SkiftX

For those of us who aren't named Branson, the $200k price tag isn't really all that much money for the ultimate bucket list check-off.

The jury is out on the details of this government agency's spending practices on conventions. Still, in the wake of the GSA brouhaha, the travel spending practices of the entire government are under the microscope.

The small growth that the GBTA has seen is due to the higher prices business travelers are paying for hotel rooms and airplane tickets rather than increased activity.

The D.C. taxi lobby's effort to force Uber to charge five time the taxi rate makes for the first time the car service startup's rates have looked inexpensive.

The unions are rooting for a pairing with US Airways, but who knows what the months of high-priced consultants and lawyers have whispered into American's executive's ears.

The cruise lines, like any other major brands, want to downplay crimes at all costs. But the lack of accountability at sea means that criminals have a floating playground.

With the average foreign visitor likely to spend nearly triple on everything, the local tourism and convention board wants to nearly double its foreign influx to 30% of the city's total.

T+L and its competitor Conde Nast Traveler have long sought to distinguish their respective lists with new measurements and greater user participation, but they find themselves under increasing threats from non-glossy, best-of-like lists from across the web.

There is a ton of skepticism here about whether the startup, acquired by Microsoft/Skype, can really build a seamless, mobile, group-travel planning experience and whether or not people will care if it does.

Growth in business travel, as in all sectors of travel, is outside U.S. and Europe, and even U.S. travelers spend more internationally, numbers show.