Road & Travel Magazine's Blog

Car and Hotel Safety Tips When Traveling

The first and most obvious tip to safeguarding your automobile is to remove all valuable items which can be seen. That means things like packages, bags, radar detectors, cell phones, cameras and audio/video equipment. Either place these items in your trunk or take them with you. Once inside the hotel, you can use a safe to store your valuables. Also, double-check and make sure to roll up all of the windows and lock your vehicle.

Once you get to your room, keep these tips in mind:

• Keep the room door locked, especially deadbolts.

• Do not let anyone in your room without properly identifying them first. Use the door's peep hole, if there's any question concerning the person's identity, ring the front desk as soon as possible.

• Safeguard your room key at all times. Do not give your key to others. Do not leave your key in the room or in the door.

• Find the location of the two exits nearest your room. Also, count the number of doors between your room and the nearest exit so you will have a reference point if the hallway is smoky. Locate alarms and extinguishers in your area. Look out the window and note height and surroundings for reference.

• When you hear an alarm, don't investigate. If you smell smoke, immediately notify the hotel operator. Read all tips here.

Tips for Traveling with Pets

by Nicole Hockin

Traveling with pets is becoming more of a norm for pet-owners than in recent years. From road trips to long-haul air flights to stays at beautiful resorts, four-legged companions are officially members of the family when they make the vacation roster.

If you are planning a trip with your four-legged friend then please keep in mind these tips for traveling with pets.

1. In the Car
Keep fresh water and a bowl available. Every time you stop, go ahead and fill it up. While you’re sipping on a drink throughout your drive, your dog is panting its way to dehydration.

And just like with your kids, plan for stops at rest areas or parks to let everyone stretch their legs, relieve themselves, and burn off some restless energy.

“Practice” traveling with your pets before heading off on a long drive or flight. Keeping your dogs in a crate is a great way to recreate a familiar environment for them, which both soothes their anxiety and provides an extra bit of security in the event of an accident.

2. On Airplanes
Most airlines make flying with pets fairly painless. Many require a health certificate filled out by a veterinarian to be submitted ahead of time. An easy way to ruin a vacation is to find out that your pet can’t fly at the check-in desk. Be sure to check with an airline before you fly for all their specific restrictions and requirements.  For example, some airlines prohibit brachycephalic or snub-nosed dogs and cats as checked luggage. Breeds represented include Boston Terriers, Pekingese, and Shih Tzu.

Find all tips here.

Free Pocket Ranger App Powered by ParksByNature Network

Have you thought about visiting a State Park? These parks are often within 50 miles from home, making it easy for visitors to come and go as they please.

ParksByNature Network is working with the Government to Save the Parks by marrying today’s technology that is often used to navigate through our days by bringing The Sanctioned and Approved Mobile Tour Guide to enhance your visit.

Pocket Ranger™ apps are offered in a “FREE” and “purchasable” Pro-Enhanced version formatted for Apple and Android devices.

These tour guides also translate into a universal mobile website for each participating state park system, making Pocket Ranger extremely accessible for everyone to use. With its innovative features, Pocket Ranger™ enhances a visitor’s experience before, during, and after an outing to a state park.  These guides deliver to users hundreds of maps, real-time location-based weather conditions, park overview, park history, calendar of events, reservations, photo sharing and social networking capability through today’s popular sites.

Did you ever lose child in a park? Well, the Friend/Family Finder feature can help reduce this problem. Users can sync their devices to locate and keep track of one another. Full story