Pick a card. . . any card. . . and whether you’re a first time visitor, a regular, or a long time resident, each of the 50 cards in the deck will send you off on a self-guided walking adventure.  On one side you’ll find a detailed map, on the back a list of tips and general information.

The cards point out tourist locations, but also cultural, entertainment, and dining spots.  They are written by locals, so you know you’re getting the real scoop!

The general City Walk decks are perfect for adults and families.  If you’re afternoon business meeting cancels, grab a card and head out for a little head-clearing walk.  Skip the treadmill, and find a challenge uphill neighborhood to explore.  Current City Walk cities include Sydney, Toronto, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Washington DC.

The City Walks with Kids are adventures of shorter duration,specifically designed with the little ones in mind.  Cities include:  Paris, Washington DC, San Francisco, and New York.

And Village Walks highlight great European Village areas, like Ireland, Provence, and Tuscany.  (I may just have to order the Tuscany for a return Italy visit next year!)

One thing that I like about these cards is that you can take one or two that you want, and leave the rest at home or in your hotel room.  It saves you from having to lug around a big guide book or map, and allows you to blend in rather that stick out as a tourist.  Reasonably priced at $14.95 per deck, you have no reason not to pick up one for every city in your travels!

The City Walk folks have agreed to give away a deck to two of our readers – and the reader will get to select the city of their preference.

To be eligible to win one of the City Walk decks, just leave a comment answering this question (chosen to have City Walk with a little “market research”):

What city would you like to have represented in an upcoming City Walk deck?

The contest runs through tonight, Wednesday, December 10thth, 2008 at 11:59pm (PT). On Thursday, two random winners will be selected from all the comments to receive the City Walk deck of their choice.  Please enter only once, and leave your email address in the appropriate spot so that we can contact you.

Check back tomorrow for the winner of this giveaway, and to see what great gift Kori has for Thursday.  Remember, we’ll be giving away a travel gift each day right up till Christmas.

Image credit:  City Walk/Chronicle Book

Post from: Blisstree

Giveaway: City Walks Travel Deck

I would definitely love to travel for a year. I think I would need to wait until my children are older because of school. I can see myself doing this though if I had the money.

Stacie will have a copy of the book coming her way very soon, and after she read it maybe she’ll see that she can do this while the kids are still in school. 

If you think you’d enjoy taking a year off to travel, read the review of Live Your Road Trip Dream.

A very big thank you to authors Phil and Carole White for providing me with a copy of the book for review, AND for providing a giveaway copy for a reader of Travel Product Guide.

Remember, we’ll be giving away a travel gift each day right up until Christmas, so keep checking back every day!

Post from: Blisstree

Winner: Live Your Road Trip Dream

You can’t take everything with you, and traveling is not like walking into your closet at home, but there are tips and tricks that can make the packing process a lot less painful than your probably find it.

I think I do a pretty good job of packing – and I define that as I wear everything that I take, take everything that I need (except for the faux plea of nothing to wear that allows me to justify a shopping trip), and manage my bags on my own.

Even with that expertise however, I still got a lot of useful ideas from Smart Packing for Today’s Traveler by Susan Foster.

Relying on a very simple concept of Pack, Select, Edit, Pack, and Go, Susan fills the books with examples, tips, product suggestions, and practical details to cover most any type of travel you’ll be doing.

Warning, though, some of you are not going to like what she has to say!  For example, you’re going to have to limit the number of shoes you pack (take note Christina), for extended trips you will probably need to do laundry on the road, and sometimes you’re going to need to check your luggage.

On the other hand, following this advice will show you how to pull together a wardrobe for any reason or season, and still travel light.

Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:

• Learn which fabrics and style of clothing are comfortable and are designed to stand up to the vagaries of travel, and how to start collecting your travel wardrobe.
• Map out your schedule and activities, so you can figure out what type of clothing you’ll be needing for each day of your travels.
• Learn about luggage styles and types so you can decide on a personal preference, knowing that it will meet your needs.  Lots of good suggestions on putting together your own luggage wardrobe.
• How to choose a basic color palette that allows you mix and match wardrobe items to wear in numerous different ways.  Pack less clothes but have more wardrobe choices.
• Pack early, giving yourself plenty of time to “edit” your clothes, taking out what doesn’t fit in your bag, along with anything that you really don’t need.
• Tips for packing for a cruise, adventure travel, or other specialty vacation.

The downside to Smart Packing, and it’s inevitable with any book of this type, is that some of the information is outdated.  The TSA and airlines change rules faster than a book can be printed.  Susan wisely acknowledges that, and sends the reader to sources for updated information.  The wise reader will follow her instructions!

Do you need help with your packing?  Do your chronically over or under pack?  Are you looking for products that would help make your packing easier and more efficient? 

Then you need this book.

And I very happy to offer you an opportunity to win it!  How do you win? 

Just leave a comment here and tell us one thing that you always pack and take with you.

The contest runs through Saturday, November 15th, 2008 at 11:59pm (PT). On Sunday, a random winner will be selected from all the comments to receive Smart Packing.  Please enter only once, and leave your email address in the appropriate spot so that we can contact you.

A very big thank you to author Susan Foster and KSB Promotions for providing me with a copy of the book for review, AND for providing a giveaway copy of Smart Packing to a reader of Travel Product Guide.

Photo credit:  Packing Smart

Post from: Blisstree

Product Review & Giveaway: Smart Packing for Today’s Traveler

In most case, that’s not a problem, but when traveling at night, or reading in bed, a little extra light is great.  Ever greater is when that little extra light doesn’t annoy or offend the people around me.

The Periscope Lighted Folio features a retractable reading light, deluxe Kindle cover, notepad, and pen holder all in one complete package.  No need to hunt for a separate reading light, or worry that you’ve left it behind, when you can have a light that retracts into the spine of your cover.  It stays out of the way when you don’t need it, but easily flips up when you do.

The light needs three AA batteries (not included) or uses an adapter that can be purchased separately.

As a regular Kindle user, I’m excited to finally have a bunch of the features I need and use all rolled into one. 

This is going on my wish list!

The Periscope Lighted Folio retails for $49.95, and is available for pre-orders.

Image credit:  Periscope

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Periscope Lighted Folio for Kindle Users

• Get a Tailgating Book from The Fantasy Kickoff
• Win a Dynamic Duo of beauty products from Glamour Gift Guide
• Get Dermelect skincare products from Just A Formality

Deadline to enter is Friday, August 1st for all these fabulous giveaways. Check them out when you have a chance!

Post from: Blisstree

Giveaways – Last Day to Enter