When I’m on the road there never seems to be enough time to follow all my favorites travel bloggers, let alone find new ones.  This week, with travels to Las Vegas for five days, followed by a quick trip to Dallas,  was one of those weeks!
Here’s some posts you won’t want to miss:
The New York City Traveler combines two of my favorite food groups, bacon and beer, in his post about a limited production beer at the Brooklyn Brewery.  Another reason to make the trek across the bridge!
Nerds Eye View takes us along her road trip – in a …read more

Do you scratch your head and wonder how they schedule routine highway and bridge repairs?  I assumed that it would be a pro-active process,  with planning and timing designed to work around any peak travel times.  Clearly any major repairs are going to involve disruption, but I would think that the powers that be would want to minimize the amount of disruption caused to drivers.
In most cases, this means that repairs are going to happen over a weekend, when the disruption to commuters is minimized.  Okay, that makes sense.
But why, I am asking myself, would anyone schedule repairs to the …read more

I read lots and lots of travel blogs posts over the course of a week, but it’s only the best of the best that I share with you.  This week, these blogs made me smile, laugh, wonder, question, or simply admire.  Perhaps you’ll feel the same way.
The Buenos Aires Guide – Be careful when booking you’re hotel, or you may wind up at one that rents by the hour.
Nerds Eye View – Pam is off at BlogHer with a bunch of other Seattle travelbloggers.  While I had to miss the event due to a scheduling matter, I’m keeping up …read more

Driving, texting, cell phones.  They are gadgets and tools that just don’t mix.  It seems like a basic concept, one that didn’t really need a statue, but starting with my own state of Washington, other states have followed suit, enacting legislation that regulates cell phone use, text messaging, and driving.
While I’ve been known to put on lipstick or glance at an email while my car IS AT A COMPLETE STOP at a STOP SIGN, I’ve never believed that I was capable of texting and driving at the same time.  At least not do them WELL at the same time.
Whether …read more

While normally I am a big fan of public transportation, and opt for trains, planes, and buses while on vacation, our trek to Italy and Croatia required covering a lot of ground to remote locations.  A car was a necessity.
Although the driving was left in the hands of the guys, we’ve covered enough ground that I can make a few observations (albeit from the passenger’s seat) about driving in Italy.

People drive fast on the Autostrada.  Really, really, fast!
Tailgating seems not only permissible, but encouraged.  Even when you’re going fast on the Autostrada.  Leaving any discernible gap between the car …read more

In a perfect world, service industry employees would be paid what they’re worth, rather than having these front line customer service envoys paid minimum wage and sent to grovel for tips.  Unfortunately, that day has not arrived. Until it does, we have to recognize those that do their job in ways large and small, and who rely on travelers for tips to augment their salaries.
Here are some tipping guidelines that you’re likely to come into when you’re traveling:
Restaurants – 15% of bill for good service, 20% for fabulous service or for accommodating special requests.  If you are using a …read more

How much do I love my iPhone apps?  Enough to try out most every iPhone travel app that comes along!
Check out Family Car Games, created by a family of four to help your family pass the time with instructions for 100 different games.  You can play the games in the car, on a long flight, or while waiting at the airport.  Or waiting anywhere for that matter.
I downloaded the app ($1.99) to check it out.  And hey – I like games, too!  There seemed to be a nice variety, hitting on a number of different themes, from words games …read more

Summer is a time of road trips, and when the nice folks at Reader’s Digest asked me to review what I think is the ultimate road trip book, Off the Beaten Path, I was very excited to do so.  I received the book last month, and have been able to spend a fun few weeks leafing through it, trying to locate the promised hidden gems, and comparing what I think is off the beaten path with what they do.
First of all, this is both a coffee table book, oversized and full of beautiful photos, as well as a practical …read more

I’m baseball fan, and for a long time the only reason that I was able to score a vacation in certain cities was because there were major league stadiums there.  “There’s baseball there” was a convincing line when trying to sound persuasive about vacationing in Chicago or Toronto.
If you know a baseball fan, you’ll want to pick up the updated edition or Roadside Baseball, a book that manages to combine the best and worst of travel with the best and worst of baseball.  Organized by state, the book is perfect for planning a baseball road trip that is close …read more

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 …read more