Travel & Aviation
Reusable e-ink luggage tag
Airlines are constantly looking for ways to cuts to increase profitability and an an often overlooked cost is the humble luggage label (the barcoded piece of paper that makes sure your bags are sent to the right place). "Once checked in, customers just need to hold their smartphone over the electronic tag, which automatically updates with a unique barcode containing their flight details and an easy-to-see view of their bag’s destination." This e-ink bagtag probably won't be used in the real world anytime soon (because of cost) but it is exciting to see airlines leveraging various technologies.
Skyview Travel Seatback Mount is the ultimate airplane gadget
Last week was a long travel week where I flew : Montreal to London London to Belfast Belfast to London London to Berlin Berlin to Frankfurt Frankfurt to Montreal Some of these flights didn't offer any in-flight entertainment and the others offered horribly bad movie options. So what is a traveller to do? enjoy your own hand picked entertainment using the new Griffin Skyview Travel Seatback Mount. This is a special mount that uses a special connector that latches to the seat back tray table or as a stand on your lowered tray tablet.
Air Canada iOS app now supports in-flight streaming entertainment
Air Canada released an update to its IOS app (iPhone and iPad) to add its new low cost carrier (Rouge) and customers will be able to stream in-flight entertainment to your device on selected Rouge aircrafts when you connect to the planes on-board WIFI network. Introducing player, Air Canada rouge's In-Flight Entertainment System Air Canada rouge is redefining the way you experience in-flight entertainment with player. You can now stream movies, TV shows and music directly to your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch!
6 tips from an experienced traveller
As a frequent traveller, there are 7 rules that I live by when travelling by plane. For me these have become absolute laws of travel that make every trip easier and more enjoyable. Plan what needs to be planned Nothing is as stressful as realizing your forgot something so planing is very important. For each type of trip (business, conference, vacation, etc) I have pre-determined checklists to ensure I don't forget anything. If you don't have one ask a friend or email me.
How clean is airplane air
A question I get asked often is : "Is the air in an airplane safe? Am I at increased risk of infection in a plane?" Let's separate fact from fiction. The air in a plane is constantly circulating and it is passed through a HEPA filter. The highly filtered air is also mixed with clean outside air which further improves air quality. Every research paper I have read clearly shows that air contaminant levels during flight are well within acceptable levels.
Avoid dehydration when flying
The air inside a plane in flight is dry. How dry? It is as dry as a dry summer day in a desert environment. This is often an issue inexperienced or casual travellers forget. Minor dehydration worsens jet lag symptoms but in severe cases can cause fainting and light headedness. Although having one alcoholic or caffeinated beverage is acceptable, remember that these tend to increase the level of dehydration so limit their consumption. How to prevent dehydration due to dry airplane air Remember that dehydration impacts your body inside and out.
Yellow fever vaccination booster not needed
Yellow fever is still endemic in 44 tropical countries in Africa and the Americas. As a frequent traveller to many of these regions, I was vaccinated against Yellow Fever a little over 10 years ago and was considering re-vaccination when I read the new guidance from the WHO about Yellow Fever re-vaccination. The Yellow Fever vaccine has been given since 1930 (about 600 million doses) and there have only been 12 reported cases of infection post vaccination which has lead the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization to declare re-vaccination not required.
Solar Kettle for hot water on the go
Are there are times when you absolutely need a coffee or some tea but don't have access to reliable electricity? then this product is for you. Whether you want hot water when travelling, camping or during an emergency, the Solar Kettle will let you enjoy hot water without any plugs or hassles. You simply fill the device with hot water, and position it under the sun. It can boil water anywhere there is sun. the company explains the magic as "
Rogers' US Roaming versus Roam Mobility
On May 14th, I wrote a blog post about a new US roaming package Rogers started offering its customers ($7.99 per day for 50MB of data). As the summer holidays get ever closer, it is interesting to see Rogers spice up their roaming plans. In addition to the plans, Rogers now has text alerting to notify you of roaming data spending in the hope of preventing sticker shock. Anytime you are travelling abroad, you really should look at using Onavo to compress your 3G/4G traffic, this will:
Roam Mobility offers competitive US roaming for Canadians
Previously I have published articles about the new roaming plans from Fido and Rogers. Although their plans are acceptable to the casual user, many smartphone owners may find these plans restrictive and too expensive for longer trips. This is where Roam Mobility steps in to offer different plans for customers with unlocked smartphones or those who buy Roam's devices. What's so special about Roam Mobility Roam offers a wide range of SIM cards to accomodate all GSM phones : standard SIM, microSIM, nanoSIM (like the iPhone 5).