Check your flight status via text message - [Practical Hacks]
Banishing kids to the back of the plane - [ABC News]
What you don’t know about Mexico - [Huffington Post]
A Great Photoset of Iceland - [Flickr]
It’s time to get out of India when…- [Pelgrims Plekke]
Not too late to compare credit cards for vacation - [Choose Money]

A different kind of traveling if you will.

You can always tell the difference between an experienced traveler and a new one… by the size of their luggage.  Dr. John C. Maxwell mentioned that too many people travel through life with a lot of emotional baggage, which they’ve not yet learned to let go.

Traveling light is about finding your priorities… carrying only the essential stuff… Oh yes… and asking for forgiveness along the way.

See the rest of John’s tips

Drumheller is located in South Eastern Alberta, Canada, to the Northeast of Calgary, by about one and a half hours. The general area is called the Badlands.  It is best known for the many dinosaur bones discovered in the area and also features some interesting tourist stops.

The three stops Trifter will talk about are to the east of Drumheller.

So get in your car, and let’s go!

There’s nothing more relaxing yet exciting about knowing that you’re going to be headed to the beach.  I for one have not been to the beach in more time than I’d care to remember.

Even more exciting is the knowledge that you’ll be headed to one of the most gorgeous beaches ever.  National Geographic has put together some excellent photos of beach coastlines.

Japan is one of the countries that have the best of both worlds. It’s advanced in terms of technology, and yet, it has been able to retain its greatest heritage - its culture. Indeed, Japan has done an amazing feat as it can manage to stay as one of the world’s leading economic powers while still being able to hold on to the roots of its past

Spanning a massive 225000 sq feet, the Water Worldpark in Alberta, Canada features the world’s largest indoor wave pool, a host of waterslides/tubes, bungee jumping, and even zip lines. That’s not all, once you’re tired and worn out, the Edmonton Mall is right next door.

Check out the rest

Eight Sensational Scuba Diving Trips - [Forbes]
Delta Increases 2nd Checked bag fee to $50 - [Consumerist]
The Makeover Controversy in Coney Island - [Little Odessa]
No Need to worry about these things on vacation - [NY Times]
The Barbados tourism Encyclopedia - [Marinews]
Someone at Delta should go to jail for this - [Consumerist]

Americans have undoubtedly held a long love affair with the automobile, but sometimes a good thing can just turn sour.

Whether it’s soaring gas prices or traffic congestion that have you ready to put the brakes on a car-centric vacation, or the prospect of dealing with a chorus of “are we there yets?” from the back seat, there’s no better time than the present to get a car-free vacation into gear.

Let it never be said that Americans aren’t a generous or charitable people. In fact, the most comprehensive research on U.S. volunteering ever assembled has just been released, and the numbers are encouraging — particularly given the soft economy and an uncertain global future.

Yesterday, the results of the Volunteering in America report were unveiled, based on six years of data, by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the USA Freedom Corps

Though Chicagoans may grow weary of mind-numbing traffic jams, a lumbering mass transit system and outbreaks of neighborhood violence, deep down they are apparently quite fond of their city—fonder, in fact, than the denizens of much flashier global icons, including London, New York, Paris and Tokyo.

The Windy City, which is chasing its dream of global recognition by pursuing the 2016 Olympics, will get another arrow in its quiver Tuesday when it is announced that it trounced 13 other cities worldwide in a survey of resident satisfaction.