Travel Agents are coming back in style according to a new report from Market Watch. The article claims that US travel sales were up this year to $105 billion (that’s a 12% increase from last year) but fewer travelers are booking their trips online.

The reason?

Apparently online travel sources aren’t doing that great a job. Frustrations from unsatisfied customers is leading to a renewed interest in experience, qualified Travel Agents.

Personally, I think that’s great news. I like the idea of having someone I can call directly if everything goes wrong. For example, the last time I used Priceline for a hotel room we ended up leaving the place because their were roaches in the room. The owner, of course, refused to refund any of our money, and after “investigating” the situation Priceline told us we weren’t getting our money back either.

Which is why I won’t be using Priceline anymore.

I love the idea of a Travel Agent, and I sincerely hope that this report is accurate, and that this business is back on the rise.

When you first look at pricing for a cruise, you may be shocked at how inexpensive it seems. Cruises can be very budget friendly, but there are many extras involved with a cruise that travelers don’t always consider. Here are a 5 things to keep in mind when planning your cruise…

1. Get a Drink Card - Alcoholic beverages almost always cost extra on cruise, but most ships will offer a pre-paid drink card to help you keep track of your spending. This is an excellent way to make sure you cut yourself off before you lose all sense and spend your entire budget on booze.

2. Stay off the Internet - Yes, most cruises these days have Internet access. That’s a great way to stay in touch with your company or your family while you’re away…but it will cost you. You can expect to pay around .50 cents per minute for access to the Internet, so you’ll want to keep your connection time to a minimum.

3. Data Roaming will put you in the poor house - I’m sure that after reading #2 some of you thought “I’ll just use my cell phone for email and stuff”. That could end up being a HUGE mistake. Data Roaming charges are unbelievably expensive for travelers. When the iPhone launched last year there were reports of people getting bills from AT&T for thousands of dollars for having their data roaming on while traveling. If you have any question about whether or not you will be charged for data roaming turn it off. If you can’t turn it off - don’ launch your web browser or check your email on the phone.

4. Don’t forget the tip - Gratuities can be a very large expense that isn’t factored in when you buy your ticket. Many cruise lines encourage tipping throughout your trip, and some, like Norwegian Cruise, will actually include a 10 percent gratuity on your bill at the end of the cruise.

Many others will include a 15 percent gratuity on a bar tab as well.

5. Souvenirs…everyone buys souvenirs - One of the things most people do plan for are souvenirs…but often times people will under plan for this. You know your own purchasing habits, so don’t lie to yourself when planning your trip. If you’re going to 3 ports, and you know you’re going to spend $50 at each one - just bring the $150. The best thing to do is treat your souvenir money much like a drink card. Take only the amount you have budgeted when you leave the ship, so that you can’t over spend when you hit land.

Monopoly is one of the most beloved board games of all time. It is played by over 750 million people, and has been translated to 50 languages across the globe. Hasbro, Inc. never seems to run out of different ways to sell us the game either.

There are so many variations on Monopoly if you can think of a licensable product, chances are there is an “opoly” game for it. Now, Hasbro has taken it one step further by bringing in the entire world to customize the game.

Fans of Monopoly were asked earlier this year to select 22 cities across the world to put on the board for the “Monopoly: Here and Now - World Edition”. The top two spots, which traditional go to Boardwalk and Park Place will now be going to Montreal, Quebec and Riga, Latvia.

Other cities appearing on the board include: Cape Town, Belgrade, Paris, Jerusalem, Hong Kong, Beijing, London, New York, Sydney, Vancouver, Shanghai, Rome, Toronto, Kiev, Istanbul, Athens, Barcelona, Tokyo, Taipei, Gydnia (Poland).

More than 5.7 million votes were cast for 70 cities across the world according to Gadling. You’ll be able to find the game in stores in September.

The Spanish media is reporting that 43 passengers have been injured and 2 people have been killed after a plane skidded off the runway at Barajas International Airport in Madrid today.

The Spanair flight had 160 passengers on board. Their destination was Gran Canaria. Right now it is unclear exactly what happened to the plane. We don’t know if it was landing or taking off. What is known is that the plane swerved on the runway, and (according to one report) an engine had caught fire.

We will have more on this if details emerge.

Many US Airways passengers have been recently stranded in the Dominican Republic due to Tropical Storm Fay. Gadling is now reporting that both Delta and JetBlue Airlines are planning on waving their fees for passengers who have had their flights impacted by Fay.

Both airlines are reportedly being flexible about flights out of select Georgia and Florida cities.

Delta is allow passengers to change their itineraries from Florida and Georgia cities. JetBlue, on the other hand, is only allowing a waving of fees for customers traveling from Florida

Here are some interesting travel related links from around the web…

Labor Day travel looks to be dropping by 5.7 percent according to the Dallas Morning News.

Foreign Policy has a great article about the Top 5 Countries for Medical Travel.

A charity is taking the UK to task claiming that the country is failing to prevent sexual predators from traveling to the country and potentially hurting citizens according to BBC News.

Gadling reports that a Spanish couple visiting Norway ran into a bit of a problem recently. The duo wanted to go to Olden to catch a cruise they had left. Traveling by taxi, the accidentally mispronounced their destination, and were driven to Halden instead, which is 560km away. The fair came to 15,000 Kroners ($2,765).

Unaware of the mistake, they tipped the driver 1000 Kroners and spent the night in a hotel…only to find out the next morning that there was no cruise waiting for them. Finally realizing they were in the wrong city, they grabbed another Taxi and headed towards Olden which was 610km away. That taxi ride cost 15,300 Kroners ($2,820).

For that kind of money they could have literally flown around the world.

Romania Countryside

Originally uploaded by tylertate

Romania is a beautiful country. While it may not be the most popular travel destination in the world…there is an amazing country there just waiting to be explored.

The countryside alone is worth a trip from small town hotel to small town hotel. A less common travel destination like this can prove to be a very affordable way to travel, and lead you to finding new and exciting experiences along the way!

If you’re like me, when you go shopping around for a private island, you like to keep things realistic. Of course, a 3.2 Million dollar luxury island in the Bahamas would be fantastic - but its very unlikely that I’ll be able to afford one of those in my life time…and I kind of like living in the US - most of the time.

So, I decided to do a little searching around for some less expensive islands that are available in the United States. I was surprised how many are available. After quite a bit of searching, though, I managed to find 5 that are available here in the US for under $500,000.

5. San Joaquin Island - California - Price $220,000 - description: “Check out this wonderful island ready for your imagination. On one side, there is a protected area from wakes of other boats. There’s plenty of room for a club or individual families to enjoy the outdoors.” Click Here for more info.

4. Cottonwood Lake Island - Alaska - Price - $369,000 - description: “Located just 10 minutes from downtown Wasilla in south central Alaska, Cottonwood Lake Island is immersed within the stunning Alaskan landscape.” Click Here for more information.

3. Eagle’s Nest Island - Tennessee - Price - $450,000 - description: “Escape to the natural beauty of Eagle’s Nest Island. More than 167 acres of undisturbed land of hardwood, stone, sand & a heart full of memories of picnics, skiing, & family fun. For those with vision, it is an opportunity to dream beyond the scope of the ordinary” Click Here for more information.

2. Barnard Island - Florida - Price - $93,000 - description: “This heavily wooded, buildable island is located in the 20-mile long chain of the Tsala Apopka Lakes near Hernando Florida. This beautiful island is in its natural state with abundant wildlife and excellent bass fishing. The island is very secluded, and is about ½ mile from shore, and 1 mile from a public launch. There are many waterfront homes around the lakes, and raw land is still available in the surrounding area.”

1. Big McGraw Island - Wisconsin - Price - $319,000 - description: “Absolutely the coolest lakeshore property we have offered for sale in 30 years… only 42 miles from the Hinckley exit and about 2 1/2 hours from the Twin Cities.” Click Here for more info.

If you’re thinking of going to “Burning Man” you’ll want to check out this first timer’s guide.

This collection of the World’s Most Impressive Airport Lounges will make you incredibly jealous the next time your sitting in a basic Airport like DFW or SFO.

Nasa has some stunning shots of the Pyramids of Dashur in Egypt.

Finally, The Consumerist is reporting that some smaller airlines are forcing pilots to fly “Uncomfortably Low On Fuel”.