National Geographic Traveler just came out with an article offering 57 ways to cut vacation costs. Some of them are pretty obvious, and some seem a little obsessive–looking for public bathrooms on the street to avoid impulse buys leaving restrooms in stores, for example (if you gotta go, you gotta go).

But there are some useful links and interesting ideas for saving money while traveling. I never thought of deleting cookies in my browser before ordering hotels of airfare online. According to the authors of this article, some sites may quote a higher price than is available because of cookies that store your previous purchase history.

Islands rank high in travel daydreams. Everyone has a list of islands. Travel and Leisure’s 2008 Best Islands is one of the most recent, but if you want to really delve into island dreams,  National Geographic Traveler’s Nov/Dec 2006 issue listed 111 of the best islands and archipelagos and ranked them in terms of sustainable stewardship.

It’s a little light on iconic tropical beaches-the 522 experts polled found that crowds and cruise ships can kill and island quickly. I don’t know how many of these picks have since been defiled by development (the article ran in 2006), but it is great daydream fodder. I’m clearly island deficient-of the 111 ranked, I’ve only seen 15. 

 Islands Magazine has several  island lists:  Check out the 23 best islands for snorkeling , the best islands for art , and, if you want to dream really big, the best islands to live on.

National Geographic Traveler’s (one of my favorite magazines) Nov/Dec 2008 issue  ranks 109 historical destinations, and I realize with a thrill that I’ve only seen 17 of them.  Ninety-two to go! I’d love to hear your favorites so I can target my travel lust more tightly.