Travel Apps

I try to stay on top of what is trending now in the world of Travel Apps since our guests are constantly looking for something that can make their travels easier.  I found this from CNN and think it could help a lot of travelers get apps that can help or update an old or not very good app.

(CNN) -- There are seemingly millions of smartphone apps out there designed to make traveling easier, but not all of them are very good. Every company seems to think that it needs an app to be cool, but not every app is worth the effort.

Here are some of the apps that I find to be most helpful while on the road:

FlightAware

I'm one of those guys who always thinks that more information is better, and that's why I like FlightAware. You can see exactly where your flight (or any other flight) is at the moment. I've used the FlightAware website for years to see near real-time flight tracking, and now there's an app as well.

Were you told your airplane is coming from Wichita, but it's still not there and you should be boarding? Go to FlightAware to see where the airplane is right now. FlightAware is hardly the only one in this space. Other frequent fliers swear by FlightTrack Pro, for example.

GateGuru

When I was in Atlanta recently, my wife was looking for something before our next flight. Trying to find the right store in an airport the size of Hartsfield-Jackson is a mind-numbing experience. GateGuru, however, gives the rundown on which stores and restaurants are in each terminal and it pulls in reviews as well. If you're in an airport looking for a particular product or service, this will make your task much easier.

Hotel Tonight

Have you ever been somewhere and realized you needed a room for the night? Maybe your flight was canceled or perhaps your meetings ran long. This company negotiates deals with hotels for last-minute rooms in many big cities. Within seconds, you can have the room reserved for a low rate.

Taxi Magic

If you don't know a city well, the taxi scene can be confusing. Where is the best place to hail a cab? How much should you pay? Taxi Magic makes it a lot easier. If there's a participating cab company in your city, Taxi Magic will have a cab sent right to you.

You can pay directly through the app so you don't have to worry about whether credit is accepted or not. The app and booking services are free, and there's a $1.50 documentation fee for using a credit card through the app.

If there isn't a participating cab company in the area, Taxi Magic will give you phone numbers for local companies so you can call and arrange for a cab yourself.

TripIt

If you've ever used TripIt online to manage your travel, you know it's a great tool for keeping all your travel plans in one place. Of course, there's also an app for that. See and manage all your travel plans in the TripIt app so you never lose your details. Beyond the basics of flights, hotels and cars, you can also put in things like appointments and meals.

Your airline app

This isn't one app; it's dependent upon which airline you fly. If you fly a different airline every time, then it's probably not worth downloading every single airline app. But if you're a loyalist, you should absolutely have it.

There are some excellent apps out there that allow you to check flight status, see the standby list, book flights and even check in. Apps will store a mobile boarding pass so you can just flash your phone to get on the airplane (not in all airports, but it's getting there). Some airlines have better apps than others. I've heard rave reviews about the new United Airlines app, but get the apps for the airlines you fly frequently.

What would you add to the list?

Youth Athletes and Diet

We have quite a few youth groups stay at our hotel and I quietly root for them to do well at their tournaments.  I Know that the team getting the proper fuel to make sure they keep their energy levels up is a trick all unto itself.  One that is even trickier with teen athletes.  Here is some great advice on how to maximize their energy from the food they get!

Eat Extra for Excellence

There's a lot more to eating for sports than chowing down on carbs or chugging sports drinks. The good news is that eating to reach your peak performance level likely doesn't require a special diet or supplements. It's all about working the right foods into your fitness plan in the right amounts.

Teen athletes have unique nutrition needs. Because athletes work out more than their less-active peers, they generally need extra calories to fuel both their sports performance and their growth. Depending on how active they are, teen athletes may need anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 total calories per day to meet their energy needs.

So what happens if teen athletes don't eat enough? Their bodies are less likely to achieve peak performance and may even break down rather than build up muscles. Athletes who don't take in enough calories every day won't be as fast and as strong as they could be and may not be able to maintain their weight. And extreme calorie restriction could lead to growth problems and other serious health risks for both girls and guys.

Change the Time

Spring forward...Fall back....

It's ingrained in our consciousness almost as much as the A-B-Cs or our spelling reminder of "i before e...." And it's a regular event, though perhaps a bit less regular than the swallows coming back to Capistrano.

Yet in those four words is a whole collection of trivia, facts and common sense about Daylight Saving Time.

Beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving Time is extended one month and begins for most of the United States at:

2 a.m. on the Second Sunday in March

and lasts until

2 a.m. on the First Sunday of November.

The new start and stop dates were set in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Daylight Saving Time - for the U.S. and its territories - is NOT observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and by most of Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona).

Daylight Saving Time Saves Energy

One of the biggest reasons we change our clocks to Daylight Saving Time (DST) is that it reportedly saves electricity. Newer studies, however, are challenging long-held reason.

In general, energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting our homes is directly connected to when we go to bed and when we get up. Bedtime for most of us is late evening through the year. When we go to bed, we turn off the lights and TV.

In the average home, 25 percent of all the electricity we use is for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs, VCRs and stereos. A good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurs in the evening when families are home. By moving the clock ahead one hour, we can cut the amount of electricity we consume each day.

Daylight Saving Time "makes" the sun "set" one hour later and therefore reduces the period between sunset and bedtime by one hour. This means that less electricity would be used for lighting and appliances late in the day. We may use a bit more electricity in the morning because it is darker when we rise, but that is usually offset by the energy savings in the evening.

In the winter, the afternoon Daylight Saving Time advantage is offset by the morning's need for more lighting. In spring and fall, the advantage is less than one hour. So, Daylight Saving Time saves energy for lighting in all seasons of the year except for the four darkest months of the year (November, December, January and February) when the afternoon advantage is offset by the need for lighting because of late sunrise.

History of Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time is a change in the standard time of each time zone. Time zones were first used by the railroads in 1883 to standardize their schedules. According to the The Canadian Encyclopedia Plus by McClelland & Stewart Inc., Canada's "[Sir Sandford] Fleming also played a key role in the development of a worldwide system of keeping time. Trains had made obsolete the old system where major cities and regions set clocks according to local astronomical conditions. Fleming advocated the adoption of a standard or mean time and hourly variations from that according to established time zones. He was instrumental in convening an International Prime Meridian Conference in Washington in 1884 at which the system of international standard time -- still in use today -- was adopted.”

Daylight Saving Time has been around for most of this century and even earlier.

Benjamin Franklin, while a minister to France, first suggested the idea in an essay titled "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light." The essay was first published in the Journal de Paris in April 1784. But it wasn't for more than a century later that an Englishman, William Willett, suggested it again in 1907.

In 1918, in order to conserve resources for the war effort, the U.S. Congress placed the country on Daylight Saving Time for the remainder of WW I. It was observed for seven months in 1918 and 1919. The law, however, proved so unpopular that it was later repealed.

When America went to war again, Congress reinstated Daylight Saving Time on February 9, 1942. Time in the U.S. was advanced one hour to save energy. It remained advanced one hour forward year-round until September 30, 1945.

From 1945 to 1966, there was no U.S. law about Daylight Saving Time. So, states and localities were free to observe Daylight Saving Time or not.
This, however, caused confusion -- especially for the broadcasting industry, and for trains and buses. Because of the different local customs and laws, radio and TV stations and the transportation companies had to publish new schedules every time a state or town began or ended Daylight Saving Time.
By 1966, some 100 million Americans were observing Daylight Saving Time through their own local laws and customs. Congress decided to step in end the confusion and establish one pattern across the country. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 (15 U.S. Code Section 260a) created Daylight Saving Time to begin on the last Sunday of April and to end on the last Sunday of October. Any area that wanted to be exempt from Daylight Saving Time could do so by passing a local ordinance. We’ve Had DST in one form or another ever since.

Haunted Hotels

You don’t have to worry about stray ectoplasma in our hotel but if you go to some of these Haunted Hotels you may want to put the Ghost-Busters on speed dial!

Hotel Provincial's elegance evoke the charm of old New Orleans and it modern ' Haunted' appeal.

For a good case of haunted chills and a great touch Southern haunted hospitality, head to the Hotel Provincial in New Orleans. You will be haunted not only by Haunted New Orleans it's great beauty but by one of the many ghost that haunt this Haunted New Orleans hotel.

Many a haunted New Orleans Honeymoon couple have told of their ghostly occurrences in the Big Easy over the years. And others or rather skeptical. But more stories of this spook filled Haunted Hotel keep occurring. 

A Couple from Haunted Washington State related to us their recent ghost filled tale Convention stay. Their room is said to be haunted by a soldier with a deep love and penchant for country music. This was told to them as they entered the room by a staff member. He said that once a hotel employee opened the door to show guest into their room and they say they saw a man dressed in a 1930's Khaki military uniform, Complete with hat and many medals, the Ghost looked them in the face then disappeared. The couple reported to us that the entire stay was filled with a feeling of being watched. And many a cold chill, they say that they captured his spirit on film.


The very haunted Hotel Coronado, located just outside haunted San Diego, has a ghostly tale of unrequited love. Employee's, workers and guests have been puzzled by odd noises, spirited breezes, strange faces and the ghostly figure of a young lady wearing a black lace dress.

Rising from water's edge on the quaint island of Coronado in San Diego , the Hotel del Coronado is considered one of America 's most beautiful beach resorts.  A classic historic hotel, The Del was built in 1888 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. Today, The Del offers travelers contemporary luxury in an enchanting Victorian atmosphere. Add to this, the resort's beachfront location, and it's no wonder USA Today calls The Del "one of the top ten resorts in the world."

The most well-known legend and ghost story told is that of it's ghost Kate Morgan, who checked into the hotel in 1892 to meet her estranged husband.

He never showed up, and days later she was found dead on the beach from a gunshot wound. Some believe her lost lonely spirit still haunts the hotel, and there have been ghostly cold spots, numerous reports of noises, odd breezes in closed rooms and sightings of more then one ghosts.



This haunted hotel inspired Steven King to write "The Shining" while he stayed in room 217, but it is room 418 that reports the most ghostly activity.

There is no "red rum" in the haunted Stanley Hotel and Conference Center in the Rockies, but it is the place where Stephen King wrote half of "The Shining". The made-for-TV version of the film was shot at the Stanley, and King fans should book Room 217, which is where he stayed. It seems that strange haunted paranormal things were happening at the Stanley long before King came.

The hotel, which opened in 1909, is supposedly haunted by Flora Stanley, the wife of the owner, who likes to play the piano late at night. Her ghost is said to be very visible and a high profile haunting.

People who have stayed in Room 408 reported hearing children playing and laughing loudly outside their door, when getting up to investigate there weren't any. They also say they have left the room for a few seconds only to return and find the entire room in a dismay. And hand prints of small children on the mirrors.



Often called by many locals "The Belle of New Orleans." The Le Pavilion hotel offers guest turn-of-the-century charm in the heart of downtown Haunted New Orleans.

Twenty foot Italian statues representing "Peace and Prosperity" greet you at the Poydras Street Lobby front door. Inside t his spectacular grand reportedly the most Haunted New Orleans hotel, you'll find crystal chandeliers, historic antiques and several lively ghost to haunt you.

This New Orleans hotel makes all guests feel right at home by providing homelike touches, like complimentary evening peanut butter finger sandwiches.

At one point a few years ago the hotel management was said to have hired several local well known paranormal investigator, who identified several ghosts in the hotel. One group found four and recorded EVP"s saying "Please, get out." and " Hold On I see You Now.", another Investigative team say they documented over 100 individual Ghost and haunted hotspots in the hotel. And still another Ghost group said it was actually a portal to the other side.

Strange noises in the night, vaporous apparitions of figures standing at the foot of your bed. Coverlets and bed sheets being tugged into the air, from early morning to after midnight. Anytime is the right time to find a ghost here in this Haunted Hotel.



An elegant masterpiece in the heart of downtown Portland Oregon, the Heathman Hotel is a timeless classic that has all the comforts of somewhere other than home.

This is the only famous haunted hotel is in Haunted Portland, Oregon. and related is one of the most haunted tales of any hotel to be told.

Guests staying in one of the column of rooms that end in "03" (presumably  room 703) have reported odd events. Moving objects, rapping's and tapings and cold spots. Ghost photos in this room show a dark cloud over the entire room. And sometimes a distorted face peering at you from a dark corner. Odd shadows on videos and many EVP's.

One guest related to me, that they stayed in the room only an hour or two this tale was stated by the guest, and an Ex-front desk clerk. In late April of 2004, The front desk clerk got more then wall call that many the guest felt a presence in the bed with them. One particular guest related that he could hear heavy breathing and he felt the sheets wrap around him so tight that he could not move.

When in this point of panic The guest told, that he tried to get out of the bed, but was trapped and the breathing got louder and closer. By the hand of God he said, he managed to break loose of the ever tightening sheets and turned on the light to see both of his large heavy suitcase fly across the room towards him.

A dark image of a man then ran into the closet. When upon help was called to from the front desk, for he thought someone had broken into his room. Security arrived, and upon investigation of the closet, proved he was quite alone in the room.

I myself don’t believe in ghosts but if you have any good ghost stories please share!

The Heat is On!

The days of summer are upon us.  And as the mercury rises it makes everyone want to play outdoors and enjoy the sun.  It’s definetly time to hit the lakes, beaches and parks for some summer fun.  I would strike up the BBQ and have friends over every weekend if I could!

But with all this fun and activity it’s easy to forget that only 2-3 weeks ago it was chilly and rainy.  With the drastic change in temperature and the drastic heat that makes summer what a blast it is, its also something you should be wary of.  Too much of a good thing can hurt.  In the United States, heat exposure led to 8,000 deaths between 1979 and 2003, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is more fatalities than all other weather-related causes combined, including hurricanes, floods, lightening and tornados.

These are some examples of how you can take care of yourself while still playing in the sun.  First and probably obviously, drink plenty of water. In hot weather, it is essential to stay hydrated. Sweating is your body's key mechanism to keep cool, so maintaining that fluid supply is critical.

The CDC recommends you drink water before you feel thirsty. Sports drinks help restore the basic components of sweat and are a good choice, Ghurabi said, but he recommended against salt tablets for all but young healthy adults.

A cool beer may sound perfect on a hot day at a ball game, but drink responsibly. Alcohol hinders the body's cooling mechanism and causes frequent urination.

Wear light-colored and loosely fitting clothing so air can circulate around your body and help keep you cool.

A hat is a must to help you keep cool, since your head contains many blood vessels, and sun block is always a good idea to decrease the effect of sunlight.

It is also important to take advantage of services the facility provides, such as misters or areas of shade.

What should you do if you are suffering from the heat while sitting and watching your favorite event? Get up and go.

It is a simple piece of advice, but could make the difference from a quick recovery and something more severe that requires medical attention.

Summer is here and it’s a pretty safe bet that we’ll all do something in the sun soon so follow these steps and simple tricks to maximize your summer!  Have lots of FUN but please be safe!

Fireworks are probably the most identifiable event for Fourth of July. Fireworks have been associated with Fourth of July since 1777. Firework shows are held in many states and families and groups even buy them for private use. Fireworks are often accompanied by singing or music of patriotic songs.

The history of fireworks goes back thousands of years to China during the Han dynasty (~200 B.C.), even long before gunpowder was invented.  It is believed that the first "firecrackers" were likely chunks of green bamboo, which someone may have thrown onto a fire when dry fuel ran short.  The rods sizzled and blackened, and after a while, unexpectedly exploded.  Bamboo grows so fast that pockets of air and sap get trapped inside of the plant's segments.  When heated, the air inside of the hollow reeds expands, and eventually bursts through the side with a long bam!

The strange sound, which had never been heard before, frightened people and animals terribly.  The Chinese figured that if it scared living creatures so much, it would probably scare away spirits - particularly an evil spirit called Nian, who they believed to eat crops and people.  After that, it became customary for them to throw green bamboo onto a fire during the Lunar New Year in order to scare Nian and other spirits far way, thus ensuring happiness and prosperity to their people for the remainder of the year.  Soon, the Chinese were using bursting bamboo for other special occasions, such as weddings, coronations, and births.  The "bursting bamboo", or pao chuk as the Chinese called it, continued to be used for the next thousand or so years. 

Although now we don’t use the explosives to scare off spirits but to celebrate our spirit!  We did not get the idea from the Chinese but the Italians.  the Italians had been fascinated with fireworks ever since the explorer Marco Polo brought back firecrackers from the Orient in 1292.  During the Renaissance in Europe (1400-1500), the Italians began to develop fireworks into a true art form.  Since this was a period of artistic creativity and expression, many new fireworks were created for the first time.  Military rockets could be modified by adding powered metals and charcoal in order to create bursts of gold and silver sparks in the sky. 

The Italians were able to develop aerial shells - canisters of of explosive composition that were launched into the sky and exploded at the maximum altitude (the Chinese also developed shells that were spherical in shape).  However, the most spectacular firework displays were still those made at ground level.  Firework makers discovered how a special slower-burning gunpowder mix could be put in an open-ended tube, which would give off sparks when lit.  The dense showers of bright sparks resembled water spewing from a fountain, so the new pyrotechnic device was named accordingly.  If rocket engines were attached to a wooden wheel framework, it would spin around rapidly and give off sparks in a circular pattern.  Sculptors would carve giant, detailed models of castles or palaces, which would be adorned with fountains, wheels, and torches.  These "temples", as they were called, were a beautiful and crowd-pleasing sight when ignited.  Such displays became in high demand throughout Europe.  The idea of controlled fire was fascinating to all, and kings saw no better way to show their wealth and power then by having fireworks at their religious festivals, weddings, and coronation ceremonies.

These firework displays grew more and more elaborate over the years, employing the work of carpenters, metalworkers, masons, and painters to help construct the temples.  Firemasters learned that the effects of fireworks could be greatly enhanced by setting them on small floats in water, where more light and noise would be reflected back towards the audience.  Starting in the early 1530s, fireworks would usually be ignited by "green men", a term given to firemasters who covered their faces in soot and dressed in leaves in order to both protect themselves from sparks and be hard to see as they ran around lighting fuses.  From 1500-1700, the most popular type of firework was the "dragon".  The massive device consisted of a wooden framework which was covered in painted paper-maché scales.  Inside, it was loaded with fountains, firecrackers, and rockets, some of which would shoot out of the mouth to make it "breathe fire".  Often times, two or more dragons would be constructed and aimed at each other as they ignited to "battle".

Around the 1730s, firework shows in England became huge public displays rather than just the private entertainment of royalty.  People from all over Europe would come to witness the spectacular fireworks displays at amusement parks in Britain.  The discovery of "quick match" - a fast-burning fuse made by putting regular fuse into a small, continuous paper tube - gave firemasters the ability to ignite many fireworks simultaneously, and enabled the construction of set pieces.  Set pieces are giant pictures/words made from hundreds of small burning torches, which were often created in the likeness of popular figures such as royalty.  

Settlers brought fireworks over to the Americas around the 1600s, where they continued to be used to celebrate special occasions and to impress or scare off Native Americans.  The very first 4th of July celebration was in 1777, only one year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  The United States was still in the midst of the Revolutionary War and the outcome was still uncertain, but beautiful displays of fireworks instilled a sense of hope and patriotism in the citizens of the young nation.  When trade relations were established between the U.S. and China less than a century later, Chinese firecrackers became a major import in America.

For nearly 1000 years, the only colors that could be produced by fireworks was the orange flash/sparks from black powder, and white sparks from metal powders.  But in southern Italy in the 1830s, scientific advancements in the field of chemistry enabled pyrotechnicians (the modern term for the old "fire masters") to create reds, greens, blues, and yellows by adding both a metallic salt (strontium=red, barium=green, copper=blue, sodium=yellow) and a chlorinated powder to the firework composition.  Potassium chlorate (KClO₃), a new oxidizer that burned faster and hotter than potassium nitrate, allowed pyrotechnicians to make the new colors deeper and brighter.  The harnessing of electrical energy made it possible to obtain pure magnesium and aluminum by electrolysis, which also made fireworks burn brighter.  When fine aluminum powder was mixed proportionally with an oxidizer, the resulting mixture - flash powder - burned much hotter and faster than black powder, allowing for the manufacture of louder firecrackers and salutes in aerial fireworks.

No one who has kept even half an eye on the news in the last couple of years could fail to be aware of the increasing need for airports and airlines to be ever more vigilant regarding security. Luggage remains one of the most scrutinized aspects of this security, and information is widely publicized regarding general advice and ways in which the public can help airports to maintain this level of risk reduction.

But although we generally understand the need for tightened security I want to give some tips on getting through security fairly easily as well as getting my bag at the end of my trip.  How many black bags look just like MINE! 

Obviously making your luggage easy to identify quickly saves time at the airline baggage carousel. I’ve seen  a brightly colored tape, available at art or office supply stores, and made into an 8 inch tall initial and stuck to the luggage. Easy to pick out, even from a distance. But over all a little ugly.

And how many times have we seen the handkerchief tied to the handle… to many times and what happens if the airline handlers loose it for some reason??  Not that they’re ever rough.

I’ve seen stenciled paw prints on luggage. I think this is a crafty way to make your bag unique.  You can get original stencils from a craft store and you can pick up some colored paint or ink designed for fabric that you like.

Getting through the security lines you may think there’s no help here… it’s just SLOW!  Well here are some tips from TSA themselves to help move you along:

• Pack an organized carry-on bag using layers – a layer of clothes, then electronics, more clothes, and then any heavier items. This will help transportation security officers see what's in your bag. Innocent items can actually appear to be potential threats in an X-ray image, simply by the way they are packed.
• When possible, do not pack oversized electronics (laptops, full-size video game consoles, DVD players and video cameras that use cassettes) in checked baggage. However, please be advised that these items must be removed from carry-on bags and submitted separately for X-ray screening. Click here for "checkpoint friendly" laptop bag procedures. Small electronics, such as iPods, can remain in carry-on baggage.
• Prepare a 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag of liquids before arriving at the airport. For more information on liquid rules: 3-1-1 for carry-ons, click here.
• Pack all coats and jackets in checked baggage when possible. All coats and jackets must go through the X-ray machine for inspection.
• Do not wrap gifts. If a security officer needs to inspect a package, they may have to unwrap the gift. Passengers should refrain from wrapping gifts until arriving at their final destination.  
• Film. Undeveloped film should go in carry-on bags. Passengers will be able to declare film that is faster than 800-speed to a transportation security officer for physical inspection to avoid being X-rayed.
• When in doubt, leave it out. Unsure if an item is prohibited or not? Travelers should place such items in their checked baggage or leave the item at home. Click here to see the list of prohibited items.

I hope this list helps you get through the security check points… Now if only you can arrive on time!  Good luck traveling and we’ll see you here!