New Offbeat Guides; will Google do travel and should they? Why summer road trips are important
Good morning travelers! I hope you enjoyed your weekend.
Road Trip | Gregory Rodriguez writes a thought-provoking ode to the American road trip in an op-ed piece “On the road again, somehow.” He suggests what we’ll be missing if we let the high prices of gas thwart us from taking this time-tested outer and inner journey. Are gas prices keeping you from a summer road trip? Have you found other means to make your journey happen? Note: The AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report says that the national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded today is $3.975.
Travel Guides | I can’t wait to check out Offbeat Guides, a travel guidebook venture started by Dave Sifry the founder of Technorati. According to their blog, Offbeat Guides promises to be just what the traveler needs — an up-to-the-minute personalized guidebook in PDF or print version. Get all the traditional guidebook stuff like hotels, restaurant options and walking tours, plus Wi-Fi maps, bathroom locations and more. There’s even info about what bands are in town and the whole book can be put on your Kindle. It’s customizable — so you only get the stuff that you want. Sounds brilliant right? It gets better. Offbeat Guides says it can do what most larger guidebooks haven’t been doing so well: reach the smaller out-of-the-way places you’d want to go to if you hate big-city tourist traps. The only downer is that they’ve just launched their beta version so who knows how long it will be before the public can get their hands on this system. But they do invite you to sign up for beta, as long as you don’t mind a few bugs while they work the kinks out. The price of the printed guide will be $24.95 and the PDF version will be $9.95.
Travel Discussion | Have you been surprised that Google has not been more involved with the mega-money online travel sector? Business Week’s The Tech Beat reported that they are very interested and are working on a one-stop-shopping solution for researching and booking online travel. But the discussion being raised in the comments is, should Google get involved with this kind of direct business? Is it fair to the little online business guys? Tell us what you think in the Comments below.
— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel Deal Blogger
[Photo: Doc / Your Scene, Los Angeles Times]
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June 3rd, 2008 at 9:34 am
5 Reasons Why Gas Prices Shouldn’t Cancel Your Summer Fun
Everyone seems to be complaining about the high cost of fuel causing them to cancel their summer vacation plans. Carol White, co-author of the book “Live Your Road Trip Dream”, says, “I don’t like the higher prices, but if you take a realistic look at it, it’s something that most of us can deal with.”
Did you cancel last year’s plans? According to AAA, gas prices have increased an average of $.56 a gallon since this time last year. Let’s go crazy and say it has been $.75 a gallon in your area. If your summer trip is 1000 miles long and your car gets an average of 23 MPG, your fuel will cost $32.60 more this year than last. One dinner at home instead of eating out before you go will save that much. Is $32 any reason to cancel your vacation?
What does it really cost? When you add up all the expenses of a vacation, fuel only counts as about the second or third highest expense. Typically food and lodging will cost more than fuel. If you need to cut back, consider RVing or eating more meals in, or renting a slightly less expensive lodging.
How can you afford to RV? According to a study done for the RV Association, RVing is still less expensive than piling a family of four into an airplane and hotels for vacation. Using a similar example to the one above and a typical mid-size RV fuel economy of 12 MPG, the additional fuel cost for RV fuel this year would be $62.50. This is easily off-set by the lower cost of campgrounds vs. motels, resorts or cabins at your favorite destination.
What about family bonding? One of the best parts of taking a road trip or an RV get-away is the extra time you get to spend with your traveling companions. In the close quarters of automobiles, RVs, campgrounds and motels, a family has the opportunity to enjoy old-fashioned fun like cards, board games, campfires and more. It really is fun talking to your kids. Ditch the electronics just for the week and see what might happen.
And the final reason you shouldn’t let fuel get in your way? You and your family deserve the time together and the time away. Have everyone work together to be able to afford the extra cost of gas. Go on a Starbucks-free week, check for the best fuel prices, just say “no” to an evening at the movies, or take a pass on that cute new pair of shoes and you will have the added money to cover fuel. Don’t let the “psychology of price,” rather than real price get the best of you.
Have fun and enjoy your summer vacation.