Best of BedandBreakfast.com award-winning innkeeper Adele Goodman was recently featured on Macon, GA TV station WMAZ13! Click here to see the video.

Here's what reporter Stephanie Susskind said: "One central Georgia bed and breakfast innkeeper is gaining national attention for hospitality. Bed and Breakfast.com named Adele Goodman, innkeeper and owner of Traveler's Rest Bed and Breakfast in Montezuma, one of the country's best innkeepers of the year. Goodman says she tells her guests that a bed and breakfast is a hotel with personality. She says, "it's just a small town and it's a small inn but you really get to experience the south and hopefully some true southern hospitality." Goodman says when she took over the inn about four and a half years ago she added her own personal touch, like adding family heirlooms to the decor. The B&B has four rooms, each with a different theme. From the garden room, the civil war room, the captains quarters and the outside cottage, Goodman says she enjoys giving guests a comfortable place to rest their head. She says, "I just try to go that extra mile by being flexible and being there but also leaving them alone." That extra mile earned her national recognition. Bed and Breakfast .com named Goodman one of the country's twelve best innkeepers of the year, based on guest reviews. Goodman says, "I had some wonderful reviews from some of my guests, so I was very lucky and privileged to receive that." She says she hopes her guests will continue saying good things that will put her on the list again next year, and bring more people to the inn. Steve Brown and his son Luke currently occupy the civil war room while they relocate to Montezuma. Brown says he's not surprised about Goodman's honor. Brown says Goodman pays a lot of attention to detail about what folks who are not from here may need to know. He says she even helps get his son up for school after he leaves for work. Brown says, "she seems to think of things before you ask." Goodman says she enjoys the satisfaction of knowing that people have had an enjoyable stay, and that they've had that little special experience they may not have had somewhere else. Goodman says having a full house and getting to know her visitors makes the job fun. She says it's almost like having her own family stay with her. Goodman says, "I have guests that come back specifically through Montezuma just to stay here and will take the time to go off the highway just to come back and stay with me." She hopes travelers continue to rest at the place she calls home. Goodman says the house is 110 years old and was built for one of the first doctors in Montezuma. She says the town used to be called Traveler's Rest before it became Montezuma, and that's where the B and B got its name. It's located on Dooly Street in Montezuma."

Fifteen Commandments of Vacation Travel

We all know people who come back from a vacation feeling on top of the world, and others who seem vaguely disappointed. Here's how to put yourself in the first category, not the second.

Know yourself. A successful vacation is one that works for the person you are, not the person you think you should be. Confirmed couch potatoes who resent having to walk from the far end of the parking lot will not find true fulfillment on a trek through the Himalayas. If privacy is a top priority, a group tour or communal lodge will turn fantasy into frustration. Acknowledge your own comfort levels. Are independence and flexibility top concerns? Or being structured and secure? How essential are the creature comforts when it comes to sleeping, eating, and bathing? Would you rather have one week of luxury travel or two weeks of budget food and accommodation? And remember that while your personality doesn't change, your needs do. The type of vacation you plan for a romantic getaway is totally different from a family reunion.

Know your travel companions. Adjust your plans to accommodate your travel partners. Whether you are traveling with friends, spouse, children, and/or parents, you'll need to take their age, attention span, agility, and interests into account. If you're traveling with the kids, balance a morning at an art museum with an afternoon at the zoo; if you're spending time with elderly parents, make sure that they can stroll a country lane while you go rock-climbing; if your group includes skiers and non-skiers, pick a resort that has appealing shops and off-slopeactivities.
Plan ahead: anticipation is half the fun. Enjoy the planning process. The more you know about an area you're going to visit, the more fun you'll have. Check out destination websites; skim a guidebook; read a novel or watch a movie set in the region; talk to friends who have been there recently.

Don't bite off more than you can chew. Keep your itinerary in line with the amount of time and money available. Focus on seeing a smaller area well, rather than trying to cover too much ground and seeing nothing but interstate highways. Don't over-program; allow yourself the luxury of doing nothing.
Avoid one-night stands. Plan to stay a minimum of two nights everywhere you go. A vacation made up of one-nighters is a prescription for exhaustion. You will sleep poorly, spend most of your time packing/unpacking and in transit, and will get only the smallest glimpse of the place you're visiting.

Travel off-season. Unless your vacation dates are dictated by the school calendar, off-season travel offers many advantages: fewer crowds, greater flexibility, reduced costs, and a more relaxed atmosphere. Learn to pick the best dates for off-season travel; typically these are the weeks just before and after seasonal rates change.
Book well ahead for peak season travel. If you must travel during peak periods to popular destinations, make reservations well in advance for the key sites to avoid aggravation, extra phone calls, and additional driving time.

Take the road less traveled. Get off the beaten path and leave the crowds behind. Instead of booking a room in the heart of the action, find a quiet getaway tucked in the hills or in a neighboring village.

Ditch the car. You’ll need a car to get most destinations, but once you're there, get out and walk. You'll see more, learn more, experience more at every level, while avoiding crowds at even the most popular destinations.

Hang loose. The unexpected is inevitable. When your plans go astray (and they will), relax and let serendipity surprise you. And keep your sense of humor in good working order. If possible, travel without reservations or a set itinerary.

Carpe diem--seize the day. Don't be afraid to follow your impulses. If a special souvenir catches your eye, buy it; don't wait to see if you'll find it again later. If a hiking trail looks too inviting to pass up, don't; that museum or outlet mall will wait for a rainy day.

Don't suffer in silence. When things go wrong--an incompetent guide, car troubles, a noisy room--speak up. Politely but firmly express your concern then and there; get your room changed, ask for a refund or discount, whatever. Most people in the travel business would rather have you go away happy than to leave grumbling.

Remember--being there is more than seeing there. People travel to see the sights--museums and mountains, shops and scenery--but it is making new friends that can make a trip memorable. Leave a door open to the people-to-people experiences that enrich travel immeasurably.

Don't leave home to find home. The quickest way to take the wind out of the sails of your trip is to compare things to the way they are at home. Enjoy different styles and cultures for what they are and avoid comparisons and snap judgments.

Give yourself permission to disregard all of the above. Nothing is immutable. If you find a pattern that works for you, enjoy it! 

Swan House in Washington DC has lots of repeat guests -- including a mallard duck named Amelia (after another famous female flier) who has returned several times to lay her eggs and raise a family in the swimming pool of this Dupont Circle area B&B. Click here for the video and the full story!

For more information on visiting Swann House, click here.

If you ever fight with your significant other about how much to take on a trip, be sure to read "Four Signs You Have a Packing Problem" on one of our favorite sites, the Independent Traveler.com, covering these warning signs:

#1: A Wrinkled Wardrobe

#2: Damaged Goods

#3: Too Much Baggage

#4: Pre-Trip Panic

In addition to the good advice in the article, remember that B&Bs rarely have elevators, and while innkeepers are generally pleased to give you a hand with your luggage, carrying your bags from the car to the house and up one or two flights of stairs is not really in their job description!

Still not convinced?  Pack up your suitcase, then carry it from your driveway into your house and up the stairs and repeat.  It will help you rethink what's essential and what's not!

Travelocity’s most recent poll shows a dramatic increase in travel intentions, indicating traveler confidence is on the rise. Travelocity’s first-ever Traveler Confidence Report shows that decreasing airfares and lower hotel rates have positively influenced 96 percent of overall respondents’ summer travel plans, inspiring stronger travel intentions for the season ahead. The Traveler Confidence Report gauges travelers’ plans and attitudes now as compared to six months prior.

Many B&Bs are enjoying the results of this increased "traveler confidence" as inngoers realize the quality experience and high value a B&B getaway provides.  BedandBreakfast.com provides the most complete source of information, reservations, and reviews on B&Bs and inns, but we are delighted that our newest travel partner, Travelocity, is releasing such an interesting report: 

• Travel Intentions Up: Travelers planning to increase travel in 2009 is up significantly, with 21% planning to increase travel when asked in April 2009 compared to only 10% planning to increase travel when asked in November 2008.
• Vacation Postponement Down: Travelers planning to decrease travel in 2009 is down significantly, from 34 percent in November 2008 to 24 percent in April 2009. Travelers are also more likely to decrease budgets as opposed to cancelling vacations completely.
• Decreased Airfare and Hotel Rates Have Positive Impact: When asked how lower prices would impact travel plans, 25 percent said lower airfares would allow them to take a trip they had not expected, while 18% said lower hotel rates would allow them to stay at a hotel with higher star rating.
• Travel Budgets Strong: Two-thirds of respondents report their summer travel budgets will remain the same or increase as compared to summer 2008. Of the one-third planning to reduce budgets, the vast majority will do so by 50 percent or less.