Countdown to Christmas, and still there’s lots to read about travel everywhere!  I take that as a very good sign that maybe a travel gift will be beneath your Christmas tree, in your stocking, whatever is in keeping with your holiday practices and traditions.

And if you just don’t feel in the travel spirit, maybe these travel posts will get you in the mood!

• Global Traveler asks for help in deciding what gadgets and tools to send off with her daughter who is off to spend a few months traveling in Europe.
• The Trends suggests some luxurious solutions on what to get your favorite traveler.
• PlanetEye Traveler – Disney has some great tips on how to avoid the flu when traveling to Disney Parks.  This info is great no matter where you’ll be traveling.
• Gadling offers a few practical phrases that you need to know when you’re traveling somewhere that your native language isn’t spoken.  If you can’t memorize these phrases, write them down and keep them
• Up, Up & Gay, a Flight Attendant blog, explains the reason why we cut to the front of the security line.  It never fails to irk passengers, but this is a good explanation of why we’re granted this perk.
• Consumer Traveler has a photo essay of some of the world’s subways.  These are some pretty impressive public transportation systems.
• Sharing Travel Experiences gives us a glimpse of Tanzania and Zanzibar, two exotic and beautiful locales.
• PlanetEye Traveler – St. Petersburg tells about the return of the painting “Harem Pool,” again on exhibit at the Hermitage after being stolen in 2001.
• NY Times Travel tempts our palate with roadside foods in Bali, with tips on how to eat well, cheaply, and safely.
• Nancy the Gnomette takes her first bike tour of Argentina’s wine country and celebrates finishing up her Masters Degree in Music.  I’m not a skilled rider, but she makes me want to do this!
• PlanetEye Traveler – Edinburgh has instructions on how to make the perfect cup of tea.  When I’m traveling my tea making skills are pretty abysmal, but this is great inspiration for when I’m at home.
• Tripbase hates New Year’s Eve celebrations and finds some out of the way places to spend the night in solitude.

It’s a good looking group of travel blog posts for the week, so please take the time to go read something that piqued your curiosity.  And don’t forget to tell them that MJ sent you!

Photo credit:  Mary Jo Manzanares