Providenciales, the main island in this chain of over 40 that make up the Turks and Caicos Islands, may be feeling some growing pains from its recent expansion into the luxury travel market, but a little economic recession can only mean good things for those looking to take advantage of one of the best spots for snorkeling in the Caribbean.

Cheaper hotel rates, fewer chihuahua-toting heiresses, and more access to the stunning coral and abundant dive spots are all good news for travelers hoping to escape the winter blues. Ever try conch? Providenciales has the world’s only conch farm. I’m guessing it’s way more fun to visit than your local arugula farm and probably far less smelly.

Eva over at WorldHum is defending her home country of Canada, highlighting her top eight reasons why Canada rules. From kooky hockey sportscasters, the ability to road trip it to the Arctic, and their abundance of talented comedians (although the entire “Kids In The Hall” are unforgivably omitted in this piece), Canada has plenty of reasons to attract visitors from around the world.

From my own experience, I can’t imagine anywhere in the world I’d rather be than in Montreal from early June through the middle of July when the Montreal Jazz Festival wraps up. Beautiful weather, happy people, events almost every weekend; now the winter on the other hand . . .

In a related piece, Rolf ponders the question many Americans have been thinking about post-Obama election: Will foreigners like us more? Rolf’s answer: no.

Every year National Geographic’s Traveler holds a contest for the best amateur travel photo; 2008′s winner being a candid shot from within the Prado Museum in Madrid, a photo that earned this lucky photographer a 15-day voyage to Antarctica. To see all of this year’s winners click here.

My favorite’s the third runner-up, a magical photo of a Buddhist Monastery deep in the hills of Bhutan. It’s always the third runner-up that’s getting shafted isn’t it? Their prize was an hour-long ferry ride along the coast of New Jersey during the month of February.

And if you were wondering, the above photo was taken by one of the winners, an Icelandic photographer named Örvar Thorgeirsson whose mind-boggling photos of Icelandic Aurora can be found here.

It seems like all of a sudden airlines are scrambling to ensure that you get to Dublin as soon as possible, for as little as possible, so that you can visit as many pubs as possible (as well as see everything else this amazing country has to offer). If I’m not mistaken, there’s also a certain holiday coming up in the Spring that’s pretty popular across the country and might be kind of fun to experience for the first time.

Air France will get you there for $110/each way from NYC (w/taxes it comes to $328).

American is offering flights from Chicago to Dublin for $166/each way (w/o taxes).

Or if Ireland in the winter doesn’t sound too appealing to you, now’s one of the best times to lock in stunning flight deals to South America through American (who seem to constantly have the best deals for heading south). We’re talking Rio for $850, Argentina for $700, and Salvador, Brazil for under $600.

Well it’s not officially my birthday yet for another hour — unless you’re in the Canadian Maritimes, in which case let the revelry begin — but I thought I’d go ahead and imagine spending it in a couple of places I’d rather be today, an annual tradition that I usually partake in given the fact that my birthday falls in the dead of winter and I’ve spent the majority of my life in some very un-tropical locations.

Okay, cruising through the frozen fjords of Chilean Patagonia may not be a huge departure from the frozen streetscapes of New York, but take a look at some of the views beginning on 2:24 that you’d get if you were there and I guarantee you wouldn’t be thinking twice about the cold. Plus, you’re in Chile. An hour flight and you’re back in warm paradise.

If you have more than a few days to spend in Buenos Aires, why not go ahead and sign up for a few tango lessons? It looks fun, it’s a great way to get a taste of the culture, and why wouldn’t you want to spend most of your waking hours there hand in hand with an instructor like Maria Jose?

I was going through this Top 10 Ethical Tips for traveling to see how ethical (or, more likely, unethical) my travel usually is.

Well I can’t say that I’ve planted any trees on a trip like #2 suggests (I planted some cucumbers and tomatoes in my backyard here in Brooklyn last summer, do you think that counts?), and I’ve done zero volunteering (see #1), but I can say that I’m a terrible bargainer (#5) and usually pay way too much for basic ordinary things sold on the street (yes I’ll pay $20 for that piece of quartz!) and I don’t recall ever handing out sweets to random strangers on the street (#9 — I think that’s a pretty steadfast rule for everyday life, not just when traveling).

This list is actually part of a larger article about the debate over travel to countries with oppressive governments, and ways you can help the oppressed while avoiding helping the oppressors.

First off, I apologize for the lame title to this blog posting. Now that that’s behind me; East London (and more specifically, Stratford) is being handed the incredibly well choreographed and impossible-to-match Olympic torch from China in four years, which spells trouble for this immigrant neighborhood of over 1.5 million (take a look at a before and after photo of Beijing’s Olympic Green).

But for some, it’s an opportunity to show off an up-and-coming area that’s used to being overlooked by most travelers (and most Londoners at that). The NYT takes a look at some of what makes this neighborhood tick, from art centers to gastropubs. I’ll be more impressed with the neighborhood when I see 2,008 Tai Chi masters performing choreographed movements on a giant LCD screen there.

You remember your first job (or your current one if you’re that unlucky) where given your low level on the totem pole, you were the one that was subjected to the ranting of the really-pissed-off-customer, and all you wanted was for that person to realize how little you care?

Well, if your name is Richard Branson, then everyone knows exactly who you are and what businesses you own, and therefore you’re unfortunately going to be that person people are going to rant to directly. Take this recent unhappy traveler who was so upset at the meal they were served during their flight from Mumbai to London, he or she went ahead and crafted this masterful, 1,075-word smackdown (with seven accompanying photo exhibits — see above) complaining about their pea-infested dessert and cookie served in a bag usually used for illegal drug transactions.

My favorite quote: “Richard . . . What is that white stuff?” If that question is being asked it’s time to switch seats.

Feel like the world’s getting smaller? A trip to the Middle East will help convince you otherwise. Here’s seven easy lessons to help make sure you’re prepared.

By Laura Bridgestock

Spending ten days traveling from Istanbul to Damascus promised to be the most exciting trip I’d ever taken — and it was. I’ve never been anywhere so completely different from my own country and culture. It was kind of a surprise, in a reassuring way, to realize that the relentless march of globalization hasn’t yet turned the world into one homogeneous mass. (Damascus must be one of the last places on Earth holding out against the big yellow “M” and the big green “S.” You know who you are.)

And while the locals were all very friendly and helpful, it was also pretty overwhelming at times. Looking back, there were plenty of things that would’ve been useful to know before getting there. So if you’re planning a trip to Syria, or anywhere in the Middle East for that matter, take a cue from my hard-learned lessons and save yourself some unneeded hassle.

Lesson 1: Use The Buses

A full day on a bus in a hot region sounds like a nightmare, but with all the trains canceled we had no other options for the 24-hour trip from Istanbul to Aleppo. A series of canceled trams and other minor disasters meant that we had missed our bus by mere minutes.

As a result, we found ourselves in the hands of a very large, denim-suited Syrian man who was laughing jovially in our faces as we desperately tried to explain our situation. After we finished our story, he happily accepted some additional money from us and loaded us onto another bus leaving a half-hour later. (Another lesson here: Syrians may have a slightly sadistic sense of humor, but they’ll look after you in the end.)

In fact, our panic was completely unfounded — it turns out there are buses leaving every half-hour to pretty much everywhere. Despite their frequency, they’re all full, and it’s easy to see why. With western sitcoms on the TV at the front, a steward bringing round refreshments, and (most importantly) air conditioning filling the cabin, Syrian buses are actually one of the most comfortable places to spend the hottest part of the day. And once you’re in the country, it doesn’t take more than a few hours to get between any of the main towns. (more…)

As the Traveler points out, Buenos Aires is pretty cheap for most foreigners anyways ($1 equals about 3 1/2 Argentine pesos as of today, 4.8 for one British pound) but for the real cheapskate, myself included (not by choice) BA has a ton of things to see and do for approximately zero dollars/pounds/pesos.

One of South America’s (and the world’s) premier museums, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) is free every day of the week, which is good since it will likely take you more than one day to see everything it has to offer.

The article also mentions a free guided tour from a group called BA Free Tours who offer free tours, one at 11 a.m. and one at 5 p.m. (Notice the late starting time? Gives you an idea of the nightlife in the city — something you will have to shell out some money for.)

I have to admit, I have an unnatural fondness for Botanical Gardens (see my Medellín video) but BA’s Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays takes it to the next level. Even better, it’s located directly next to the neighborhood of Palermo which means you’re about a five minute walk from where you’re probably sleeping — perfect for rolling out of bed and wandering to after a long night out. I’m just saying.

Budget Travel’s reporting on New York City’s newly unveiled tourism website and touch screen laden information center located just off of Times Square, where visitors from around the world no longer are forced to shuffle through those so old-fashioned paper pamphlets but instead are able to explore everything Gotham has to offer at the touch of a screen.

Perfect for those germy winter months where the average New Yorker comes down with a cold every two to three weeks. Welcome to the big city!

Is it me or does the new visitors center look remarkably similar to the stores of a certain fruit-themed high-tech company with an ailing CEO? Click here for more images.

It’s true, and here’s some other incredible travel deals I dug up from Spirit Airlines this week.

Fort Lauderdale to Medellin: $9 Each Way
Fort Lauderdale to Managua, Nicaragua: $9 Each Way
Fort Lauderdale to San Jose, Costa Rica: $39 Each Way

But who really wants to go anywhere warm and tropical during the height of the winter anyways? How about London for $156?

New York City/Newark to London: $156 Each Way
Los Angeles/San Francisco to London :$203 Each Way
Chicago to London: $188 Each Way

The Telegraph has come out with their “Top 10 Winter Beach Breaks,” with suggestions ranging from Sri Lanka at #1 to Zanzibar at #10. This, just in time for most people to realize they cannot even begin to afford going to any of these locations this year (see the below posting). But click the above link if you in fact are in a masochistic mood and are ready for some intense envy.

Also, in a related story, Toledo Express Airport is reporting that passenger traffic has dipped to its lowest level since 1964. This may or not be related to the city’s non-inclusion this year in the above top ten list.