Travel Blog

Installed next to the walk-through scanners at Ben-Gurion airport in Israel, “MagShoe” announces within two seconds whether the footwear of the passenger standing on it contains unusual metal that might be a knife for a hijacking or a bomb detonator part. The TSA is currently assessing MagShoe’s feasibility for the USA. read more | digg story

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE49B2CL20081012

Airline fees are a controversial topic these days, the consumerist looked at the fees that airlines were charging and picked the top 3 most and least “fee crazy” airlines. Avoiding fees is hard, so why not try to avoid the airlines that charge them instead? read more | digg story

http://consumerist.com/5042052/top-3-most-and-least-fee-crazy-airlines

Now that you have climbed Buddhist temple stairs, stood on the killing fields and partied in Bangkok, you can spread the word to all those smirky friends that backpacking in Southeast Asia isn’t just for college kids trying to find themselves. Or you may want to keep the information to yourself so it will still be affordable next time you go. Southeast Asia is beautiful, culturally rich and a place where its easy to live off of $20 or less a day. You won’t even feel guilty eating greasy street food–the cheapest way to dine–because you’ll burn off all the calories on the trail. Go now and you’ll avoid the crowds that come in peak season but still benefit from the cooler weather.   read more | digg story

http://blog.mint.com/blog/finance-core/backpack-in-southeast-asia-on-20-a-day/

I have always wanted a collection of brown leather trunks with brightly colored stickers from all the world’s corners. They remind me of travelers in the early 1900s who spent days on the ocean in order to reach their destinations. Back then, arriving at the destination was as much a part of the trip as the destination itself. This story has some pointers for researching and planning your own adventure on the high seas…     read more | digg story

Looking for someplace special to spend the Fourth of July? FP investigates five fabulous destinations where a summer getaway is next to impossible.

Locations include: Mount Kumgang, Kumgangsan Tourist Region on North Korea’s east coast, Baracoa on Cuba’s eastern tip, Mogadishu’s Beaches on Somalia’s east coast, Persepolis in southern Iran and Mandalay in Burma
read more | digg story

For a family vacations, we decided to head for the beach. There are many beach options along the eastern coast; Myrtle beach, Ocean City, Virginia Beach and many others. We chose to go to the Outer Banks (OBX) in North Carolina. Now that we decided where to go, we needed a place to stay. Instead of picking a typical hotel to stay at, we chose to rent a house for the week. The house rental went smoothly over the Internet and we were able to easily check into the house once we got to Kitty Hawk. The house was spacious and well supplied with all the necessities for living. We just needed food and alcohol.

In 1903, the Wright Brothers went to the Outer Banks and made the first successful flight of an airplane. In Kill Devil’s Hills, there is the Wright Brothers National Memorial Park that is built on the exact site they made their historic flight. The park consists of a visitor’s center and pavilion. Atop the hill is a stone monument dedicated to the Wright Brother’s amazing feat.

When you think of the beach, you usually think of water sports. The Outer Banks is no exception, there are the beaches of course. But more then that are the many places you can rent Jet Ski’s Sailboats, surf boards, kayaks and many other things to do on the ocean or in the sound. Kitty Hawk Water Sports offered sailing lessons, so we jumped at the change to learn to sail. The lessons lasted for 2 hours and cost $99/ person or $149 for 2 people. The lesson was a great introduction to sailing and was very easy to learn for beginners.

The Outer Banks also offers many different cultural experiences. Roanoke Island was the first attempt by the British to found a colony in the New World. You can visit Roanoke Island Festival Park or watch the The Lost Colony outdoor drama. There are also many shops and galleries all along the island.

Other activities that you can do on the Outer Banks is Miniature Golf, Go-Karts, 4WD Off Road Adventures and Lighthouse visiting just to name a few.

The Outer Banks is a great place to spend a little time relaxing and getting away for awhile.

Useful Links:

The Coastal Explorer
http://www.thecoastalexplorer.com/
Great resource for finding out where to stay and what to do on the Outer Banks.

Kitty Hawk Water Sports
http://www.kittyhawkwatersports.com/

Wright Brothers National Memorial Park:
http://www.nps.gov/wrbr/index.htm

“Twenty- six miles across the sea. Santa Catalina is a-waitin’ for me”. As the song goes, Santa Catalina Island is 26 miles off the coast of Southern California. There are a few shuttles that will take you from various harbors to the Island; Catalina Express and Karmel Shuttle are the major ones. Catalina Express offers over 30 daily trips to and from Catalina for about $60 round trip. The 1 hour 30 minute trip is the best way to visit Catalina. Catalina offers you to do everything… or nothing at all. For some it is snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking and fishing. While others may enjoy shopping, relaxing on the beach, horseback riding, or golf.

Departing the boat onto the pier, you will notice the many little shops and restaurants that line the shoreline. This is a great place to start for those who want to spend a little cash.  Spend sometime browsing the stores before you begin off on your adventures.

Catalina offers much more then just shopping. There are many tours available for trips around the island. There is a glass bottom boat and a yellow submarine tour provided by Catalina Adventure Tours. These tours offer you a great view of the sea life that surrounds the waters of the Island.

We took at cruise to Alaska during the summer months. The views from the boat and shore are not be be missed. As you travel along the Alaskan coast, you can see gorgeous views and wildlife upon the shore. On the way to the first stop of Whittier, AK, the cruise ship made a stop at Glacier Bay, which runs for about 65 miles long and 3 to 20 miles wide. The glacier from the ship was fabulous. You could see pieces of the glacier falling into the bay.

The ship then arrived at Whittier, AK. There is not much in Whittier itself, so just getting off the ship and exploring really isn’t an option. Whittier, is a launching point to visit Anchorage or the surrounding lands. We choose to go to Portage Glacier, Big Game Alaska and the Alyeska Ski Resort. For those who want to visit Anchorage, it is about an hour and a half drive, but worth it to see the capital of Alaska.

At Portage Glacier, we first were able to visit the visitor’s center at the edge of Portage Lake. There you can walk along the edge of the lake, but the glacier is nowhere to be seen. That is because it has been gradually been retreating and the lake is the result of that retreat. We then took a cruise across the lake to see the glacier. The glacier has been retreating at am enormous rate.

After Portage Glacier, we visited Big Game Alaska. Big Game Alaska is a wildlife and rehabilitation center for Alaskan wildlife. We were able to see eagles, black bears, bison, moose, deer, elk, caribou, and oxen to name a few. This reserve is dedicated to rehabilitation hurt wild animals, then releasing them back into their natural surroundings. This is a great place to visit and safely see animals that you would not normally be able to.

Next, we drove to the Alyeska Ski Resort. The bus stopped at the bottom of the mountain and we had to take the lift to the top. The views from the top were wonderful. We were able to see a panoramic view of the Alaskan land. It gives a great sense of the natural beauty of the region.

If you ever get a chance to visit Whittier, make sure you travel out from the coast and visit the surrounding countryside and see the natural beauty that is Alaska.

The Kinzua Dam is located 6 miles east of Warren, PA. The Kinzua Dam hold backs the water on the Allegheny River, which forms the Allegheny Reservoir. It is one of the largest dams east of the Mississippi River. The Allegheny Reservoir is a hot spot for outdoor recreation. We visited the Kinzua Dam in the late summer. Driving there, you see the wonderful wilderness that surrounds the road in the Allegheny National Forest. The forest is covered with many trees, it seems like millions. If you live in a big city, it is a sight not to be missed.

We arrived at the boat dock on the Allegheny Reservoir where we had planned on taking a boat out for the day. The dock is relatively small, which allows for not too much of a crowd. On the water, there is plenty of room to let the engines out, very little boat traffic. After a while, we decided to do what they call “tubing“. Tubing consists of an inflated tube attached to the back of the motor boat. The boat takes off and you just hang on for your life. The advice I was given, was to hold on tight. It was a great rush having the waves splashing against the tube and bouncing you from side to side and over the wake produced from the engines. After tubing, we anchored the boat and went swimming in the water. The water was a great temperature for a swim. We also were able to walk ashore and adventure. When the sun started to set, we headed back.

The Kinzua Dam is not only a place for boating and water activities. It also offers camping, hiking, ATVs, climbing and biking. In the winter, it also offers snowmobiling and skiing. It you like the outdoors, this is one place not to be missed.

If you live in the United States and plan on traveling internationally and bringing electronics, you need to do some research. Most countries outside of the United States use 220/240 volt electricity. The U.S. uses 110 volt electricity. This may mean that your electronics won’t work in far away places. But, that is not entirely true. Many electronic devices sold today are dual voltage, which means that they will work under 110/120 volts and also 220/240 volts. To determine this, real the label and see the section for input. If it had 220 or 240 volts, then it will work just fine with a plug adapter. If it only has 110 or 120 volts, then you will need a converter.

International Travel Electricity Requirements:

1. Plug Adapters: Bring along plug adapters. They allow your U.S. plug devices to plug into international plugs. Research the countries you are going to, so that you purchase the right adapter. There are a number of good universal plug adapters you can buy that will work for nearly all of the places you could visit. Also it is recommended that your plug adapters have a built-in surge protector. This will protect your electric devices from frying during surges.

2. Electricity Converter (Transformer): This handy little device will convert 220/240 volt electricity to 110/120 volt electricity. This will allow any of your devices that are 110/120 only to work. This will need to be used in conjunction with a plug adapter for the specific country you are in. Get a converter that is powerful enough in watts to support your most power hungry device.

On our European trip, we visited England, France and Italy, and only needed a multi-plug adapter, an Italy plug adapter and a 200 watt electricity converter. This work for all our devices; Portable DVD Player. Laptop Computer, Camcorder Charger, battery charger, hair dryer, electric razor and our Nintendo DS. Out of all those devices, only the battery charger, Nintendo and heating pad required the electricity converter, the rest all had 220 or 240 volt inputs.

I made a little spreadsheet analyzing the devices we were taking to determine our requirements.

Here are a list of the items I bought for our trip.

Italy Plug Adapter at Amazon.com

Samsonite Worldwide Adaptor Plug from Amazon.com

200 WATT Step Down Voltage Transformer 110120volts.com
(They also have smaller and larger watt transformers)