More challenging Travel Trivia here.

Will this be the summer of our discontent when we search for cheap airfares to Europe? Is the party over?

In January 2009, US Air kicked off the summer selling season with tax-included fares for peak summer travel to Europe in the $500's and $600's but that was nothing compared to the $200 and $300 fares that appeared later in the spring and summer.

But that was last year. The winter just ending is the first time in memory that we didn't see dead-of-winter deals to Europe. In winters past, the airlines went into panic mode, selling fares for February travel for as low as $250 or $300 round-trip including taxes, even on nonstops from New York to Paris. This winter, however, fares remained stubbornly stuck in the $600's, $700's and even $800's to most destinations, although there were a few fleeting $500 bargains to such places as Dublin, Barcelona and Madrid.

Even Frankfurt, typically the cheapest gateway to the Continent, saw no amazing deals as in past winters.

So what's going on here, and how does this bode for travel this spring and summer?

Of course, only fools dare to predict how an irrational airline industry will react, so we'll steer clear of hard and fast prognostication. However, the bargain-less winter does not give us much hope.

A new Manhattan hotel is marketing its proximity to Ground Zero as a selling point, and creating a stir among those trying to preserve the memory of friends and family lost during the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.

The World Center Hotel, opened by Club Quarters Inc., is currently accepting reservations for its rooms that boast "floor-to-ceiling 'window walls'" offering "unfettered views of the rising Freedom Tower and National 9/11 Memorial & Museum," according to the hotel's Web site.

In response to the controversy, the hotel issued this statement to Fox News:

"We at the World Center Hotel reference our location on our website and in our marketing because our location is an important part of our hotel's identity. The World Center Hotel, being across from both the World Financial Center and the rising World Trade Center, was designed primarily for business travelers, but leisure travelers also appreciate our downtown location.

"Some guests may feel emotional about the proximity to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, however, and choose not to stay at our hotel. Others are encouraged that, after so many years, the site is finally being transformed into a fitting Memorial, and they want to see the progress being made there.

"Either reaction is entirely legitimate. We feel strongly that business and economic growth is good for our city, and that the rebirth of downtown New York City does not in any way diminish the remembrance of the tragic events of nearly nine years ago. We are very respectful of the emotions involved, and we share them. But, we are also proud to be a part of the long-term revitalization of Lower Manhattan."

While Manhattanites continue to protest the PR campaign put forth by the hotel, the 169-room hotel continues to market to the 7.1 million people that are estimated to visit the 9/11 Memorial Preview site when it officially opens.

Way back in December we told you about Katie Spotz, the 22-year old American woman who was planning to row solo from Dakar,Senegal in western Africa to the east coast of South America. This past Sunday, Katie arrived in Georgetown, Guiana, completing her journey, while becoming the youngest person to ever row solo across an ocean in the process.

The expedition covered more than 2817 miles of open ocean, requiring 70 days, 5 hours, and 22 minutes to complete. Reportedly, Katie could have shaved an additional eight days off of her time had she allowed a boat to tow her into shore as she neared her destination. While on approach to Guiana, strong winds and ocean currents conspired against her to make the final leg of the journey that much more challenging, but rather than take the tow, she elected to row an additional 400 miles northwest to Georgetown, where milder conditions allowed her to finish the trip under her own power.

While Katie did hope to set the new record for the youngest to row an ocean, and become the first American to row solo from one continent to the next, she actually had even loftier goals in mind when she set out. The entire expedition was used to raise funds for the Blue Planet Run Foundation, an organization dedicated to funding clean drinking water projects around the globe. For her efforts, Spotz raised over $70,000 for the foundation, money that will now go to improving the lives of others around the globe.

The 19-foot long, specially designed, rowboat that was used in the Atlantic crossing weathered 20-foot waves and occasional storms, but for the most part performed admirably. Fitted with solar cells to charge her gear and a desalination system to provide clean drinking water, the boat was Katie's floating home for the past 2+ months. Aside from a breakdown in the original steering system, and a GPS device catching on fire, there were few technical setbacks to the journey.

Congratulations to Katie on a job well done. The rest of us would have, you know, taken a plane, but your way of crossing the Atlantic works too.

Start the week off right with Gadlinks, our daily recap of the best of the rest from the travel blogosphere. Here's what we're looking at today...

• Which countries should you hurry up and visit before they change?
• New rule on tarmac delays is going to make flying in and out of New York even less bearable.
• Bootsnall on the recent phenomenon known as "agritourism."
• Nepal looking to attract gay honeymooners to help its economy.
• Hey Americans, ditch that Canadian flag on your backpacks!

More Gadlinks here.

The world is a dangerous place. Or so the safety signs we encounter on our travels would have us believe. Thankfully, the same people who try to scare us away from sharp objects, deadly animals and steep cliffs also have a fantastic sense of humor. How else could you explain the fascinating amount of truly hysterical warning signs that are displayed all over the world? From my hometown of New York to the Northern Territory of Australia, I've seen warning signs for any number of dangerous situations and more often than not, they've elicited more laughter than fear.

That's not to say that these signs don't have merit. To the contrary, safety signs should always be followed and care should be taken whenever they are present. But, as you walk around the mouth of the active volcano or avoid the snap of the crocodiles teeth, enjoy a hearty belly laugh. Just because you're defying death doesn't mean that you can't have fun doing it.

What situations are the most dangerously hysterical? Let's take a tour of amusing safety signs from around the globe.

Gallery: Amusing Safety Signs

For anyone not of Chinese descent, Chinese New Year is a confusing concept. Travelers who visit Hong Kong during this important festival are likely to have questions. What's the significance? How do you celebrate? But fortunately, Hong Kong is the perfect introduction to this most significant of Chinese celebrations. Hong Kong's unique blend of familiar Western amenities and authentic Chinese culture make it the perfect place to begin your Chinese New Year experience.

Understanding and enjoying Chinese New Year in Hong Kong depends on three distinct activities: the main rituals, the typical foods and the public celebrations. Each of these activities is tied to longstanding Chinese traditions, dating back centuries, and are designed to ensure good health and prosperity in the year ahead. Experiencing the festival in the dense urban environment of Hong Kong adds an additional layer of fun, allowing you to enjoy the festivities on a huge scale.

Ever wanted to learn more about Chinese New Year? Don't know the Year of the Tiger from the Year of the Ox? Let's take a closer look at how to celebrate in Hong Kong and how to get started. Keep reading below for more.

If 2009 is any indication, 2010 holds a lot of promise for the travel industry. A Luxury Link survey of more than 6,000 U.S. consumers showed more people took vacations in 2009, and are already planning their 2010 getaways.

Luxury Link polled its newsletter subscribers and asked how many vacations they took in 2009. Their answers generated the following results:

• 60.1% of those surveyed traveled more than three times in the past year.
• Economic conditions have not discouraged travelers from vacationing more in the coming year. According to the survey results, almost 64% planned to travel more in 2010 as compared to last year.

With a new found appreciate for travel, Luxury Link also learned that more people are planning to explore other parts of the globe. Of those surveyed, the top three destinations to visit in the world for 2010 are:

1. South Pacific (31%)
2. Mainland Asia (26.5%)
3. Western Europe (25.9%)

So, now that the days of the "staycation," "nay-cation" and "daycation" and "no-cation" are over, where will you go?

Las Vegas pool season is nigh, and there's a new oasis opening up at Caesars Palace called Garden of the Gods. Seriously.

If you already regarded Caesars as an iconic pool destination, you're in for a treat. It has been completely, extravagantly redesigned by Allard & Conversano into three levels of aquatic wonder featuring eight unique and lavish pools. There are 44 new luxury cabanas stocked with plush furniture, flat screen TVs and wireless internet. A whirlpool retreat and wedding garden have also been added.

Each pool is named for a god or goddess and has its own special bells and whistles. The Fortuna pool, for example, features an 18-foot waterfall and a swim-up blackjack table. The twin Bacchus pools have butler-staffed cabanas which are, alas, for invited VIPs only. For maximum sun exposure, get to Apollo -- it's strategically positioned to get you tan on a chaise lounge or daybed.

"One of Las Vegas' greatest assets is its abundant sunshine," says Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace. "Guests make trip decisions to escape drab and enjoy warm sunny getaways. The new Garden of the Gods was created to be the definitive resort swimming retreat -- a resort within a resort. Here, guests have the freedom to find experiences they particularly will enjoy in a five-acre retreat that perfectly complements the exciting nightlife and award-winning restaurants at Caesars Palace."

To be among the first to revel in the Garden of the Gods, click here and book the Garden of the Gods Pool & Hotel Package, which includes a 2-night stay, a $25 Garden of the Gods pool credit and a pool bag filled with a towel and other necessities. With promotion code PKGCGOG, packages start at just $110. That is some pretty cheap fabulous.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

Weekend visitors can once again tour the owner's house at the Kingsley Plantation in Jacksonville, Florida.

The home, which is part of the Timucuan Preserve on Fort George Island, was closed to tours in 2005 because of structural concerns. This winter, it has reopened to visitors on Saturdays and Sundays only, while restoration work continues during the week.

The Kingsley Plantation is named for Zephaniah Kingsley, who was quite the interesting character in early Florida history. He grew cotton on Fort George Island in the early 1800s while Florida was under Spanish rule.

Kingsley was known as a lenient slave owner, and he gave some of his slaves the opportunity to earn their freedom. He even married one of them, freed her and put her in charge of a plantation.

When I toured the site recently, I was surprised to see that nearly two dozen of the original slave cabins are still standing. Many U.S. slave cabins did not survive the Civil War, and those that did have fallen to ruin in the decades since. But these cabins were built from tabby, a pseudo-cement made from oyster shells that has stood for centuries, even in a land frequently hit by hurricanes.