Car Travel Safety Tips For Your Next Road Trip

July 10, 2008 at 7:06 pm · Filed under Travel_Trip

1. Always keep these helpful items in your vehicle at all times especially for those last minute road trips: maps, jumper cables, charged cell phone, flares, flash-light, first aid kit, blankets, an auto club card if you break down, and some spare cash hidden in your vehicle.

2. Be sure to plan your route carefully. Use websites like mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com)and google earth (http://earth.google.com/) to plan your route. Also note the places you want to stop for breaks and gasoline fill-ups. This allows you to know which are safer than others.

3. Always park in well-lighted areas, if you plan to arrive or leave after dark.

4. Don’t park in an isolated or visually obstructed area near walls or heavy foliage.

5. Use valet parking or an attended garage, not a vacant one, especially if you’re driving alone.

6. As you walk to your car be alert to suspicious persons sitting in cars near yours.

7. Ask for a security escort if you are alone at a shopping center. Don’t worry, it’s not an inconvenience on their part, it’s their job.

8. Watch out for young males loitering in the area (handing out flyers, trying to start a conversation, selling something etc.) Be sure to make eye contact with them.

9. If someone tries to approach, turn back into the establishment you just came from, (store, restaurant etc.) and ask to be escorted out or call someone from the store’s phone or your cell phone to meet you there.

10. Always tell friends or loved ones where you are going and check in with them when you have arrived.

By following these car and road trip safety tips, you can effectively protect yourself and keep safe.

Michelle Annese, “The Diva of Defense

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Pack Your Toothbrush - And a Sense of Adventure The Art of Planning a Road Trip

June 24, 2008 at 3:01 pm · Filed under Travel_Trip

I have a tendency to think that “Planning” and “Road Trips” are something of an oxymoron. Road trips, by nature, are an adventure — just a group of family members or friends, maybe a dog or two, and the open road. But there are a few things that I would suggest to anyone embarking on a road trip.

Invest in a good road atlas. There’s no harm in getting lost — that’s part of the adventure — but a good atlas does more than show you the way. National Geographic and Rand McNally both put out wonderful vacation-oriented atlases that list popular (and not-so-popular) attractions along the way.

Pack yourself lots of goodies. Road trips are conducive to munchies — candy, cookies, or maybe celery and carrot sticks if you’re health conscious. Buy yourself a nice sized cooler bag. The Styrofoam variety are inexpensive and easily found in your local supermarket during summer months. And if you don’t want to spend the money on chemical ice packs, freeze water in self-sealing sandwich-sized plastic bags. These work great — they stay frozen for hours. Buy bottles of soda, water, or juice instead of cans. This way you can close them up when you’re done.

Don’t forget the music. Make sure there’s a variety. Even if you adore Metallica or The Beatles, if you’re on the road for a long time, you’re sure to get bored. Bring something to sing along to. And make sure you bring something for everyone’s musical tastes. No fighting, now…

When you’re loading up the car, be sure to arrange things wisely. Put the things you might need (sunglasses, snacks, CDs, maps) where a passenger can easily access them. You won’t want to have to pull over constantly to find things.

Invest in a few travel guides for the places you’re planning to stop at en route. They might cost you a few extra dollars, but they’re sure to be worth it. There are so many sights that you’d easily overlook without a good travel book. “Eyewitness” books are great for the major cities, and both “Rough Guides” and “Moon” travel books are great for someone on a limited budget.

Browse your local bookstore’s general travel section. There are some great, quirky sightseeing books on the shelves. Interested in factories, try “See it Made in the USA”, which lists numerous manufacturing plants that offer tours, including Crayola. There are many books geared towards specific interests such as zoos, amusement parks, tombstones, the Civil War, etc. There are books on small museums, small art towns, festivals, and trains. You’ll be amazed, so feel free to browse. Along those lines, Discovery Channel has out a series of books which are wonderfully original for someone planning a vacation — including books on dinosaur digs, American safaris, whale watching, and haunted locations.

And one serious note — if you’re going on a long road trip, make sure to have your car checked out thoroughly before you go. You certainly wouldn’t want to be stranded out in the middle of nowhere. If you have a cell phone, charge it and bring it with you (charger as well). But don’t talk while you’re driving. It’s just bad manners in addition to being a great hazard, and in many areas it’s also illegal without a hands-free headpiece.

Most importantly, bring your sense of adventure. Inevitably you’ll forget to pack something, but that’s what stores are for. Stopping to buy toothpaste isn’t the end of the world Just enjoy, and be open to what the road brings. You can’t fully plan a road trip — but you can take the driver’s seat when it comes to enjoying it.

Lisa A. Koosis is an author on Writing.Com
which is located at http://www.Writing.Com/ and is accessible by anyone.

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Have a New York Trip in a “New York Minute”

June 11, 2008 at 2:13 pm · Filed under Travel_Trip

New York City, the big apple, one could easily get lost in a fast-paced high priced place as this city. Even people who live in the suburbs of New York can experience a sudden culture shock when they enter the city limits. There’s the concrete, crowds, Times Square, museums and just about any kind of information overload you can imagine. If you want you can see the softer side of the city by touring small grocery shops, and walking Central Park or you can get a taste of the corporate business world or walk along Wall Street for a ways.

It’s established that it’s very easy to overload the itinerary on a New York vacation. So you’re going to have to decide before you go what you want to see and be discriminating and brutally honest with yourself. Do you really want to spend all day for a week pounding the pavement in effort to try and reach destinations all over town? You’re stay in New York will be a rat race.

Here’s a sample itinerary of things you can do in New York;

On day one you check into the hotel and get comfortable. Don’t have any major treks planned, but if you can’t sit still use this time to wander around the hotel and the local streets to get familiar with your location. For later on in the evening you’ve all ready secured tickets to a Broadway Musical. How about an industry staple like Cats?

Later on you take a trip to Central Park. Bring the kids and a picnic, and $1 each for a spin on the Carousel at 64th St. mid Park. There’s also a Wildlife Conservation Center where kids will literally spend hours looking at the Sea Lions. On Tuesdays, from 5-9 pm the Cooper Hewitt Museum has pay what you wish admission. On Thursdays, Guggenheim Museum has pay what you wish hours from 6-8 pm. There are also lots of other museums in New York that have free hours and pay what you wish hours and those that don’t have free hours do have times with very good admission rates. So it’s fairly easy to see the sites in New York on a budget. Hey the New York Library is free and it’s a wonderful piece of architecture.

As for good and exotic food it is everywhere in New York. You visit a different ethnic restaurant, deli, street vendor, or cafe for lunch each day.

When you head home you will have plenty of memories of the sites and sounds from your New York City vacation and there’s certainly plenty of New York left for you to see on another trip.

Gail Leino is known throughout the internet world as Mrs. Party. She has become the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies with clever themes. Her simple party planning approach demostrates how to use proper manners while teaching etiquette with organizational skills. She shares lots of interesting fun facts. See travel vacations for more tips and holiday spot destinations.

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