If you insist on having things reserved and purchased from the U.S. beforehand, rather than arranging to purchase them locally, that can have a profound effect on costs.

Anything east of the former Iron Curtain is still significantly cheaper than Western Europe.

I would be surprised to see any airlines go under before New Year's, but holiday schedule disruptions could be problematic, ... When flights are already fully booked at the holidays, it can be difficult or impossible to accommodate passengers if a flight is canceled. If the airline decides to reduce its frequency of service on the route, a refund is small consolation.

The domain appears to exclude the participation of the largest class of people who use the Internet to travel -- people who use the Internet to post their travel stories and photos and all sorts of things.

The two biggest factors that determine travel costs are: Do you go to a rich and therefore expensive country, or do you go to a poor and therefore inexpensive country? ... The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World.

The information sheets have often been accused of having a political bias, ... The big thing that's happened is the field staff is having more input into what goes into the travel advisory. But they're by no means the be-all and end-all people think they are.