A couple of weeks ago, I told you what their top airlines were. Now, let’s start some arguments with the Travel + Leisure “top cities”.

First, their top 10 best cities in the world:

1. Bangkok

2. Buenos Aires

3. Cape Town, South Africa

4. Sydney, Australia

5. Florence, Italy

6. Cuzco, Peru (not on the list last year)

7. Rome

8. New York

9. Istanbul, Turkey

10. San Francisco

Keep reading, for the top 10 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

I admit it — I like good food — but I sure haven’t had much on the airlines lately.

If I’m in coach, it usually mean buying snacks that taste like sticks; if I’m in first class, I often get a meal that tastes — beyond bland.

So I was pleased to see this piece in the New York Times, in which Stephanie Sokolove of Boston’s highly regarded “Stephanie’s on Newbury” restaurant said her solution to airline food was packing her own:

“I have learned a few things…about bringing the perfect plane provisions on board with me: homemade hummus with tiny pieces of pita bread, dried fruit and chocolate.” — Stephanie Sokolove

What do you like to take onboard for snacking or dining? Let’s get a list going, and we’ll all share our favorites. I can use all the ideas you throw at me.

It was bound to happen (but let’s credit the Wall St. Journal for picking up on it first).

Some travelers who were smart enough to book flights way in advance to beat the never-ending fuel surcharge hikes, are now paying a penalty:

Because some of those flights have since disappeared.

Those flights went “poof” as airlines battled high fuel prices with one of their best weapons: capacity cuts. And it’s not just flights that have been cut; in some cases, carriers have dropped service to entire cities.

Meantime, your flight has been cancelled. What do you do? And what will the airlines do for you?

Answers — and tips — coming right up.

ATTENTION VACATIONERS!

Early this year, my parents found some cheap airfare (those were the days!), and a great bargain on a cruise, so they happily headed off to the Caribbean.

But while out to sea, their water heater back home began self-destructing. If not for an alert neighbor (who noticed water gushing out the door), the damage could have been worse than it was.

So I came up with The Essential “Going-Out-of-Town” Checklist — for all out-of-town travelers — and the loved ones they leave behind. Keep reading…

More than half of all round-trip airfares between the top 50 domestic citys (about 1,200 city pairs) now have minimum-stay requirements.

About 1/3 of these are of the less onerous type (1-night — same day trips) while most require a 2 or 3 day stay, or a Saturday or Sunday night stay. In other words, nearly half of the cheapest round-trip airfare on the most popular flights now require that you stay-over on a Satruday or Sunday night, or you need to stay over 2 or 3 nights.

If you don’t do this (and this is something business travelers rarely do), you’ll pay a substantially higher price (the business rate) for your airline ticket. This is less of an issue with the low-cost airlines because they have a one-way airfare structure where minimum-stay rules are not applicable.

We recently pulled the rules for over 40,000 round-trip airfares between the top 50 cities by traffic (about 1,200 city pairs) — why? — because airlines and analysts are now saying that “minimum-stay requirments” are making a comeback — so we decided to check it out.

The data was used in an article this week in USA Today entitled “Minimum stay airfare rules irk fliers”.

Which airlines are the worst offenders? More importantly — what can you do about this? Keep reading, and I’ll tell you…

Going on vacation this summer? Going to fly? You’re going to need this:

1. Make a Plan

Sounds obvious, right? But a lot of us DON’T plan, and this year, more than ever, it’ll pay off to plan and plan early. Fuel surcharges are only going up; the sooner you make a plan, the sooner you will “lock in” the price — and save.

2. Be Flexible on Destinations

Want to go “Destination A” but it’s just too expensive? Then don’t go to “Destination A”! Seriously, summer travel pricing is going to be very sensitive to where you live; some cities will get clobbered (smaller towns without low-cost airline service) and some cities will see higher-than-usual prices (bigger cities without low-cost airline coverage). Look for a cheaper alternative — or, be prepared to pay more than you want. The choice, after all, is yours.

3. Try Florida

Keep reading and I’ll tell you why — and give you the rest of my tips.

This could happen — more aircraft groundings — according to an article in the latest issue of Time magazine. The writer quotes the man charged with protecting the FAA whistleblowers as saying, “There are additional revelations about oversight issues with regard to airline safety that are coming forward.”

An FAA spokesman says, there’s no way to predict future groundings.

However, my friends, the busy summer travel season is just ahead, so let’s be prepared: please check out these tips for travelers stranded in airports.

The most important tip? Plan ahead in case of trouble, so check out the tips NOW.

I originally wrote this for NPR, in advance of my guest spot on “Talk of the Nation”; due to space considerations, the folks at NPR had to shorten this a bit, but I thought you’d like to see it in its entirety. Here is the piece in full — Rick

Sometimes I get the feeling that there’s a whole group of people out there who believe in a mythical amendment to our Constitution — one that guarantees us the “Right to Cheap Airline Tickets”!

But anyone who’s actually bought airline tickets in the past 6 months knows this in not an “inalienable right”. And with good reason.

Keep reading; good solid information and great tips ahead!

I chose one of my favorite topics for my latest column on ABCNews.com: flying first class at coach prices. It must be a hot topic, because it hit the front page on ABCNews.com, and it was highlighted on the homepage of the ABCNews.com business and ABCNews.com travel sections.

I’m glad this topic is getting some notice, because even though I have done my best to let people know that they actually can find first class airline tickets for just a little more or sometimes even less than coach prices, most folks still look at me like I’m crazy. It’s the truth, though. Y-Up or Q-Up airfares give you the chance of flying upfront for far less.

Keep reading to learn more about Y-Up and Q-Up airfares…

I love to share my tips and tricks on finding cheap airfare, and I’ve been doing it for years.

Now, I’ve gathered together my 5-best tips (what I consider to be an essential list), and present them to you here.

Some of these tips are very “basic”; others are a little more sophisticated. But one thing they all have in common is, they work.

But don’t take my word for it. Test them for yourself.

Just click “more” for…THE LIST.

I’m starting to get in the groove now! Today is my second column for ABCNews.com; in case you missed it, I am now one of their regular (weekly) columnists.

My latest? Well, I talk about finding the cheapest airfare — how it’s getting harder than ever — but how it can still be done. Click “more” for details.

Starting today, I am a weekly columnist for ABCNews.com; you can see my first column by clicking here. It’s all about the potential merger between Delta and Northwest, and I explain how it may affect all of us financially, and in terms of the number of flights available to us, as well as the whole “flight experience.”

ABCNews.com recruited me to share my “wisdom” and my tips & tricks with their website readers, so I’ll be talking about everything from cheap flights to First-Class travel and news about, well, future mergers and more.

But…I’m going to need your help with comments (please keep reading, and I’ll explain).

Good News: You don’t have to be Irish to get together for a mid-March family reunion (but it doesn’t hurt!).

Better News: This year, St. Patrick’s Day (March 17^th) is on a Monday.

Yes, a Monday.

Why is that good? Because you can save on a mini-family vacation. Just click “more”, for 2-great tips that’ll work really well for St. Paddy’s Day.

You probably know something about identity theft, but were you aware that more than 8-million people have been victims of this crime?

And did you know, travel is the perfect breeding ground? Identity theft expert Mike Prusinski says, “Just think of how many times you’re asked to produce ID at the airport.” And it’s so easy for ID to be dropped or left in a security bin, or it’s always possible to fall victim to a pickpocket.

The biggest danger? According to Prusinski, that’s when you give someone “the keys to the kingdom.” What’s he talking about? Just click “more” to continue.

You’re all set for your trip: everything’s packed properly, there are no bottles bigger than 3-oz on your person, you’ve got your boarding pass and ID out, and…

“Not so fast, sir!”

That’s when you learn, you’re on the fabled “No Fly List”.

Whether you’re on it or not, keep reading; there are surprises ahead.

I thought I’d turn tables a bit, and instead of presenting you with some good advice, I’d tell you about some of the bad advice I see floating around the internet.

So, I’ve come up with this: 6-Pieces of Air Travel Advice to Ignore…and what you should pay attention to.

I talk about cell phones, passports, First Class and plenty of other things.

Just click “more” for…THE LIST.

I don’t have to tell you it’s getting late.

But you can still create a Valentine’s Day getaway…or, a Presidents Day weekend…or even combine the two (a vote for love?).

You have to act fast, though, AND, follow my 5-Last Minute Tips. To see them, just click “more”.

Let me put on my myth-busting hat: I just saw this AP article in The San Jose Mercury News, called “When is the best time to book airfare?”

Good question; bad answer. According to the article, late Thursday is the best time to check. WRONG.

The article goes on to quotea source as saying “Our experience with airlines has shown us that they update available seats around 12 a.m. Eastern time every day.” WRONG AGAIN.

So when IS the best time to book? Click “more” to find out…

Liked this? Then check out “How to Buy Intelligently”

I’ve got some great tips for those of you who are thinking of taking a vacation during the upcoming Spring Break.

There’s not much time left (as I’m sure you know).

But you’ve come to the right place for cheap airfare sales info ; check out these great tips here.

Liked this story? Check out all our great deals, here.

Just the other day, I was thinking about my air travel predictions for this year when, it hit me: airfare is the iPhone of 2008.

No, I haven’t gone round the bend. Still have most of my marbles. But, there are a lot of valid things to be said for comparing finding airfare today, and the experience of folks who stood in line to get that first edition iPhone. Okay, I can explain!

And, I’ll also let you in on my 7-best tips for getting the cheapest tickets in today’s crazy airfare market. Just click “more” to see it all.

We cheapskates know that airfare prices can change at a moment’s notice, so we’re constantly looking for the very best deals.

But being a savvy shopper can be incredibly time-consuming and frustrating - unless, you know what I know.

Keep reading for what I consider to be some very special insights, AND, an “insider” international airfare “trick” you’ll just love.