Travel rewards programs suffered major cutbacks in 2010 as credit issuers faced a slew of new federal regulations, lower profits, and customers who were reigning in credit card spending. As a result, many cardholders, including myself, began ditching their travel rewards cards for those that offered cash back at a fixed percentage. And while I certainly love getting a fat cash rebate check at the end of the year, there's just something extra special about hopping on a flight to the other side of the world for free. It makes vacationing all the better! I miss that, and I'm sure others do too.