Where would you like to travel in 2012? For people in the travel industry, it’s often easier to come up with a list of where they wouldn’t like to travel. So many destinations, so little time.

This time of year, travel lists abound, with each, naturally, subjective in its own way. Looking for top luxury spots? Budget destinations? Off-the-beaten-path spots? How about top ethical places in the developing world? There’s a list for you.

Mayan ruins at Tulum, Mexico.

Without reading a single one, a destination gambler’s best odds for this year would be to include London and its surroundings, home of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Not far behind should be locales in Mexico and Central America that were part of the Mayan world. That culture, after all, predicts that the world as we know it will transition into its next phase on December 21, 2012.

Many of the current 2012 travel lists do indeed mention one or both of these destinations/regions, namely CNN’s World’s Top Destinations for 2012 (the first four of which also include Chicago and Myanmar and happen to align with my personal list of where I’m likely heading this year) and Frommer’s Best Destinations for 2012.

The Frommer’s list is particularly interesting as it’s geared toward the hard-to-define traveler who simply loves to explore the world and runs the gamut from budget to luxury. Destination choices are all over the map, literally and figuratively, from Canada’s Bay of Fundy to Japan’s Fukuoka, Ghana to Girona, Spain, with Beirut, Curacao, Kansas City and Chongqing, China, rounding out the list.

Uptake’s own Yen Lee harnessed the social media power of Facebook’s friend graph to capture the most buzzed about places, based on more than 200 million comments, status updates, photo descriptions and check-ins. The list published on Huffington Post includes some classic Southeast Asian gems, including Hoi An, Vietnam, and Luang Prabang, Laos, along with Copacabana, Bolivia, and Portland, Oregon, stateside.

Lonely Planet has expanded its audience significantly beyond intrepid backpackers during the past decade, so its annual lists now seem to include more places that make one wonder “why there” as opposed to “where is there.” There remain, however, some great picks. For top U.S. destinations, LP editors recommend the always-enjoyable Chicago, the Four Corners region of the Southwest, California’s Gold Country and, perhaps more surprisingly than the other spots, Cincinnati. Ever hear of Culebra? No? It’s an island 17 miles off the coast of Puerto Rico. The Caribbean tropics can be yours, no passport required.

Luxury lovers who turn first to picks from Travel & Leisure‘s Hottest Destinations of 2012 will find a variety of remote resort destinations from which to choose, including Sri Lanka, Xishuangbanna in China’s Yunnan Province, and Mozambique’s Northern Coast, along with Bentonville, Arkansas. That’s right—Arkansas, which made the list thanks to the Moshe Safdie-designed Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, opened in November.

Budget Travel magazine has a terrific list of value destinations, including Egypt—surely a bargain these days and desperately trying to rebuild its tourism industry; Atlantic Canada, which also appears on a variety of lists; and Taipei, a personal favorite, for its culinary scene and diverse topography. Stateside San Diego and San Antonio are the places to stretch your dollars.

Conscientious and green travelers can thank Ethical Traveler for its newly released list of the Developing Worlds 10 Best Ethical Destinations (press release), based on their accomplishments in the areas of environmental protection, social welfare, and human rights. The winners, in alphabetical order, are: Argentina, The Bahamas, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominica, Latvia, Mauritius, Palau, Serbia and Uruguay.

The editors at The New York Times haven’t yet published their list for 2012, but they recommended 41 places to go in 2011. That probably was inclusive enough to last most people a good few years, or even a decade.

Photo: D.M. Airoldi

Leading a healthier lifestyle is something most people aspire to, with losing weight, quitting smoking, drinking less and exercising more often included on millions of people’s New Year’s resolutions lists. While “travel more” also is a popular desire, should it too be considered good for one’s health?

New Year's Eve, Times Square, NYC

In the American Travel Behavior Survey, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of travel discount site Hotwire.com, results found that 81 percent of travelers feel energized and productive after returning from a leisure trip. While this isn’t surprising news—vacations are supposed to be for relaxing and reenergizing—there may be evidence to suggest that leisure travel also is medically beneficial.

“Travel stimulates the brain and promotes the growth of new synapses, heightens creativity and may even resist Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Matthew Edlund, director of the Center for Circadian Medicine and author of The Power of Rest. “Your brain, like the rest of your body, rebuilds itself constantly, but it needs to be given the regular opportunity to do so. Taking frequent leisure trips at regular intervals continually rests and rejuvenates you, increasing your productivity and sense of satisfaction.”

The Hotwire survey also found that the average American employee has 6.2 paid vacation days left unused at the end each year, so for those vowing to travel more in 2012, they have a good reason to get started with a New Year’s vacation. The discount site has listed its 10 most popular New Year’s travel destinations, based on Hotwire hotel bookings made from Nov. 1 to Dec. 5, 2011 for stays over Dec. 31, 2011 to Jan. 3, 2012.

Do you have plans to travel on New Year’s? How often have you vowed to travel more in the new year and then actually followed through on it, or not?

Photo: Times Square Alliance/Countdown Entertainment LLC

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After several months of increasing speculation by investors, the parent company of American Airlines, AMR Corporation, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today. It is the last of the major U.S. carriers to do so, and the only one that didn’t turn a profit in 2010.

Rising jet-fuel prices and labor costs, combined with increased competition due to mergers of other carriers—pushing the once largest domestic carrier to the No. 3 slot—are the main reasons behind the filing. According to the Wall Street Journal, AMR stock stopped trading early on Monday and closed at $1.62, down 54 percent over the past three months.

What does this mean for travelers with American Airlines tickets and miles?

In the short-term, not much. According to a statement released by the Fort Worth, Texas-based company, AMR has $4.1 billion in cash to ensure the uninterrupted supply of goods and services, and will be conducting business as usual. The airline expects to:

• Provide safe and reliable service;
• Fly normal schedules;
• Honor tickets and reservations, and make exchanges and refunds as usual;
• Fully maintain AAdvantage frequent-flyer and other customer-service programs, and ensure all AAdvantage miles and elite status earned by members remain secure and intact;
• Provide Admirals Club access and similar amenities to members and eligible customers;
• Remain an integral member of the oneworld alliance, of which American is a founding member; and
• Continue its codeshare partnerships.

That noted, airlines in bankruptcy protection typically do tend to reduce their schedules while they try to regain their financial bearings, which could have long-term affects for certain destinations.

One short-term advantage for travelers is that after a Chapter 11 filing, the airline often offers substantial sales in an attempt to maintain customers who might be leery about flying on a bankrupt carrier.

Also, members of American’s AAdvantage frequent-flyer program should keep their eyes peeled for special deals too, such as even more offers bonus-point earnings or reduced miles for redemption, as the airline will want to make sure it keeps its most loyal customers during the restructuring.

In a separate announcement, the AMR board of directors has appointed Thomas W. Horton chairman, CEO and president of American Airlines, succeeding Gerard Arpey, who has decided to retire.

Photo: American Airlines

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On the Transportation Security Administration’s 10th anniversary, TSA and American travelers still have a lot of work to do on their relationship. So says a recent survey commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, the results of which association CEO Roger Dow shared earlier this month at a press conference at Washington Reagan National Airport.

About two-thirds of travelers are satisfied with the job the TSA is doing on security, but 80 percent say that the most unpleasant parts of flying have to do with security checkpoints. Their biggest gripes:

• 72.4 percent chose “people who bring too many carry-on bags through the security checkpoint”
• 68 percent chose “the wait time to clear the TSA checkpoint”
• 62.3 percent chose “having to remove shoes, belts and jackets at the TSA checkpoint”
• 42.5 percent chose “TSA employees who are not friendly”

U.S. Travel suggested that improving the checkpoint process could encourage Americans to fly more often, and indicated that both TSA and airlines could play a role in easing some of the headache that the security process induces. Airlines could make it easier to enroll in the new trusted-traveler program PreCheck and help reduce the number of carry-on bags going through passenger checkpoints (we’re looking at you, ever-increasing checked-bag fees).

Travelers’ impressions of TSA aren’t all bad, the survey showed. A majority believe the agency is on the “right track” with PreCheck, the decision to eliminate pat downs for children, software upgrades that replace personal body images with a generic body image and a decision to phase out the removal of shoes.

Photo: Inha Leeks Hale

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