I’ve mentioned before how I think the best way to really experience a city is on foot.  But when you’re new to a city, how do you know where the best walking districts are?  One very cool site makes this easy for you.  Walk Score helps you to quickly find the best walking neighborhoods within a city.  After ranking over 2,500 neighborhoods in the 40 largest cities in the U.S., they show you the top walking districts for each city along with detailed Google maps of walkable destinations.  

Created as a tool for home buyers, this is also a great resource when choosing a hotel and seeing how well located it is in the city.  I just entered the address of the Hotel Andra, where I stayed during my last visit to Seattle and here are the results from Walk Score (green = best districts).   

Wouldn’t it be nice if every neighborhood were ranked a “walker’s paradise”! Unfortunately it’s more of a rarity than the norm in many cities.  It’s good to know there are tools like this that make finding the best walking districts a breeze.

Ever wish your travel outfit could look as good when you disembark from the plane as when you boarded?  Well, here are some wrinkle resistant travel dresses which are versatile, comfortable and most importantly look good on!  You can wear the same outfit on the plane, at the beach and even out to dinner.   To dress up, just add jewelry or a scarf.

For one option, check out SkirtSports’ Footloose Dress.  This sporty dress has a built-in shelf bra, V-neck and flattering empire waistband.  SkirtSports was founded by Nicole DeBoom, who has won several triathlons across the country.  Wanting to look good even during her work outs, Nicole created a whole line a sporty tanks, skirts and swim suits that are both functional and stylish.

Another great travel outfit option is Patagonia’s Morning Glory dress.  This dress is made of jersey knit that feels great on and doesn’t wrinkle.  With a flattering cut and halter-style neck, this dress can be easily adjusted to different bust sizes.

For a couple of other options check out The Territory Ahead site.  Their Sojourner Dress and the Vintage Moderne Dress are also resistant to wrinkles.  The Vintage Moderne dress is made of Tencel – a fairly new natural fiber which feels and drapes like silk but is actually made of wood pulp cellulose.   Glad they’re putting that wood pulp to good use!

Links:  SkirtSports  |  Patagonia   |  The Territory Ahead

On Earth Day last year we were visiting Santa Barbara – a beautiful and eco-friendly destination.  In Santa Barbara hotels, restaurants and a variety of businesses offer discounts to travelers who take advantage of alternative forms of transportation like trolleys, kayaks, the train, bicycles and walking.  Wouldn’t it be great if other cities followed their example?

It’s nice when cities take the initiative, but you can do your part as a traveler as well.  Here are a few suggestions on how to be a green traveler:

1. Adjust the thermostat of your water heater and A/C before leaving on your trip. (more…)

Normally when I fly, I pack only one bag and try to carry-on my luggage.  I can avoid baggage claim and be on my way that much faster.  There are some trips – especially those with lots of varied activities - where it’s a challenge to fit all my outfits into one bag.  The shoes alone seem to take up half the space!

Checking a second bag when needed is currently free, but that changes May 5th.  Delta, United, Continental, US Airways and Northwest Airlines will be charging normal passengers an additional $25 for a second checked bag. 

Why the change?  Lighter airplanes mean less fuel is burned on the flight.  United expects the new baggage policy to generate $100 million in revenue and cost savings.

To avoid paying this surcharge, brush up on your packing skills and check-out our post on packing tips! 

To put it mildly, this has not been a good week for air travel.  Thousands of American Airline flights have been cancelled, along with cancellations by Alaska Airlines, Midwest Airlines and Delta. 

The reason?  Stricter guidelines by the FAA. The airplanes for these flights are MD-80s — and subject to FAA wiring guidelines that many of the airlines seem to have either ignored or just been confused by. 

We all know air safety is important, but I can’t help but wonder if the FAA and the airlines could have handled this in a better manner.  During the past week over 250,000 air travelers have been affected and the cost to airlines like American will be in the tens of millions of dollars. 

A word to the wise: check your flight departure status before heading to the airport.

Via: MSNBC

When I travel I try to carry on my luggage  - and will only check my bag when its absolutely necessary.  The last time I made an exception to this carry on rule was on my recent return trip from Chicago.  Sure enough, my bag missed its connection and arrived 12 hours after I did.  Not a big deal, just an inconvenience that would have been nice to avoid. 

To learn about the fine art of packing light, check out a site called OneBag.com.  This site has a wealth of packing tips including a sample packing list which you can tailor to your travel occasion, tips for packing clothes to avoid wrinkles, advice on choosing a carryon bag, and other useful topics.

If you can apply some of these tips, you’ll be surprised how unencumbered you feel on your next trip. On arrival you’ll be able to breeze past the baggage claim area and be heading towards your destination while others are still waiting for their bags to appear.  

 

“…because in the real world, there are two kinds of luggage: carryon and lost. – oneBag.com”

 

I just ran across a travel tool that I think is extremely cool.  You know when you’re exploring a new city - maybe shopping or visiting a museum – and your travel group decides they want to grab some Mexican food?  Or maybe during dinner you decide to catch a current movie and you want to know what’s playing nearby along with show times.

Now you can find nearby restaurants, movies and much more with just your cell phone.

Here’s how it works.  First you send a text message to 466453 (GOOGLE on most phones) and in the message body include what you want to find out.  Google will send you a text message back for free with the information you asked for. 

Examples:

For the complete list of message phrases, see the Google Mobile page.

Send a message and give it a try!
 

Memorial Day is only a few days away and for as long as I can remember it meant two things to me as a kid. The pool was officially open for swimming and it was finally OK to wear the white sandals I’d been storing in my closet for months.  Contrary to what you may think, this long-held rule of fashion is still in effect according to the Etiquette Grrls, who’ve written books about such things.

How they answered this frequently asked question:

Q: Can I wear White Shoes / Linen / Sandals / Straw Handbags / Seersucker / Other Warm-Weather Clothing before Memorial Day or after Labor Day?

Nope. Unless you want to look like a Fashion Victim, that is. We’ll make an exception for Brides and Nurses on the White Shoes, and for Monks on the Sandals, but in all other cases, the answer is a firm no.

If part of your celebration of Memorial Day includes wearing a new pair of white sandals, here’s a few you may want to check out:

 Links: Etiquette Grrls |  Zappos  |  Brighton