In summertime the livin’ is easy, and as more people vacation close to home, car trips will be back in vogue.  No more whisking off to the airport for a getaway weekend, instead we’ll be packing up the car and driving to the shore, the beach, or someplace that’s only a few hours from home.  The lower gas prices, attractively priced lodging, and reasonably priced food choices are making car trips an affordable family vacation.

Make life on the road easy by putting together a basic car kit to get you through any emergencies or mishaps that might occur.

In you glove box keep:

• Car registration and insurance papers (and accident check list)
• Vehicle owner’s manual
• Maps
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• Pre-paid telephone calling card and a few dollars in change (in case you’re in an area with no cell coverage)
• Copy of your AAA or other auto club card
• Waterless hand cleanser
• Small towel (for cleaning up spills or wiping down windows)

In your trunk keep:

• Spare tire (make sure it’s inflated properly), tire jack, and wrench
• Change of clothes, shoes (especially if you’re usually in heels), and a pair of work gloves
• Ice scraper (move it into the glove box if it’s wintertime)
• First Aid Kit
• Duct tape (the universal “McGyver” fix all)
• Jumper cables
• Spare fan belt
• Another flashlight and extra batteries (you may want to consider a larger work light)
• Small tool kit
• Empty gas can (never put a full can in your car)
• Blanket
• Bottled water (you can drink it or use it in your radiator)

With these items you’ll be prepared for most mishaps or emergencies.  Then all you have to do is pack up for your adventure and hit the road.

My car is pretty well outfitted.  How about you? And did I miss any of your must-have items for a road trip?

Photo credit: SXC

I love offbeat and quirky kinds of places – for just the reasons that they are offbeat and quirky.  I’ve even been known to drive out of my way to see the “biggest,” “smallest,” “world’s only,” “oldest” thing or whatever.

Lucy the Elephant, a couple miles south of Atlantic City in Margate, New Jersey, is one of those quirky attractions that I’ve heard a lot about, but haven’t managed to see yet.

Lucy is a six story, 90 ton elephant made of wood and tin sheeting, and was erected in 1881 to attract tourism and development to the south Atlantic City area.  While architecturally unique at its time, she was only the first of several zoomorphic (elephant-shaped) buildings.  Zoomorphic architecture is apparently extinct, and Lucy is the only one to still exist. 

Lucy has been a restaurant, office building, and a tavern, before being moved, refurbished and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976.  Yep, that’s right – this elephant is a historical landmark!

You can find Lucy at 9200 Atlantic Avenue, in Margate, New Jersey.  I’m hoping to get back to Atlantic City in the next few months, and visiting Lucy is on my to-do list.  Why?  Cause she’s just too quirky to pass up!

NOTE:  Interestingly, Lucy has tusks – found only in male Asian elephants – so feel free to draw whatever transgender elephant conclusions you wish.

Photo credit:  Flickr (head shot); (full elephant)

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Today’s Back to Basics tips come from Laura McHolm, the co-founder of NorthStar Moving & Storage Co., and who is also an on-site storage and organizational expert. 

As you might expect, she’s got lots of great suggestions, and I loved her ideas to help make the classic family car trip an easy adventure.  I’ve chosen my two favorite tips to share with readers here today:

• Pack one backpack that stays in the car. Include your maps, files with your reservation information, first aid kit, camera, tickets, etc.  (Personal note:  this is a good idea for adult travel, too!)
• Wrap items like books with car games, deck of cards, sticker books, puzzle books, joke books, reading books, crayola crayons, fun masks, etc. as presents—try reusable bags to be eco-friendly. When you make stops along your route place the presents on the kids’ seats. When they come back to the car they will have an exciting gift to unwrap and play with! Bring extra backpacks to place the toys in once they are unwrapped.

You can also check the NorthStar website for packing tips that easily translate from packing to move and packing for travel.

Thanks for the tips, Laura!

Photo credit: flickr

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When you travel all the time, it becomes easy to take the whole process for granted.  Instead of being excited about heading off to the airport for a flight, you complain about having to go on “one more trip.”

It’s easy to understand how you feel when you’re traveling for business, but when it’s finally time to take the family on a vacation, it’s time to get your mind in a different space and make it fun for everyone.  Especially for the kids — who can all too easily pick up on any negative travel vibe.

Whether you’re traveling with the family, or sending the kids on a trip of their own, they are going to need something to do for those hours they are buckled into an airplane seat. 

So how about some good old fashioned games?  No whistles, no bells, no video screen.  Just some cards, mental and visual stimulation, and family interaction. 

Flying Rubberneckers is card game that you can use to make the plane trip fun, encouraging kids to look at the world around.  It’ll help pass the time, keep them occupied, and maybe even learn a thing or two.  The game consists of 70 cards, and is appropriate for reading levels for ages 4-8.  It retails for $12.95.

Additional Rubbernecker cards are available for car trips.

Get out of your grumpy travel blahs, and help the kids have the plane trip of their life!

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I’ve toured a city by car, bus, train, moped, bicycle, motorcycle, scooter, and on foot.  Each mode of touring offers different options and varying perspectives on a city.

Travelers in San Francisco and San Diego now have an additional choice on how to see the city — a GoCar.  The GoCar is a talking 3-wheeled vehicle that gives directions and tour commentary as you see the sights of the city.  And it speaks five different languages.

You can follow a standardized tour, deviate where you’d like, or just go off exploring on your own.  The GPS tour system is available at no extra charge, and is available for your use as a tour guide.  There is no set tour, take whatever pace you’d like, choosing the attractions that you want to stop and see.  Bustle through the city or take it all in at a leisurely pace, it’s all up to you.  The GoCar will do about 35 miles per hour, and can get into smaller areas where I typical tour bus or van can’t.

The rental is by the hour or the day, and is $44 for the first hour, $34 for the second hour, and $24 per hour after that.  There is a maximum charge of five hours.  Time is billed in increments of 15 minutes, rounded down, so you never have to pay for time that you don’t use.  You must be over 18 years of age to rent a GoCar, and have a valid license and insurance. 

In San Francisco, GoCars can be found in Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf.  Although walk ups can sometimes be accommodated, reserve online  so that you won’t be disappointed.

I’ll be making plans to be in San Francisco sometime over the next couple of months, and plan on checking out GoCar.  On a lovely California day, it sounds like a fun way to tour the city.

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Polly want a cracker?

At the World Parrot Refuge on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, winged residents get lots more than a mere cracker.

This non-profit, educational facility operated by FLOPRS (”For the Love of Parrots Refuge Society”) provides a “Home for Life” for previously owned pet parrots.  Parrots have a very long life span, so it is very likely that they will have a need for more than one owner over their lifetime.  Many parrot owners fail to foresee or plan for this, making it increasingly common to have parrots turn up in shelters.  The Refuge is a home for life for these parrots, and it does not adopt out.

The estimated cost to care for a parrot in a good quality sanctuary is approximately $10/week.  This amount covers a healthy diet, shelter, warmth, light, safety, free-flight enclosures, and skilled veterinary care.  That doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but with current residency at over 500 parrots, which, unfortunately, seems to increase daily, it is easy to see how the World Parrot Refuge has its work cut out for it. 

The Refuge is open to the public every day, from 10 am ““ 4 pm, and visitors have the opportunity to meet and learn about these amazing birds.  The Refuge is located at 2116 Alberni Highway in Coombs, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 

Visitors to the Refuge are occasionally treated to up close and personal meetings with the avian residents, and many birds enjoy being cuddled and fussed over.  If you can’t visit in person, you can meet the residents online via the Parrot Gallery.  Parrot lovers can also support the work of the World Parrot Refuge through its Adopt a Parrot program.

Photo credit:  SXC

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Today is Admission Day for Vermont, our 14th state, admitted to the Union on March 4th, 1791.

Vermont is located in the northeastern part of the United States, an area typically referred to as New England.  With a colorful, independent-thinking history, Vermont was once an independent nation known as the Republic of Vermont.  Today, Vermont is a small state, both is total area, 45th of 50, and population, 49th of 50 (only Wyoming has less people).

Vermont is frequently called the Green Mountain State, although it is unclear where the name comes from.  One theory is that it is called that because the state is more heavily forested than neighboring states.  Another theory is that the name came about because of the existence of green-hued shale.  Whatever the official explanation, fall brings about beautiful panoply of color. 

The state capital is Montpelier, and the largest city is Burlington. 

Vermont is the leading US producer of maple syrup, and the sap running is a tourist draw, along with the visitors attracted to the colorful fall foliage.  In the winter, with mountains full of snow, skiers head to the hills at numerous resorts.  In the summer, those same resorts, along with others, offer summer mountain experiences of hiking, fishing, and boating.

Some interesting Vermont trivia:

• It is the only state in the lower 48 that does not have a Target store
• It is the only state whose capital city does not have a McDonald’s restaurant
• Former presidents Calvin Coolidge and Chester A. Arthur were born in Vermont

Politics thrust Vermont into the limelight in 2000, when then Governor Howard Dean signed into law legislation passed by the General Assembly sanctioning benefits of marriage to gay and lesbian couples.  The little state became a big cog in American politics.

Photo credit: SXC

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Today is Admission Day for Ohio, our 17th State, admitted to the union on March 1st, 1803. 

The date of admission was actually determined retroactively, because no formal date of statehood was set by the original legislation.  It wasn’t until 1953 that the date of admission was set as March 1st, 1803, the date that Ohio’s first legislature convened.  (Photo above of Ohio Statehouse)

Back in 1835, Ohio fought a war with Michigan, known as the Toledo War.  Somehow, my US History class missed this important battle, but as a result of it, Michigan got the western part of its Upper Peninsula as part of its state boundaries, and Ohio got the Toledo Strip. 

Located in the Midwestern United States, and part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio is a heavily populated state (ranked 7th in population).  Its largest city is its capital, Columbus.  The largest metropolitan area is Cleveland.  Other major cities include:  Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown.  These cities are home to many popular tourist attraction, including the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton (see photo above).

Ohio’s geographic location, well-developed highway system, and proximity to numerous seaports, has made it a hub for cargo and business traffic.  In fact, 50% of the North American population is within a one-day drive of Ohio.

Ohio is frequently called the “Mother of Presidents,” with seven U.S. presidents having been born there.  Only Virginia has more, boasting eight.

Hitting on a theme a little closer to my heart, Ohio is the birthplace of the airplane, a result of numerous experiments by Orville and Wilbur Wright.   A large experimental and design facility is still located near Dayton, and the entire state still has many ties to the aviation industry, both civil and military.

I spent ten days in Ohio a few years back.  I was traveling with a good friend, and we spent the time driving around, visiting many of the small cities and communities.  It was my first trip to Ohio (other than making a flight connection ““ which doesn’t count).  Little did I realize that a visit to Ohio actually meant a visit to three additional states — the Cincinnati metropolitan area extends into Kentucky and Indiana (this counted as my first visit to both of those states), and the Youngstown metropolitan area extends into Pennsylvania.

Photo credit:  Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism, www.DiscoverOhio.com.
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Location:  Napa Valley Vineyard.

One of my most enjoyable weekend trips is to spend time wine tasting in the Napa Valley (California).  While several large, major wineries are located in Napa, I’ve found that some of the most fun are the smaller, limited production, family wineries.

Photo:  Aaron Logan

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On a recent layover, as I was sitting in the transportation van with the rest of my crew, I looked out the window at the mass of tail lights and exhaust fumes, shook my head, and muttered “rush hour.”

For those of you who travel to and from the airport on a frequent basis, I’m sure that’s an all too familiar scenario.  While there may be no getting around the traffic, if you are traveling in the New England or San Francisco Bay area, there are ways to commute to the airport without polluting the environment.

Now, thanks to PlanetTran, there’s a way to get to and from the airport in a socially responsible, environmentally friendly way ““ even when there is no viable public transportation option.

What is PlanetTran?  It’s the first public auto service to exclusively utilize environmentally friendly hybrid cars (currently, the Toyota Prius) for its livery fleet.  Primarily serving airports in the greater Boston and Bay Area, they can be schedule for car service nearly anywhere.  You make a reservation by creating a profile in the online reservation system, enter your to and from locations, and schedule your pick up time and location.  Alternatively, you can call PlanetTran at 1-877-ECO-TAXI.

The Prius can seat four passengers with light luggage, three passengers with more extensive luggage, and two passengers with luggage that includes golf clubs, skis, or large bags that require folding down the back seat.

PlanetTran quotes you a flat charge for your car service, and bills waiting time at $60/hour in increments of 10 minutes, with a 10-minute grace period.  They keep on top of arriving flights (and delays), and wait time is not charged for commercial airline delays, or for the time it takes you to get from plane to car.  They’ll wait for you as long as it takes, so you won’t have to worry about the time it takes to get your check bags, clear customs, or anything like that.

Looking at some sample prices, PlanetTran is pretty comparable to taxis, and cheaper than most limo and other car services.  They accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express, but not cash (security reasons).  A receipt is emailed to you, continuing the quest for “green” technology, with a paperless operation.

Using PlanetTran looks like an efficient, reliable, and environmentally savvy way to get to the airport, proving that you can be both cost conscious and green.

Note:  I read that PlanetTran offers wifi in its vehicles, but have been unable to confirm this information.  Anyone have any first hand experience to report back?

Photo credit:  wikipedia

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