From the Wall Street Journal:

Have you ever bought an airline ticket only to see the price fall and your anger rise? Now there is something you can do about it.

Few customers realize it, but many airlines will give refunds if they cut the price after you have bought a ticket. Alaska, JetBlue, Southwest, United and US Airways all offer vouchers for the full price difference — if the price drops $200, you can get a $200 coupon towards a future trip. Others offer vouchers, or cash, after deducting change fees (which can run up to $100). In industry jargon, it is called a “rollover,” and in most cases it only works if you bought the ticket directly from the airline.

(It generally won’t work if you bought them via a Web site such as Travelocity.com or Priceline.com, unless the price drops in the first 24 hours.)

Tracking this is a great new site Yapta.com. It’s a great tool to track prices, especially if you have a future trip and want to snag the best ticket price.

DogFriendly.com (http://www.dogfriendly.com) announced its 2007 list of the Top 10 dog-friendly vacation destination cities in North America. DogFriendly.com compiles this list annually for people who want to take their dogs with them on vacation.

The rankings  take into account the number and quality of dog-friendly accommodations, transportation, beaches, parks, attractions, stores, dining and other things to do with your dog.

    1. Boston — Take a boat or whale watching cruise. Walk the Freedom Trail, visit Salem and explore history at Minute Man Park. Your leashed dog is also welcome on the subway.

    2. Vancouver – Walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge and park. Take a walking tour of Historic Gastown. Take the ferry and visit nearby Victoria and beautiful Butchart Gardens.
   

3. New York — Stay in luxury at many fine hotels. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Take a walking tour of lower Manhattan. Ride the carriages. Watch a morning show. Shop in famous stores.

 4. San Francisco — Luxurious hotels, outdoor dining, the Golden Gate Bridge, Baker Beach and many off-leash areas. Ride the cable car to the Fisherman’s Wharf area and stroll with your dog.

 5. Austin — Visit Zilker Botanical Gardens, catch a horse and carriage ride, dine in outdoor cafes. See the bats leave the Congress St. Bridge at dusk. Use the city’s many parks.
   

6. Portland – Enjoy over 20 off-leash areas, an amusement park and the famous Rose Gardens. Dine at the Lucky Lab. Visit the Saturday Outdoor Market and hike in the Colombia River Gorge.
   

7. Northern Virginia — Dine or enjoy happy hour in dog-friendly Alexandria. Take the Canine Cruise on the Potomac. Visit outdoor monuments in Washington and Virginia.
   

8. Orlando – Stay at resorts such as the Portofino Bay and Sheraton World. Take a boat cruise, shop Winter Park, and dine at Sam Snead’s where Jeb Bush signed the doggy dining law.
   

9. San Diego — Off-leash dog beaches. Stay at Loews Coronado Resort. Shop at dog-friendly Otay Ranch Shopping Center complete with a dog park. Dine outdoors. Visit nearby Julian.
   

10. Dallas/Fort Worth — Ride a carriage, visit Pioneer Plaza, take a walking tour. Visit Fort Woof dog park and the Stockyard in Fort Worth. Dine on Texas BBQ at outdoor restaurants.
   

Honorable Mentions: Chicago, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Salt Lake, Seattle.

Interesting that 6 of the Top 10 Dog Friendly Cities are High Tech Centers.    
   

Ellen DeGeneres is America’s first choice to ride shotgun on a road trip, beating out celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Will Ferrell and Paris Hilton.

And all politics aside, U.S. travelers elect to hit the road with presidential hopefuls Rudy Giuliani and Barack Obama.
These are just two of many revelations from Rand McNally’s 2007 Great American Road Trip Survey, which polled 4,000 adults nationwide about their summer road trip outlook, favorite road trip destinations, what goes on in the car during the drive and which celebrities they most would like to have in the passenger seat.
According to the survey, 21 percent more Americans plan to take road trips this summer than last year.

Survey Offers Insights Into Road Trip Plans and Preferences

• Eighty-five percent of Americans plan to take a road trip this summer, whereas 70 percent of last year’s survey respondents said they planned to take a summer road trip.
• Sixty-two percent of men surveyed said women are more likely to get lost on a road trip; 80 percent of women said men are more likely to get lost.
• American Idol fans may love to watch Simon Cowell on TV, but they would rather not spend time in a car with him. Only 7 percent chose Simon as their preferred road trip companion.
• Twenty-four percent of men named Paris Hilton as their first choice for a road trip buddy. Less than 2 percent of women agreed.

Gas Prices Affecting Travel?

• Seventy-seven percent of drivers would not cancel road trip plans ifgas prices continue to increase.
• Forty-two percent would consider planning more or longer road trips if gas prices drop.

Which Presidential Candidates Are Most, Least Popular Travel Companions

Drivers overall selected Rudy Giuliani as the presidential candidate with whom they’d most like to take a road trip. Although Hillary Clinton tied Barack Obama for most desirable road trip companion among Democrat respondents, Clinton’s intense unpopularity with Republicans (80 percent voted to leave her behind) and Independents (52 percent voted not to take her) made her top the list of least desirable companions.

Presidential Hopefuls With Whom People Most Would Like to Road Trip

• 26% Rudy Giuliani
• 20% Barack Obama
• 18% Hillary Clinton
• 17% John McCain
• 13% John Edwards
• 6% Mitt Romney

Presidential Hopefuls With Whom People Least Would Like to Road Trip

• 52% Hillary Clinton
• 13% Mitt Romney
• 12% John McCain
• 10% Rudy Giuliani
• 7% Barack Obama
• 6% John Edwards

Celebrity Road Tripping

Ellen DeGeneres was the most popular celebrity road trip companion for all ages, except respondents between the ages of 18 and 28. For that age group, Will Ferrell was the celebrity of choice. It was Ellen’s appeal among women that put her in the top spot.

Celebrities With Whom People Most Would Like to Road Trip

• 32% Ellen DeGeneres
• 24% Oprah
• 23% Will Ferrell
• 14% Paris Hilton
• 7% Simon Cowell

Through May 31, 2007 here is a special code to get additional savings from Restaurants.com already discounted coupons.

Save an extra 60% on Dining Certificates! Use code GRAD at checkout and hit “recalculate total”. Expires 5-31-2007.

Take a look today, these are by, print and use - a great feature for a fast, fun (and less expensive) meal.