On the way to Wales...Youth Magnet cities...Naked Reading..Jim's deal of the day...

There's nothing (well, there are probably a few things) that get you ready for a trip than reading one of the papers in the destination you're headed to. Gets you a feel for the place, I think.

I'm at the British Airways lounge (yeah, I know) at Pearson, which is very sunny and bright and friendly, and they have a stack of British papers I can look at. There's some great stuff.

The headline in The Daily Telegraph is "We won't pay up, rebels tell Brown," that being PM Gordon Brown of the scandal-plagued British government.

In The Times, the lead story reads "After the payback, the fightback: MP's fury at expenses watchdog."

Fine, sure. But the Daily Mail takes another tack, with a headline that reads "Our Woeful Schools, by Tesco Boss." Under that is a picture of some BBC type who has a huge deal that's about to be axed. He's picture with a woman with flaming, and I do mean, flaming red hair and large, well, breasts that are out there for all the world to see.

What a great place to be a newspaperman.

CRUISE DEALS

USA Today cruise guy Gene Sloan points out today might be a great day to book a cruise. Seems there's a big cruise convention going on as part of something called World's Largest Cruise Night and "more than a dozen lines have rolled out special offers."

I've only been on one cruise: a Royal Caribbean affair about five years ago. I liked it a lot more than I expected to.

TOP TEN "YOUTH MAGNET" CITIES

You can always argue with someone's list. Which, come to think of it, is exactly the point that list proponents make.

Putting up a list creates debate. It's instinctive, at least for me. "What do you mean you don't have "All You Need Is Love" on your list of top 10 Beatles tunes?" Or, "How could you possibly list Lake Erie as one of the top attractions in Canada"?

We love to criticize where people place things on a list, and we love to criticize what they had the audacity or stupidity to leave out. So here's the latest one I spotted: a Wall Street Journal story on the top ten youth magnet cities. This being an American-centric publication, the story was all about U.S. cities. which is too bad for the rest of us. Still, it's interesting.

The WSJ got a panel of six folks together and came up with the following as youth magnet cities, based on amenities, job prospects and chances of getting picked up at a bar (sorry) other things of importance to today's youth.

1. Washington D.C. and Seattle (tie)
3. New York City
4. Portland
5. Austin
6. San Jose
7. Denver
8. Raleigh
9. Dallas
10. Chicago and Boston (tie)

Washington D.C. was an interesting one I wouldn't have guessed. They laid it on the Obama factor, which makes some sense (I  guess neither Fox News nor the International Olympic Committee had a role on the panel).

Seattle I can see. Great markets, nice environment, lots to do. New York's expensive but think of one young person who doesn't feel the attraction. Portland's like Seattle but lesser known for most Canadians, while Austin often makes such lists due to the University of Texas, the annual SXSW festival and such.

San Jose? Uh, I dunno. I grew up near there and I know it's changed but it's not exactly a firecracker of a spot. Denver's cool, and I like Raleigh. Dallas doesn't get my motor running but it's been a long while. Chicago and Boston aren't surprises. But it would've been nice to see a couple more "never thought of that" places. San Jose is the only spot that caught me off guard, and it would've been fun to see something like Columbus, Ohio, which I quite like. Or maybe Boise, Idaho or something.

GETTING NAKED IN NEW YORK

Here's something you don't see every day; an item I spotted on Twitter about Naked Girls reading banned books in New York. Seems some burlesque performers (love the names GiGi La Femme and Legs Malone) will be doing a reading Oct. 16 at a New York bookshop. Here's the link, just in case this tickles your fancy:  http://ow.ly/uluG

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

Signature Vacations has a free upgrade deal at the Grand Riviera Princess All Suites Resort & Spa in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Through Oct. 31, 2009, for travel Feb. 1 – March 30, 2010, you can book a Platinum Suite for the price of a Junior Suite, a savings of $560 per couple, per week. Platinum Suites come with video on demand, concierge service and the use of the Platinum Lounge with its own private pool. Platinum Suites also have Jacuzzis on their balconies and terraces and Platinum Suite guests are treated to one beach dinner per week. For details see www.signaturevacations.com.

VANCOUVER 2010 GETS READY

You can just hear the hand-wringing in Vancouver/Whistler. Olympic officials held a press conference yesterday and said some roads will be closed as early as Nov. 1; more than three months prior to the Feb. 12 start of the Games. They sound like minor changes, but more closures and changes will come in January and will last through the beginning of March.

Officials say folks should arrive at events two or even three hours ahead of time to avoid security hassles and get to their seats on time.

If you care, you can to go www.travelsmart2010.ca to find up-to-date transportation info.

This could get interesting.

LOUSY BRITISH TIPPERS

I had no idea, but a story I spotted out of the UK says there's a "huge cultural difference" between Americans and Brits when it comes to tipping. Royal Caribbean says it's "evaluating its options" amid reports that U.S. passengers are used to adding gratuities and tipping staff on board a cruise ship while thier British counterparts are not.

"As a result," the story said, "staff on board ships with a majority of British passengers are losing out on remuneration."

Ouch.

CHARMS OF CHANGI

Got to checking out USA Today's travel site today and found an interesting piece by Harriet Baskas. She says not only do they have free wi-fi, they also have 500 free Internet stations for folks without a laptop, as well as free movie theatres, free music video and free CD listening stations. But it was the gardens that blew me away, including a rooftop garden with more than 40 species of cactus and a sunflower garden that "will make you feel as if you've stpped into a Vincent Van Gogh painting." There's also a butterfly garden, and some of the lounge chairs (free) have alarm clocks.

Boy, makes me wish I'd go to Singapore sometime.

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