More bad news for Japanese companies today, as Yokohama based Koito Industries admitted to falsifying test results from its line of airplane seats.

According to the Japanese transportation ministry, the entire testing department at Koito was involved in the scandal, and it may have been going on since the mid 90's.

During the investigation, officials discovered that Koito skipped entire tests, and used data from past tests instead. In addition to this, they manipulated computer screens so they would show false figures during tests observed by the government.

The false information can have potentially catastrophic results - results of fire resistance and strength were falsified on as many as 150,000 seats installed on planes from 32 airlines.

According to the Koito site, they sold seats to airlines like Continental, JAL, ANA, KLM, Singapore, Virgin Atlantic and SAS. Whether those airlines actually received seats involved in this recall is unknown.

Of course, the timing of this recall is terrible for the Japanese - as they are in the middle of their embarrassing admission of how Toyota handled their safety issues. Make no mistake - 150,000 airline seats in need of potential improvements could turn into a major problem for those airlines involved, especially if the recall means seats need to be replaced.

As of right now, there is apparently "no cause for concern" - the Japanese transportation ministry has approved the continued use of the seats after consulting the Federal Aviation Administration.

Update: Initially, this article had listed Air Canada as a current user of Koito seats (based off information from the Koito site). The airline contacted us to let us know that they removed all Koito seats in 2008. None of the seats in the Air Canada fleet are currently from the troubled Japanese company. Thanks to Air Canada for that correction.

A Sunshine State vacation can be a luxurious splurge, but it can also be quite a steal if you know how to save money on your travels. Here are some tips for saving money on your next Florida vacation.

Plan a spring or fall visit
Most vacationers come to Florida in the summer (when families travel during school breaks), or the winter (when folks venture south for a bit of Florida sunshine). That means you'll find the best Florida vacation bargains during the so-called shoulder season: in April and May (between Easter and Memorial Day) or September and October (between Labor Day and Thanksgiving).

As proof, consider this: In May 2010, a room at Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside goes for about $170 per night. One month later, you'll pay more than $200 per night during summer vacation.

Head to a lesser-known beach
If a Florida beach vacation is what you desire, step off the beaten path for cheaper accommodation and food options. A rental home that sleeps six in popular Panama City Beach costs more than $1,200 per week during the shoulder season each fall. But 90 minutes east in Apalachicola, a comparable beach-front home costs less than $800 for the same week.

Villa Premiere Hotel & Spa, a luxury boutique hotel in the paradise that is Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is offering a few extra free perks to make their property stand out from the crowd. Our favorite? Complimentary welcome massages.

"Getting to paradise for a vacation can often be long and frustrating," says a rep for the hotel. That's why when you arrive, they hand you a welcome cocktail and give you a a relaxing anti-stress hand and neck massage. Then, you choose what kind of pillows you'd like in your room and decide whether or not you'd like butler service. The butlers will do everything from unpacking and ironing your clothes to making your dinner reservations and bringing you your morning coffee -- just be sure to tip them well.

Complimentary yoga and meditation classes take place all year on the beach, so if you find yourself having a difficult time unwinding (it's hard to let go of the stress of the work you did to get to your vacation), there's help.

The AAA Four Diamond, Bahia de Banderas beachfront Villa Premiere Hotel & Spa has 83 elegantly appointed rooms and suites with Mexican art and furnishings, private terraces, generously sized whirlpool tubs and superb ocean views. Rates start at $270 (based on double occupancy). Click here to book.

If you have any friends who've taught English in a foreign country, you've heard some sob stories--the trouble of simultaneously dealing with culture shock and a new job, the students who just don't get it, the adverse conditions at school. . .the list is as long as there are ESL teachers.

Peter Rudiak-Gould has them all beat.

Right after turning 21, Peter went to spend a year on Ujae, one of the more remote atolls in the remote Pacific nation of the Marshall Islands. This tiny island has a population of 450 people and he could walk around it in less than an hour. He arrived speaking virtually no Marshallese and quickly discovered his students were equally lacking in English.

So how does one teach a class of students when there is no shared language and the culture has no tradition of classroom learning?

Badly, at first. But Peter rallies quickly, and as he adapts to the culture he's immersed in, we're right along with him. His ability to learn the island's subtle and alien language shows a deep intelligence and no small amount of desperation, and he shares some fun linguistic tidbits. For example, the eleven words for coconut, ranging from kwalinni (just beginning to grow on the tree) to uronni (ready to husk and drink) all the way to jokiae (turned into a sapling). There are also 159 coconut-related terms, like emmotmot, the sucking noise you make when you drink green coconuts.

There are the usual traveler-out-of-his-depth stories, some of them hilarious, and all of them teaching something about the culture rather than simply whining about discomfort and lack of modern amenities. Peter's greatest shock was to find out he wasn't going to be living on a tropical island paradise. No grass huts, no luxurious food, just concrete shacks, noisy children, and nightly Nintendo marathons courtesy of the local generator.

Braving shark-infested waters and falling coconuts, our hero forges ahead with his teaching. He comes to understand and respect these very different people while not being blind to their flaws, and fear for what would happen to them if sea levels rose just a few inches and ate away their island. Surviving Paradise is more than your typical traveler's tale--it's a look at a culture that might literally vanish beneath the waves, and also a look at Peter growing up. Perfect for the traveler or English teacher in your life.

The Jefferson Hotel Washington, DC is offering some special deals for snowed-in travelers, so send this to your needy friends.

The Winter Storm Special is taking place tonight and tomorrow night (February 9 & 10), and it features Deluxe rooms which usually go for $380 for just $195. This is a great opportunity to make lemonade out of your lemons and stay in a luxury Relais & Châteaux member hotel on the cheap.

While the snow has shut down the operations of the hotel's main restaurant, Plume, the bar, Quill, is open. They serve comfort food like macaroni and cheese, tasty salads and burgers, and fancy cocktails with herb-infused liquors in an elaborate setting wallpapered with 18th century maps. Nice!

To book this emergency special, call The Jefferson directly at (202) 448-2300.

It's not the waves that are rocking the boat. This year, YOLO Cruises is bringing back its swingers trip. Since you only live once (YOLO), the reasoning goes, you should get out on the water and work up a sweat.

YOLO's last Swingers Cruise trip was a bit controversial, but that hasn't stopped the company from giving it another run. It's chartered a Carnival vessel for a three-night voyage to the Bahamas, which is set to depart Miami on October 29, 2010. Once you cross into international waters, there are no rules, aside from common sense (so bring a little protection). At $399 a person, this is a great way to enjoy what YOLO's offering: "playful, sexually themed parties, cruise activities and shore excursions."

What's on the itinerary? Well, there's the "Carnal Cravings Halloween Ball, which is followed by a "naked and recuperating day" at sea. But, some of the fun is a little less structured ... after all, this is a trip for swingers.

The last YOLO swingers trip, according to company president Marlene Brustle, offered "an open, erotic atmosphere," which seems to be the goal this time around, too.

On Feb. 21 and 22, the de Young Museum is giving away free passes to the King Tut exhibit in San Francisco.

Tickets to "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" are normally pretty pricey. For a family of two adults and two kids between the ages of 6 and 17, you're looking at shelling out $98 on admission passes alone if you visit on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday (kids under 5 are free).

Details: Tickets will only be handed out on site on either of those days. Sponsored by Target, the giveaway is limited to four tickets per adult. Tickets will be time-stamped in batches of 30-minute windows, though you can linger as long as you'd like once you're in. The box office opens at 8:30 a.m. each day with the first entry at 9 a.m. and the last entry at 4 p.m.

While you're waiting for your timed entry, there will be plenty of free entertainment: fortune tellers, belly dancers, tarot card readers, and even a DJ spinning contemporary Egyptian music. Kids can also learn how to "engrave" hieroglyphics into copper foil. If the complimentary tickets run out, the rest of the permanent collections at the de Young will be free that weekend.

Tip: Strollers, diaper bags, and backpacks must be checked before entering the special exhibition galleries.

The exhibit, which opened in June 2009 at the de Young, closes on March 28.

If you haven't seen the exhibit, here are some highlights, courtesy of FAMSF.

Gallery: The King Tut exhibit in SF

3floz.com is a new website featuring the best of what comes in a TSA-approved size.

The site is a collaboration between two travelers with 11 years of experience in the beauty industry, Kate Duff and Alexi Mintz. They used to travel together, and Kate would check a bag with all her beauty products, whereas Alexi would carry her bags on -- and then have to borrow Kate's stuff. This wasn't an ideal situation, and the two spent hours scouring beauty websites looking for 3oz versions of their favorite products. They didn't exist.

And so, 3floz.com was born, with a brand list including Air Repair, Anthony for Men, The Art of Shaving, Avalon Organics, Go Smile, and Yes to Carrots. The products range from shampoos and moisturizers to teeth whiteners and facial serums for men and women.

As a frequent traveler myself, I'm delighted to see all this great stuff in one place -- I frequently find myself relying on the hotel shampoo and conditioner, even their lotion. Some hotels in Europe don't even offer conditioner. What is up with that?

The 3floz ladies add that these products can also go in your purse, your locker at the gym or school, your work bag and your car (I would add to that your boyfriend's/girlfriend's house). Tiny bottles of your favorite beauty and grooming necessities are helpful. Good thinking, Kate and Alexi.

If you shop at 3floz today or tomorrow (February 9 & 10) and use the code STYLEHOUSE, you'll get 10 percent off your first purchase. Go there.

Lunar New Year falls on Valentine's Day this year.

While hunting for souvenirs in Seattle's Chinatown last month, I spotted these cute tote bags that feature the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac ($20).

I caught up with the designer Joyce Wan at New York City's International Gift Fair last week to learn more about Wanart, her five-year-old collection of greeting cards, infant apparel, and canvas totes that are still screen-printed by hand.

It turns out that Wanart's Zodiac Zoo line is not just a lucky Chinatown find, but is actually carried in several museum shops nationwide, including the Field Museum in Chicago and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

"It's exciting to have my products in the museum that I visited as a kid," said Wan, who was born and raised in Boston. With a studio and workshop now in Union City, N.J., Wan recently expanded her collection to include a kids' book based on some of her travels around the world (Chronicle Books, $13).

For the Year of the Tiger, Wan has also created infant bodysuits cleverly packaged in a clear Chinese take-out container (from $24). Can you say adorable?

If a museum near you doesn't carry Zodiac Zoo products, you can order everything at Wanart.com.

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Tuesday February 9th 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal is for a pair of highly rated noise canceling headphones from Audio Technica. Their ATH-ANC7B on-ear headphones come with a sturdy carrying case and at $129.99, are currently almost $100 cheaper than their regular retail price. Click here for this deal.

Next up is the kind of gadget only a real geek can appreciate. For $15.97, Yugster.com will send you two keychain weather station devices. These small gadgets feature a clock, max/min temperature reading, humidity sensor, compass, flashlight and an alarm clock with snooze. Click here for this deal.

Today's third deal is for a gadget I'm reviewing right now - the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach. If you have trouble sleeping when you travel, you'll love using the Zeo. The kit includes a wireless headband to monitor your sleep, and a bedside alarm clock that receives information from the headband. The Zeo normally retails for $249.99, but is currently on sale for $199.99. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup, head on over to Monoprice.com for a great deal on a 2200mAh backup battery for your iPod or iPhone. At just $11.44, it is one of the cheapest options out there for a battery with this kind of capacity. Click here for this deal.