Ten Tips for Traveling with Pets

1. Consult with your veterinarian to ensure your pet is healthy enough for travel.

2. Make sure your pet has the appropriate vaccinations, such as a current rabies shot. Many airlines will require a health certificate.

3. Find pet friendly airlines and lodging in advance, and ask what constitutes pet friendly—do they require a deposit, is there a designated pet area, etc.

4. Make sure your pet is wearing an identification tag with a phone number where someone can be reached.

5. Find a transport crate large enough to accommodate your pet and his or her belongings, such a food and water bowls, blankets, toys, or a litter box. If you're traveling by air, check with the airline for transport crate guidelines.

6. If your pet has never traveled before, take him or her on a few trips in the car to find out how he or she will react.

7. During the trip, make sure your pet has food and water. Be aware, however, that your pet may not eat or drink much during travel.

8. If your pet needs any medication, make sure to have enough on hand for a few extra days in case your traveling takes longer than expected. It is also a good idea to have a small pet oriented first aid kit on had.

9. If traveling with a cat, always keep the cat in the crate. A dark blanket draped over the crate will help keep the cat calm and quiet.

10. Prepare for the weather. If a hot streak is expected, make sure your pet is hydrated. If it's going to be cold, include a blanket in the pet's crate. In any event, avoid leaving your pet in the car alone for extended periods of time.

Urban Hiking: Exploring Cities on Foot

The word "hike" usually conjures up images of dense woods, towering trees, and wildlife. A recent article in Eco Salon http://www.ecosalon.com/guide-urban-hiking-tips/ however, explores the idea of Urban Hiking—exploring cities on foot.




What can an Urban Hike entail?

Walking residential neighborhoods.

Exploring communities within the community, such as China Town, or Little Italy.

Hiking districts, such as antique, art, or food districts.

Journey to city parks.

Make sure to take your camera and capture the city's unique architecture.

Survival Tools and Signals to Get You Rescued

Is your vehicle equipped with survival gear? How would you fare if you were trapped somewhere and needed to be rescued? How Stuff Works put together a list of survival tools and signals for such an event. Here are the top three:

Fire. According to the article, the internationally recognized distress signal is three fires in a triangular formation, or three fires in a straight line about 80 feet apart.

Smoke. If it is daytime, smoke sends a better signal than fire. Three puffs of smoke in the air is the international signal for trouble. You can achieve the three puffs by covering the smoky fire with a wet item, such as a jacket or blanket, then pulling it off.

Mirror. A mirror or other shiny object can help you signal an airplane or helicopter flying overhead. Tilt the object back and forth to get their attention.

Lesser Known Sites That Can Save You $ on Airfare

These smaller, relatively unknown sites may be your solution to affordable airfare.

SkyScanner.Net includes a wider variety of budget options than the traditional aggregators. SkyScanner also allows you to search rates for an entire year, which is extremely beneficial if you like to book early, or have a flexible schedule.

BudgetFlightFinder.com helps you find budget airlines that fly a specific route.

Tripeedo.com searches across dozens of carriers and aggregators and opens their sites on a separate window. This allows travelers to view any advertised specials any flights they might not otherwise see.

5 Cool Ways to Cut Travel Costs

Want to save on travel expenses without taking a lame vacation? With a little bit of legwork, find out how you can still have fun without breaking the bank.

Cheeps and Twitters
If you’ve been avoiding social media sites such as Twitter, you may want to think again. Many companies now use these networks to market to customers. Jet Blue, for example, “Cheeps” exclusive deals and last minute discounts on Tuesday mornings. Other companies using Twitter to advertise great deals include United Airlines, American Airlines, Travelocity, FareCompare.com, and many more.

Bucket Shop
Bucket Shops, such as Airbrokers International, offer deeply discounted international airfare. These companies buy blocks of tickets from the airlines, then resell them to individuals and travel agencies. Before buying from a Bucket Shop, verify that they are reputable.

Clear Cache
Who would have thought that clearing your internet browser records could save you money? Well, according to National Geographic Traveler, it can! Apparently, websites you surf and spend money at track your purchases and will actually charge you more based on your spending history. Clearing your cached sites in Internet Explorer is easy. Click on Tools, Internet Options, and select Delete Browsing History.

Go Rental
If you’re going to be vacationing for a week or more, consider renting a vacation home instead of staying in a hotel. In many places, you can rent a home at a weekly rate for less than you’d spend on hotels. Plus, you have the added bonus of being able to cook, which means you won’t be spending gobs of money on dining out.

Write It Off
Business travelers, don’t forget to take a tax write-off for allowable expenses. And keep those receipts in case you get audited.

Sources:
“57 Ways to Cut Vacation Costs”
via National Geographic Traveler

“10 Ways to Cut Your Travel Costs This Year”
via New York Times

Quickly and Easily Search for Cheap Airline Tickets with Momondo

Momondo.com is a cutting edge search engine recommended by Frommer's, Smarter Travel, Time, and CNN, among other places. As a search engine, it searches multiple websites around the world, through hundreds or airline company websites, online travel agencies, etc., to give you the cheapest flights available. No need for you to spend hours online checking individual sites and comparing them. Momondo does it for you! (They do not sell tickets, however, but they will link you to where you need to go.)

At Momondo, you can also book a hotel, and find out information on your destination. Their travel and city guides are continuously updated, with information on food, fashion, art, lifestyle, shopping, sites, nightlife, transportation, and more.

Your Guide to Creating a Camping Gear Kit

A heavy duty plastic container, or two, is a great way to store all of your camping essentials. Use this list to help you create a camping gear kit.

Kit Items:

• first aid kit, including space blanket
• flashlight
• sunscreen
• sunglasses
• bug spray
• wet wipes
• hatchet
• camp shovel
• waterproof matches
• garbage bags
• table cloth
• tin foil
• pot holders
• can opener
• bottle opener
• paper plates, paper cups, plastic utensils, pots, pans, spatula, tongs
• paper towels
• biodegradable dish soap, sponge
• water purifier
• extra batteries
• GPS/compass
• MREs (Ready to Eat Meals) in case of emergency

Items to Pack Alongside Kit:

• potable water
• firewood, kindling, newspaper
• lantern
• camp stove
• fuel for lantern and camp stove
• tent
• sleeping bags, pillows, extra blanket
• camp chairs
• portable toilet and biodegradable toilet paper
• personal toiletries
• camera, film
• rain jacket

Unusual Spring Break Destinations

Crater of Diamond State Park
Located in Arkansas, the Crater of Diamond State Park is the only diamond mine in the world open to the public. Bring the entire family here to search over 37 acres of an ancient volcanic pipe that brought diamonds to the surface. More than 40 other types of rocks and minerals can be found at the park as well, and you keep what you find! Other area attractions include old mining ventures, natural forests, museums, and more. Camping and lodging available nearby.

LL Bean Discovery Schools
With locations throughout the Northeast and Midwest, L.L. Bean offers outdoor adventures for the entire family. Create custom adventures, or choose from their preset courses, which include fishing, kayaking, bicycling, and more. Walk-in adventures cost only $15 at retail stores.

Family History Library
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City is one of the world's best places to search for genealogical records. With over 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed records; 727,000 microfiche records; 356,000 books; 4,500 periodicals; and 3,725 electronic resources, you're sure to find something about your family!

Arcosanti
In the high desert of Arizona, about 70 miles north of Phoenix, lives the experimental town of Arcosanti. Arcosanti was built as an alternative to urban sprawl and ecologically unsound living practices. You can take guided tours of Arcosanti, or participate in workshops, programs, and other events at the unique town.

Online Sites that Help You Save Money on Fuel

There are numerous sites on the internet to help you track your fuel consumption and save on gas. Here are 3 of the best:

Gas Buddy. Gas Buddy is a popular site that will help you find the cheapest fuel rates in your city. Simply type in your city, state, and zip, and you'll have access to prices all over town.

Fuelfrog. Easily track gas mileage and be alerted to any changes in your vehicle's fuel efficiency with Fuelfrog.

AccuFuel. AccuFuel is an app for your iPhone or iPod Touch. It monitors your vehicle's fuel consumption and efficiency with each fill up, and presents the data in easy to read graphs.

Which Airlines are the Safest?

The Daily Beast recently compiled data and crunched numbers to determine which U.S. based airlines have the best safety records. The rankings were based on two criteria: accidents and incidents. The data took into consideration both 1 and 5 year records. Their findings, for national carriers, ranked from best to worst, are as follows:

1. AirTran
2. JetBlue
3. Southwest
4. US Airways
5. American
6. Alaska
7. Continental
8. Delta
9. Northwest
10. United