Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!George Washington Slept Here
By Linda Tancs
It’s been 225 years since George Washington spent the final months of the Revolutionary War outside Princeton at Rockingham estate (Route 603, Kingston, NJ). Get ready to mark the occasion during the weekend of 23 August when George is expected back in the house. The arrival ceremony begins on Saturday at 11 a.m., followed by a re-enactment of an officers’ dinner later in the afternoon as well as various demonstrations. Greet the General in the study. Admission is free.
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Festive Munich
Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is perhaps best known for its festive beer halls. But the city is equally prized for its Gothic, Baroque and Romanesque-styled buildings, its royal boulevards and outdoor markets. The city’s motto is “Munich Likes You.” Find out why at Travelrific® Travel Show.
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Forest Life in Barbados
By Linda Tancs
Nature and wildlife lovers will be interested to note that the tiniest snake in the world has been discovered (in an official sense, at least) in a thicket of forest in Barbados. Resembling an earthworm, the barely four-inch, spaghetti-like reptile has been given the scientific moniker Leptotyphlops carlae. A similar species is endemic to the island of Martinique. Just another reason to keep your shoes on.
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Bag That Laptop
By Linda Tancs
In a move to be embraced by many, the Transportation Security Administration is allowing “checkpoint friendly” laptop bags through screening without the need to remove the laptop. Acceptable bags include butterfly, trifold and sleeve designs. Nix the accordions and backpacks. If these (hopefully) accelerated measures have the absent-minded leaving their bags behind, don’t discount the lost-and-found department at TSA. Like the airport police, TSA maintains its own department at airports to catalog and safekeep lost items, usually for 30 days. Thereafter, it’s likely to get donated. Harried travelers, take note.
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Cruise Ship Lotto
By Linda Tancs
If you’re on a “guaranteed waiting list” for that summertime cruise you’ve been dreaming about, don’t pack your bags just yet. With overbookings in overdrive, your chances of getting that unassigned room in your cabin class–or any class–are probably as good as winning the lottery. No doubt cruise lines were less than optimistic that routes would sell in light of declining economic conditions. So why not take on a few hundred or so extra bookings, right? Well apparently cruising is a much more viable alternative to gas-guzzling road travel and wallet-shrinking air routes, so don’t count on too many cancellations to move you up that list. Next time, aim for an assigned cabin and you’ll be sunning in Puerto Vallarta rather than sanding your deck.
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Message in a Bottle
By Linda Tancs
Air travel is rarely hassle-free, as many can attest. The last thing you need is to open your luggage and find that a sticky goo or stain has invaded your neatly-packed, wrinkle-free clothing. The culprit? Probably those cheap plastic containers you bought to house your little 3-ounce toiletries. Never fear–Pitotubes is here. Hailed as the protector of your liquid assets, the company makes kits, jars and bottles (pumps or spray heads) designed to be shatterproof, leak-proof and refillable. The message? Sometimes good things do come in small packages.
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Aircraft Bling
By Linda Tancs
Luxaholics will no doubt feel like they’ve died and gone to heaven after an experience with Air Emirates’ A380. For those who have been sleeping, the Airbus A380 is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Its girth isn’t the only thing that’s supersized, though. This super jumbo has enough amenities to make old Concorde look like budget travel. Just ask the folks at Telstar Logistics, who wrote an eye-popping account of their invitation to scope out the digs. Photos included. Reminds me of Shakespeare’s observation: “Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy.”
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Hitchhiking Goes High Style
By Linda Tancs
Brother, can you spare a–flight? You know times are tough when even luxe travelers find ways to cut corners. A new service matches charter flyers with potential partners to reduce the costs of private flights. Prospects must join a social networking-type site (sort of like a LinkedIn for flyers) and then check for any flights of interest. Who knows, with commercial carriers taking hits left and right, this could become the preferred method of getting from A to B.
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Take a Chic Picnic in London
By Linda Tancs
London’s newcomer, Sofitel London Heathrow, offers a gourmet picnic and late checkout now through 31 August. Enjoy the dog days of summer with your sweetie on the green with a bottle of bubbly. Bring earplugs–this is an airport hotel, after all. Better yet, visit the meeting rooms commemorating cities around the world, and let your imagination be your guide.
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Racing Around the World
By Linda Tancs
Start your engines, motor sports enthusiasts! In light of the IndyCar Series’ recent announcement on the 2009 schedule, let’s look at race car museums around the world. Just 30 minutes outside the Las Vegas Strip, the Vintage Race Car Museum in Henderson, Nevada surveys different eras in racing, covering sprint cars, midgets, Indy Race League cars and engines. Across the country, Philadelphia’s Simeone Foundation Museum recently opened an exhibition of racing cars from World War I to the latest 21st century NASCAR. For a European flair, head on over to Hamburg’s Prototyp for a view of a Le Mans race prototype and the Mercedes Benz world record car. Best thing is, you don’t have to fill up the tank.
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Travelrific® Travel Journal 