The National World War II Memorial, located on the Mall in Washington, DC, is the perfect place to remember those who served their country in the cause of freedom. Over 16 million Americans served during World War II, and over 400,000 American servicemembers died during the war.

If you are planning a trip to Washington, DC, be sure to spend some time at this lovely memorial. You can also take our photo tour of the National World War II Memorial.

See more Pictures of the Week at About.com.

Photo © Nancy Parode. Licensed to About.com.

Have you ever wished you could read through a description of every single travel scam so you can avoid being a scammer's target? Scam Detector, a smartphone app with an accompanying website, comes pretty close to making that wish come true.

Whether you download the free iPhone or Android app or use Scam Detector's website, you'll have access to descriptions of over 675 scams, ranging from camel ride scams in Egypt to rental car fee scams. Even better, you'll read recommendations for avoiding these scammers. You can even report scams to the developers.

I recently tried the Scam Detector app and spent quite a bit of time reading information on the website. I was familiar with most, but not all of the ripoffs and schemes listed in the Travel Scams section, but found quite a few unfamiliar scams in other categories. I've put together an informal review of Scam Detector; I hope it will convince you to give this app / website combination a try.

Photo © Old Line Photography. Licensed to About.com.

One of my bird-loving friends recently asked me if any airlines allowed pet birds to travel with their owners. I don't own a bird, so I had never thought about taking one with me on an airplane. I do know that hiring a pet sitter is expensive, and that many pet birds bond to their humans and don't like to be away from them. Taking a pet bird on vacation with you might be a good option.

I did some research on airlines' pet bird policies and put the information I found into a chart and FAQ that I hope will be useful.

The short answer is yes; some airlines will allow you to bring your pet bird with you, but there are rules you must follow.

Photo © Zarrion Walker

When I was young, travel slide shows were the big thing. You'd go on a trip, take photos on slide film and subject family and friends to your narrated slide show after your return. I loved seeing my relatives' slide shows - perhaps I was unusual even back then - and I remember wanting to travel to all the places my family members visited.

Things are a bit different now, of course. I shot my last roll of slide film in 1988 in the USSR. Today's travelers have many places to share their experiences, including travel review sites, photo sharing sites, travel forums and personal blogs.

One thing has not changed; travelers still love to share their stories. The stories have gone high-tech, but they are still important. Travel review websites give us access to opinions about hotels, restaurants, tour guides and more. Travel forums connect vacationers with mutual interests. Photo sharing sites allow us to see places before we visit them in person. When travelers share information, everyone who loves to travel eventually benefits.

Earlier this evening, I spent some time on a military travelers' online forum, sharing travel tips and river cruise information. The forum members helped me plan my trip to Germany, Liechtenstein and Italy last year, and I try to give back to that community by reading and responding to members' questions. I also do online and / or radio interviews on general travel topics every month or two. Of course, I regularly monitor the Senior Travel Forum here at About.com, and I answer readers' questions by email or in the forum.

How do you give back to the worldwide travel community? Tell us by taking our poll, below.

Photo © Enrico Maria / RGBStock.com