If you are a smartphone user and love to travel, this has probably happened to you: you return from a trip abroad to find your cellphone service provider has piled on hundreds of dollars for roaming charges and data usage. No matter that you purchased an international plan or topped up with extra data before you left. You're now faced with a huge bill and a growing ulcer from the stress of it all.

Some elect for a workaround, getting an unlocked phone and performing the old SIM-card switcheroo when traveling overseas – but that's not especially convenient. What is convenient is a Tep pocket Wi-Fi, a personal hotspot that lets you cheat on your cellphone service with pay-by-the-day Wi-Fi.

Here's how it works:

Later this summer, the TSA will permit snow globes inside carry-on luggage, the Los Angeles Times reports. Currently, those tiny globes of holiday fun are in the same category as nunchucks, handguns and billy clubs – not welcome in carry-on baggage.

Current law prohibits "snow globes and like decorations regardless of size or amount of liquid inside, even with documentation" in carry-on baggage.

There's a catch, however. The globes must still fill the 3-1-1 rule.

"Snow globes that appear to contain less than 3.4 ounces (approximately tennis-ball size) will be permitted if the entire snow globe, including the base, is able to fit in the same one clear, plastic, quart-sized, resealable bag as the passenger's other liquids, such as shampoo, toothpaste and cosmetics," the TSA told the Times.

Sadly, gel candles are still not allowed – and be sure to leave the nunchucks at home.

[Flickr via GaryKnight]

A summer road trip sounds like a lot of fun. Planning where we might drive to, what we will see and do along the way, and even packing the car are all fun parts of the experience. Heading out on the open road with friends can make for a legendary trip. Traveling with children, however, can make the road seem awfully long, especially when patience and attention spans grow short. What we do to deal with long periods of time with seemingly nothing to do becomes of primary importance.

There are multiple apps available that can be helpful for distracting children while on the road. Admittedly, I have this picture in my head of mom and/or dad in the front seat and the kid(s) in the back seat, buried in a iPhone, missing everything that is passing by.

Not so with some interactive apps.

While many think of Mexico as a country that's too dangerous to visit, there are actually many beautiful, safe and historically rich cities worth making a trip for.

While Tulum features one of the most well preserved ancient civilizations in the country, Copper Canyon features an extreme adventure park inside its ravine. Additionally, Guadalajara boasts magic villages, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 684 historical monuments, while Guanajuato has an entire underground road system and an active mining community. These are just some of the experiences to be had in these worthwhile cities in Mexico.

For a more visual idea of these essential Mexican destinations, check out the gallery below.

Gallery: 10 Essential Destinations In Mexico

[image via Bjorn Christian Torrissen]

The world is getting smaller and tasks that used to take hours or days can now be completed in seconds thanks to the Internet. But it still takes what feels like forever and a day to cross Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and other annoyingly large U.S. states with mind-numbingly dull interstates.

The good news is that speed limits have gone up over the years to the point where highway 55-mph zones are becoming more and more rare. The bad news is that there are still plenty of distracted slowpokes clogging up the left lanes, even in high speed limit zones, making interstate travel needlessly stressful and arduous.

Yes, I know that higher speed limits translate into more frequent and severe traffic accidents, but I feel like I'm capable of determining what a safe speed is based upon traffic, weather conditions and the like. The U.S. incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, and I'm quite sure we hand out the most speeding tickets too. But I'm not sure all the Big Brother tactics make us any safer.

It was like stepping onto the set of a horror film. An array of dusty knick-knacks lined the shelves, ranging from empty glass bottles to vintage photographs and eyeless doll heads. Torn pantyhose, some colored red, were strewn up as curtains. In the closet, there was a musty aroma and a pile of something furry.

This would be our home for the evening.

We were onboard "Ms. Nancy Boggs," a 1967 Drift-R houseboat that had been outfitted as part of the Boatel floating hotel project at Marina 59 in Far Rockaway, Queens, just an hour from downtown New York City. Described as an "interactive art and sound installation," the Boatel consists of 16 themed houseboats, clustered around a central dock that functions as an outdoor kitchen and common space. "Bad Irene" combines futuristic décor with Bollywood kitsch; "Sweet Annisa" sports a red vinyl interior said to have been designed for West Indian drug lords; and "Americano" was built for a weekend bender with Vanilla Ice, Richard Pryor and Neil Patrick Harris. Personality? This place has plenty.

British farmer Winston Howes lost his wife Janet 17 years ago, but the lasting tribute that he created in her honor is only now coming to light. Last week, a hot air balloonist happened to be drifting over the Howes farm when he snapped the photo seen here. That image revealed a heart-shaped meadow that Winston has lovingly crafted over the years as a reminder of the love of his life.

The 70-year-old Howes says he came up with the idea of the meadow not long after Janet's death. He tells the U.K.'s Daily Mail that it was a "flash of inspiration" and he soon went to work planting small oak trees – thousands of them. Over time, those saplings grew into tall, strong trees, creating a tranquil refuge in the process.

The living tribute to his wife spreads out across six acres of farmland and is bordered on all sides by a tall hedge. From the road, it appears to be little more than a large copse of trees, but when viewed from overhead, its secret is revealed. The heart is distinct and cleverly formed from all of those carefully planted trees. Access to the interior of the grove can only be gained by following a narrow trail that leads to the tip of the heart. That same tip points directly toward Wotton Hill – Janet's hometown.

Winston says that he likes to go and sit in the meadow from time-to-time and just think about things. I'm sure it has been a source of quiet comfort to him over the years but now that the word is out, he may just see a few more balloons in the sky overhead.

[Photo credit: Adam Gray/SWNS.com]

It's not often that you see both points of a rainbow, much less capture it on film. Flickr user Matt Coats did both in today's Photo of the Day, taken in Lyme Regis, a coastal town on England's Heritage Coast. Lyme Regis is known for its preponderance of pre-historic fossils, but with phenomena like this rainbow, one has to wonder whether pots of gold also line the coast.

Do you have your own jaw-dropping photographs of natural phenomena? Upload your travel shots to the Gadling Flickr Pool and your image could be selected as our Photo of the Day.

"Terra Sacra Time Lapses Trailer" from Sean F. White on Vimeo.

This time-lapse collaborative called Terra Sacra from Sean F. White is beautiful. Sean traveled to several countries to film the footage that made up this video (Bolivia, Chile, USA, Antarctica, Kenya, Brazil, Madagascar, United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Mali, Nepal, New Zealand, Japan, Bhutan, Peru, Mongolia, Iceland, Cambodia, Egypt, Jordan, Philippines, Syria and Poland). From the skies to seas, this time-lapse is all about nature and the beauty before us in the landscapes found across the world. Enjoy.

Have you ever listened to the hit Beatles song and dreamed of spending the night in an actual "yellow submarine"? Now you can, with the newest quirky accommodation in Liverpool.

Aptly situated in the home of the Fab Four, the floating submarine hotel is painted to resemble the vessel from the cover of the "Yellow Submarine" record. According to the Daily Mail, the hotel floats on a mooring in Albert Dock and comes complete with 3D televisions, Wi-Fi, computers, a trippy lounge and a skateboard from the film set of "Quadrophenia."

The man behind the ingenious idea is Mr. Alfie Bubbles, whose last project was designing a Batman-themed moat hotel. When it became successful, Mr. Bubbles realized the potential of floating accommodations. After deciding on the theme for the submarine hotel, he spent nine months searching for '60s-inspired accents for the rooms. Additionally, he was able to acquire the same boat used in Sean Connery's "The Hunt For Red October."

Mr. Bubbles hopes his next floating ventures will include hotels with "Titanic" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" themes.

So, how much does it cost to sleep in the yellow submarine hotel? Monday through Thursday, expect to pay about $232 per night. From Friday through Sunday, the price goes up to about $466 to $545 per night.

Would you pay to sleep in a floating submarine hotel?

[Image via Beatlesfan2]