Travel

Booq Cobra Squeeze Backpack Review: A Most Excellent Gear Bag

My criteria for a backpack that I’ll use for longer than during the review period (and that I’ll continue to enjoy carrying) is pretty basic: it needs to be light when empty, durable, good-looking, well-organized, and it must be comfortable to wear when it is inevitably overloaded. The booq Cobra squeeze meets all of my needs and then some.



Hit the Hardware Store for Carseat Toting Needs!

We recently took a vacation and after some debate decided it was safer to bring our own carseat rather than rent one of dubious quality along with our car. You can buy special carts to transport car seats, but a friend of ours filled us in on a much cheaper and more versatile tip: a hand truck!



Oneadaptr Twist World Travel Adapter Handles Your Overseas Device Charging

Are you traveling overseas and thinking about the adapters you’ll need to pack? I just got back from Barcelona, and in my bag I had at least four adapters, a six slot charging strip, and several USB chargers to plug into the adapters. I wish I’d had the new Oneadaptr Twist World Travel Adapter; it could have handled almost everything.



The Inmarsat IsatPhone2 Review: Never Be Out of Reach

Dan: Yesterday I had an emergency conference call with my top two congregational leaders; that wasn’t unusual. The fact that one of them is currently in Aruba and the other in China was, however; it was as if they were next door, and that’s how good cellular coverage has become.



Travel with the VinniBag, and Get Your Wine Home Intact!

It never fails: I travel somewhere that is known for its wine, and I find myself with a bottle to bring home. Packing the bottle safely can be tricky, though. I’ve had bottles break that were inside the bubble wrap bags that some wine stores sell, but I think I have found a solution in the inflatable VinniBag travel accessory! It’s marketed for wine, but you can also use the 22″ x 8″ inflatable VinniBag to safely transport anything that fits inside — things like camera lenses, coffee cups, and other small breakables. Think outside the box, too; the VinniBag floats, so you can…


Altego Lunar Mirror Messenger Bag Totes the Load

When selecting a messenger bag, especially to actually use on a bicycle like they were originally intended for, balance is everything. It’s important to maintain a proper balance between being big enough to hold your stuff and not too bulky to ride with. And the actual balance of the payload is critical. The Altego Lunar Mirror Messenger has it all!



Lumsing 5 Port USB Travel Charger Review

Can you ever have too many USB ports available? That’s a silly question; of course you can’t, and that applies whether you are at home, at work, or traveling. So here’s something that’ll help take some of the burden off of your laptop’s ports, allowing you to travel with just one power source: the Lumsing 5 Port USB Travel Charger. Measuring approximately 5.3″ long x 2.75″ wide x 1.25″ thick, the Lumsing charger is compact enough to fit into a pocket in your laptop bag, gear bag, larger purse, or briefcase, but it is powerful enough that it can charge up to five devices at once using USB…



The Calypso Crystal Calypso Tag Review: Travel in Sync

You have a luggage tag on your carry-on or your checked luggage, right? But can your luggage tag attract attention because it’s so brightly colored, tell you when your bag is nearby, alert you when it has been moved away, tell you where it last was, or tell you the temperature? Because of the Calypso Crystal Calypso Tag, mine can.


VinGarde Valise Wine Suitcase Gets Bottles There Intact

A press release recently came across the Gear Diary email transom announcing a new wine suitcase from Wineline that they call the VinGarde Valise. This prompted a discussion among our editors about who would possibly ever need a suitcase for their beverages. As usual, I had a real-life anecdote about something I did while traveling that proved the case for the case.


Wireless Traveling Convenience Comes with the XCOM Global Hot Spot

When traveling internationally, you won’t always have the luxury of a secure and speedy WiFi connection at your destination. One of the most reliable ways I’ve found to make sure that I’ll be able to get online with all of my devices — including my laptop — is by traveling with a hot spot rental from XCom Global.



T-Rex Runner Launches Ramblen, Resource for Traveling Runners

With the huge number of sites like RunKeeper and Yelp to give opinions and options for eating and finding routes, you might think it is easier than ever for a traveling runner to hit a new city. Sadly this is not the case, as recommendations of routes often lack context, and definitions of ‘healthy dining’ vary wildly. In this light the new site Ramblen has launched to provide curated recommendations for eating and exercise for travelers. One of my favorite running blogs is the T-Rex Runner – I appreciate the humor and randomness, but also the way she immerses herself…


The Nokia Lumia 1020 Is the Only Camera You’ll Need When Traveling

I use an HTC One, but its camera is subpar, and I take a lot of pictures. When the Nokia Lumia 1020 was released, who wasn’t intrigued by its camera? I sure was, and so I bought one. But could the 1020 function as my only camera while on a dream vacation in Paris and Dubrovnik? I would soon find out. From the moment we arrived in Paris, I started snapping pictures predominantly with the Lumia’s Pro Cam app set to 5 megapixels, which is oversampled for lossless zoom. About midway through the trip (or about the time we moved on to Dubrovnik),…


Come Explore King’s Landing (Dubrovnik) During Game of Thrones Season 4 Filming

Do you watch Game of Thrones on HBO? Kev and I love the books by Gorge R. R. Martin as well as the television series based on them, so an added bonus to our recent trip to Dubrovnik (arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the world) was that we knew we might recognize some of the locations from the show. Are you a fan? Then this post is for you! Dubrovnik’s Old Town is a medieval walled city located on the coast of Croatia, and since season two it has been used for various locations in Game of…


2014 Kia Cadenza Stylishly Conquers the Pacific Coast

Last week I was invited to test drive the 2014 Kia Cadenza along with a small group of other bloggers and auto journalists. The location Kia chose couldn’t have been more beautiful; we arrived in San Diego on Wednesday afternoon and took a short ride 20 miles north to Del Mar, an oceanside resort town. We stayed at the L’Auberge Del Mar, a 120 room boutique hotel on a hill overlooking the ocean. Our views were spectacular. I heard repeated apologies from Southern Californians for the “May Gray” (overcast skies) we were experiencing, which made me laugh; I was steps from…