Kevin on December 28th, 2011

A wonderful Vanity Fair article by Charles C. Mann neatly summarizes the absurdity of airport security; a brief excerpt: From an airplane-hijacking point of view, Schneier said, al-Qaeda had used up its luck. Passengers on the first three 9/11 flights didn’t resist their captors, because in the past the typical consequence of a plane seizure [...]

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Kevin on December 25th, 2011

I hope you all able to spend your holidays with loved ones, and that your travels are trouble free and safe. This YouTube video captures Christmas celebrations from around the world in 1950; I hope you enjoy it…

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One worry you don’t need while traveling is whether newspapers piling up on your front porch or an overstuffed mailbox is signaling to all the neighborhood burglars that you’re out of town.  A couple of things to keep in mind as your next trip approaches: You can now suspend delivery of your mail via the [...]

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A revealing post from a baggage handler, Confessions of an Airline Baggage “Thrower,” appeared on Huffington Post yesterday (12/16/11); an excerpt: I’m not going to lie, your checked luggage takes a beating. They call it “throwing bags” for a reason. There isn’t an easy way around this. Airplanes only make money while in the air, [...]

Continue reading about What type of checked bag gets damaged least often? Find out from an airline baggage “thrower!”

Kevin on December 16th, 2011

Savvy travelers have looked beyond hotels to apartment and home rentals for years; rentals typically offer much more space, kitchens, and in some cases, laundry facilities.  Rental aggregator Rentmix offers a quick and painless way to find rentals from around the world: Rentmix aggregates rental listings from AirBnB, HomeAway, FlipKey, and other short-term rental services, [...]

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Kevin on December 14th, 2011

Winter has returned to The Middle of Nowhere with a vengeance, and I find myself leaving home virtually every day wearing a fleece top, sweater, or sweatshirt. A couple of Orvis Pima Cotton Sweatshirts are seeing heavy rotation in my wardrobe as a result. Good looking, comfortable, and surprisingly warm, these shirts are warm and [...]

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The Highs: Thoughtful design; impeccable quality;  TSA checkpoint friendly;  a 320 pound bodyguard couldn’t provide your laptop more protection  The Lows: Quality ain’t cheap, son  The Verdict: A dual purpose laptop bag for the new millennium In the ancient history of the 1980′s, the contents of my daily bag looked a lot different than they [...]

Continue reading about Review: Tom Bihn Cadet – a daily bag for the digital age