America’s Most Scenic Drives

Automobile ads love to show shiny vehicles cruising open highways under blue skies with mountains and beaches nearby. When was the last time you took a drive like that? For most of us, our cars are merely workhorses to haul us around town.

Still, it’s possible to break out of the rut. Magnificent roads are never far: These routes slice through forests, dance along the coastlines and thread through mountain passes. They’re scenic drives, yes, but they’re also classically American. Once you find the right path, it’s easy to rediscover the exuberant freedom of the open road.

The first cars were, by and large, playthings for the rich and powerful — just picture Jay Gatsby winding his yellow Rolls-Royce down the parkways of Long Island — and special scenic routes were constructed in some of the country’s most beautiful spots. When more Americans started driving, it created a road-trip frenzy that lives on today.

Some of these roads are justifiably famous, including what’s arguably America’s most scenic drive: California’s Route 1, which wraps around Big Sur. Rocky cliffs plunge down to open ocean, creating a severe distraction while drivers.

Other roads may not be household names, but are nevertheless an integral part of the American fabric. Highway 31, west of New Orleans, takes you through classic Louisiana countryside, past lazy bayous and swampy lagoons filled with alligators and herons.

And some of these great American drives are still relatively new. Between Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park and its Dr. Seuss-like Bryce Canyon, Highway 12 runs past sandstone cliffs and a forest of deep green junipers. Yet this road was simply a challenging four-wheel-drive track until the last stretch was opened in 1985. And the famous Blue Ridge Parkway, a project started in 1935, wasn’t fully completed until 1983. That’s when the Linn Cove Viaduct, which snakes around North Carolina’s Grandfather Mountain, was finished.

So next time you find yourself stuck in rush-hour traffic, take the next exit and find the iconic American road closest to you. Put yourself in that automobile ad.

Bayou Cruise, Louisiana

Route 66, Illinois to California

Kancamagus National Scenic Byway, New Hampshire

Columbia River Scenic Highway, Oregon

Hill Country Highways, Texas

Going-to-the-Sun Road, Montana

Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia to North Carolina

Via huffingtonpost.com

Solo Travel Offers Unique Perspective for Women

Photo via hopesolo.com

Three years ago I embarked on my first solo travel experience, a nine-day reporting trip to Samoa. I was 23, fresh out of college and eager to see what the world had to offer.

Looking back, I marvel at how eager people were to strike up conversations with me, invite me to an activity or offer tips on a hidden gem not listed in my guidebook. But I also cringe at some of my decisions, like getting in a car alone with two men who offered to show me around the island of Upolu. Fortunately that adventure turned out fine, and overall, my visit to Samoa opened up my eyes to a whole new way of traveling.

I’ve since gone on solo trips to Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia and Antigua, and I’ve learned to make safe choices while experiencing destinations in ways that traveling with others might not allow.

Other women who travel alone have similar perspectives. “I find that if I am traveling alone, it is much easier to meet the locals,” said Betty Thesky, 46, a flight attendant who has been to more than 30 countries and whose first solo trip was to Jordan and Israel.

She said that while people assume couples and groups want to be left alone, “you are more approachable when you are by yourself, and people assume that if you’re alone, you would appreciate company.”

Angie Orth, 29, who left her job as a New York public relations executive to travel the world for a year, said traveling solo allows her to be selfish with her time, money and itinerary.

“You can do whatever you want. If you want to sit in a café and drink coffee and be on Facebook all day, you can. You don’t have to have someone saying why didn’t we go here or see this museum,” said Orth, who has so far this year traveled to Fiji, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, Greece and Spain, among other countries.

But the downside of being alone, she said, is that she can’t trust everyone she meets.

“You just have to be a little more careful when you’re on your own,” she added. Orth, who is single, says she tells people that she’s in a relationship as a way to set a clear boundary from the start.

Thesky said she finds there’s an unwritten rule among solo travelers that asking another traveler to dinner or drinks in a new country does not automatically constitute a date. In fact, she said, simply asking about a destination or something listed in a guidebook can sometimes lead not only to helpful information but to an invitation for coffee or dinner.

“Once you start to realize how friendly people can be, it gets much easier to approach them,” Thesky said.

Elinor Warkentin, 52, of Vancouver, recommends that female solo travelers consider joining an organization like Women Welcome Women World Wide. The group connects female travelers with women living in the country they are visiting. Warkentin has met or stayed with more than 100 women this way, and is often met at airports and train stations by other group members.

“We all have a desire to get to know each other,” she said.

Safety is also an important consideration for Warkentin. After being robbed of her camera at knifepoint while traveling alone in Chile in 1992, she downsized her camera and routinely uses windows or other reflective surfaces to see who’s behind her. She also always maps out in advance exactly how to reach her first hotel upon arrival in a new country, and leaves expensive jewelry at home while trying to blend in to the local culture.

She recommends a bus tour the first day in a new place too, as a way to get oriented. “I kind of geographically get the lay of the land and then I can go back and explore,” she said.

Thesky recommends hostels and budget hotels for single travelers because they often have common areas where people can meet.

Another resource is the website for Couchsurfing, which connects travelers to hosts with free informal lodging as well as offering options for simply meeting locals for coffee or a drink.

On a recent trip to Antigua, I connected with a 22-year-old woman through Couchsurfing who picked me up at the airport, showed me local spots on the island and introduced me to her friends and parents. We bonded instantly over our shared sense of wanderlust and were laughing within minutes of my arrival. We still talk about once a week and often discuss the possibility of traveling together.

So far, though, we haven’t done it. We’re too busy planning trips on our own.

Via abcnews.go.com

Airfare Expert: How to get the best deals on holiday flights

Flying over the holidays? It may seem like you just wrapped up your summer vacation but the time to start shopping for holiday flights is NOW.

What can I expect to pay for holiday flights? 

On average, expect to pay about $40 more than you forked over last year, but this will range higher or lower depending on when you buy. Take a look at the graph further below showing the average difference in lowest published airfare on flights to and from the top 50 cities in the U.S. and Canada during Thanksgiving week:

Why are holiday airfares higher? 

Fares are trending higher for a couple of reasons. For one thing, despite our lousy economy, the airlines have noticed that we really haven’t slacked off flying much, so demand is holding relatively steady. Even more important, though, is the capacity issue: most airlines have been chopping seats like crazy, the better to fly full (and more profitable) planes.

• MAP: Airline schedules changes at U.S. airports

In fact, during this Thanksgiving travel period alone, beginning with the Saturday before the holiday to the Monday after (Nov. 19-28), airlines have dropped more than 600,000 seats! And if you look at that data in terms of reduced flights, it equates to 8,000 fewer planeloads. The biggest capacity cutters: AirTran, American, Delta, Frontier, and United. However, it must also be noted that a couple of mavericks are doing just the opposite, as both Southwest and US Airways are actually adding seats.

So when should I buy my holiday airfare?

For Thanksgiving tickets, start now. Every day you wait means an extra $5 added to your round-trip total. Once we hit the last week in October, you can start adding that extra $5 round-trip each day to your Christmas airfare, too.

To put this in perspective, in 2010, airlines increased the majority of fares by more than $100 from Oct. 10 through Nov. 19, and we’re seeing signs that this year will be no different.

What are your best tips for shopping and flying during the holidays? 

There are five of them, and you can start putting them to use right now.

1. Shop early: The longer you delay, the more your ticket will cost.

2. Don’t wait ’til the last minute: Since anything is possible, sure, there might be a terrific last minute bargain, but it’s far more likely that procrastinators won’t get a seat at any price.

3. Avoid the busiest (and most expensive) travel days: Airline surcharge dates tell you everything you need to know; the Sunday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) is a date to avoid, and try not to fly on Dec. 22, 23, 26 and Jan. 2, either. If worse comes to worst, try to schedule your itinerary so you fly on only one of the “most expensive” days, and you’ll still see some savings.

4. Pay fees that are worth it: If you’re traveling light, which I always recommend, this might be the time to shell out for an early boarding fee, to be sure you’ll find bin space for your carry on. These fees can be as little as ten bucks and at holiday time, it’s well worth the money.

5. Use technology: Don’t let the word scare you; all I mean by “technology” is setting up alerts with your airline to notify you of delays. Be sure whoever picks you up at the airport gets these alerts, too.

What should I do if my holiday flight is delayed? 

When it comes to delays, holiday time is a perfect storm of potentially bad winter weather and filled-to-capacity planes. If anything goes wrong, you could be stuck in the airport, so follow these tips to minimize your risk: First, be sure all your devices are fully charged (and bring your chargers with you). Then make sure you have your airline’s number in your phone (if you’ve got elite status, go with the special “hotline” number). If your flight is canceled, get in line to get a new flight, but get on the phone, too. You never know which method will work faster, and the name of the game when it comes to cancellations is grabbing the next available seat before the other guy does.

Via travel.usatoday.com

Top 5 Travel Apps from #TeamBlackBerry

Here are the top 5 travel apps as picked by #TeamBlackBerry!

#1 – Poynt

Poynt received the most mentions among #TeamBlackBerry, and is definitely one of my must-have apps. With Poynt, you can quickly find restaurants, movie theaters and other businesses around your current location – and easily call or email them right from the app. Their BlackBerry PlayBook tablet version is amazing, too – and works with the BlackBerry smartphone version to do some cool things. For example, check out the video above to see how you can find the phone number of a local restaurant using Poynt, and then push the phone number to your BlackBerry smartphone to start the call!

#2 – BlackBerry Travel

It doesn’t matter if you’re a serious “no checked baggage” business traveler or a “seeing the world” backpacker, BlackBerry® Travel is a must-have, second only to your toothbrush. When you receive an email from your travel agent, BlackBerry Travel can automatically import the details and create a trip record for you. If there are any flight changes, BlackBerry Travel is designed to alert you right away and can even suggest alternate flights. The recently released BlackBerry Travel v1.1 even allows you to book a rental car right from the app.

#3 – Tube Map

This is great app suggestion from our #TeamBlackBerry UK members. Whether you live in London or plan to visit (for holiday, for the Olympics, or for a decent cup of tea), you can easilynavigate London’s subway with Tube Map. Tube Map is designed to provide you with more than just static maps, you get live updates of train delays and schedule changes, too.

#4 – foursquare

Foursquare isn’t just for becoming mayor of your local watering hole, it’s also my go to tool for finding cool things around me when I’m traveling. I can launch the app and see what my friends are up to, or use the ‘Explore’ section to see what’s trending around me. The locals always know where the best places are, and there’s no better way to find out where they are then with foursquare!

#5 – Navita Translator

Nothing is worse when traveling in a foreign country than not being able to ask for directions or for a recommendation from a local. Navita Translator makes sure you never have to go through that (again) by designing the app to let you quickly translate any phrase and even read the phrase back to you in languages like English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, German and Russian. ¿dónde está el baño? Nice!

Via blogs.blackberry.com

 

And of course our own great Yabbedoo Concierge App is available for Blackberry as well.