Traveling With Bill Travel Blog

New Carry-On Bags For Flying Light

WIth the added cost of checking bags and lost bags, airline passengers are avoiding check-in luggage and packing light. Lightweight carry-ons (20-22 inches) that can easily slide into the overhead compartment are the rage. These new carry-ons weight 8-9 pounds versus the older carry-ons at 15 or more pounds.This is a list of the new carry-ons:

* Titan X2 4W Flash 22. Weight 8.2 lbs, Hard-sided polycarbonate bag with TSA-approved lock. Price: $436. Information: titanluggageusa.con

*Eagle Creek Tarmac 22. Weight 8 lbs. Helix nylon exterior expands to 15% for packing. Price: $275. Information: eaglecreek.com.

*Case Logic 22 Lightweight Upright. Weight 8.1 lbs. Expandable nylon soft-sided bag with crush-resistent foam frame. Price: $179.99. Information: caselogic.com.

*Skyway Montage 22. Weight 7.2 lbs. Expandable polyster soft-sided bag. Price: $69.99-$140, depending on outlet. Information: skywayluggage.com

*Delsey Helium Fusion 21. Weight 9 lbs. Expandable fiberglass frame covered in polyster. Price: $79.99. Information: delseyusa.com

10 Most Vanishing Places For Travelers

The world's greatest mavels are daily vanishing because of overcrowding, global warming, and uncontroled development. These places should be placed on your must-see list. Hopefully, these places will receive the attention they required so that they will be around for future travelers. These places are:
1. The Glaciers of Europe. 2. Africa's Loin Population. 3. Central America's Cloud Forest. 4. Orangertans of Borneo. 5. Flordia Everglades. 6. TheTajmahal. 7. Arctic Polar Bears. 8. Great Barrier Reef. 9. Louisianna's Coastal Salt Marshes. 10. The Snows of Kilimanjaro.

New Amusement Park--Hard Rock Park

The Hard Rock Park opened in early May in Myrtle Beach, California. It's displaying the world's largest Gibson guitar; has a "British Invasion" area with a whirling London Cab Ride; and a "Cool Country" area with a scary Midnight Rider rollercoaster through desolate mine tunnels. It's guaranteed to keep you and the kids happy.
Check out the website: www.hardrockpark.com.

Spot--The World's First Satellite Messenger

Do you travel alone all over the world or in just one country? Are you a hiker, skier or biker? Are you a senior traveler or a traveler with health issues? If so, you need SPOT. Help is always within reach with a SPOT Satellite Messenger. It uses the GPS satellite network to acquire coordinates, then sends your location with a link to Google Maps and then sends a pre-programmed message via a commercial satellite. At the push of a button, it tracks your progress, checks in with your loved ones and provides non-emergency assistance. SPOT works around the world including all of the USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia and portions of South America, Northern Africa and Northeastern Asia.

ALERT 911 (USA) and 112 (Europe). SPOT notifies the GEOS International Emergency Response Center and it alerts the appropriate agencies worldwide about your emergency. Once SPOT is activated, it acquires your locaton and sends a distress message to a GEOS International Response Center every 5 minutes until it's cancelled.

PRICE: SPOT sells for $149.99 to $169.99 based on where you purchase it--online, sports stores or marine stores. To activate it,you must subscribe to a basic satellite service for $99.99 a year for unlimited service.

GEOS Search and Rescue Benefit: If you purchase it at the initial activation, it costs $7.95 a year. Otherwise, it costs $150 a year. This service provides up to $100,000 of additional search and rescue resources, including helicopter extraction around the world.

The website for SPOT is: www.findmespot.com and the website for GEOS Alliance is: www.goesalliance.com/sar

Zagat's Beijing Olympics Guide

If you are planning to go to the 2008 Summer Olympics--August 8-24, Zagat has prepared its first Beijing guide. It includes favorite restaurants, hotels, nightspots, shops and tourist attractions. Helpful phrases, travel tips and foldout maps of the city and subway system are provided. The guide is available at most bookstores for $15.95

LUXE--New And Different City Guides

The reason most travel guides make you feel like a tourist or outsider is that they are written by a visitor like you. Most recommen-dations are tourist traps or tourist restaurants and attractions that locals avoid. Luxe guides are written by local tastemakers who know all the hidden attractions. Luxe's smart, pocket-size guides cover 20 cities. The guides include cities in the USA, Australia, China, Europe, Middle East, North Asia, Thailand, South East Asia and Vietnam. They are great travel gear for the modern day vagabond. These guides are updated yearly and cost $9 each. They can be ordered online at www.luxecityguides.com.

Washington, DC's New Museum-Museum of Crime & Punishment

The $21 million Museum of Crime and Punishment opens in the Penn Quarter today, May 23, 2008. The museum shows crimes and punishments in a variety of ways: high-speed police chase simulator, bullet-riddled car used in the Bonnie and Clyde movie, scale models of a guillotine, gas chamber and "Old Sparky"--Tennessee electric chair. The museum traces the history of crime and its many consequences. Tickets are $17.95 for adults and 14.95 for children 5-11 years old.

Times Square--New Tourist Center

Next moth, Times Square in New York will open the Broadway Concierge and Ticket Center--www.broadwayleague.com. The center is located in the Times Square Information Center at 1560 Broadway. Information will be provided in six languages--English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and French. The center provides information about Broadway shows, offers ticket sales, makes restaurant, hotel and car service reservations, distributes free neighborhood maps, and shares parking information. Customized packages are available.

Top 10 Hotels for Service

Travel and Lesiure Magazine lists the top hotels for service in the world. They are:
1. Milestone Hotel, London, England
2. Mandarin Oriental, Munich, Germany
3. Woodlands Resort and Inn, Summerville, South Carolina, USA
4. Amanpuri, Phuket, Thailand
5. The Oriental, Bangkok, Thailand
6. Sweetwaters Tented Camp, Sweetwaters Game Reserve, Kenya
7. Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roe, Cap d'Antibes, France
8. Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India
9. Mombo Camp, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
10. Chateau Les Crayeres, Reims, France

The Euro and Exchange Tips

If you are planning a trip to Europe this year, the Euro is your number 1 concern. Unless you have an endless travel budget, it will dictate every aspect of your trip. Unlike the 70's and 80's when the dollar was so strong that foreign currency was treated as play money, today the dollar is very weak against the Euro. Everything from a cup of coffee to your hotel room can cause a price shock. A cup of coffee can cost $4 and a room in a 2-star hotel can be $140. You can pay $200 for dinner for two if you forget your calculator. It's not difficult to spend 100 Euros a day. Understandng the Euro and its relationship to the dollar, exchange procedures, credit card usage, cash and debit cards and ATM usage is very important for any trip to a Euro currency country.