For those lucky or busy enough to receive airline statements with lots of zeros, it's a world of first-class upgrades, airport lounge attendants who know their names and access to luxury unimaginable for most air travelers.

As if traveling with the kids over the holidays weren't tough enough, this year we must contend with airline surcharges and swine flu, as well as all the usual annoyances and delays that go along with traveling during the busiest travel weeks of the year.

Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying, "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." Planning a road trip is hardly nuclear science, but perhaps the professor had learned that a well-chosen overnight stop can yield treasured memories.

iReporters have rave reviews for Australia. Check out their best shots of the land down under.

William Least Heat-Moon, best-selling author of "Blue Highways," "River-Horse," and most recently "Roads to Quoz," shares his insights on the American road.

Continental Airlines and American Airlines are among the carriers to expand surcharges for flights on peak travel dates from now through May, according to airline representatives.

Holiday travel expected to rise by 1.4 percent from last year, but fewer Americans will fly, AAA says.

The U.S. government has no right to restrict American tourists from traveling to Cuba, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Thursday.

A computer system in Atlanta, Georgia, that pilots use to file flight plans was not working properly Thursday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

A new book by William Langewiesche says the skill of the crew and the engineering of the plane led to the safe ending.