Vacations fall into two main characters – adventurous or relaxing. Relaxing vacations can be nice, but if you have an adventurous spirit, they can also be a little boring. So, instead, why not choose a fun road trip that is anything but boring. You don’t have to plan every detail of your road trip, but using the following five tips to do a little work before the vacation begins can really help you have a awesome time on your trip.

Image courtesy of photopaige

Tip #1: Choose a route that takes you off main highways.

Major highways are undoubtedly the fastest way to get from Point A to Point B, but speed isn’t what a road trip is about. It’s great to have an end destination in mind, but choose the road less traveled to get there. You’ll see more interesting things and meet more interesting people than if you stick to the highway. The coolest places in your area of the world are usually in locations that are a bit harder to reach and may not be advertises on the main highways.

Tip #2: Pack your own food.

When packing your car for the trip, don’t just load in suitcases with clothing and activities for the kids. Also load a container filled with foods like crackers, bread, peanut butter, granola bars, and other items you can eat for snacks and lunch. Not only can you keep moving if you don’t have to stop every time someone gets the munchies, but this also allows you to save money. Every dime you save on food can be spent on adventures instead!

Tip #3: Avoid the mainstream activies.

For the most interesting road trip, avoid the normal places where all tourists go, like water parks and zoos. These activies can be fun, but why not choose some more interesting destinations, like factories that give tours and dinner shows where you can eat and be entertained. Want to find the best stuff to do in any town? Before you trip, talk to some people in these areas via social media sites and forums to see what they recommend.

Tip #4: Go for the mom and pop shops.

It’s fine to spend some time shopping and your certainly need to eat dinner every night, but instead of resorting to malls and chain restaurants, choose individual locations run by local residents. You’ll find some duds, but that’s part of the fun – and you’ll also shop at some of the unique places for items you can’t get anywhere else and have some of the best meals of your life. Again, the locals will be able to make great recommendations, but even if you don’t talk to anyone from the area before you road trip, you can find interesting places by going to places where you’ll find local culture.

Tip #5: Make sure you car is ready for the trip.

Lastly, before you head out on your vacation, make sure your car is ready for the trip. Nothing kills a road trip faster than a broken down car! Before you leave, have your car checked by a professional and make sure you have great insurance that covers you should you break down while on the road. Either purchase a plan that includes roadside assistance or chose a less expensive plan and purchase a membership with AAA as well.

This guest post is from Allison with InsuranceQuotes.org, where you can learn more about getting a plan before your next road trip.

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Have you ever wanted to travel the world, visit beautiful destinations and get paid for it? Working holidays are the perfect way to do this. Many people are opting for the working holiday option as it allows them to see the world and doesn’t drain their bank account completely dry, as is the case with a standard holiday.

Why Work on a Holiday?
The question is- why wouldn’t you? Working holidays allow you to combine work, play and education all in one trip while experiencing new cultures and getting to work for different programs in thousands of destinations around the world. Some of these places include Asia, Europe, UK, America, Africa and even Australia.

Are you interested in travelling to London? You can travel there for a working holiday trip, finding work in an English pub or club. Pub scene not for you? That’s ok, why not teach English while your over there or test out your social skills (and patience) working with children at a summer camp.

Teach English
As mentioned above, teaching English is a work option when travelling overseas and has proven to be quite a popular option. Opting for this type of work allows you to travel to places like Asia and Mexico and spend time with the local people, including children, teaching them how to speak English. You’ll get to immerse yourself in the culture and experience exciting adventures such as scuba diving and more while working and getting paid for it.

Working Holiday Visa
Whether you’re into hot climates or beautiful winter settings, you can get it all while working your way around the globe. You’ll get to meet new people and see things you’ve never seen before.

In order to experience this, you’ll first need to get a Working Holiday Visa. This Visa is for people between the ages of 18 and 30, who are interested in working in a place for up to a year. This Visa will let you travel to your destination, work as an employee and also study there for up to 4 months. The charges for the Visa are affordable and applications can be refunded.

If you’re looking to see new parts of world, experience new things and work with exciting people in the different fields of work, don’t miss out on a chance to get a Working holiday Visa and travel to beautiful destinations while getting paid to work there. So what are you waiting for? Start your application now!

 

Getaway Trekking & Adventures offers a range of Kokoda trail tours through Papua New Guinea.

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

There’s nothing quite like the freedom of a sailing vacation. What else matches the excitement of choosing your yacht and then, if you’re anything like me, counting the days until you set sail.

Image courtesy of Galileo55 It’s easy to lose yourself in preparing your itinerary and deciding which exotic part of the world to visit. The luxury of taking things at your own pace and in your own time is hard to beat.

 

Sailing on a bareboat charter isn’t like any other vacation, mainly due to the freedom that comes with setting sail for the open sea, with your destination completely in your own hands. But as Spiderman has taught us, with great power comes great responsibility, and it’s important to have a sound understanding of basic safety rules when it comes to sailing vacations, even for the experienced sailors among you.

 

So whether you’re an old hand or a recently qualified would-be skipper, here are a few things to consider before you set off on your idyllic vacation.

 

When You Book 

Every charter company will have safety codes. Before booking, check the minimum provisions with your travel operator. Many operate codes limiting the number of people on board a yacht or sailboat.  Some companies limit the distance you are permitted to travel from a ‘safe haven’.  While some allow up to 60 miles, others limit the distance to a maximum of 20 miles. Take into account your experience, the age and experience of your crew and location in making your decision.  All boats operated in American waters must adhere to a federal code of clearly stated minimum requirements.  If you’re heading for Europe, check the safety requirements before you go.

 

Safety Checklist

Listen carefully during the handover. Ensure you know the location of all of the safety equipment on board, for example, life rafts and fire extinguishers.  One PFD (personal flotation device) per person on board is required by federal law for any boat longer than 16 feet sailing in US waters. Don’t leave any unanswered questions about engine operation or navigating systems where applicable. Ask even the questions that seem obvious, they might not be!  Have a full understanding of winching and anchoring systems. Follow the safety checklist to the letter.  Test everything before you set out.

 

Keep Handheld VHF Radios Close By

If you’re heading out to sea for a while, ensure any radios are fully charged and close by. They could prove to be your saving grace if you encounter unexpected problems.

 

Know What To Do If Someone Falls Overboard

It’s worth wearing a PFD at all times when you are moving around the boat while out at sea.  Although you might laugh about it later, you don’t really want an involuntary ‘man – or woman – overboard’ situation. Agree a procedure in advance, just to be on the safe side.

 

Know the Rules

Minor collisions can occur from time to time so a thorough understanding of the required sailing etiquette on encountering other boats is a must.   All skippers must comply with the COLREGS – International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.  Depending on where you are headed, check them out before you sail.

 

Float Plan

One of the most important safety principles when you are sailing is a float plan. It’s basically your daily itinerary, detailing your departure time, your destination and also what time you are expecting to head back to port.  Agree with someone that they should call for help if you don’t return by a specified time. In the unlikely event that you experience engine problems, for example, you won’t regret the float plan.

 

Fuel

Following on from the last tip, do check that you have adequate fuel in the tank before setting out.  Again, it sounds obvious but it does happen occasionally.

 

Relax

A few essential safety measures will ensure your yacht rental is that vacation of a lifetime that you’ve always dreamed of.  Relax in the knowledge that you have all bases covered, leave civilization far behind and enjoy.

Sally is an avid traveller with a passion for sailing the world!

 

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Driving in a new city is tough.

You don’t always know the correct roads, and getting around is kind of a hassle.

But it’s even worse when people are drinking. The roads are less safe, and bad things can happen.

(Note: Here are some tips on how to spot a drunk driver.)

The Daily Beast recently came out with their second annual Top 25 America’s Drunkest Cities list.

Partnering with market-research firm Experian Simmons, they analyzed several different factors to create this list. They calculated the “alcoholic drinks per month the residents of more than 200 cities across the country reported to have consumed in a survey from earlier this year”. They also took into consideration the “percent of the population that are either binge drinkers or heavy drinkers for each metro area, according to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control”.

So how did the cities with Fox locations end up? Let’s take a look…

Image courtesy of nonell


San Francisco: The first city with a Fox location, San Francisco appears at number 22. This may surprise some people. San Francisco is actually the most densely populated city in California (second in the nation only to New York City). So with that many people, you would think that San Francisco might appear higher on the list? Read more about San Francisco’s best kept secrets.

Seattle: The largest city in the Northwest, Seattle appears at 19. Be safe on the roads, and don’t forget to check out these Seattle activities.

Las Vegas: I bet many people aren’t surprised to see Las Vegas on the list. But at number 14, do you think it’s too high, or too low? If you overlooked the party-goers on the Strip, then it seems like you could argue it’s too high. You can also avoid the Strip altogether and escape to Lake Las Vegas

Denver: The Mile High City came in at number 13. Instead of driving around, stay in one of these Downtown Denver hotels instead.

San Diego: San Diego is pretty high on the list at number 9. Surprisingly, it’s the highest Californian city on the list, but if anyone’s been to the Gaslamp on a Friday or Saturday night, then it might make sense after all!

Notable Exceptions: Interestingly, New York, New Orleans and Los Angeles were all left off the list. That seems strange… doesn’t it? Do you think one of these cities should have been on the list?

Either way, no matter where you are, we urge you to always drive safely and be careful on the roads!

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Travelling alone promises a bewildering gamut of comedy, challenges, and exploits for every brave soul who embarks on this courageous undertaking. The joy of freedom and spirit of adventure come in their greatest grandeur when travelling is performed as a one-man show. In its pure state, travelling alone is akin to walking into the dark abyss of an unknown universe, marching into the gruesome battlefield alongside war-torn veteran soldiers, and flying into outer space amongst cosmonauts and astronauts. Travelling alone can be one heck of a journey. But you still have to be thoroughly prepared in order to enjoy it.

Image courtesy of Sven Ericsson

Planning is the key. There is only one person who ultimately decides the itinerary and pace of the voyage when travelling alone you! To get the perks, discounts and travel incentives, plan ahead of time. Give yourself at least a few months to figure out where you want to go, how you will go there, and what you will do when you are already in the destination of choice. The best time to travel alone is before or after the peak season. It gives you two major advantages first, the rates are way cheaper and second, the places will not be very crowded.

Investigate and assess the holiday destination. A soldier who knows the terrain of the battleground will already be in the winning edge. The same concept applies to travelling alone. Go ahead and ask data from friends, research about the places you plan to visit, read books and magazines. Knowing is already half the battle.

Bring only the most necessary things. A truckload of unnecessary items is the last thing you will ever need when travelling alone. Your motto must be Pack Light. And be sure to have a safe and easily accessible container for your precious travel things and papers such as valid identification cards, passport, airline tickets, credit cards and a little cash. When travelling alone, it is safer to just swipe your cards for major transactions.

Savour and experience the culture of the places you visit. Try out their native delicacies, join their festivities if it is allowed, interact with the locals, learn a few basic words of their language and try to communicate using your newly learned vocabulary.

Always be prepared and take good care of your health. Bring your personal medications and first aid kit just in case of emergencies. And always be mindful of your allergens as you do not want to have an allergic attack on a beautiful cruise.

Surely travelling alone should prove to be a unique and unforgettable experience.

Andy is a writer for Kenwood Travel who specialise in the best luxury Saint Lucia holidays. If you have any advice, please do share below in the comments.

 

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

From November to March you are bound to find the roads at their busiest; it’s one of the busiest road trip seasons of the year. This is due in large part to the Snowbirds that make their way south for the winter, holiday travelers and winter sports enthusiasts on their way to football games. Aside from cold temperatures, snow, sleet and other adverse weather effects, winter is one of the most dangerous times of the year to be on the road. This makes it imperative you learn a few driving tips for the winter season designed to keep you, and everyone else on the road safe.

Image courtesy of dmealiffe

Know before you go your route. One of the worst things you can do on the road is get lost; looking at maps, making phone calls or fiddling with your navigation system distracts you from watching the road, which is even worse when you are traveling in an area in which you are unfamiliar driving.

Pack a winter survival safety kit with a flashlight, cat litter for traction problems, a cell phone, an ice scraper, tow rope, blankets, candles, matches and a portable weather radio. Take it a little further by including non-perishable foods and plenty of water to last until help arrives.

Check your tires. Cold temperatures reduce the tire pressure in your vehicle, causing your vehicle to function at below normal capacity. When driving in the snow, always use snow chains. If it is not snowing but might, keep a set of snow chains in your vehicle. Keep in mind that snow tires almost always outperform all other tires on the market.

Brake slowly; stepping too forcefully on your brakes can cause you to skid on icy roads, which can incite panic in many winter drivers. Instead, step lightly on the brakes when slowing down. If you cannot avoid slamming on your brakes and it results in a skid, turn your wheel gently in the direction you want the front of your car to go and let off the brakes.

Keep yourself feeling good when driving in the cold weather. This may sound slightly ridiculous but the cold weather has a different effect on your body than any other time of year, which affects your driving. Cold weather affects your health, which means you need more nourishment on a cold day than any other day. High-energy food is better than salty, sugary snacks for this. Additionally, dehydration is entirely possible in cold weather and it is necessary for you to keep hydrated with water to optimize your driving performance. Also, you should make frequent rest stops when traveling in the cold to loosen your muscles, which allows you to drive better in the winter weather.

If your car breaks down, stay in it. Wait for help in your vehicle where it is warm. If your car still runs and is merely stuck in the snow it is absolutely imperative that you check the exhaust pipe to ensure it is clear of any obstructions. Otherwise you run the risk of allowing carbon monoxide into the vehicle, which will kill you.

When driving in cold weather, it is better to drive too slowly than too fast. However, driving too slow will not give your enough momentum to clear snow banks if need be.

 

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging in the automotive, technology, and business industries for three years. When Nicole bought her new car last year she made sure to check online for quotes on auto insurance to make sure she was getting the best deals and had the best coverage possible. This Year Nicole made sure to prepare for the winter driving season. She made sure to check daily deals on snow tires to make sure she is safe on the roads but also save money.

 

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Out of everyone with a phone (over the age of 18), 40% now have smartphones (according to July 2011 data from Nielsen).

Besides calling and text, these new smartphones are perfect for browsing the internet, watching video, taking pictures, and of course – playing with apps.

There are over 400,000 apps in the Apple App Store, and over 200,000 in the Android Store.

While a large number of these are entertainment-based and video games, there are also some really interesting and useful applications.

Here are some of our favorite.

Image courtesy of xtress

Finding Parking

Whether you’re traveling in a new city, or looking for parking at the mall, finding available parking is one of the most stressful things about this time of year.

Bestparking is a mobile app that helps you find the closest and cheapest available parking.

It will also tell you the hours, so you’ll know where you can leave your car overnight if you’re traveling.

Checking Prices

Have you ever stood in a new store with some item in your hand, and debated whether or not you should purchase it?

What if you find something similar cheaper somewhere else?

Price Check is a new app from Amazon that helps you compare product prices and look at reviews from their huge database.

The only downside is that it’s restricted to online and Amazon items only. But you do get their great product review system with all of those 3rd party reviews from real people.

Another great options is RedLaser, which helps you compare both online and in nearby stores. So the app will actually tell you if the Macy’s on the other side of the mall has something cheaper in store.

Keep Track of Receipts

How many times do you find yourself with a bunch of paper receipts? Sometimes you need to keep track of these for taxes, business expenses or your personal budget.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could easily manage and keep track of everything? Well now there is!

Lemon is a new smartphone app that lets you keep track of all your receipts digitally.

Simply use the camera on your phone to take a picture and scan any physical receipt. You can also keep track of online receipts you get.

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Have you ever wondered about the best seats on a plane? Or, why you have to turn off electronics while flying?

Well now we have some insight!

Recently, Away.com interviewed three pilots about some interesting topics. Here are some of our favorite.

Image courtesy of Wanderlinse

How to Avoid Motion Sickness

A lot of people are scared to fly because of turbulence and motion sickness. Well it turns out, that some seats are better than others.

If you are susceptible to motion sickness, your best bet is to sit over the wing. An airplane is like a teeter-totter. When the pilot moves the nose of the plane up or down, the seats in the extreme front and back are going to move a greater distance. And as a rule, the tail tends to move more than the front, so stay away from the rear if motion is a problem for you.

Even Pilots Don’t Get Free Lunches

Flying used to be glamorous. Everyone got dressed up, there was plenty of space and food was given out freely.

Not anymore.

Now, there are additional fees for every little thing.

Thanks to the airline bankruptcies starting in 2000, few U.S. domestic airlines still provide food to its crews. As pilots we are allowed to eat in the cockpit once we’re at cruising altitude, but we’re usually eating something from the food courts in the airport terminal: pre-prepared wrapped sandwiches, slices of pizza. Not quite the glamorous lifestyle it used to be.

Why You Have to Turn off Your Electronics

When you board the plane, you sit down and start to settle in.

Sometimes this means opening the in-flight magazine or book. But it also means you literally have seconds before you have to turn off your electronics.

So you rush to send your last Text or Email, before someone comes by and tells you to shut it all down.

Well, here’s why:

Nothing has ever been proven, but there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that electronics really interfere with an aircraft’s flight instruments. The most likely culprits are things that transmit a signal, like a cell phone or a computer operating in Wi-Fi mode, which emits an electronic pulse or wave. But new aircrafts are being engineered for the wireless age so you should see more and more allowance of electronic devices in the future.

You can read the whole article with 7 other secrets here at Away.com.

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Are you planning a business trip in the near future? If you are, then there are a few gadgets that you must include in your suitcase. Here are some tips.

Image courtesy of Brian Sawyer

An E-Reader

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably noticed the rise of the e-book reader. There are dozens to choose from, including the most widespread of all, the Kindle. There’s also the Nook and the Kobo.

One of the reasons why an e-reader is an essential on your business trip is that it’s a good way to read all those business documents you have to take along. They will remember where you stopped and even allow you to take notes. Plus you can take along some personal reading material for when you’re off duty and load up a couple of MP3s so you have music to listen to as well.

You’re probably already traveling with a laptop and smartphone where you can access apps and games, so for your traveling e-reader you can probably make do with a Kindle, Kindle Touch or Kindle Keyboard.

Portable Entertainment

If you’re American you’ve probably got every version of Netflix there is. The rest of the world has to take their entertainment with them. If you haven’t got an e-reader then an MP3 player is an essential to listen to podcasts and audio books (whether for business or otherwise).

For visual entertainment, either pack a couple of DVDs (they don’t take up much room) or load some onto your laptop if you have enough capacity. That means you won’t have to rely on sub-standard hotel TV.

Portable Translator

Just in case you happen to be leaving the country, a pocket translator might be a great business companion. While you’re in your meeting you may have access to interpreters and translators, but once you leave the boardroom it’s a different matter.

While you could use a dictionary or phrasebook, a pocket translator can save you time by allowing you to select the phrase you want and reading it out in the other language. It’s a great way to make communication issues disappear.

All in One

Of course, you could replace all of these with just one device – a tablet. Whether you go for an iPad or another tablet device you can include a translation app, movie watching and music listening capability and an app to read your ebooks. You’ll be able to connect to the net and edit your business documents too. Increasingly, this is becoming the gadget of choice for many business travelers. What about you?

Traveling to the UK on business? Sharon Hurley Hall is a freelance writer, who writes for Edinburgh self catering accommodation provider, the PadPod.

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Want a free, exclusive discount?

You can’t find it anywhere else.

And it’s the only discount available for specialty cars like the Camaro, Challenger or Convertible Mustang!

Twitter Trivia starts tomorrow, Wednesday 11/30 at 1:00 PM PST.

Image courtesy of RaeAllen

How to Play

Tomorrow at 1:00 PM PST, we will tweet a random question. You can follow the hashtag #FoxTrivia to see the conversation.

The answer can be found in one of our blog posts. For example, it might say something like,

#FoxTrivia – Name the top two haunted hotels in Southern California.

You can find the answer on this blog post -> The Top Haunted Hotels in Southern California.

Then you simply reply with,

@FoxRentCar Hotel Del Coronado & Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel #FoxTrivia

Easy, right?

You will have one hour to give us your answer.

Then we will pick two people randomly that will win the discount.

Rules & Eligibility

1. Participants cannot be employed by Fox Rent A Car.
2. Winner will be notified by email and have to respond within 48 hours with the complete contact information. If we do not receive a response within this given period, we will select another winner.
3. The two winners will be selected at random.
4. Participants must be 20 years old with a major credit card and valid drivers license.
5. Fox Rent A Car Standard Policies apply.
6. Privacy Statement.

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.