Road & Travel Magazine's Blog

Top 10 Healthy Travel Tips

It's vacation time, and you're ready to relax. However, for many people, an unfamiliar bed or diet can cause restlessness instead. Don't let a few days away from home wreak havoc on your daily routine. Keep these tips in mind to stay healthy on the road.

1. Avoid too much sun.
2. Keep your medicine with you. 
3. Move around.
4. Exercise.
5. Support your back.
6. Eat right and drink water.
7. Plan ahead.
8. Avoid muscle strain.
9. Be prepared.
10. Don't let jet lag get you down.

Read more about these tips in RTM's Healthy Travel Tips article.

Back to School Driving

It's that time of year again when teens jump in their cars and head off to school. Whether commuting back and forth to high school, or heading up to college, a teen behind the wheel can make any parent nervous. Proper car car and basic car knowledge can put your worries to ease.

Make sure your teen knows to check the fluids in the car they're driving, especially the oil. One-third of college students said they should've changed the oil on their car more often. Twenty percent of those students said that they didn't know that the oil needed changing or that the car needed any servicing at the time. Oil not only provides optimum performance for the car, but keeps the vehicle itself running. For more statistics on college students and car care, see the RTM article, College Students Wished They Took Better Care of Their Cars.

Late Life Driver

Not everyone gets their driver's license on their 16th birthday. Some people wait days, months or even years past their sweet sixteen to start the process of obtaining a license to drive, for whatever reason. Some people simply do not have a need for a license, and others are afraid to go forth with the training.

If the latter applies to you and you have decided to go forth in obtaining your license after years of waiting, there's no need to be nervous. Though you may be in a class with tough-looking teenagers who may look a little intimidating, keep in perspective that they may be just as nervous as you are.

Pamper Your Pup

Even your pet needs some time to relax, especially when they work so hard to cheer you up. Reward your dog or car (and yourself) by taking them to a pet-friendly spa.

The Daufuskie Island Resort & Breath Spa offers special packages for both dogs and cats. The Deluxe Doggie package includes complimentary treats upon check-in, a personalized keepsake water dish, designer doggie bed, VIP pet tag with the resort's phone number and address, bottled water, gourmet biscuits at turndown, disposable doggie bags and scooper and a top quality chew toy. The Furry Feline package includes a complimentary meal upon arrival, a personalized keepsake water dish, a fluffy hide-a-bed, VIP pet tag with the resort's phone number and address, bottled water, cat nip toys at turndown and litter box.

Dude, Where's My Car?

Are car thieves part of a huge organized ring or just a kid looking for kicks? If your car is stolen, will insurance cover it in full or come up a little short? These are questions people may have about car theft, but may not know the answer to because fortunately, their car hasn't been stolen. Here are a few common myths about car theft and the truth behind them:

1. Car theft is non-violent and only affects one person at a time.
It's estimated that 90 percent of car thefts are tied up in other crimes, such as robberies, drug trafficking and people smuggling. Almost a million secondary crimes are associated with car theft every year.

Fall Family Vacation Tips

Autumn is coming soon and now is the perfect time to plan a fall getaway on a long weekend for your family. Though fall is technically part of the travel industry's off-season, there is still so much so do and see around the country. And because it is the offseason, you are more likely to find better deals on packages and lodging. Here are some tips for vacationing in the fall season:

1. Think outside the box when choosing a destination.
Lots of ski areas offer activities year-round. During the fall season, you can enjoy hiking, horseback riding, rafting, golf and many more activities without the intense heat or prices of summer. Fall festivals such as Octoberfests and harvest festivals are always around during autumn and can make for a good time.

Safe and Comfortable Cars for Seniors

Driving can become more difficult as you age. Reduced Muscle strength, slower reaction time, lower range of motion, and diminished sight, along with other health issues such as arthritis or osteoporosis can impair an older driver's abilities behind the wheel. 43 percent of motorists over the age of 55 suffered from at least one of nine driving related difficulties commonly caused by aging, and nearly one out of four motorists over 55 plan to purchase a vehicle in the next two years.

Mature drivers should look for vehicles that accommodate their specific needs. Here are a few recommendations for car features to aid aging drivers:

• Drivers with hip or leg pain, decreased leg strength or limited range of motion in the knee, should look for cars with adjustable power seats. This makes it easier for drivers to enter and exit a vehicle.
• Drivers with painful or arthritic hands should consider four door modeled cars, thick steering wheels, keyless entry and ignition, power mirrors and seats, and larger dashboard controls.
• Drivers with vision impariment could benefit from cars with extendable sun visors, large audio and climate controls, and easy-to-read displays.

For more information on the best cars for mature drivers, see RTM's article Best Cars for Seniors.

   

Color Changes Exposed

You may think that the colors on fall trees are beautiful, but have you ever wondered why they change color in the first place?

Trees can sense when the seasons are changing as they are sensitive to temperature, water and light. As the days grow darker and colder in autumn months, the chlorophyll (a compound that makes leaves green) within the tree leaves starts to deteriorate. When the chlorophyll is gone, orange and yellow cartenoids (organic pigments) that were already in the leaf start to show through. Some leaves are red and purple because that species of tree also has anthocyanins (another plant pigment that is responsible for the colors in some fruit and flowers) that show through after the chlorophyll is gone.

Calculate Gas Costs With Mapquest

Gas prices still eating away at your pocket? You may have kept your car in perfect condition and used all of the appropriate fuel-saving techniques, but it can still hurt to see the totals when you fill up your vehicle. So what can you do?

Mapquest, usually known for giving people driving directions, has a new service to aid in saving you money at the pump. Mapquest can now not only give you driving directions to your favorite locations, but also can give you driving directions to the gas station with the lowest gas price. This "Gas Portal" lets you know which pumps to avoid, by telling you the highest gas price in the area closest to you.

Take a Hike at a Top Trail!

The United States has a beautiful range of natural scenery. And not only is the scenery nice to look at, it's great to be in. Surround yourself in America's natural beauty by taking a hike on one of the United States' top trails.

The top ten trails are:
(1) Breakneck Ridge Trail in Beacon, New York
(2) Cohutta Wilderness Area Trails in Ellijay, Georgia
(3) Glacier Gorge in Estes Park, Colorado
(4) Harriman State Park in Bear Mountain, New York
(5) Mount Whitney in Lone Pine, California
(6) Appalachian Trail: The Pinnacle in Hamburg, Pennsylvania
(7) Appalachian Trail: Springer Mountain to Hightower Gap in Suches, Georgia
(8) Appalachain National Scenic Trail: Pennsylvania Section in Rouzerville, Pennsylvania
(9) Conundrum Hot Springs in Aspen, Colorado
(10) American River Confluence to Lake Clementine in Auburn, California

For more on the U.S. Top Ten Trails, visit RTM's Top 10 Trails article.