Financial planning for a scheduled trip saves travel bugs from future worries and headaches. Most of us would always set a trip budget and do everything we can to save on travel expenses while keeping an eye on the best flight and hotel deals. Unless you have a lot of financial resources to splurge on a holiday, every planned trip would always require some budgeting. This is where financial planning comes in and with the high-tech gadgets available nowadays, using the latest financial software makes budgeting easier.
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22
October
2008
20
October
2008
Autumn is here again and what better way to experience this magical transformation of nature than a weekend getaway in the outdoors. It would be nice to visit state parks and forests, gardens, environmental centers, arboretums, and other natural landscapes to enjoy the colors of fall before the winter season comes. In New Jersey, travel bugs have many options - the Greenwood Gardens at Essex, Glen Rock Arboretum, Camden Children’s Garden or the Butterfly Garden at Cape May Bird Observatory plus their many state parks, forests and recreation areas.
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14
October
2008
Outdoor adventure is fun – going out on a long trek, camping out in the woods, climbing up steep cliffs. These activities get you in high spirits but be sure to prepare well for the trip by bringing with you some tough travel gear and outdoor protection. Here are some gadgets to consider in the preparation:
Garmin® Foretrex™ 201 Gps Personal Navigator™ Rechargeable
GPS navigation in a portable wristwatch style… so convenient huh. And it’s even waterproof!
Triton® M2 Hydration Pack Water Purification System
Treat yourself to clean drinking water when venturing out to remote areas. This portable purification system can treat and purify water against bacteria, viruses and other harmful microorganisms from sources such as rivers, lakes, or ponds.
Kestrel® 4500nv Pocket Weather® Tracker
Keep track of the weather with this gadget which provides environmental conditions such as temperature, altitude, barometric pressure and more. Its red backlight comes in handy for night time use.
Streamlight® Tlr-2™ Tactical Led Light With Laser Sight
Avoid groping your way in the dark with this tough flashlight’s intense bright LED technology.
These outdoor trip essentials are some of the featured products from BlackHawk Tactical Gear and equipment which are available at Brigade Quartermasters online store. Travel bugs who are into outdoor recreation can browse through their wide range of travel gear, safety kits and products such as flashlights, GPS/compasses, headlamps, maps/markers and more.
10
October
2008
You have reached your destination…
Hearing a voice that directs you which way to go is becoming part of most drivers’ life on the road nowadays. The GPS navigator or Sat Nav is more than just an interactive high-tech road map though, it has become the driver’s dashboard companion, where he can play with the different voices provided by some GPS software. “After five hundred meters, turn right…” You can have the voice of Darth Vader to scare you a bit or Bart Simpson aside from the default no-nonsense female voice. Thus, you can listen to a calm, funny, or dreadful guide on the road, just take your pick!
Preparing your GPS for the trip
The night before our road trip to Berlin, I was already browsing the web for the exact street locations of the places we plan to visit. It helped us in preparing the GPS for the trip instead of tinkering with it and searching for the location while on the road. The exact street number and address is better information than the church, museum or building name. Synchronizing your GPS with your trip itinerary saves you from a lot of hassle during the trip. Once the locations are inputted into the device, you’re ready to go.
GPS gadgets to choose from…which is which?
There are so many brands and models of Sat Nav systems available in the market today. It really depends on your preferred functionality, design and of course your budget. Here are some Sat Navs and their highlighted features:
Garmin Nuvi 765T - 765
Dubbed as their latest City Navigator, this model offers not just lane assist and turn-by-turn directions, but also includes 3D building view, quick screen redraws, route planning and more. Other features include mp3 player, world travel clock, currency converter, and more.
TomTom GO 520
This model has a sleek design which makes it easier to carry around especially in your pocket. It’s Map Share™ Technology easily facilitates drivers to improve their own maps and share this with other users. Other features include enhanced hands-free kit, with software that provides up-to-date traffic information, and owners can have fun recording their own voices (or their kids’) for the driving instructions.
HP iPAQ 314 Travel Companion
This model is an attractive one for the travel bug with its feature of a web based trip planning. The trip itinerary can be customized in your PC and downloaded to the GPS to provide a step by step guide for the inputted destinations. Other features include digital music and video player, world clock, photo viewer, games and more.
These are just some of the featured GPS gadgets at Hand Tec (www.handtec.co.uk) where you can browse for other Sat Nav brands and models such as Pioneer SatNav, Snooper Sat Nav, Becker Navigation and more.
Photo credits: www.handtec.co.uk
26
September
2008
Japan, Cambodia, Ecuador and Galapagos, Malawi and Zambia, Uganda, Canada, Oahu…these are just some of the ‘Sauciest Trips’ at SoSauce Travel community site where members share their travel experiences.
SoSauce (aka Social Sauce) is a venue for travel bugs to interact with others who share the same interest in going places around the globe. The site provides useful tools to aid in travel planning and documentation – before, during and after the trip. Members are provided with an online travel journal, photo and video gallery, tips and reviews sections. They can browse through other profiles they’re interested in and a search tool is provided to help in checking out some tips and stories from other members who have gone to their planned destination.
Each trip profile includes a Google Map, trip summary and trip itinerary which lists the destinations and the date (start and end) for each trip. Destinations are further detailed into visited points of interests (museums, historical buildings, beaches, etc.) and these are marked in the map as color-coded points. Clicking on each point of interest opens a pop-up window showing a photo gallery uploaded by the user.
Aside from the ‘Sauciest Trips’ section, you can also view trips organized according to popular destinations and points of interest, most viewed trips and the Editor’s choice which is highlighted in the main page.
