with Lorelle and Brent VanFossen

Tag Archives: planning for the road

Live World Day and Night Map

While it isn’t much help to the average traveler, it still is fasincating to check out the way the sun moves across the planet and see who is in the darkness of night and the bright light of day. The Opentopia – World Sunlight Map provides a live view of the sun passing over the […]

Weatherbug RSS Feed

Just went I thought it was time to relax, Hurricane Wilma is threatening our shores again. It is just about to hit the Yucatan, blasting away at Cozumel and Cancun, and already the weather radio has been going off for two days warning of high surf and shore erosion and possible flooding. Brent and I […]

Go Anywhere Disposable Scrabble Game

I love playing games when traveling. I always carry a deck of cards and a minature backgammon board in my carry-0n. It might not be touched during most flights, but on those interminable flights overseas or stuck in an airport due to bad weather and other flight delays, they sure come in handy. I was […]

Computer on the Road – Cooling Your Computer

For the most part, taking a laptop on the road is much easier than taking a desktop, but there are still many who want to take their desktop on the road with them. I’ll be talking more about how to do this, and how to protect your computer on the road, but I wanted to […]

World’s Largest WIFI Hotspot is in Rural Oregon

Biggest Wi-Fi Cloud Is in Rural Oregon from Yahoo News reports that: Morrow County, which borders Hermiston and spans 2,000 square miles, still doesn’t have a single traffic light. It only has 11,000 people, a number that does not justify a large telecom player making a big investment, said Casey Beard, the director of emergency […]

Overweight Airlines Passengers May Feel the Pinch – in Ticket Prices

According to the Star Tribute, “Super-size passengers beware: Airlines have you in their sights”, if you are overweight, your next airline ticket might be twice the price of a skinny person. Soaring fuel costs are helping send airlines into bankruptcy. But there’s another little-known reason for airlines’ financial problems: soaring sizes of passengers. Overweight passengers […]

Home Schooling on the Road

Traveling on the road with your children, especially if you decide to go full-time, presents some challenges for traveling with school age children. Resourcefull Lacrosse’s article on “Home Schooling in Your Motorhome” tackles this issue. Your one room school house on wheels. One of major concerns of parents who decide to home school their children […]

What You Need to Know About Bird Flu

Travelers heading overseas to China and other areas in Asia need to know about Bird Flu and how to avoid contagions and infections. Unfortunately, Bird Flu can be spread, along with other pandemic viruses, and there is a major movement to inform everyone about the potential for danger as well as how to protect yourself, […]

Unusual Gadgets for the Eccentric Traveler

Okay, I admit it, I’m a gadget freak. I love a good gadget, especially for travel. I’ve found two unusual gadgets that might be of interest to the eccentric traveler. BrightFeet lighted slippers are slippers from Europe with LED lights built into the sole pointing from the toes with a 25 foot illumination range and […]

Wireless Power by Splashpower – No more recharger cables!

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of all the wires, cables, batteries, and all things electronic that have to go with us when we take our camera on the road. VERY tired. Now comes word that Splash Power Wants to Cut the Charger Cord. You can use them while jogging, take […]

Enter the Modern Honey Bucket

Growing up in a hunting and fishing family, we had a “yellow bucket” everywhere we went, in the trailer, camper, boat, or car. It might have at one time been a real yellow bucket, but it’s shape and form changed over the years from buckets to coffee cans to whatever was available and portable. In […]

Know Before You Go: Guides and Information for Frequent Flyers

The Frequent Flyer program began in 1981 when airlines started giving “rewards” to passengers who flew the most. The miles would accumlate like a score card and when a certain amount would be earned, the passenger would be rewarded with a free ticket. Over time, this grew into a major incentive program hosted not only […]

Know Before You Go: Airline Seat Maps

When you are traveling on a bus or train, sometimes you get to pick your seat, but not always. It’s often first come, first serve. But on an airplane, you are assigned a seat and expected to stay there. Did you know that you can request a seat in advance, if you have a preference, […]

Know Before You Go: House Sitters and House Traders

You want a long vacation, but leaving your home seems like more work than taking the vacation. Having a home means taking care of the garden and lawn, feeding pets, checking the mail, paying the bills, hoping the roof won’t leak, and worrying about storm damage and water leaks. Or is security a big concern, […]

Know Before You Go: Travel Rumors

Even before September 11, hoaxes, rumors, and gossip about travel and world threats to travel flew faster than most airplanes. These tend to spread fear and even more rumors and gossip. Add to the rumors the growing instability of many US airlines, the threats of airline strikes, bankruptcy, or even suddenly closing their doors, and […]