DISPELLING THE MYTHS ABOUT CRUISES

So here’s an idea for the upcoming holiday; instead of being held up at an airport or making the long cramped road trip to visit your in-laws, why not hit the open waters and take a cruise?

In fact, taking into account the current economic times of the United States, it’s more likely to be less of a financial burden and a better decision for you and your family in opting to take a cruise.

There are many advantages to taking a cruise but convenience is the number one selling point.  Imagine not having to worry about foreign traffic or waking up in a different city/county than where you fell asleep.  And even if you’re traveling by day, cruise ships offer a multitude of different activities that are fun for the whole family, and that beats any drawn out car ride with the kids asking, “Are we there yet?”

Are Cruise Ships safe for travel?

According to the Cruise Lines International Association website, deaths and injuries on cruise ships are extremely rare and millions of people travel safely on maritime craft yearly.  But recent events such as the Coastal Concordia Catastrophe remind us that accidents do happen under extraordinary circumstances with maritime travel.  We plan to expand on the Concordia matter and provide you with some general cruise safety tips later in this series.




I hope you enjoyed the video tour of MSC Magnifica above.

We haven't forgotten about our blog readers

We've just been very busy rolling out new initiatives. We should be back to regular posting relatively soon.  We are going to start off with a 3 part series on the subject of Cruises. 

Please continue to visit our blog and stay tuned for new posts in the upcoming weeks. 

Body Scanner's and Airport Travel in 2011

If you’re getting ready to travel or take a vacation you may need to brush up on changes the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) have made to airport security procedures.

Since 2004-2005, TSA has implemented new security measures and deployed enhanced technology, which reflect TSA’s evolving approach to aviation security. Among TSA’s many layers of security include Advance Imaging Technology (AIT) or body scanners.

Please take a few moments to view a special report that CBS News conducted on this very subject last year.




You may find yourself in a situation where you debate taking a pat down or using a body scanner: weighing your privacy against the efficiency that this technology is supposed to bring to air travel.

If you have ever had this internal debate while waiting for your flight in the security checkpoint as the large family with kids or elderly couple takes there time in front of you here’s our advice to help you in your decision.

If you have time: Go with a pat down
One of the biggest issues traveler’s have with body scanners is not necessarily the potential health risks, but invasion of their personal space. Namely once an individual is being scanned, they have no idea whether a female or a male is viewing their scanned body; but TSA regulations stipulate that men must frisk men, and women must frisk women. So if privacy is of concern to you opt of a body scan for a pat-down if you have time to spare. A general rule of thumb is arrive to the airport two hours before your flight, so the time spent waiting to get through security will equivocates to maintain your dignity and privacy.

Special Scanner Clothing
Frequent travelers often stock pile or at least segregate from their general wardrobe, clothes that they use specifically for travel. While I cannot suggest one particular avenue to purchase such clothing (since people have different tastes in clothes and come in different sizes) I can suggest a special type of clothing that will ensure your privates remain private if you choose to go through with a body scan, and would be a great addition to your travel wardrobe.

Marc Carey of Kentucky has invented a special type of undergarment that is intended to blur the images body scanners take using a special ink on the garment. If you wish to purchase these undergarments you can at the website http://www.scannershirts.com/ the clothing definitely gives travelers a way to ease their privacy concerns although officials of TSA suggest that they may lead to additional scans.

Be Engaged During a Pat-down
Although this may go without saying, often people who are being patted down by a TSA officer disengage mentally and are not paying attention to the person frisking their body, since they want the experience over or because other travel concerns are occupying their attention. While TSA officers are sworn to high standard of ethics it’s important that if you feel violated you inform someone and voice your concern. Make eye contact with officer and be sure that they only do their job correctly.

In closing, our thoughts on body scanners pertain to their operators and new standards that may have to be implemented to make this technology work. Since the new Advance Imaging Technology appears as if it’s going to become the norm at airports, males and female should be separated in the security line, so that Men are viewing scanned images of men who go through the body scan and women are viewing scanned images of women. It doesn’t seems as if airport security will be getting any less invasive in the near future and AIT does has promise in terms of keeping the flow of people moving in and out of airports.

We welcome your comments!

TransGap

Locating luggage

*This is the last installment on our series about luggage.

Finding the "right" luggage can be a challenge. Many factors come into play -- price, style, and durability quickly come to mind -- with different weights attached to each attribute. Trade-offs, inevitably, must occur. The key to finding the perfect luggage comes from separating your non-negotiables from necessities, distinguishing nice-to-have from need-to-have, to pare down your choices to a tractable number.

The first thing many people look at is also, probably, the most pertinent: price. On the website http://www.luggage.com/ prices vary from $18 to $2751 dollars. That last number isn't an anomaly.


Prices vary enormously depending on the brand. This large carry-on from Gucci (on left) is $1990. It does, however, have wheels.

You can find out more at http://www.gucci.com/.

By contrast, this Samsonite bag (on right), that is eerily similar, is steal at $179.95.



Innovative and revolutionary are two words most people don't associate with luggage. However, there have been advances and changes that are worth looking into when it comes to luggage.



SkyRoll, the "world's first roll-up garment bag", is a likely contender for the most innovative luggage bag. Since you don't fold your clothes -- you simply wrap them around -- they won't get creases.

As the picture to the left shows, it's not a traditional suitcase. It is designed for carry-on only and can complement your existing luggage.

You can find out more at: http://www.skyroll.com/




Some people think Samsonite is synonymous with luggage. They might be right. The brand has certainly penetrated pop culture as this clip from the movie "Dumb and Dumber" clearly illustrates.


To recognize and reward our readers who religiously view our blog, we would like to remind them to review our offer on our website -- http://www.transgaplimo.com/ -- for a $50 Visa card. Many, if not most, of our clients are recurring riders or have referred others and have already qualified for this offer.

We haven't forgotten about you

We've just been very busy. We should be back to regular posting relatively soon.

In case you were wondering, we use Google AdSense to track the number of people who visit our blog. We noticed, and are glad, that people are visiting us on their own accord instead of us having to goad them to come.

Lost Luggage

*This is the second part on our series about luggage.
Thanksgiving -- as well as other holidays -- will soon be upon us. If you travel to visit your family be careful and try not to lose your luggage.

Losing luggage is no laughing matter; it makes you feel lousy. If this has happened to you, try not to lament. Over a million people lose their luggage each year. This is not a new, or relatively recent, phenomenon; at least logistically.

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics -- http://www.transtat.bts.gov/ -- there are ~ 620 million enplaned passengers with 9,098,000 departures per year. Statistically speaking somebody or something is bound to get lost.

As the comic writer below shows, losing luggage is a likely occurrence.

Being put on the wrong flight, left behind, or "we don't have the foggiest idea where they're at" are just a few of the excuses airlines will give.

The next comic shows where luggage really ends up.

There are a few things you can do to minimize and mitigate the risks:
1. Know your luggage. The ability to describe its shape, color, brand and any other identifiable markers will be advantageous when you need to file your report.

2. Include contact information. If somebody finds your luggage they need to be able to contact you.

3. Mark your luggage. Adding a bit of color will help make your luggage stand out from the sea of black suitcases. Adding a bit of flair

The video below reveals the right way to recover lost luggage.

Washington Redskins

*We interrupt our previously planned series on luggage to bring you a special report on Washington Redskins football.



During the spring and summer baseball games were a common and often requested ride. Now it is fall and that means one thing: Football season. Since many of our clients are sports fans we have decided to cover the Redskins in today's blog as they are in our backyard.

Below we have reproduced the Redskins schedule with the time for all of the home games.
Schedule
9/19 Redskins vs. Texans 4:05 PM
10/10 Redskins vs. Packers 1:00 PM
10/17 Redskins vs. Colts 8:20 PM
11/15 Redskins vs. Eagles 8:30 PM
11/28 Redskins vs. Vikings 1:00 PM
12/12 Redskins vs. Buccaneers 1:00 PM
1/2 Redskins vs. Giants 1:00 PM

All home games are played in the town of Landover, Maryland at Fedex Field.
The address is:
1600 Fedex Way
Hyattsville, MD 20785

It's a relatively short drive and all of our drivers know how to get to the area.

The stadium opened in August 1997; it holds 91,704 people; and the nearest airport is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

Another option, in case you can't get ahold of tickets, would be to take a tour of the Redskins stadium. Tours last 90 minutes and start every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 A.M. The price is much cheaper -- $15 an adult, $10 for children 4-13, and free for children under 3 -- when compared to tickets to a regular season game.

For more information, visit the Redskins website at: http://www.redskins.com

This link will help you find hotels near the stadium if you are coming from out of town.
http://hotelguides.com/maryland/fedex-field-md-hotels.html

Airline Luggage

*This is the first in a three-part series on baggage. The first will deal with baggage fees; the second with lost luggage; and the third on the different types of luggages. We plan on showing a video to accompany our articles. The first is a news clip with customers venting their frustration.

Almost all of our clients will, at one time or another, fly: air travel is ubiquitous; a part of the modern landscape. Baggage fees, unfortunatly, are a concomitant by-product. In today's blog we will bring to your attention the relatively recent rise of baggage fees as a way for airlines to raise revenue.

In a recent article from travelandleisure.com, there has been a 2,186% increase in airline revenue from baggage fees from 1990 to 2009. In 2009 alone the airlines generated $2.7 billion in baggage fees; a 488% increase from 2007. This rise can be traced back to 2007 when Spirit became the first contemporary U.S. carrier to charge for bags regardless of weight.

The baggage fees were -- at least at first -- ostensibly tied to fuel costs. However, even after fuel costs dropped by 2/3 the extra fees have remained. The best bet to beat baggage fees? Use your carryon.

http://www.kayak.com/ has a table that lists fees from the major airlines. Included on the list: checked baggage, meals, pets, unaccompained minor service, and seat assignment/legroom. A cursory glance at the list of fees show a large variance but a few general points can be made: the first bag is sometimes free; bags get progressively more expensive; and checking bags online makes a difference.

The following rules and regulations are from the Transportation Security Administration regarding carryon items:

Per TSA regulations, carryon items are limited to one bag plus one small, personal item.
Personal-type items include purses, briefcases, cameras, food containers, or laptops (case included).
Southwest Airlines limits carryon bag dimensions to 10 x 16 x 24 inches.
All Customers and Employees and their items are subject to a thorough, physical search.
The following items are not considered carryon bags or personal-type items and are not counted against the "one-bag plus one personal-type item" limit:
A child restraint device for a ticketed child with a reserved seat or when complimentary, available space exists.
Assistive/mobility devices for individuals with a disability. There is no limit to the number of assistive/mobility devices a Customer can bring onboard the aircraft.
Outer garments or other wearable articles of clothing.
Food for consumption during flight contained in disposable packaging.
Walking canes or umbrellas.

http://www.tsa.gov/

New York City

We think Frank Sinatra said it best when he sang "New York, New York".



So to end our series on day trips we will be focusing on a city every needs to see at least once in a lifetime, New York City.

There are a variety of ways to get to NYC -- airplane or car or train -- depending on how long you want to spend in transit. A car ride from the Washington D.C. Metro area is around 3 1/2 hours; train ride is around 3 hours ; and an airplane ride is a short 1 hour and 12 minute trip.

New York isn't our most population destination, but it isn't a statistical anomaly either. Recently we had two clients request rides from Bethesda and Washington D.C. to JFK airport and the Bronx, respectively.

NYC is home to some of the most iconic American landmarks. We would personally like to recommend two: the Guggenheim mueseum and the United Nations.

The Guggenheim Mueseum -- http://www.guggenheim.org -- is located on 1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street) New York, NY 10128.

The United Nations Headquarters -- http://www.un.org -- is located on an 18-acre site in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhatten. Guided tours are operated daily and you can even get your own UN stamps!

In order to prepare you for your trip to NYC we have included two more videos. The first video describes how not to look like a tourist; a must for those who try to blend into their environment.


The second video gives a few insights into how to do NYC cheap: only $35 a day.



In addition, part of our plan for expansion includes an office in Park Avenue, Manhattan.

Pennslyvania

Continuing with our current theme on places to travel we plan on peering into Pennslyvania and, in particular, the city of Gettysburg.

Unlike the other states we have surveyed, Pennslyvania does not have much of a coastline. It does, however, have 56 cities including Philadelphia (population: 1,547,297) and Pittsburgh (population: 311,647). It is also the home of Scranton -- the setting of the hit NBC sitcom The Office.

What many people think about when they think about Pennsylvania is Gettysburg: the home of one of the bloodiest battles in America's history. The Battle of Gettysburg is considered by historians to be the turning point of the Civil War and there are many places commorating this battle.

Gettysburg National Military Park is located in Adams County, Pennslyvania.

https://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm

For your viewing pleasure, and to whet your interest, we have a video clip from the 1993 film Gettysburg.

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Wild Outdoors

With the summer coming to a close it might be time to consider going to a National Park.

The U.S. Department of Interior manages one-fifth of the land of the United States and has a large network of national parks. Every year more than 271 million people visit one of the parks managed by the National Park System. Normally, 146 of 392 national parks charge entrance fees ranging from $3-$25. The other 246 do not charge for admission. However, on August 14-15 they will waive entrance fees to the other National Parks.

One nearby park that is a relatively short drive from the Washington D.C. metropolitian area is Gettysburg National Military Park in Adams County, Pennsylvania.
http://www.nps.gov/gatt


In Maryland and Virginia 6 and 10 parks, respectivly, are participating in the program.

Maryland:
Antietam National Battlefield
Assateague Island National Seashore
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Fort McHenry NM and Historic Shrine National Monument
Fort Washington Park
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Virginia:
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
National Memorial
Assateague Island National Seashore
Colonial National Historical Park
George Washington Birthplace National Monument
George Washington Memorial Parkway's Great Falls Park
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Petersburg National Battlefield
Prince William Forest Park
Shenandoah National Park

Catoctin Mountain Park

The park is open dawn to dusk all year round. There is also a visitor center with the following hours:

Monday -Thursday: 10:00am - 4:30pm
Friday: 10:00am -5:00pm
Saturday -Sunday: 8:30am - 5:30pm

http://www.nps.gov/cato





Other Parks
Flag Ponds Nature Park in the Chesapeake Bay area is another park in the vicinity of Maryland.

King's Landing Park, along the shore of the Patuxent River, has a rich history that streches back to the time of Captain John Smith
http://www.calvertparks.org/

Mason Neck State Park is another park in Virginia that offers a multitude of activities for the outdoorsy person. It is located 20 miles away from Washington D.C. and takes about 45 minutes to get to by car. Hiking, biking and self-guided trails are available; kayaking and canoeing are accessable; and picnic shelters and cabins are easily attainable.
http://www.dcr.virginia.gov

Great Country Farms
Great Country Farms is a 200 acre working farm on the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains outside the village of Bluemont, Virginia. It was named the "Agribusiness of the Year" for their unique innovative way of farming in a difficult climate.
http://www.greatcountryfarms.com

Baltimore

*This is our second post on our series of places to visit.

Some people think there is no better place to be than Baltimore. They might be right. Reflecting that sentiment we will be examining a few options to entice our readers to explore the area.

To begin, Baltimore is 45 to 50 minutes away from Washington D.C. and has its own airport: BWI-Thurgood Marshall
http://bwiairport.com/

Inner Harbor

During the 1700's Baltimore's Inner Harbor was a major seaport and now, with help from the government, it has been revitalized and has become a verifiable tourist attraction. The Inner Harbor is home to the Baltimore Convention Center, National Aquarium, Maryland Science Center, and is a short distance from Camden Yards. If you have children, the Port Discovery Children's Museum, with its dragon-shaped paddleboat, or the Maryland Science Center, with its dinosaurs, will be sure to entertain and edify.

http://portdiscovery.org/
http://mdsci.org/

Black History in Baltimore
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture is located west of Fells Point and takes visitors through centuries of the black experience. The Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park is another spot to see.

http://africanamericanculture.org/
http://douglassmyers.org/


Beaches in Baltimore

The Baltimore Sun reported that Bay and coastal beaches in Maryland and Delaware ranked among the cleanest in the nation, at least according to a survey released by the National Resources Defense Council. The focus of the article was on the fecal bacteria found in the water. The following numbers indicate how often water samples exceeded the safety levels.

Great Lakes: 13%
New England: 8%
New York: 6%
New Jersey: 6%
Maryland: 3%
Delaware: 2%
National Average: 7%


Baseball in Baltimore

One of the most popular destinations for our clients has been Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles. If you want to watch baseball -- and honestly, who doesn't -- we have listed the upcoming games for this week.

August 3: Los Angeles Angels
August 4: Los Angeles Angels
August 5: Los Angeles Angels
August 6: Chicago White Sox
August 7: Chicago White Sox
August 8: Chicago White Sox

Baseball teams alternate between home and away and all of the upcoming games are at home.

For more information visit: http://mlb.mlb.com/bal/ballpark/index.jsp

Day Trips

*We plan on doing a series of blog entries on off-beat places to go in the future.

There are certain advantages to being a local: you know the people who inhabit the area; you know the local history; and you know by heart the local "hot spots". However, you can only take your kids to the White House, for example, so many times until you yearn for something new, something out of the ordinary, something memorable. In today's blog we will be going over a few day trip ideas that can help you spice up your summer and help you break out of summer monotony. There are other things -- besides going to the Smithsonian -- to do in Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

Vineyards

Virginia vineyards may not carry the same cachet as those in Europe, but many of them have award-winning vintages. The harvest season for wines typically falls between August and October.

On the website, http://virginiawine.org.com/, you can search for different vineyards in Virginia; a cursory search brought over 156 wineries. They cluster on the eastern seaboard.

Not to be outdone, Maryland also has its own fair share of wineries. http://marylandwine.com/ lists them by name and by region. Maryland's lower Piedmont area (north of D.C.) is renowned for its wine.

Hot Air Balloon Rides

As you might have surmised -- it shouldn't come as a surprise -- we have devised a plan for a taking a balloon ride.

Delmarva Balloon Rides is a local company that specializes in hot air balloon rides. They are located at 1137 Little Creek Road, Chester Maryland, 21619.
http://www.delmarvaballoonrides.com/

Beaches

Virginia has over 5,000 miles of shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay. Hence, lots of beaches. The most well-known of these is Virginia Beach with its 38 miles of shoreline. Colonial Beach -- in Westmoreland County -- has the second largest beachfront.

Maryland also has many beaches. Worcester County is the home of Ocean City -- an Atlantic Ocean resort city -- and is a popular destination for tourists. It extends over 9 miles from the southern inlet to the Delaware line. You can find more information at the Ocean City website.

http://www.ococean.com/

Hiking

Catoctin Mountain Park -- home of the presidential retreat at Camp David -- has a variety of lodging opportunities for visitors. It is maintained by the U.S. National Park Service. You can find a lot of information, such as vidoes and maps, on their website: http://nps.gov/cato

Another famous park -- Shenandoah National Park -- is located 75 miles away from our capital. Entrance fees are around $8 per person in the summer. The website is: http://nps.gov/shen

*As always, if you need transportation to any of these places, we will be happy to oblige.

Oil Spill Aftermath

BP's oil spill might be old news -- considering that the initial explosion occured on April 20 -- but the effects, especially regarding travel, will likely linger for a long time. Today BP has claimed that it has capped off the well. This, hopefully, will stem the flow of oil so they can get to work cleaning up the oil spill.

For a bit of background information the source of the leaking oil lies less than a hundred miles from the Mississippi Delta in the Gulf Of Mexico. According to the NYTimes, for the first month of the spill the oil stayed mostly in the gulf. Starting in the last week of May waves of oil began washing into Louisiana's wetlands and beaches. Then, in June, oil landings were being reported to the states east of the epicenter -- Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida -- with varying degrees of oil. Heavy oil is located, particularly, south of New Orleans and on the Chandeleur Islands. In addition, the Coast Guard reported that oil had entered the Gulf's Loop Current and would carry the oil toward Florida's west coast and down the Florida Keys to Miami's beaches.

In the Panhandle some hotels have seen a 50% cancellation in hotels because of oil spill related concerns. However, the Keys and South Florida do the bulk of their tourism from fall to early spring so it shouldn't wreck too much havoc on their economy.

The future is always uncertain and it is hard to extrapolate accurately but a computer model released by marine scientists predicted that a ring of oil might encircle the entire Florida peninsula by the end of the month. Only time will tell.

The link below shows an interactive map of how much oil has been spilled.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/27/us/20100527-oil-landfall.html?ref=us

Summer Travel: Part II

There really are no secrets to securing a sweet travel deal, it mostly comes down to simple economics: supply and demand. If you are seeking someplace special to go this summer, timing your trip to coincide with days that are not during peak travel times can help you avoid long lines and other inefficiencies.



We have already surveyed the major Internet travel websites in older posting and would like to take the time to present a few new websites that might be of interest:

One interesting site, Couponmap.com, is a mashup that embeds Google Maps onto its website and automatically populates the map with a list of coupons from various companies.

http://www.couponmap.com/



Another interesting website, sidestep.com, is a traveler's search engine that is similar to other popular search engines. They aggregate their data and provide information on hotels, flights, cars, deals, vacations and cruises.

http://www.sidestep.com/


Making data driven decisions can help you determine where you want to go. There are many variables that come into play -- price, location, time -- but one, at least during this time of year, especially sticks out: temperature.


As you can see from the map, the tempertures that we have been experiencing are all within the normal range.

The map above shows the average weekly temperature. Good luck planning your trip.

Yuan

There has been a lot of talk in the news regarding the renminbi (also known as the yuan), the official currency of the People's Republic of China. American politicians have accused China of manipulating their currency; business leaders have lamented that its low value hurts their exports; and even economists agree with the above assessments. In today's blog we will cut through the rhetoric to see this debacle through a different lens; the lens of a perspective traveler.

The Chinese currency is currently under a floating managed exchange rate system and is pegged to a basket of currencies. What is causing all the commotion in the world's currency markets is that on June 19, 2010 China announced that it would allow greater flexibility in the value of the currency. Then, on June 21, the renminbi rose to a two year high which indicated that policy makers have heard the message. The underlying reason behind this decision is simple: Politics.

This weekend Toronto will hold the G-20 summit where finance ministers and central bank governors from the biggest economies of the world will gather to discuss the world economy. China, sensing that the major world economies will once again bash its currency, decided to preemptively take initiative to show that they understand the concerns of other countries.

The important thing to know about the Chinese exchange rate -- at least for travelers -- is that it is still kept artificially low. This means that everything you buy -- from food to hotels to clothing -- will be much cheaper than comparable products back home. Scholarly studies by both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund indicate that on the basis of purchasing power parity, the renminbi should be trading between RMB1.9 to RMB3.7 as opposed to the current exchange rate of RMB6.8123.

The recent appreciation of the renmibi is largely symbolic. If you were thinking about going to China, don't worry, things in China are still cheap.

Airbnb

With the recent recession a new breed of travelers have rewritten some of the rules on the right way to travel. Instead of staying at pricey hotels they stay with locals; instead of booking vacations through travel agents they cut out the middle-man and go solo; and instead of using old media outlets they use new websites that integrate the latest advances in technology. Today we will be profiling a new company -- Airbnb -- that has changed the way people travel.

Airbnb is a company founded by young, technologically oriented people who found a travel niche to exploit. By utilizing the best ideas of other travel websites, they have created a community of like minded people who enjoy traveling.

In order to truly understand what they do you should check out their website. http://www.airbnb.com/
Navigating through the website is intuitive. A simple search engine -- embedded on the homepage -- allows you to quickly search through all of the listed properties. After a cursory search of Washington D.C. accommodations I found that prices ranged widely: from $25 to over $1,000 a night. After viewing a few of the properties I started to become curious, what was it that led people to rent out their homes to complete strangers? Money? Loneliness? Excitement? This excerpt from one renter explains her motivation for renting out her room:
"I don't really need the $$$ to be honest, but thought it would be cool to host and meet people from all over. I traded my place for Obama inauguration tickets and it worked really well. Looking forward to hosting again!"

Safety, at least for some, is a concern: living with a stranger can sound kind of crazy. To help assuage any anxiety a review system is set in place that allows you to see what other people have to say. There truly is safety in numbers. On the flip side, if you would like to earn a bit of cash, or enjoy meeting new people, you can also become a renter. Posting a room is simple and easy.

Summer Travel

Summer is here again and that means one thing: Summer Travel. In today's blog entry we will be going over a few places that may be of interest to our clients.

Travel bookings are one of the largest compenents of e-commerce and there is a wealth of information online that can help you plan your trip. If you are looking to track down low cost airfare flights, metasearch websites --like fly.com or kayak.com -- can help you broaden your search by aggregating the search results from other travel sites. Kayak.com even helps you search for hotels and cars.

Many of our clients enjoy camping and we recommend that they check out the Virginia Campground Association (VCA).
http://www.virginiacampgrounds.com/

The map belows shows how they divide the state in six seperate regions: Shenandoah Valley, North, Chesapeake Bay, Southwest Blue Ridge Highlands, Central and Tidewater and Hampton Roads.

Niagara Falls

Another desitination that our clients find desirable is Niagara Falls. Peak numbers of visitors occur in the summertime as the weather permits Niagara Falls to be both a daytime and evening attraction. Floodlights also shine from the Canadian side for a couple of hours after dark.

Smithsonian Institution
http://www.si.edu/
Another popular and local summer attraction is the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum complex and research organization. It is composed of 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

This iconic American memorial is visited by approximately two million visitors

GPS Devices

From time immemorial people have created ways to help them navigate. During the Age of Discovery portolan charts -- a precursor to modern day maps -- were developed based on accounts of medieval Europeans who sailed the Mediterrean and Black Sea coast. In contemporary times, with the advent of GPS, people are still trying to explore their environment; with varying degrees of success.

Many of our clients rent cars but they should take heed that putting blind trust in their vehicles could lead to trouble.

In a recent NYTimes article, a writer describes a scene that happens all over the world: a person blindly following the commands of a GPS device drives up the wrong end of a highway off-ramp. People tend to forget a simple premise: technology is not infallible. Having said that, there are few inventions in the history of transportation that have revolutionized the way people navigate more than portable GPS devices.

GPS or the Global Positioning System (GPS) is the name of a global navigation satellite system that is maintained by the United States government. It is available freely by anyone with a GPS receiver and provides reliable location and time in all weather anywhere on Earth. It was established in 1973 and was created by the American Department of Defense (DOD).

The importance of having a GPS can be summed up with a simple statistic: 18% of American roads change yearly. Places change. Luckily, all GPS navigators on the market today include pre-loaded maps and provide spoken directions and automatic rerouting if you miss a turn.

The five biggest GPS brands are Garmin, Magellan, Mio, Nextar and TomTom.

Garmin

Garmin is the biggest selling brand, with more than 50 percent of the market.
http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us

Mio

Mio was founded in 2002 and its corporate headquarters are located in Taipei, Taiwan.
http://www.mio.com/

Nextar

http://www.nextar.com/frontend/prodcat.asp?co=10000384
^^ The link above shows 5 of their GPS products ^^

Magellan

Magellan lays claim to developing the first commercially available handheld GPS receiver, the NAV 1000, introduced in 1989.
http://www.magellangps.com/

TomTom

TomTom was founded by Harold Goddijn, Peter-Frans Pauwels and Pieter Geelen in 1991.
Market leader in Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs)
http://www.tomtom.com/howdoesitwork/category.php?ID=6&Language=1
They have a wide range of products including:

• Bike navigation
• Car navigation
• Built-in car navigation
• Mobile navigation

Other options

Another popular option to finding your way around is using a free online web mapping service like MapQuest. MapQuest is an American map publisher owned by AOL and

http://www.mapquest.com/

iPhone Travel Applications

There are few inventions that rival the iPhone when it comes to revolutionizing the way people organize their lives. Ever since its June 29, 2007 launch date, the iPhone has changed the way people view their phones and for this it was named the "Invention of the Year" by Time magazine.

What we are most interested in are its practical applications: the ability to amplify productivity and increase accessibility to knowledge. And so in today's blog entry we will be going over iPhone travel applications.

To begin, the App Store (where you buy iPhone applications) is relatively new: it first opened July 10, 2008.

The number of available applications on the App Store has grown almost exponentially since its launch. In July of 2008 there were 500 available applications, by September-3000, and by December -10,000. By March 2009 there were 25,000 applications and by June it doubled again to 50,000 applications. Today, a little less than two years since the App Store was launched, over 185,000 applications are available to be downloaded.

185,000 applications: That's a lot. For our clients who have an iPhone, or plan on buying one in the future, we have taken the liberty of doing a bit of screening and have filtered it down to a more manageable size.

The old adage, “You get what you pay for”, doesn't apply to the App Store. All of the apps we have shown are free. The App Store organizes its applications by categories and the sub category we will be looking at today is Travel.

The link below directs you to the home page for Travel Apps.
http://www.apple.com/iphone/apps-for-everything/traveling.html

Hotel Booker
By: cityscouter.com
Cost: Free
Category:Travel

With the cityscouter.com Hotel Booker app you can find and book over 200,000 hotels worldwide. Our app takes offers from some of the biggest hotel providers on the internet including booking.com, Priceline and HRS and displays the best price so you never pay more than you have to while having the widest selection of hotels available.

Urbanspoon
By: Urbanspoon
Cost: Free
Category: Travel

Can't decide where to eat? Urbanspoon can help. Shake your iPhone and the Urbanspoon slot machine will pick a good restaurant for you to try. Keep shaking until you find a restaurant you're happy with.
+ Uses GPS to find a restaurant near you
+ Filter by neighborhood, cuisine, or price
+ Search and browse local restaurants
+ See a list of all nearby eateries
+ Compare restaurant picks with your friends
+ Ratings and reviews from newspapers, bloggers and fellow eaters
Available in most North American cities as well as London, Sydney and Melbourne.

TripCase
By: Sabre Inc.
Cost: Free
Category: Travel

Named the “Best Travel App” by Business week
Flight updates and trip specific messages include flight departure and arrival status, security wait times, baggage claim location, gate changes and co-share information. Get convenient push messages when your flight information changes. Our valuable tools are accessible with one click and include complete itinerary at a glance, and a list of alternate flights (great for when your meeting ends early). Our TripLog allows you to share your trip fun including photos, posts and replies with friends, family and colleagues. Decide and control sharing your trip details in a few easy steps.

Cheap Gas!
By: David J. Henson
Cost: Free
Category: Travel

Features
+Price Timestamps
+ All Grade Prices Displayed
+Sort by Distance or by Price
+Locate stations by device location (default) or by postal code (in Settings)
+Interactively search by Postal Code
+Distance to station displayed
+Ability to refresh stations without restart
+Ability to update grade pricing through GasBuddy.com.

Free Wi-Fi Finder
By: JiWire Inc.
Cost: Free
Category: Travel

JiWire's Global FREE Wi-Fi app uses your iPhone's GPS and network triangulation capabilities to locate free Wi-Fi Internet access. Features:Over 10,000 locations worldwide- "Near me" search based on your current location- Search specific geographic regions- Filter by location type (Cafe, Library, etc..)- Phone numbers and address info- Bookmark your favorite locations

KAYAK Flights
By: kayak.com
Cost: Free
Category: Travel

KAYAK Flights has a succinct description for its app:
KAYAK Flights brings the fast flight search functionality of the KAYAK web site to an app specifically made for iPad.Experience the best flight search in the world, right in your hands.

SitOrSquat: Bathroom Finder
By: Densebrain
Cost: Free
Category: Travel

Quickly find a nearby restroom...and a whole lot more.

Features: * View nearby restrooms on a map or in a list sorted by distance.* See which are open NOW.* Read reviews, rating, and pictures of the toilets before you go!* Learn about additional features: which have changing tables, which are handicap accessibility, which have condom or tampon vending machines. SitOrSquat is the world's first wiki for recording and accessing bathroom information globally. We currently have 65,097 toilets worldwide and we need your help in growing that.

Trapster
By: Trapster.com
Cost: Free
Category: Navigation

Trapster is a free app that alerts you as you approach speed traps, red light and speed cameras, police check points, and other wallet hazards.

Over 5.5 MILLION USERS world wide and submit the location of traps in your area.* Cnet #1 automotive iPhone app* WIRED Magazine #1 of apps that make the most of location*