Not The Kind Of Packing I Like

Well, here we sit in NJ, awaiting the arrival of Sandy. Like some unwelcome guest, she promises to be everything we thought she would - big, slow-moving, destructive. I spend part of my professional life as an emergency responder, so one would think I would have my bags packed at all times. Nope. But this storm has made me re-examine my propensity for procrastination. Let me share what should be packed in any disaster supply kit:

• 1 gallon of water per day/per person
• 3-5 day supply of non-perishable food
• first aid kit & manual
• battery powered radio & flashlight and batteries
• whistle to signal for help
• prescription medicines for a week
• personal hygiene supplies
• baby wipes for personal cleanliness
• important papers in large ziploc bag (insurance policies, IDs)
• cash or traveler's checks
• change of clothing appropriate for the weather

If you or a family member has any special needs, don't forget to bring along those supplies they will need.

And don't forget your pets - they will also need clean water, food and litter.

Some links to help you out:

• American Red Cross's Plan & Prepare
• FEMA's Ready.gov
• CDC's Hurricane Preparedness
• NJ's Office of Emergency Management

And if you're anywhere in Sandy's path, please stay safe.

Good News

In today's New York Times, there is an article about air travel that is actually good news - our bags are getting where they need to go at a much better rate than in the past!

"A traveler may drop off a bag at the airport curb with a skycap, who may work for the airport, the airline or a third company. An airline worker takes the bag at the check-in counter and passes it to the Transportation Security Administration, which then sends it to the airline’s bag room to be distributed to the correct flight. And while the workers loading the bags on and off a plane can be airline employees, at many airports, they work for subcontractors."

You can read the full article here.

Technology is largely the reason, but I'd like to think its because many of us no longer even check a bag, taking a tiny burden away from the system. I know, dream on....

Posted with Blogsy

New travel gadget

Yesterday I ordered this new gadget I'm going to use on my upcoming dive trip. We're going on a liveaboard dive boat, which means we'll be living on the boat, which means space, and outlets, are at a premium. It was only $11.89 on Amazon, which I thought was a pretty good deal. What I like is that I'll be able to charge up to 5 things at once. Sweet.

One of My Pet Peeves

I think that the one thing that bothers me more than anything else when I travel, particularly when out of the US, is how much Americans look like tourists. It embarrasses me. While I am, by no means, perfect, I at least make an attempt at blending in. Gadling recently posted a great article on how not to look like a tourist.  I think it should be mandatory reading for anyone even thinking about travel.

Of course, going to Disney World or Disneyland is the exception - if you don't dress like a tourist, you'll stand out.

So much of this article's advice is common sense - don't make yourself a target. I can speak to the advice in the article, particularly the bit about learning a few phrases - this really opens up doors, figuratively and literally. Besides, is it really that hard to say "hello" or "thank you" in another language? I didn't think so.

TripCase vs. TripIt

 VS 

I don't know about you, but when I travel I find there's a lot of information I need to keep track of - flights, hotel confirmation, shuttle services, etc. A few years ago, I started using TripIt on my iPhone. Recently, I stumbled across a different app - TripCase - and have decided to compare the two, using both on my upcoming trips. TripCase is even offering a FREE trial period for its Pro version until the end of 2012.  Pretty good marketing, if you ask me.

One of the first differences between the two is that TripCase does not offer an iPad version, which is a bit disappointing. Perhaps this will come in the future? Both offer two methods of entering trip data - manually, or importing (via email confirmations). In this respect, both operated smoothly. Currently, even though I have two additional trips planned, I only have the data available for my next trip, a cruise. Once I finalize the bookings for another trip, I will be able to compare the two apps as far as multiple trip list views.

TripIt also allows me to connect with others who have TripIt accounts - a nice feature for business travelers and families. I use this feature often. TripCase looks to have this same functionality, although I have not set it up, as none of my existing contacts have TripCase accounts.

Both apps also have the ability to publish information to your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), although I'm not sure I'd want to share that much.

Both apps also have the ability to share your trips to your online calendars, via subscription, something I use all the time.

Both apps have associated web sites which also allow for manual entry of your trip info, although I personally prefer the layout of the TripIt site. Both apps have free and paid versions, but I do not yet know what the cost of the Pro TripCase account is; I've been unable to find it on their site. TripIt offers their Pro version for $49 a year, not really a bargain unless you're a road warrior.

One of the features which caught my eye with TripCase is its notifications - when I land, TripCase will let me know if a connecting flight has changed, or remind me to check my hotel to see if I can check in early. It will also provide traffic updates if I'll be driving to my next destination. TripIt also shares some of this functionality, but at a $49 per year cost. right now, while TripCase Pro is free, that will be my preference.

Overall, both apps offer nice visuals and comprehensive features, and I'm looking forward to exploring their differences on my next trip.

**UPDATE**

Ok, the verdict is in - it's a tie. No, seriously. I have two more trips scheduled this year, and will continue to use both apps. I really can't decide which I like better. At least not yet.

(6/8/12)

Travel in 2012

                                                         

The first months of 2012 will, or have, seen me in Northampton, MA; Ft. Lauderdale; Orlando and the Caribbean for a cruise; and Houston for work. Mid-summer will be Sint Maarten and St. Kitts for a week of diving. The latter third of the year, as of now, remains wide open. Here's hoping for a fun-filled year of adventures :-)

Utila Diving (originally posted September 19, 2010)

Ok, so this was two months ago, but I spent a week at the Utila Dive Lodge with a subset of Our Own Damn Dive Club (OODDC for short), and we had a blast. The trip was eight days, seven nights. Utila is one of the Bay Islands of Honduras (the other notable island being Roatan), accessible by boat and small plane, about 18 miles north of the Honduran mainland. I flew direct to San Pedro Sula, Honduras from Newark (and wisely used miles to upgrade to First Class for the 5 hour flight), then flew from San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba, on the coast, on a 16-passenger plane. From there, we took a 5-minute flight in an 8-passenger plane over to Utila.

Once we landed, we were greeted by our driver, and his van, into which we stuffed ourselves and our gear (we were only 7 so this wasn't awful). The Utila Dive Lodge sits in the harbor, and is entirely self-contained. The week was all-inclusive, so we never had to go in search of meals after diving. The rooms were very spacious and clean, with lots of room for gear storage. The Lodge only has eight rooms, of which we took four. We had the place to ourselves. There was a reason for that. Apparently, every year there is Carnival, during which the islanders choose and crown the next Queen for their pageant. Each night's festivities were RIGHT NEXT TO our hotel. And it was LOUD. This really was the only blemish on the whole trip.

Diving in Utila was surprisingly beautiful. I say that only because all of us have been incredibly fortunate and have been diving all over the world. This was up there on our list of places to return. What makes diving in Utila so special are the whale sharks. There are only a handful of places on earth where humans can interact with these beautiful, huge creatures. We spent a late morning spotting and snorkeling with four separate whale sharks, and I was able to get some amazing video clips (which i will upload). The reefs were in really good shape and we saw lots of fish, turtles, even a frogfish one day!

Packing for this trip was a bit of a challenge, as we were limited to 50 pounds in our checked bag (due to the tiny flight). I managed to get my bag to 37 pounds, which included all of my SCUBA gear and clothing for the week. I used a North Face Recon as a carry on, and it held my iPad, keyboard, Kindle, iPhone, cameras (2 Canon SD-1100IS') and housing, plus paperwork, a change of clothes, and some snacks and water. All told, I'd say it was my best, most efficient packing job to date.

We're not yet sure where we'll be going next year, but I'll be ready with a really short packing list