Wicked Good Travel Tips

Now which notepad did I write down my rental car confirmation number on??
I know I printed out the confirmation… what pile on my desk is it hiding in??
I swear I used to be really organized about all this STUFF. But somehow now that everything is paperless, I have more bits of paper with confirmation numbers floating around than ever. I have confirmations for flights, cars, hotels, tours, and restaurant recommendations and they are all over the place. Luckily I’ve found a virtual online travel file available to collect all your trip details in one place.

Meet TripIt.com an online site that promises to organize all your travel itinerary details in one spot and provide easy access by any computer or mobile device. Simply forward your email travel confirmations to TripIt, no matter what online site you book it with. Your itinerary will be compiled and sorted by dates, and is available for review with lots of additional information like weather forecasts, restaurant reviews, and maps. So give TripIt a try the next time you’re planning a complicated journey. They’ll hold all your bits and pieces of information together in one place and will save you from going nuts shuffling through piles of confirmation slips.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Leave all the stress of public transportation and driving in busy cities behind, visit pedestrian friendly cities around the world and take off on your own two feet to discover, explore and rub elbows with the locals. With escalating fuel prices effecting auto touring and tour buses alike, it’s a great time to travel to a city where you can tour by walking. Our favorite walking cities can all be walked in a day, tracing history through varying ethnic neighborhoods, offering top notch museums, inviting parks, exciting cuisine and of course local artisan shops. Here are our favorite cities for touring on foot and most popular walking tour companies:

Domestic - USA
#1 - Boston Boston by Foot, Walking Boston, Photo Walks
#2 - San Francisco I Left My Heart Tours, SFO City Guides, Victorian Walks
#3 - Philadelphia Constitutional Walk, Feeladelphia Tours, Go Phila
#4 - Seattle See Seattle, Seattle Walking Tours, Architecture Tours
#5 - Savannah Saunter in Savannah, Ghost Savannah, Savannah Walks
#6 - Washington DC Tour DC, Arnow Tours, Cultural Tourism

International
#1 - Paris Paris Walks, Paris Muse, Paris Digest
#2 - London Original London Walks, Secret London Walks, Mikro Tours
#3 - Rome Rome Tour, Enjoy Rome, Angel Tours
#4 - Florence Florentia, Tours-Italy, Art Viva
#5 - Lisbon Lisbon Walker, Lisboa Tours, Lisbon Walks
#6 - Vancouver Street Hike, City of Vancouver, City Talks

And don’t forget to look for free iPod city guides for all of the above locations.

Popularity: 22% [?]

The spring gifting season looms before us, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduations, Weddings, Birthdays, Anniversaries, and on and on. What will you give this year, another pre-wrapped gift box from the mall? Step out of the ordinary and give the gift of a one day travel experience that promises memories to last a lifetime. We’ve found a wonderful site offering imaginative one day excursions throughout the USA for all price points. Cloud9 Living presents an imaginative array of escapes from the ordinary.

Perhaps you’ll want to give your favorite guy an adrenaline rush “by riding shotgun in a NEXTEL cup style stock car driven by one of our professional instructors as you hit speeds exceeding 150 MPH on a real NASCAR speedway.” Or how about an introductory class to glass bead making, or a sunset clambake on the dunes of Cape Cod? Whether it’s adventure or a new experience you’re looking for, Cloud9 Living will set your imagination aglow and the person who receives this thoughtful unusual gift will be beaming with appreciation of your thoughtfulness.

Popularity: 30% [?]

I always intend to loose a whole bunch of weight before going on vacation so I will look great in the travel photos and feel a little less guilty when sampling the local cuisine. But reality being what it is, it’s the same old me (the good and the bad) in all the photos. Here are some great tricks recommended by professional photographers that will help you look thinner in pictures.

#1 - Turn your body slightly sideways to the camera.

#2 - Move one foot a little forward of the other and point it in the general direction of the person taking your photo. Your weight should be on your back foot.

#3 - Hold your arms away from your body; waive, hold out a glass, give a thumbs up etc.

#4 - Hold your head slightly forward to minimize a double chin. (more…)

Popularity: 37% [?]

It’s a sure bet that with the ever skyrocketing price of gas, more of us will consider getting around by public transportation. In fact, while sightseeing it’s usually the most efficient way to get from site to site. Public transit systems exist in metropolitan cities around the world and most offer traveler passes for discounted fares. It’s a good practice to take a look at subway maps before your trip to become accustomed to the system and to locate major sites in advance. Here’s a wonderful site for locating clear, colorful and informative subway maps across the globe put together by Amedeus - Subway Maps. Each location has a map, information about the local system and fares. There are convenient download files so you can capture the info and study it at your leisure.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Communicate with anyone at anytime in any language - wow, what a concept. I daydream about living temporarily in other countries, renting a villa and living like a local. One of my major concerns however, is a nervousness about communicating with only a tourist’s limited vocabulary. What if I have a real emergency, how will I communicate my needs?

An innovative Boston-based company Fone-In offers travelers a simple solution - mobile phone based interpretation in over 80 languages. Simply dial in to connect with a live operator, explain what you need to say and in what language, then hand the phone over to the person you need to communicate with and problem solved!! (more…)

Popularity: 39% [?]

What country has more castles per square mile than any other in the world? Here’s a hint…It has been famed since the middle ages for brewing wonderful beer. (Today they proudly produce over 450 varieties.) They are also world renown for producing sublime chocolate. A country about the size of Maryland, they have over 2,000 chocolate shops. Clearly they have their food priorities in order! OK, one more hint… they made the world fall in love with waffles.

Yes, it’s Belgium! A country you’ve probably overlooked while bustling off to London, Paris or Amsterdam, but now that Europe’s fast trains have put Brussels on the fast track (under 2 hours from London) it’s time to take a closer look at all that Belgium has to offer. (more…)

Popularity: 45% [?]

Sometimes age does have its privileges, and one of the best examples is the America The Beautiful Senior Pass sold at US National Parks. When we first heard about this pass we thought it couldn’t possibly be true - but this is one of the rare instances when a great deal proves to be exceptional - and brought to you by the US Government no less - ASTOUNDING!! Here’s the deal:

Any US Citizen age 62 or older can purchase a Senior Pass for a one time administration fee of $10. That one $10 expenditure will allow you to visit National Parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas or wildlife refuges, free of charge for the rest of your life!! Even better, your spouse, children or parents,traveling in the same passenger car, will be admitted free as well (for up to 4 adults). Wow, what a deal!

You may also be entitled to a 50% discount on some Expanded Amenity Fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launching, and specialized interpretive services. Here’s a link for all the details: US National Park Service

Clint and I have used his pass for entry into National Parks in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, in Washington, DC, and Hawaii to name a few. I guess we finally got some great value for all those tax dollars we paid all those years. Be sure to get your share and enjoy our magnificent National Parks for a $10 investment!

Popularity: 51% [?]

When we traveled to China with our kids in the early 80’s , people thought we were just plain nuts. (You know who you are!!) But it appears we were ahead of the curve, because these days everyone realizes that seeing the world with your children will form lifelong memories, heighten understanding of world cultures, shape values, and form close family ties.

We’ve found a wonderful website to assist with planning travel with your kids. Travel For Kids.com has a wealth of great information to make your next family vacation convenient, informative and entertaining. Here are some of the things I love about this site: They have a section of recommended family friendly hotels throughout the world, a list of tour companies that welcome (and cater to) children, volumes of great entertaining things to do with kids in worldwide destinations, children’s books that are based in your destination so your kids will love to read them before the trip, and of course lots of tips and advice about successful travel with children.

So whether you are Grandparents planning a multi-generational trip, or new parents venturing off for the first time as a family, you’ll find lots of invaluable information on this super website: TravelForKids.com

And here’s one of my best tips for family travel - insist that everyone takes a turn being boss for the day (or afternoon or whatever).  This way each person will focus on where they are exactly, what there is to do there, how much it costs, and how to travel from the hotel to the destination and back again - a wealth of invaluable travel lessons nicely tucked into a day’s activities!

Popularity: 50% [?]

How closely do you pay attention to the world news? Sure you’re pretty up to date on current events and since you love to travel, you have a good understanding of world geography. But could you put a pin in Saudi Arabia if you had to? When I came across this geography challenge I was embarrassed at how many times it took me to identify all the countries.

Give it a try - it will teach you to pay more attention when the news comes on!!!!
Fun Map Game

Popularity: 55% [?]