue. Full Story »

CAIRO, Egypt - It was a simple question that I know I posed correctly in Arabic. Full Story »

It's never too early to start planning a beach vacation, especially when you need a quick and easy getaway after a long winter. Full Story »

NEW YORK - If you've got a hankering for fried catfish, Saveur magazine has a list of six great catfish houses to satisfy your yen. The eateries recommended in the March issue are: Full Story »