Looking to save a little on summer travel? Maybe you have a few extra dollars you're willing to spend? TripAdvisor recently released the results of their annual study that analyzes the costs of a night out and overnight stay (a four-star hotel, cocktails, a two-course dinner paired with a bottle of wine, and round-trip taxi ride) in cities around the globe, giving travelers some insight into cost-effective travel.

Boston ranked third on the list, following Honolulu and New York City.

TripAdvisor looked at prices from June 1 through August 31, and showed the biggest increases happening in Orlando, Denver, Honolulu, L.A. and Seattle. Honolulu was the most expensive U.S. city ($504.94), while Oslo brought in the highest numbers internationally ($581.08). If you're looking for a budget trip, a night out in Vegas will cost you $272.94 and Sofia, Bulgaria, is a bargain at $158.42.

Summer is the most popular time to get married. With everything in bloom and the weather at its peak for the year, brides of all ages and incomes are rushing to alter in an effort to capture the best ambiance Boston has to give. There are endless summer wedding venues in Boston, and once the details have been decided upon and the contracts signed, the real question looms: where to go on the honeymoon?

If you're still up in the air with your honeymoon plans this summer, Brides magazines recently ranked the top honeymoon destinations around the world. Here are the top 12:

Ever wondered where Chef Daniel Boulud likes to dine in New York? Or what chocolatier Katrina Markoff craves with her desserts? Or, what spices mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim hides in his hidden cocktails?

Startle.com, the online ratings site for Forbes Travel Guide, recently named their top 40 "Tastemakers" to watch in 2013, and the list will have you salivating for more.

What's a Tastemaker, you wonder? These are the people who make travel a little more delicious. They are your favorite chefs, bartenders, pastry perfectionists, sommeliers and all things epicurean. They are also the ones who create the atmosphere and environment that you enjoy - from barstools to lighting and flatware. They are the ones responsible for wishing you were back at your favorite restaurant, bar or hotel.

Who are some of these Tastemakers?

How often do you book travel from your mobile device? If you're one of the on-the-go travelers that's setting the trend in mobile experiences, you should think about downloading the apps from Southwest Airlines, Choice Hotels and Marriott - they're raking tops from frequent travelers.

According to the ForeSee Mobile Satisfaction Index: Travel Edition, Southwest Airlines was given top marks (82 out of 100) for providing the best mobile experience. Choice Hotels (80) and Marriott (79) rounded out the top three mobile performers.

“Southwest’s simple, friendly, and no-frills approach to doing business translates well in the air as well as online. No assigned seats and no fees for baggage help to simplify the process for the consumer, which no doubt contributes to a more satisfying mobile experience,” said Eric Feinberg, ForeSee senior director of mobile.

The index is a study of the mobile experiences of 25 major airlines, hotels, online travel agencies, and car rental companies.

Planning summer travel with the kids? FamilyFun magazine has some great places for you to consider. The family-activity magazine recently announced its top destinations and attractions, as voted on by families. The list is featured in the magazine's April issue.

Top 10 Overall Favorite Family Destinations:

1. Yellowstone National Park (WY, MT, ID)
2. Acadia National Park (ME)
3. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (NM)
4. Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
5. Mount Rushmore National Memorial (SD)
6. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (MI)
7. Yosemite National Park (CA)
8. Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park (FL)
9. Glacier National Park (MT)
10. Pearl Harbor Visitor Center/USS Arizona Memorial (HI)

Some mornings, waiting for the T just to find it's packed full of people and you have to wait another 10 minutes for another train and hope there's space available, just gets old. Add in some rain and snow, and it's downright infuriating.

So there I was, tweeting my frustrations from my local MBTA station, when lo and behold, the cheerful team at Virgin Atlantic appeared!

Well, not with the click of my heels, but not far from it, either. Turns out the team from across the pond is scouring Twitter for frustrated potential flyers, hoping to add some cheer to their day. Here's what happened:

Need to renew your passport, sign up for a new passport, or get your family their own passports? National Passport Day is this Saturday, March 9, giving busy travelers and work-life balancers an opportunity to check off this important to-do.

Interestingly, however, you won't be getting your passport at an official passport agency. Due of the budget sequestration, Department of State Passport Agencies will not be participating in National Passport Day, according to the State Department website. However, non-Department of State Passport Acceptance Facilities, such as post offices, clerks of court, and libraries will participate.

National Passport Day happens twice a year and was set up to make getting or renewing passports a little simpler. On this day, U.S. citizens can forgo the required appointment and simply stop by their local passport agency to sign up or renew their passport.

According to the U.S. Department of State, "Convenient Saturday hours ensure most parents don't have to miss work to apply for their child's U.S. passport. Parents are encouraged to bring their children to an agency or participating acceptance facility where there will be special activities for children."

It's widely reported that Americans rarely use all of their allotted vacation time from the office. In an effort to free workaholics from their desks, Hilton Hotels & Resorts came up with a solution to "vacationitis": the Hilton Urgent Vacation Care Center.

Visitors to vacationcarecenter.hilton.com will find a short quiz aimed at diagnosing the severity of vacationitis, and offering suggestions from weekend breaks to week-long vacations, all which link to Hilton Hotels and Resorts’ online booking form.

Workers are advised to seek aid immediately if they show signs of 14 distinct symptoms of Vacationitis, including “Straight to Voicemailaria,” a chronic avoidance of client calls, or “Replyallgia,” the result of a flood of “reply all” emails.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to cook more at home. This is going to be a challenge for a variety of reasons, mostly because the amount of hours I spend in front of the computer greatly surpasses the amount of hours I'm in or near the kitchen. And while traveling the world and visiting hotels has its perks, it also reminds you're not a trained chef (food for thought: check out the best hotels for food lovers).

But I am committed to giving this "cooking at home" concept a try. Not only is it a nice cost-saving measure, but it ups the healthy eating factor, cuts calories, and allows for better portion control (read: leftovers!).

To help kick things off, I tapped into one of my favorite Boston chefs, Jody Adams, for her advice.

View from the deck of an Ocean View room in the Main Inn at Chatham Bars Inn, Chatham.

While the rest of the world flocks to Cape Cod for the summer months, local New Englanders know the beauty that Cape Cod beholds in the off-season.

Snow-covered beach walks, hot chocolate strolls, slow-roasted dinners, after-dinner drinks by the fire in the bar. These are the things that make Cape Cod worthy of a winter escape. Add to this the discounted hotel and resort rates, and relatively empty stores and restaurants (read: no waiting in long lines or reservations necessary), and you've got yourself a great weekend getaway at a fraction of the price.

I took a quick trip to Chatham this weekend to check things out. Yes, it was cold. Yes, it was quiet. Yes, it was perfect. And shouldn't every day, regardless of the weather, start with a walk on the beach?

A few things you should know before you go:

• Cape Cod is unvisited in the winter months, which means a lot of shopping and restaurants you would frequent in-season are shut down from November - February or March. This is your time to try something new. Make a reservation somewhere you would normally have a hard time getting into during the high-tourist season and enjoy a leisurely dinner.
• Regardless of when you visit the Cape, the beach will be hard to resist. Enjoy a morning or afternoon walk in the snow-sprinkled sand. You'll see plenty of people walking their dogs, going for a jog or taking photos. Bundle up and join the fun.
• While many bars and restaurants are open, the hours are varied to accommodate to the slower season. Call ahead before you go to make sure your favorite hole-in-the-wall bar is open or that the restaurant you want to dine in is accepting reservations.
• The nice thing about visiting the Cape off-season is the opportunity for more hotel amenities, like easy upgrades, thanks to low occupancy. However, low occupancy means there might be fewer staff on call, so be patient. Just kick back and relax.