While Bill Gates used to schedule a twice-yearly "Think Week" at a retreat so he could chew on technical papers from Microsoft employees, chief software architect Ray Ozzie prefers to get away with no reading material to come up with ideas on his own. CNET News reports:

Once or twice a year, Ozzie tries to find time for what he calls "white space." Rather than be surrounded by the ideas of others, Ozzie prefers to lock himself away with the proverbial blank sheet of paper. His most recent such exercise was during a brief trip to Hawaii in April following a work trip to Asia. It's a practice that dates back to Ozzie's time at Groove Networks and even before that. Inevitably, Ozzie returns to the office with a ton of new ideas, sending a variety of "go do" tasks for his team.

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If you've got a hankering to hit the road and take an all-American scenic road trip this summer—despite the astronomical gas prices—Yahoo Travel rounds up a few editor-favourite routes. The article highlights:

...everything from the obvious Highway 1 in California to the less-obvious — but brilliantly named — Going-to-the-Sun Road in Montana. We've picked routes for their history; for their natural scenery; for their romantic appeal; and for their remote wild beauty.

Got a favourite stretch of road in your neck of the woods? Let's hear about it in the comments. And before you're taking that drive, check out our many tips for saving on gas. Photo by cadmanof50s.

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Some people just don't know how to take a vacation—but others sure do and do it with style. Entrepreneur Brad Feld falls into the latter category and describes his various flavors of vacation, from quarterly, disconnected "Spend Time Away" trips, to occasional unplugged "Go Dark" weekends, to "Downshift" time where he limits work to just a couple of hours a day. Not all of us have this kind of flexibility (and vacation time!) but Feld makes the great point: when you set the expectation of work to relaxation ratio before you vacation, it's a better time for everyone.

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According to Wired, most US airlines assumed—for whatever insane reasons—that the price of oil would drop this year. They were wrong, of course, and as a result roundtrip tickets have increased by as much as $50 apiece. To help battle the rising cost of flying, Wired suggests several tips for keeping the price of tickets as low as possible, like:

Never buy tickets between Friday and Monday morning. Why? Airlines file fare increases on Thursday evenings and watch over the weekend to see if all of their competitors match the price bumps. If they don't, the carriers roll back prices by Monday afternoon.

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The Zen Habits blog pulls together suggestions from its readers on how to travel very, very light to make vacations less stressful and more adventurous. The compiled backpack list includes travel documents, deodorant, two each of shorts, T-shirts and underwear, and only a camera to tinker with, amongst other warm-weather necessities. But we turn now to you, dear reader, to ask: What bare necessities would you pack if you had to shove an entire vacation into a backpack? What gadgets and tools can you not stand to live without, and what items have you found unnecessary? Offer up some minimalist wisdom in the comments, and get inspired by your fellow readers if you're making a trip this weekend. Photo by ToastyKen.

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So you've just finished paying off (or mostly paying down) your holiday expenses, and now Valentine's Day looks like it's going to break your frugal stride. Not necessarily so, says Trent at The Simple Dollar personal finance blog. Rather than taking the easy-but-expensive route, he recommends both a few nuggets of common wisdom (thoughtful cards, secluded spots) and an idea that's new to me:

Take time off. If you both have some vacation time built up, put in for a day off and spend it together. Do some simple and purely fun things that you wouldn't ordinarily get to do. Cuddle together for a big chunk of the day and just enjoy each other instead of stressing out at work.

If you're the type who frequently has to use up vacation time at year-end, spending one day with a significant other is both realistic and a great way to show commitment. What do you have planned for the holiday that's more thoughtful than bank-breaking? Spread the love in the comments.

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US-centric: MSNBC highlights how to invoke Rule 240 to get a new flight fast any time your flight is cancelled for anything other than weather.

I invoked Rule 240—which states that in the event of any flight delay or cancellation caused by anything other than weather, the airline would fly me on the next available flight—not their next available flight, which might not leave for another 24 hours. And guess what happened? A lot of United passengers made it to Boston that day&mdash on American.

A relic of pre-deregulation airlines, the article says that most newer airlines won't honor rule 240, but apparently most of the older airlines still respect this rule as a matter of company policy. If you know anything more about rule 240—maybe you've invoked it yourself?—let's hear about it in the comments. For more details, check out Consumerist's rather extensive guide to Rule 240. Photo by dougww.

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Week after week of projects, deadlines, and new challenges have gone by at work, and you're ready to get out and get away. Before you throw some hard-earned cash at airline tickets, consider taking the cheaper and faster route to a vacation—explore your own city. The Wise Bread frugality blog has a few ideas on how to give yourself a new perspective on your town, and get some relaxation while you're at it:

A great way to get a different impression of the place you live is to act like a tourist. Find a guidebook for your area and choose some weekend activities from it. For a different twist on this idea, try to find an older, most likely outdated, guidebook.

For more view-changing ideas, find an iPod guide for your city or follow our readers' advice on exploring new cities in your own locale. Photo by allygril520.

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At one time or another, we can all get a little burnt out with our jobs—even if it's a job you love. The Simple Dollar weblog suggests several ways to deal with your workplace burnout without quitting your job. For example:

Take vacation as soon as possible. File paperwork to take a week or two off, and just do nothing. Seriously. Sit at home and recharge. Get caught up on things you've been putting off because you've been burnt out. Eat very healthy and get some exercise. Do a few things that are purely fun. In fact, most of these other items work best if done immediately after returning from a vacation.

If a break isn't possible (and let's be honest, for a lot of us an impromptu vacation isn't), the post offers several other more realistic suggestions you can apply today. Then again, if professional burnout has you on the brink of quitting, working in a vacation probably isn't a bad idea.

Sometimes, cancelling a service that you don't want or need anymore can be a giant pain in the behind. However, calling outside of regular business hours might turn the tide your way:

The biggest tip is to call well outside of normal business hours -- in my company, customer service was open 24/7, but the retention department closed in the evening. If you call, say, before bed, or during the middle of the night, you'll just be talking to a regular CS rep who has no incentive whatsoever to keep you as a customer. It can turn a twenty minute phone call into a two minute phone call.

If you've ever had to deal with pushy reps this could be a lifesaver. What's your best tip for getting out of services you don't want? Thoughts in the comments.