It's All Downhill From Here

Make sure your trip runs smoothly with these tips from Budget Travel

(NEWSER) - Even if you're a black diamond expert, these tips from Budget Travel can make your next trip more enjoyable:

1. Get in shape. Yoga is especially good for working the whole body.
2. Most airlines will allow you to count a ski bag as one of your checked bags.
3. Avoid dealing with tire chains: Reserve a vehicle with four-wheel drive or snow tires.

Where to avoid the people and the noise and find serenity

(NEWSER) - Even for die-hard swimmers, surfers, and sunbathers, sometimes a day at the beach is anything but, thanks to way, way too many people. The good news is that there are still undiscovered beaches out there. Travel + Leisure went scouting for such secret beaches. Here are its best finds:

• Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico: This artist colony is way cooler in both temperature and temperament than the Margaritaville of Cabo San Lucas, an hour to the south. Pacific breezes stir up rough and tumbling waves that have made this kicked-back community a surfer’s haven.

Venice gondola ride? Totally overrated

(NEWSER) - There's nothing like traveling halfway across the world to visit a spot that doesn't live up to the hype. SmarterTravel rounds up 10 destinations that you should scratch from your bucket list:

1. Blarney Stone: Funny how its initials are BS. The line is long, and what you're waiting for is the chance to kiss something that hundreds of people smooched right before you.
2. Venice gondola ride: Sure, it's romantic, but unless you're Brad and Angie, you might balk at the $100+ price tag for a 40-minute ride.

Forget your ID in Japan, and end up in the pokey

(NEWSER) - An African safari is likely to be a bit more exciting than a day at Disney Land, but there comes a point where enough is enough. Turner Wright, writing in Vagabondish , runs down seven travel ideas that'll get you killed—or at least some quality time in the local clink:

• Running drugs, southeast Asia: Getting caught can put you on the wrong end of a firing squad or noose in places like China, Laos, and Singapore.
• Forgetting ID, Japan: Foreign residents who fail to carry their gaijin card at all times can get 23 days in the pokey.

No flights going in or out of DC as snow keeps coming

(AP) - The blizzard howling up the East Coast is making roads from Maryland to New York state so treacherous that even plow drivers have pulled over in some areas. The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings that extended into New York City, where 10 to 16 inches could fall. Airlines canceled hundreds of flights at airports on the Eastern seaboard, and DC's two airports had no flights coming or going. More»