It is certainly surprising when the fourth largest carrier in the world goes into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, but for all those who fear the worst, it is not all over for the airline’s many worldwide passengers.

The flights shouldn’t really be affected for now, although staff of AA may not be quite so enthusiastic, as they mull over their futures with the airline.

And this situation is nothing new as many of the players in the airline industry including the likes of United, Delta and Continental have gone through the same process since September 11 and have come through.

With the company paying around $600 million per year more than its competitors, it is likely the restructure will mean that the AA brand is set to continue, albeit with a few more unhappy customers and employees.

No, I’m not - and to be honest I don’t really know much about this prestigious event. All I’ve learned was gained by listening to the popular version of the traditional ballad as sung by Simon and Garfunkel.

That is not to say that you shouldn’t go. It is completely up to you. I don’t want to influence your decision either way. I’m just saying that I’ve not been thus far in my life and - to be completely honest - have no plans to attend the fair in the future (either in the short or long term).

If you are ‘into’ parsley, sage, rosemary or thyme for that matter, this might be something that floats your boat.

In the past you had to wait until your friends or family returned from their trip to hear all about it. You might possibly get a phone call asking you what he weather is like back at home – generally the response is not all that positive, while they admit it is sun, sun, sun all the way where they are.

Nowadays, with the latest smartphones, tablet PCs and portable laptops, most people keep in touch with those at work and their family members in miserable old England by updating their Facebook statuses and posting tweets via Twitter.

While it is good to be able to find out what the latest news is back home and be contactable, in most cases taking this equipment on holiday generally prevents the person from truly “getting away from it all” like they said before they set off.

Yes, it is good to be able to peruse a friend’s holiday snaps moments after they are taken, but reading cocky updates about how great it is over there isn’t.

A recent study by comparison website TravelSupermarket has revealed that a quarter of Britons consider the anticipation of going on holiday almost as important as the trip itself.

This might sound crazy, but the research showed that many people find that the feeling you get when booking a holiday is really something to savour and dwell on.

Therefore, those who simply can’t afford to shell out on a trip abroad might be able to take heart from the fact they can just pretent instead.

TravelSupermarket travel expert, Bob Atkinson, said:

‘We’re not surprised to see that Brits feel a holiday is important – not just for the break itself, but to give you a real “emotional boost”.

‘That is why – in addition to helping you find a good deal – it’s a smart move to book your holiday sooner rather than later so that you have something to look forward to.’

Most people assume that it is better to hold out and put off booking their holiday flights, once they know where they want to go, in favour of a last minute bargain.

While this sounds good in theory, the travel operators know that the actual cost of airfare increases the closer to the date you get. Therefore, you will find there are lots more travellers looking for cheap flights.

If you really do want to benefit from lower prices and a greater flexibility in terms of dates, it is usually advisable to book your air travel as soon as you possibly can.

On 17th October 1989, the people of San Francisco were faced with a powerful earthquake which left 63 dead and more than 3,500 injured.

In this disaster around 100,000 buildings were damaged, leaving the city with a huge clean-up operation.

It is now 22 years today since the earthquake struck and the City of San Francisco has had to undergo extensive repairs over the immediate years following this event.

Even though the devastation was terrible, it could have been worse as many workers in the city had already gone home (17:04 local time) to watch the baseball World Series that particular day.

Despite the growing sense of doom and gloom with regards to Britain’s economy and no end in sight for many hard-hit families, it would seem that holidays are something the Brits are not willing to cut back on, according to a recent report.

ABTA - The Travel Association found that people would much rather sacrifice their spending on other luxuries like entertainment, eating out and home improvements, rather than go without an annual holiday.

This just goes to show how the British cherish their right to travel and should ensure the industry doesn’t start to panic just yet.

An interesting thing to come out of the survey was that Spain tops the list as the favoured destination, with the UK, USA, France and Greece following behind.

After the unexpected hot weather we had last week it is back to the usual dreary British weather. I don’t mean to sound negative, but it was certainly a surprise to experience sweltering heat at the end of September.

To be honest, I don’t really mind the fact that autumn is finally here as we’d expect it to be. It’s just the wind and the rain which can prove to be annoying.

But if you fancy going somewhere nice this winter, have you thought about jetting off to the Mediterranean and enjoying some sun? There are plenty of last minute deals to benefit from; you just need to do a quick search online.

When autumn leads to winter it is usually not something which is met with much of a fanfare. The colder weather has already arrived and the nights have been getting darker for some time – which is why you need to cheer yourself up.

If you have any spare cash you can put towards a holiday, then why not jet off for some winter sun? There are many good deals to be had during this season.

And should the sun not be the motivating factor, you could always do your Christmas shopping in one of Europe’s renowned markets this winter.

Visits to Lapland are always a popular choice at this time of year as well.

My step-sister has just gone off on her travels with her boyfriend, with many interesting and exciting places marked down to visit along the way. It brings me back to when I used to live away in the United States for a few months.

I used to keep up with friends and family over email and Facebook as many do these days. If you are going to places others only dream about, then you may also wish to write your own blog and keep people updated with the progress of your pic.

You can find sites that offer a free holiday blogging service and you can post pictures of what you are up to in each country. This is helpful for parents who only worry while their teenagers have jetted off to explore the world.