Blog - foXnoMad

The Best Places To Travel On A Weak Dollar – US Edition

by Anil Polat | Oct 24, 2007 | Money | 5

We’ve recommended some of the best places to travel on a weak dollar and many of you pointed out the comments that you don’t have to leave the country to do so. There are plenty of places around the US you can visit to make the most of the falling currency. Here is a list of 8 great places to visit and make your short dollar go a long way.

Chicago – Although O’Hare is a United Airline hub, travel to and from this city is inexpensive. TravelZoo is loaded with holiday airfares you can take advantage of – and if you go in the winter you’ll find discount on hotel prices as well. Visit the Sears Tower, the (free) City Art Gallery, or go ice skating in Millennium Park.
New Orleans – The city is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and tourism dollars are welcome here. Aside from Mardis Gras, there are plenty of music and theater festivals to attend during the mild winters. Keep in mind that some of the places you used to be able to visit are still inaccessible due to Katrina, check out the city’s Web page before you plan you trip.
Detroit – Let’s face it, this lively city doesn’t get any love from potential tourists. Visit Henry Ford’s home and museum in nearby Dearborn and get some good Middle Eastern food while you’re there. Easily accessible via train and MegaBus, you can even split the trip with a vacation to Chicago. Stop by Detroit’s Riverfront before you leave though.

(more…)

Search For The Best Food In Select US Cities: MenuPages

by Anil Polat | Oct 23, 2007 | Food | 0

Sift through restaurant listings for 8 major US cities on MenuPages. The best part about the site is you can use it to view the actual menu and print it out.

Create a profile and save it to your customized MenuPage. You can search by the type of food, where it’s located and the price as well. Users can post reviews and rate places based on the service, value and atmosphere.

I strongly recommend checking out some places to eat if you’re staying overnight on a layover. It’ll help you to eat healthier and maybe see some quick sites.

Motorcycle Airbag Jacket

by Anil Polat | Oct 23, 2007 | Car | 0

Traveling by motorcycle can be made safer with the use of an airbag jacket that inflates if you’re ejected from your bike. It has already saved lives.

Motorcycle airbag jackets work by filing the jacket up with carbon dioxide when the rip cord between the bike and the jacket is broken. Riders can adjust how hard the cord must be pulled to cause the jacket to inflate and have to remember to connect it to the bike each time they get on.

Check out The Motorcycle Diaries and Long Way Down to inspire your inner gypsy. No word on the price of this jacket but seems much useful than an airbag mounted on the bike itself.

Top Sex Googlers

by Anil Polat | Oct 23, 2007 | Travel | 2

Turkey and Egypt Google the word “sex” more than any other nation. Australians top the “lesbian” list, meanwhile Chileans seem interested with “gay”. Finally, the Italians can’t get enough “Viagra”. [via Jezebel]

Microfinance People Across The World On Kiva

by Anil Polat | Oct 23, 2007 | Travel | 2

Instead of simply donating money to a cause you can finance small loans to poor entrepreneurs all over the world on Kiva.

Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can “sponsor a business” and help the world’s working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you’ve sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.

Kiva lets you keep in touch with those you microfinance, keeping track of their progress and getting updates along the way. Those of you short on extra bling can use your mouse to sponsor mammograms or donate your frequent flier miles to various causes.

The Traveler’s Search Engine: SideStep

by Anil Polat | Oct 22, 2007 | Money | 0

Perhaps the best known unknown travel agents search engine (phew), SideStep.com picks up deals hidden in air carrier websites. SideStep works just like FareCompare and Kayak, sifting through itineraries and deals so you can pick out the best price.

SideStep makes it a bit easier to refine your results based on flight times and layovers, and is consistently ranked as one of the best ticket search engines on the Web.

What are some of the ways you find the best deals on the Web?