We're headed to Miami this afternoon for a friend's wedding, so naturally my thoughts turn to air travel. With the holidays quickly arriving, it's alwasy good to be informed of the latest news and offers. Here's the roundup:

• Continental no longer accepts bags over 70 pounds, even if you are willing to pay extra for the weight.
• JetBlue is offering gift cards now. You can choose any denomination, from $10-$10,000.. Check your local checkout lane this fall, because they have placs to sell $50 and $100 cards in the checkout lane alongside those iTunes cards you keep eyeing.
• Headed off to see family for the holidays? Northwest Airlines is actually offering sale prices (a first in two years) this year. Check it out.
• Hate carrying that luggage all the way to the counter? Who doesn't. Chicago travelers will be able to se curbside check-in. Economy Parking Lot E is where you'll want to park to ease your weary arms.
• Leaving town soon like I am? Be sure to head to Air Fare Watchdog for the best (often unadvertised) fares.
• Prefer to fly the friendly skies in style? An estimated 40% of seats on private planes go unsold. Empty Legs makes it possible for you (yes, you) to score one of those otherwise empty seats for a fraction of the cost. 

Have a great weekend, everyone! Catch you here Monday.

We've just returned from two weeks in Italy, and I am consumed with fashion. The Italians have no shortage of style, and it is on display for all to see on the streets of Rome. What struck me the most was that it mattered not what you wore, but how you wore it. Gucci and Prada aside, some of the most fashionable women I saw were wearing items most certainly pulled from the back of the closet. But here is the essence of my lesson in how to dress like a Roman:

1. Dress for the season, not the weather.
   It may have been 79 degrees, but you wouldn't have known it from the apparel. Coats, scarves, hats and boots everywhere you looked.
   
   
2. When you think you've goen too far, go even further.
   The Italian women (and men) seem to see fashion for what it is: fun. Why not pile on the scarves, low-slung belts and huge (huge!) sunglasses? It's what those accessories are there for: to enjoy.
   
   
3. Don't just take it home, make it your own.
   Granted, the requisite outfit this fall was knee-high black boots (flats), tucked-in jeans and a drapey black sweater - but that didn't stop each fashionista from making a statement of her own. Whether it was the ever-present newsboy cap, a cashmere scarf or other adornments, each woman brought her own 'look' to the uniform.
   
   
4. What you lack in resources, make up for in attitude.
   One of the most fabulous women I saw actually had a hole in the sleeve of her well-worn (black, of course) top. But from her strut to her posture you'd have thought she were decked out in Prada head -to-toe.

It's not about what you wear, but how you wear it, and these women definitely had the confidence game down pat. So when you step out this fall in your boots and shades, think like an Italian and vamp it up. I guarantee you'll look fabulous to everyone you pass and feel great by the time you get to work.

While we're on the subject of travel... (we were, weren't we?)

Daily Candy has a great list of modern travel jargon. You'll laugh because they are clever, and wince because they are so accurate. Here are just two of the memorable terms.

jet hag
 n. The overly dressed, overly perfumed woman in desperate search of an on-flight date.

scary-on
 n. A piece of luggage that’s clearly too big to fit into a plane’s overhead compartment.

Don't miss the wedding lexicon while you're there. Ciao.

Lifehacker recently pointed us to tips for packing light. Most of the advice was good, but basic. I love to travel, and tend to pack too many pairs of everything when I do. So the topic prompted me to browse the web for better tips. Here are a few tips I found noteworthy...

We're leaving town in just eight days for a great vacation, but all I can think of is the work to be done over the next 192 hours. Staggering. I've got adventures to plan and research to...well, research. Luckily, Wallpaper is there to help. Famous for bringing you international design, interiors and fashion, Wallpaper now brings you City Guides for "design-consious travelers." As luck would have it, Rome is one of the cities they've mapped out.

Here's what the fashionable team at 'paper have to say about the books:

For a decade, we have been the first to uncover the best new design and urban travel spots across the globe. Wallpaper* City Guides are the perfect way to present this decade of experience in ruthlessly researched, design-conscious handbooks for the discerning traveller. We don’t waste your time by suggesting too many things — we just suggest the best, the most exciting, the most beautiful.

Fabulous. I'm sold. Now let's hope they can send me a copy rush delivery. Ciao!

For the fitness enthusiast who is always on the go, the web is a wonderdul thing. Fitness trainers are now producing videos and MP3s you can download to your iPod (or laptop) and take with you. I've been using iTrain since January, but a host of other servicces have popped up to round out the downloadable workout landscape. Podfitness, CardioCoach and iFit, just to name a few.

Sadly, you know what this means ladies. No more excuses. Start your download and get out there.