My Favorite Travel Books

Since the TV show Top Chef came to a close this week, I’ve found with myself with some extra time to read. In between my globe-hopping adventures, I’m something of a bookworm, and it’s probably no surprise that many of the books I like to read are travel-related. Here are some of my favorites:

1. A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson
Bryson tackles the Appalachian Trail with humor and gusto, if not grace.

2. The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen
An Everest adventure in search of a mysterious and elusive species.

3. Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert
One woman’s journey of discovery in Italy, India, and Indonesia.

4. Road Fever, by Tim Cahill
A wild ride from the tip of South America to the upper reaches of Canada.

5. Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole
This hilarious novel gives a thorough introduction to the city of New Orleans.

What are yours? I’m always looking for a good book to read, so if you’ve got any recommendations, let me know!

Five Great Websites to Use When You Travel

Alright, alright, I know Travel Blurbs is probably your favorite travel website (right?), but there are a ton of great ones out there, from those that'll help you score great travel deals to those that figure out that pesky exchange rate for you. Here are a few sites I use frequently when I'm traveling.

1. MenuPages.com: If I'm in a strange city and looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat, this handy compilation of local menus helps me decide what I'm in the mood for. And if I want to order pizza to my hotel room but can't find the pizza joint's menu on its website? MenuPages steps in again!
2. Hopstop.com: With subway or bus directions in nine cities (from San Francisco to London!), this is one site I fire up time and time again before I leave the airport or my hotel. I'm always getting on the wrong train in unfamiliar cities, so this is huge.
3. Xe.com: Want to figure out how many Vietnamese dong are in a dollar? Grappling with whether that diving tour listed in pesos is really cheaper than it would be at home? Enter Xe.com, a fantastic currency exchange site that sorts it out for you once and for all.
   
4. IgoUgo.com: Excellent reviews on hotels, restaurants, nightlife, and activities have me coming back to this one time and time again. Wondering if that museum's worth it? There's only one way to find out--well, one way apart from going there, of course. IgoUgo also lets you compare rates on great travel deals too.
   
5. Seatguru.com: Think you've scored when you choose seat 12A? Think again---it might not recline or (worse!) be near the toilets. This site shows you layouts of hundreds of planes, leaving you to decide if a seat's as good as you think it is.
   

Best Travel Apps for the iPhone

It's not very Southern of me to love newfangled gadgets and gizmos, but when I moved to San Francisco, I was bitten by the tech bug. First I fell in love with researching travel deals on the Internet. Then, my passion turned to high-tech phone fun.

My iPhone has completely revolutionized how I travel. I'm never far from my email inbox, the Internet, or Google maps. But aside from these standard programs, there are new travel applications--or "apps" in iPhone-speak--popping up every day that make traveling so much easier. Here are my top five travel apps for the iPhone.

#1 Taxi Magic
Imagine never having to lift a finger, or rather, arm again. Taxi Magic takes the guesswork and arm flailing out of hailing a cab. This app uses your iPhone GPS locator to find you, searches for the nearest cab from of a wide variety of private cab companies, contacts the closest cab, and sends it to your doorstep. The entire process is lightning fast and has changed my life forever. Taxi Magic offers its "Magic Booking" technology in 25 major U.S. cities. Did I mention that it's free?

#2 aSleep
When the guy in 45B snores so loudly it rattles your nerves, you have a solution: aSleep. This app offers hundreds of soothing sounds from "Beach with Seagulls" to "Airplane Cabin" to more bizarre options such as "Tennis" and "Scuba breathing." It has saved my sanity more times than I care to admit and has even become a part of my daily life in the office, especially when coworkers are recapping "CSI: Miami Special Crime-Fighting Dolphins Unit" for fifteen minutes straight. This app set me back a few bucks and has proved to be one of my wisest purchases ever.

#3 Currency
When I was in Thailand, I experienced constant shopping befuddlement because the exchange rate was 33 Thai baht to every U.S. dollar. Don't even get me started on trying to convert our Hong Kong dollars into Thai baht. That just made my head hurt. Well, no more, thanks to this nifty free app that converts over 50 currencies with the latest exchange rates.

#4 Multi Dictionary
Fumbling for the right word at a Parisian farmer's market? Keep answering everybody, everywhere in the world with, "Si"? Don't be an ugly American! Be a techno-savvy traveler and download the Multi dictionary app. Though it'll set you back eight bucks, it offers 30,000 translation pairs for English, Spanish, German, French, and Italian. Bellissimo!

#5 Maps and More
My final recommendation is more of a category than a particular app. If you are planning a visit to any kind of national park or manmade attraction, stop by the App Store and search for a map or guide. There are now up-to-date maps for all of the Walt Disney Theme Parks, almost all major ski resorts, and subway systems around the world. Never again will have you to unfold and refold one of those little paper diagrams!

This Week’s Top 10 Intriguing Travel Headlines

With everything from chimp attacks to Michael Phelps’ bong photo, there have been some bizarre tales in the news as of late. But what of travel tales beyond the usual headlines about cruise deals and discount vacation packages? Here are 10 headlines that ticked my funny bone this week, all pulled from recent news stories:

1. The Little Mermaid Skipping Town, Going to China (travelpost.com)

2. You Find Yourself in the Wrong Country: Whose Fault is It? (www.windowseatblog.com)

3. Jackson Family Tastelessness Heads to Nigeria (latimes.com)

4. Ross Mirkarimi Says Yes to Nudity, Floats in Bay to Breakers (sfist.com)

5. River Rats in Accident: On Travel and Sports (timesunion.com)

6. The Doughnut Curse (worldhum.com)

7. Maine Museum Brims With Classic Power Sleds (msnbc.com)

8. No One Will Ever Find Me In This Camouflaged Treehouse Hotel (worldhum.com)

9. Why Drive When You Can Tölt? (nationalgeographic.com)

10. Chris Guillebeau Launches: “How to Become a Travel Ninja” (vagablogging.net)

Best Makeup For Travel

Ever wondered how I always look so beautiful and put together? No? Well, thanks a lot!

Seriously, though, a gal's gotta have a makeup kit for the road, and when I've score a good travel deal, the first thing I do before printing my e-ticket is double-check that I've still got all my favorite products on hand.

1. Chapstick. Sure, it's basic, but it does the trick. Your skin gets dry on the plane, and so do your lips. Don't leave home without it!

2. Blush in a pot. It doesn't matter what brand, but the "pot" part is key. You don't want a powder compact spilling all over your makeup bag.

3. Philosophy The Supernatural Airbrushed Canvas. You'll look refreshed and perfect, even after that four-hour layover and six-hour redeye.

4. Benefit Cosmetics Big Beautiful Eyes Palette. It's everything you need, all in one place!

5. Stila Powder Foundation with SPF. If you're somewhere sunny, like Hawaii, your skin always needs to be protected when you're outside--even just waiting for the cab at the airport!

Top Five Travel Videos of All Time

Since I’m at work on Presidents’ Day I could use a laugh. The streets of San Francisco are so deserted it looks like the world ended and everyone forget to tell me AND it's raining cats and dogs. But let’s just say my day is not going as badly as this woman’s. This YouTube video of a customer losing it in the Hong Kong airport after missing her flight to San Francisco has become an overnight hit.



I mean, we’ve all felt that way, but never have I indulged my inner five-year-old and actually rolled on the floor. Sweetheart, it’s very easy to rebook your Golden State getaway. There are hundreds of California vacation deals out there just waiting to be picked.

But this naughty passenger has done more than make me laugh. She's also inspired me to nominate my top five travel videos of all time. We’ll automatically give her the #5 slot, but read below for the other four.


#4 The Great Dust Up

Ever driven straight into a dust storm? Um, me either and now we don’t have to thanks to these brave blokes in Australia.

#3 Obama-liers in Venice

Still feeling patriotic after the election? Check out this incredible video of two Venice gondoliers re-imagining the Italian classic “Volare” with new Obama-themed lyrics.

#2 Anything With Judy Grimes

(Look! I say it counts as a travel video and we’re playing by my rules). This travel reporter for Weekend Update on "Saturday Night Live" totally knows her stuff. Just kidding. No, I'm not. Yes I am...


#1 Bad Day for Baby Buffalo

The reigning champ of the best travel videos of all time is still this National Geographic-esque amateur footage of a baby Cape buffalo’s struggle to survive in South Africa's Kruger National Park. (Don’t worry. It has a happy ending!)

A Checklist for Traveling With Pets

So your little fur-ball may not have just won Westminster, but that doesn’t mean that your pet doesn’t deserve to be treated like best in show when he or she takes to the road.

But do you know what you need to bring with you next time you go traveling with pets? Well, don’t just sit there like Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman’s couch! Be proactive about bringing anything your pet could possibly need, and you’ll be prepared for any scenario.

Here’s a handy travel checklist of what to bring along the next time you take Fluffy or Fido on a trip:

• A regulation-size carrier for the plane or car
• Vaccination records, medications, and vet’s phone number
• Portable water and food dishes
• Food and a can opener if needed
• Leash and collar with ID tag
• Bedding, whether it’s blankets, towels, or a portable pet bed
• Cleaning supplies (should an accident occur)
• Grooming brushes and/or clippers
• Toys and treats
• Flashlight for night walks

And be sure to check beforehand and make sure that the hotel you’ll be staying at is pet-friendly!