TripCart :: The Travel Blog

Southwest and Bar Refaeli help TripCart kick off Beach season

While half of the United States is buried in snow, Southwest airlines has decided to help out TripCart and cheer up the freezing citizens of the east coast by kicking off Beach Season. They even went to the trouble of painting a plane that will inspire people to plan their beach vacation on TripCart. You should not have trouble spotting this plane, pictured above but for the die-hard aviation nuts out there, the plane can be identified by the FAA Registration number on the tail of the 737-7H4 model, which is:

N922WN

Here are some popular beach destinations that Southwest flies to:

When you are finished with the Orlando, Florida places to visit, head to the coast for more places to visit in Florida -caladesi island state park, bathtub beach and sebastian inlet.

All over California - from glass beach in the north through pismo beach and  bolsa chica beach all the way to blacks beach in San Diego.Besides beaches, there are certainly lots of places to visit around Los Angeles, California

Besides the Norfolk, VA James river cruises, down the coast from Norfolk into North Carolina, follow in the footsteps of the Wright Brothers (without whom Bar Refaeli might not be decaled onto a 737) and visit Wrightsville Beach,Hammocks Beach State Park or Hatteras Beach.

And if a subway ride from JFK is about as exotic as you are getting this summer, head to Riis Beach, Orchard Beach in the Bronx, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn or - if you are a fan of the Ramones - Rock Rock Rock Rock Rockaway Beach. Then head back to the city and enjoy some of the fun things to do in Manhattan and NYC.

Highest Rated Ski Resorts by Google

Our management had decided that our site should include "good original content on the most important ski resorts in the States". In our meetings we tried to figure out what does it mean "The most important", and came to the understanding that for us (being a website) it means the one and only Google would be the judge.
It came to me, that in many ways Google is "The Lord" of the internet. It decides which site would flourish and which would be forgotten. It has a set of 10 commandments of what is considered "Positive White Karma" / "Kosher" ways to promote your site in terms of SEO and on the other hand the classification of "Black hat SEO magicians". It has its secret knowledge and many seekers and followers who perform various kinds of meditations and prayers in order to collect hints on that knowledge, and predict their future. And of course the gurus and priests...

Picture of a Swimming Pool in Delaware

Swimming in Delaware.

(thanks wiseacre photo)

Giant Squid in California

It's summer time and the squid are out in full force in California.  The massive Humboldt Squid are showing up in record numbers.  If you get the chance, you should take the time to head out to sea on a squid expedition.  Though these squid appear annually, this year is a particularly banner year with squid weighing in at almost 40 pounds (about double their normal size).  Fisherman head out at night using glow in the dark lures, ABC has a video from one boat, it looks like a lot of fun.

Run Your Pants Off in New York City

We got an interesting email today from City Running Tours in New York City.  They just opened a great new service where you can see the city as you jog by-

Whether traveling on business or pleasure to the Big Apple, NYC RUN is a new organization that is offering individual or group guided running tours of NYC so that visitors can see a new side of the city and get some healthy exercise at the same time. From the beautiful greenery of the parks, to spectacular views off the water, to the challenging inclines of the bridges, NYC RUN offers 20 different routes all year long and for every level of runner.

Tours seem to range from just mile and a half to over 13 miles.  What a great way to stay in shape the next time you're in the Big Apple.

Picture of the Day (04/27/07) - From TripCart

Some impromptu breakdancing during the annual 12k Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco.

(thanks jaymce)

Picture of the Day (04/11/07) - From TripCart

"I had gone to the lake to shoot the sunrise. While at the lake, I met two elderly gentlemen who were getting their boat into the lake for a fishing expedition. Glen and Charles were kind enough to manoever the the boat closer for a decent shot ."

(thanks Thermodynamic)

TripCart's Picture of the Day on Google's My Maps

Picture of the Day (02/01/07) - From TripCart

Bike love in Portland.

(thanks dontbecreepy)

Working Out On the Road

Want to know where the best hotel gyms anywhere in the US reside? The Athletic-Minded Traveler (ain't that a mouthful) has compiled a list of the top 11 gyms. The ratings are based on their own survey of over 3,000 hotels. Here's the list-

1. Houstonian (Houston)
2. Park Hyatt at Bellevue (Philadelphia)
3. Four Seasons (San Francisco)
4. Embassy Suites Lakefront (Chicago)
5. Venetian (Las Vegas)
6. Bellevue Club (Bellevue, WA)
7. Inn at Ponte Vedra (Florida)
8. Grand Hotel (Minneapolis)
9. JW Marriott (Orlando)
10. Ritz Carlton Boston Common
11. Le Parker Meridien (New York)

The History of Snowboarding in 2 Minutes

Last month we reported on the best places to catch some early snow - this week we scrounged up a video of the history of snowboarding. Glen Lazzaro put together this great clip of how the sport got its start-

(thanks cityrag)

Top 10 Earliest Places to Get Your Ski On

Turkey Day's come and gone and now it's time to start working off that spare tire. No better place than the slopes to work off some mashed potatoes and gravy but what to do if your neck of the woods isn't flush with powder? Skisnowboard.com has put out there list of the best places to catch some fresh snow before the season really kicks into high gear. Not surprisingly, the majority of these spots are in the western part of the country where real snow tends to fall sooner than in the East.

Here are the top 10 :

The Dance of the Flight Attendant

Jen says-

I've always found the pre-flight safety demo strangely soothing, depending on the "performance".

It's something I never think about (and it's sort of a weird thing to think about), but once or twice a year in the minutes before flight I remember and get become inexplicably excited. It reminds me of this maiko dance routine video they played on a loop at the Asian Art Museum once. She mostly stood in one place the whole time, and her movements were small--such as a slow twirl of the wrist--but it was how each movement glided calmly, without haste, into the next that held me raptly mesmerized.

(thanks boingboing)

Yoga On the Go

We love to stretch but it always seem so hard when you're on vacation - there's all the preparation and the equipment and supplies but luckily the geniuses over Yoga-Syz Products came up with the Yoga Paws. These might be the stupidest product we've ever covered-

Whether you are outdoors, indoors, on nearly any non-abrasive surface, the paws are the most convenient tools to accompany your yoga work out on the go. Made to accommodate the changing world of fitness, Yoga-Paws are ideal for travel, home, and everyday use.

Snowboarding in Alaska

Snowboarding in Alaska.

(thanks t a k k)

Related posts: The Aurora Borealis above Bear Lake, Alaska • Northern Lights in Alaska • Glacier Creek in Alaska • Top 10 Foods to Eat Yourself Into a Wreck • Top 10 Labor Day Destinations • Vroom Vroom - 10 Motorhead Museums • Highest Rated Ski Resorts by Google

Related travel guides: Skiing in Alaska • Skiing in Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks and Kenai, Alaska • Skiing near Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, and the Alaska Panhandle • Skiing in Seattle, Tacoma, Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, Washington and The Cascades • Mount Baker Ski Resort - Glacier, Washington • Skiing in Glacier National Park and Northern Montana and Idaho • Big Mountain Ski Resort - Whitefish, Montana