Christopher Elliot, over at Tribune Media Services, reported how 2009 will likely be the year of the "naycation." While Gadling's own writer, Tom Johansmeyer, agrees to some extent that this could be the case, I hope we might be able to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

So, the optimist/devil's advocate that I am, I present to you 9 reasons this will be the year of the "YAYcation."

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2009, travel friends. We had a fabulous 2008 at Gadling and we're planning an even bigger year for you coming up. We'll have guest posts from famous and delicious guest writers, mind-blowing giveaways, crazier stories, insider access and thousands of travel ideas to get you on the road this year.

Speaking of which, have you started planning your 09 vacay yet? From the outrageous to the frugal we'll be populating your brain with all sorts of destination fodder this year, starting TODAY with a new budget series kickoff. And blogger Alison Brick will be clueing us in to the latest travel deals out there on the market.

So don't trade your passport for a staycation guide yet; there's plenty to learn about, explore, absorb and love this year. Gear up for an amazing 365 days on the road and get excited -- we'll be right next to you the entire way.

Love, Gadling

Yesterday, not long after Scott posted about the American family who are Muslim were removed from an AirTran flight at the Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington D.C., I heard an interview on NPR with Atif Irfan, one of the family members.

Irfan explained in more detail what happened to create the misunderstanding. Because there were nine of them, the family had booked the last rows of the plane so they could all sit together. As they were walking down the aisle, he and a sister-in-law were discussing which part of the plane was the safest. His wife recalls that a "couple of girls" who heard their conversation thought they were talking about doing some sort of terrorist act. Federal marshals escorted them off the plane for questioning.

As Irfan explained, the men in the family have beards and the women have head coverings, but other than that they were wearing western style dress. He also said they had three small children with them. Usually, he is very careful about what he says as to not alarm people, but this time they weren't thinking much about their conversation.

What amazes me about this story is not that the family was questioned, but that after the FBI cleared the family and asked AirTran to allow the family to fly, AirTran refused. Who did AirTran think the FBI were? Certainly the FBI had badges and obvious credentials. If the FBI aren't listened to, that's startling? Maybe there was a snafu in communication.

Irfan, by the way, has nothing but good things to say about the FBI who did get the family on a US Airways flight. AirTran has since offered restitution in a free flight home and reimbursement for the family's US Airways flight and an apology.

After listening to Irfan, I was reminded about the importance of civility. For the family who, from what I can tell, stayed calm and collected throughout their experience, bravo. I'm wondering just how many other passengers would have behaved so well? It's also a reminder that passengers do listen to conversations. What you say could be held against you.

By the way, Atif Irfan was born and raised in Detroit and now is a lawyer who lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

I'm wild about independent films with ultimately feel-good heart. Milk and Opium is a film that caught my attention in 2007. So did Binta's Great Idea. Here's another film project I'm excited about: I Ran Iran. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem, from what I've discovered, that the film has been completed. That's too bad. The trailer and the story behind the film are intriguing. By the end of the trailer I was smiling and curious as to what happened to the project. Intrigue and smiles means two thumbs up by me.

Here's the scoop. Tyler MacNiven who, along with his teammate B.J. Avril, won season 9 of the Amazing Race, set out to make I Ran Iran as a way to illustrate the warmth and hospitality of the Iranian people and the richness of their culture. To do so, MacNiven set out in 2006 with his best friend, Bobak Bakhtiari, an Iranian-American, to run the the 1000 miles or so between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. Some of Bakhtiari's family still live in Iran so family visits were also in order.

I was having a grand ole time surfing at Ala Moana Bowls the other day when a rude, disrespecting woman decided to paddle for a wave and proceeded to cut off three other surfers and nearly behead my friend. Growing ever more confrontational in my old age, I began to argue with the lady about her very inappropriate surf etiquette. Profanities were exchanged, I nearly spit in her face, and she nearly punched me. Two perfectly mature female surfers in Honolulu suddenly became mortal enemies over shoulder-high waves just days before the New Year.

This immediately got me thinking about my surfing experiences abroad. I've been fortunate enough to have surfed in some of the most idyllic places in the world, with Costa Rica, West Timor, and Fiji topping that list. While I don't claim to be an expert in the sport, I usually know how to behave in the water -- especially in foreign waters.

I'll never forget watching a family of Americans at a Scottish Highland Games event in Ontario hold kilts inches from their faces, examining the patterns carefully to make sure they didn't by the wrong clan's tartan. I learned quickly that I did not have this skill and, characteristically, gave up without much effort. The need for a true kilt expert, however, was painfully obvious. This small memory from a decade ago, popped back into my head when I entered 21st Century Kilts in Edinburgh.

Howie Nicholsby comes from a long line of kilt craftsmen, though five minutes with him shows you that he cannot be contained by tradition (or anything else). A keen eye for detail puts the right clan on your body, but his sense of style opens Scotland's traditional garb to new ideas that few have imagined.

I tried on the "desert camouflage" kilt (yes, I wore it like a "true Scot"). I figured it would be a bit breezy and was surprised to learn just how hot it can be under the garment. The higher quality kilts are quite heavy, requiring a considerable amount of fabric to produce. Thus, they tend to fetch high prices. The one I tried on (but didn't buy) would have set me back close to $400, though currency swings would probably bring it closer to $300 today.

Without a doubt, the prices are pretty rough, and there are less expensive kilts available in Scotland (though there is a lobbying effort in progress to limit what can be called a "kilt" to those manufactured in Scotland according to specific standards). You get what you pay for, according to Howie, and spending less than $100 will result in a noticeable lack of quality.

So, if you find yourself strolling the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, poke your head into 21st Century Kilts. Howie will have you rolling in laughter, and he'll probably have you in a new kilt by the end of your visit.

Cuba has a lot to mull over as it rushes in the new year. That's because it's no longer up to Fidel to make decisions about the nation's state -- particularly with regard to its relations with the world's most powerful nations (Russia, China, and the United States to name a few...). It's up to Fidel's brother, Raúl, who officially took the reigns from an ailing Fidel back in February.

Fifty years ago today, Fidel Castro marched his revolutionary troops down to Havana and freed his nation from dictator Fulgencio Batista. It only seems fitting, then that this photo is Cuban propaganda that says, "Fight and conquer the impossible." Let no one argue Fidel's power and influence in Cuba. He entered the picture fifty years ago. The rest, they say, is history. Soon after Castro's rising, the U.S. government banned exports and broke diplomatic relations with Cuba. The Bay of Pigs, the Cold War, Guantanamo are all marked in his nation's history, indicating moments of victory, defeat, and uncertainty.

It might be called Sin City, but that doesn't mean that it is a complete place of moral decay (sorry). There are churches of the Catholic denomination located right on the Las Vegas Strip. The most noticeable one is Guardian Angel Cathedral, which located next to the newest of the Wynn casinos. It is actually not preaching fire and brimstone to the tourists who descend upon the city throughout the year. Its main goal is to serve the legions of casino employees, nearly 40% of whom claim to be Roman Catholic. Of course, that probably doesn't discourage a few down-on-their-luck craps players from lighting a votive candle for good luck.

Las Vegas development guru Steve Wynn offered to construct a new church in return for turning the land where the old one sat into a parking garage for his new project. Church leaders decided not to take Wynn up on his offer, saying that the current church had already been blessed and therefore couldn't be destroyed. So even in Sin City, you can still get holy, if you want.

[via LA Times]

Several of my close friends and family members were adopted, adopted a child, or are in the process of adopting a child from Asia. In fact, my sister is months away from traveling to China to pick up her daughter, and our very own Gadling writer, Jamie Rhein has a daughter adopted from Vietnam. While China, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, and India are just a few of the popular adoption locales these days, there are several others popping up all over the globe.

The adoption travel trip is like no other you will ever experience in your life. It's is the first step in documenting your adoptive child's journey with you. It's something s/he will not likely remember, so taking photos, and recording the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of his/her birthplace is a most important step in the process.

My pug Iris (pictured here inside her airline travel bag) is what I believe to be one of the most well-traveled pugs in the universe. She is just seven years old and has been on at least twenty flights with me -- most of them from one coast to the other.

A friend once asked me how much it costs to have a pet fly with you (or under you) on the plane and when I informed her that it cost at least $50 a "leg," she actually thought I meant it cost $200 because my dog has four legs and asked me if I considered cutting off a leg or two to make her flight cheaper.

Nowadays, it can cost upwards of $300 for a pet to fly with you on the plane. It's a sad state of affairs for airlines these days, and flying pets are the first to pay the price.