Labor Day Traffic Forecast: Not Quite as Bad

Recession prompts many to cut out leisure travel

(NEWSER) - Many Americans feeling the bite of the recession will forgo a Labor Day getaway this weekend, instead opting for stay-at-home activities, Bloomberg reports. AAA predicts that weekend travel will fall by 13% from last year. “We need to be a little bit more reserved with the times the way they are,” says a North Carolina real estate manager who plans to swim or go bowling with her family. More»

State escapes slowdown by casting net wider for visitors

(NEWSER) - Domestic tourism is slowing down in the US as economic worries mount, but Hawaii appears to be surfing a wave of diversification through the downturn, the Wall Street Journal reports. Numbers of visitors from Canada, Europe, and some East Asian countries are picking up and offsetting a drop in tourists from Japan and the eastern US. More»

Oslo tops the list while crisis-proof Switzerland lands spots #2 and #3

(NEWSER) - If you happen to be flush with cash, then this list of the 15 most expensive places to visit on the globe should not limit your vacation plans. Otherwise, steer clear or prepare to splurge. The list, courtesy of US News' Travel site , is compiled from UBS' Prices and Earnings report . More»

Panama, Finland, and Myanmar top the list

(NEWSER) - If you like cool design, upscale safaris, or a forbidden communist island, the New York Times can recommend 45 locales to visit in 2012. Among them:

• Panama. See the world-famous canal before its expansion, then stay for Panama City's economic boom and Frank Gehry's first design in Latin America—a natural history museum called BioMuseo.

Anyone up for a trip to Uzbekistan?

(NEWSER) - 2012 is fewer than 45 days away and the traveling aficionados at Cox & Kings—who have been planning luxury vacations since 1758—see trends emerging for the coming year. BlackBook rounds up some highlights:

• New spots: Adventurous travelers are looking to places not typically seen as vacation destinations, including Albania, Serbia, Uzbekistan, the Russian Far East, and Papua New Guinea.