Countdown to Diving!

This morning I awoke to the realization that today I must pack my dive gear. There are many times, as I am performing this chore, that I wish I had a less gear-intensive hobby, and I didn't have to go through this process. Today was not one of them. After over 20 years of diving, I can now pack everything in just about 30 minutes. It's easy - I now visualize myself prepping for a dive, and as I see myself reaching for a piece of gear in my head, I retrieve that gear and put it in a pile. Once I am through that exercise, I begin to pack. What helps is that on this trip, we will be on a live-aboard. What this means is no lugging the wet gear back onto the docks to rinse and hang each night, no dripping stuff in the hotel room, no mesh bags need to carry it all. Once we set foot on the boat, we set up once, and that's it. Eat, sleep, and dive for seven days. Heaven.

BELIZE on MSNBC: Discovering the Blue Hole, Belize Barrier Reef

Heading here next week; can't wait! The packing list writing has already begun, and I hope to trim it down from last fall's trip to Palau and Yap.

Why can't all flights start this way?

I know this has been around the web a while, but I just wanted to share it:

My 10 Favorite iPhone Apps for Travel

Suffice it to say, I never, ever, leave the house without my iPhone, so it comes as no surprise that I rely on it heavily throughout my day. This also holds true when I travel. With over 25,000 apps available so far, it can be a daunting task to choose just a few. But for travel, I think the 10 most useful apps, at least for me, would have to be the following:

1. Tripit - This one is relatively new. The Tripit website has been one of my favorite sites this year. The site, which requires a free registration, allows you to collect all your trip information in one place. Now, with the Tripit for iPhone app, you can carry all of your valuable trip info on your iPhone.

2. The Weather Channel - This one speaks for itself. Knowing in advance what the weather forecast is allows you to pack the right stuff. Free version, as well as a $3.99 ad-free version with some enhancements.

3. Google Earth - All the power of Google Earth for your desktop, now in the palm of your hand. And did I mention it's free?

4. Around Me - Another free App, this one allows you to find out what is in your vicinity. Very handy when you're looking for a gas station!

5. AirMe - Snap a few pics with your iPhone, then upload to sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr, all for free.

6. Packing Pro - A great App that allows you to create custom packing lists and export them (via email). Available for $3.99.

7. Flight Status - Check any flight status by route number, flight number or airport. Also check the weather, and terminal, gate and baggage claim info for any flight. Available for $4.99.

8. Currency - Another great free App, Currency provides up-to-date exchange rate information for over 90 currencies.

9. WYWH Postcards - Send real postcards from this free App. For a low cost (~$1.30) you can snap a picture with your iPhone and send a real postcard to anyone in the US!

10. Wi-Fi Finder - A free App that uses your GPS function to determine the closest free and paid wifi hotspots. It also gives you the ability to sort by provider or paid vs. free.

So there you have it. Some of the most important Apps I travel with. There are many more that I find of use (especially games for killing all that airport wait time!), but these have a permanent spot on my iPhone.

Make a List and Check it Twice!

Ah, packing lists. Some people swear by them, others just wing it. Me? A list is a must, but then again, I make a list for just about everything I need to do. If you're not sure where to start, I suggest this article on Wikitravel.org. I've tried in the past to create a generic list to modify for each trip, but that hasn't worked out. For example, about a third of the time, my travel plans revolve around scuba diving. Since this is really a specialized form of travel, I have created a list for just this type of trip. I also have created a business travel list, Florida travel list (frequent trips to visit family and Disney World), and a weekend travel list. The key is to determine what list works for you, then stick to it!

New Travel Gear!

I finally purchased an Amazon Kindle, and I am not disappointed. I've mentioned before that one of my biggest packing anxieties is what I call the "I can't decide what to bring to read!" anxiety. No more! I've only had my Kindle a few days, and it's already helped me trim my daily carry bag down significantly. I've switched my newspaper (the NY Times) to Kindle, as well as a few magazine subscriptions. I've also loaded several public domain (i.e. free) books.

What I think will be most useful is the ability to purchase and download travel guides - no more lugging around those sometimes giant volumes. And if you can't decide which one to bring, get a couple different ones; they'll fit!

I've already had some friends question whether I really want to take an electronic book reader on a dive trip, thinking it might get wet. The simple solution? A one-gallon Ziploc bag. Of course I won't be heading underwater with it, but if I'm sitting by a pool someplace and worried it might get splashed, the bag will do the trick nicely.

As I use the Kindle more, I'll post some of the e-books I've found that might be good for travelers.

In Lieu Of....

So, the economy has tanked, and that trip to Europe probably isn't going to happen this year. What to do. Well, you could always read about travel while you're saving some cash for that next trip. Here are some suggestions, found while browsing the internet:

1. The Milepost 2009 - I went to Alaska in 1997, and this book was fantastic. I read the entire thing before I left. It gave such a good flavor of what the state is about, not necessarily directly, but you can get a good idea about a place by it's advertisements, which are plentiful in this book.

2. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip...with Recipes! - When Guy Fieri was filming the show in NJ, he went to the Skylark Diner in Edison, just a few miles from my house. If you can't even get out to visit a diner, ride along with Guy and try out some of the recipes.

3. The 100 Best Worldwide Vacations to Enrich Your Life - Dream about, or plan, your next vacation as you browse the pages of this book, thinking about all the exotic and interesting options on its pages.

4. 101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out - Like baseball? Really like baseball? Then this book will take you on a journey to some of the country's most interesting ballparks and baseball related places. Batter up!

5. SAS Survival Guidebook:How to Survive in the Wild, In Any Climate, on Land or at Sea - If you're at all like me and take vacations to the more remote parts of our planet, then this is the read for you.

Those should get you started, and might even motivate you to sell all that junk in your basement so you can make reservations for your next trip. Enjoy!