The way you move through an airport has changed in the past decade. Everything from the boarding pass you carry to the security line you navigate has been transformed by world events, market forces and travel patterns.

It's time to examine the top 10 budget travel developments of the decade. You might not like my list. I tried to cover both positive and negative developments. To be sure, there were other events that didn't make my top 10 but perhaps should have been included. Leave a comment and post your opinions. Click on the links and read more about how you can plan for these realities of travel and perhaps save money in the process.

The college football bowl schedule is complete and official. Texas and Alabama will play for the national championship in Pasadena. But there are other great matchups, too. Follow your favorite team (or adopt one) to combine the pageantry of college football with a nice holiday getaway. Host cities are all too happy to welcome visitors, and sometimes extend deals. But you must start your budget trip planning right away.

Take a look at the top 15 college bowl games with links for finding game tickets; airfare and hotel searches; and some money-saving tips for each host city.

_{Logo courtesy BCS National Championship Game}

Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. For deals that aren't quite so fleeting, check out Winter deals. This week's deals include discounted hotel rooms in the Pacific Northwest, cheap airfares to London and half-off stays at a popular Mexican resort.

Somewhere along the way, the term "Black Friday" came into common usage to refer to the kickoff of the holiday shopping season on the Friday after the U.S. Thanksgiving. Soon thereafter, the term "Cyber Monday" was born. It refers to that following Monday as a time when people begin ordering online gifts. I've not found much evidence to support that Cyber Monday is the most active online shopping day of the year, and I'm more apt to believe it's the product of some aggressive marketing propaganda.

But no one can deny that online shopping is increasingly popular and now widely accepted. There are some valid reasons to be cautious with your credit card number and those fine-print terms of sale, but clicking through a few screens has distinct advantages over driving to a crowded mall or market, finding a parking space and fighting the crowds to find gifts.

Perhaps it's fairly obvious at this point that I'm not much of a shopper. Although I wouldn't buy just anything online, there are many items for which I'd gladly substitute cyberspace for the concrete marketplace. I find it often makes sense for budget travelers to shop for travel gifts online because in some cases, you can't buy these things off of a shelf anyway!

Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. For deals that aren't quite so fleeting, check out Winter deals. This week's deals include business-class airfares to Paris, 100 rooms in cities around the world for less than $100 USD/night and seven-day cruises on Carnival Dream from $479 USD/person.

As with many popular European destinations, visiting Rome on a budget can be a challenge. Accommodations often top the list of budget-busting expenses. How can you make those costs reasonable? You don't want to invest time and money in visiting Rome, only to have an uncomfortable, unclean or unsafe room devalue your overall experience. There are three-star and even four-star properties offering great values, but you must be willing to find them. Here you'll get a good start on that search with direct links to 10 properties. Read more about where to stay in Rome on a budget.

Are you ready for the hectic holiday travel season? AAA estimates 38.4 million will be traveling in the U.S. during the Thanksgiving holiday, which is up slightly from last year. Air travel will be down a bit, but seats are likely to be filled because airlines have cut flights. Whether it's crowded trains or missed connections, traveling at this time of year can be exhausting and bewildering. Here are eight tips for holiday budget travel that should help you survive the crunch with dignity and bank account intact.

Here's the latest list of 10 travel deals. Many of these links lead to offers with a very limited shelf life, so if you're interested, act quickly. But don't act so quickly that you miss the fine print. For deals that aren't quite so fleeting, check out Winter deals. This week's deals include a 20 percent discount on rail passes for Italy, up to 100,000 bonus miles when signing up for an airline credit card and a sale on airfares to The Bahamas.

Some say the age of travel books is coming to an end. After all, you can get the same (and probably more current) information online, print out what you need and stash it in your luggage. But I'm not sure that procedure is always the most effective way to go. On many trips, you encounter opportunities for which you did not plan. It can be helpful to have a travel book at your fingertips. In the same way, authors raise issues in book chapters that might not pop up during online searches. Travel books can also jump-start your planning and enthusiasm for that next adventure. So consider 10 books that make great gifts for budget travelers. There are links to reviews of each title, and all of them can be purchased online.

This Friday, the U.S. premiere of the long-awaited second Twilight movie hits theaters. "New Moon" will bring renewed interest to the book series set in Washington's scenic Olympic Peninsula and the real-life town of Forks (pop. 3,175). The first highly successful Twilight movie last year brought thousands of visitors, who sought out movie landmarks such as Forks High School. But you don't have to be a big fan of the book series or the movies to enjoy the rugged and unforgettable landscape of the Olympic region. Read more about visiting the Olympic Peninsula on a budget.