I just took the plunge today and invested in the latest and greatest: the Droid X.  After using the htc Incredible a mere 5 weeks ago I was rather blasé about playing with the Droid X.  I was really impressed by the Incredible and the X is just another Android phone, after all.

Well, that’s what I thought until I spent some time with it.  The Droid X has all the features I loved in the Incredible: the “feel” of the touchscreen buttons, “pinch to zoom”, and the voice navigation.  But it had a few extras that actually caused me to reduce the amount of stuff I carry daily- and when I travel.

• It’s a bit larger than most phones right now.  I actually like this as I can type with my thumbs, quickly, on the flat screen.  Not that I do a lot of that because the Swype technology is even quicker! Note: it is quicker on a touchscreen- I think I actually type faster on the Blackberry.
• The 8mp camera is just as good as my small point and shoot- and has a nice variety of settings including black & white, sepia, portrait, macro, steady and flash settings.  Bye, bye little camera.
• The video camera is better than my Flip.  It’s HD and has advanced microphone settings (narrative if you are behind the camera, subject if you want the voice from in front of the camera, outdoors for help with ambient noise) and a light (great for inside pubs!).  Bye, bye Flip! Note:  this is not going to replace a really good video camera- but it’s a great daily.
• If you’re not enough of a road warrior to justify a MiFi the Droid X can act as a 3G mobile hot spot that can be turned on and off.  I adore that…  Note:  you cannot use data and talk at the same time.
• I found a new favorite app (which you can also get for Blackberry, iPhone and other Android devices) that has lightened my wallet.  CardStar (free) consolidates all that information in one place- no more cards in your wallet or hanging from your keychain!  And with the Droid you can also download the Barcode Scanner app and just scan in the information.  No more toting my rewards cards around!
• 16GB Micro SD card included- it’s just nice that I don’t have to buy it separately.
• Unless I am going to be traveling for an extended period and need to write I will actually do all my work from the phone.  I can’t even believe I said that as I am rarely without a laptop!
• The next thing I believe this will replace is my iPod Touch; I just have to find a media storage system that I like.  I’m open to suggestions!

So, there you have the reasons I invested in the Droid X.  Of course I’ll also be investing in chargers- the battery can drain quickly with all those apps, even with the Advanced Task Killer app.

Has your smart phone lightened your load?

Bonus: if you want to learn more about mobile technology there is a great class at the I_Blog Conference!

Disclosure: I have been a Verizon customer for over 5 years (as an AT&T customer previously I have personally found that their coverage doesn’t work many places my family ventures) and have been happy with their extensive coverage areas and products. The products I am talking about today were loaned to me by Verizon Wireless. I did not receive cash or product compensation for this post.

Kauai Hyatt Resort Gardens

The prize includes: one standard hotel room (quad-occupancy) for three nights at a participating Hyatt Resort in North American and the Caribbean selected by the winner, four round-trip coach airline tickets for the winner and three companions via a Sponsor-selected air carrier(s) from the major commercial airport selected by Sponsors, and  a $500 Hyatt gift card to use on the resort location at the selected Hyatt Resort to customize the trip.

Design your dream trip at HyattBestOfAllWorlds. One entry per person.

Contest ends August 31, 2010.  See official rules here.

Contest bonus: The Vacation Gals have a Hyatt Best of All Worlds giveaway going on at their site, too.  You can enter their contest daily!

Thank You #1

Madison bedroom; Omni Hotel

The first TBEX event was hosted at the Omni Berkshire Place. In addition to the beverage tables and yummy food, we got to tour the newly remodeled rooms.  Ahhh… so spacious and calming, even amidst the chaos of a conference.

As people filed in and out I had my own “mini tour” from Caryn Kboudi, the VP of Corporate Communications.  We discussed what we find important in hotel rooms, the fun of traveling with kids and Dallas.

All TBEX attendees who toured the remodeled rooms received a coupon for a one night stay at an Omni hotel.

Thank You #2

As I mentioned, Caryn and I talked about traveling with kids.  I’ll be honest, I never really thought of the Omni as a hotel I would take my kids to.  Then she told me about the Kids Sensory Suites- featuring twin beds with colorful bedding, beanbag chairs, an art table, board games, books cozy bath robes, aquatic-themed bath accessories and a complimentary Kids’ Sensation Bar filled with toys, trinkets and snacks- which sound like a vacation in their own right and the Sensational Kids Program which gives kids a backpack of goodies upon arrival, a suitcase of games and books to “check out” from the front desk and kid friendly dining.

Caryn, true to her word, sent a couple of the backpacks for my girls.

Omni Sensational Kids Packs

It’s always a great day when stuff arrives and the girls spent a very happy afternoon playing with the adventure toys they received… And munching on the Twizzlers!

Twizzlers in the Omni Sensational Kids Paks

Our Sensational Kids paks were packed for adventure!

Handy backpack- with elastic straps for a perfect fit!

Canteen

Flashlight

Disk shooter

Hand held drum

Bookmark with flower seeds

And, of course, the Twizzlers!

A list of the Omni Hotels with Sensational Kids programs are listed on the OmniKidsRule website.  Tip:  even if you’re not staying at the Omni there are lists of what to do and emergency numbers for each city on the Things to Do link!

Thank You #3

I have one big pet peeve when it comes to more expensive hotels- wifi.  So many charge extra for it (while the bargain hotels offer it free).  Omni has addressed that head on…  If you are a member of their Select Guest Loyalty Program wifi is free.  And since joining their loyalty program is also free, you have nothing to lose!  It is really a smart move for a luxury hotel brand and I applaud their initiative!  Tip: join the loyalty program- it has great benefits other than free wi-fi.  BTW:  Wi-fi is $9.95 per day if you are not a Select Guest Loyalty Program member.

We look forward to staying at an Omni Hotel in the near future!

You have to take a little quiz to enter- don’t worry, the answers are practically given to you- and the more you read about this ship the better a cruise sounds!  I love the family-friendliness!

Winner receives: (1) Minimum category balcony stateroom cabin, for two people on a Norwegian Epic 7-day sailing. The Winner can choose either eastern or western Caribbean for their itinerary. Two (2) coach airfare tickets from a major airport near winner’s primary residence in the US to Miami FL .

One entry per person.  Enter the Norwegian Epic Cruise contest.

Contest ends August 24, 2010.  Read the rules.

If you haven’t tried Cozi now is a great time to do so.  With school coming up quickly there is no better time to get organized!  And now every time you do something in Cozi you are entered to win a Hammock Beach™ Resort Summer Vacation Prize: 6 nights in a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom deluxe Suite, including transportation costs, prepaid activities; and a gift basket. (ARV=$4,624).

Yep, each activity in the Cozi calendar or family journal during the sweepstakes period counts as an additional entry- adding a calendar appointment, editing a calendar appointment, creating a new journal entry, editing a journal entry, or sharing a journal entry by email, as a monthly journal newsletter, or as a family website.

Sign up for Cozi today to start earning entries.

Contest ends Tuesday, August 31, 2010.  See contest rules here.

Disclosure:  I am a fan of Cozi; I am not employed by them nor have I been compensated in any way for this post.

Quite often we take trips that bring up the question, “Should we fly or drive?”  In our home this isn’t a question to take lightly; my husband is a contractor so no work = no pay.  Often we fly because the additional expense is less than the loss of income due to an extra day or two on the road.  This decision involves a crazed mathematical equation that looks something like this:

If flight cost  is > cost of gas + food + lodging + extra travel time at Doug’s pay rate then we drive.

If flight cost is  ≤ cost of gas + food + lodging + extra travel time at Doug’s pay rate then we fly.

Don’t forget to figure in checked baggage costs!

But, lately, I’ve noticed a rather disturbing trend that we have had to take into account as our “international” airport is rather small.  If flights are delayed-or, heaven forbid, canceled- it may take an additional day for us to return home.  This has happened on the last two trips I took and has made me look a bit more closely at our drive vs. fly equation.

Something else I’ve noticed, again from our airport, is that driving and flying can often take the same amount of time due to layovers and delays.

So, though it takes more time in the decision, these are the criteria I use for whether my family takes a roadtrip or flies to our destination.  These are in addition to the original equation.

• What is the flight time – including lead time to get to the airport and layovers?
• What is the drive time- including (approximate) potty breaks?
• Will the drive include a hotel stay?  How many nights?  (To destination and return trip.)
• Can we plan return flight for Saturday so if we do have a problem and can’t get home until the next day Doug won’t miss more work?
• Is there anything really interesting that we could experience on a roadtrip that we might not otherwise see?

After figuring the equation and adding in these factors we end up driving more than flying as anything within 12-15 hours is often equal to flight time, with no additional costs, possible delays and lost baggage.

How do you decide whether to fly or drive for your vacations?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Note:  I use AAA’s Trip Gas Price calculator to help determine how much gas will cost.  I can input starting city, destination, and vehicle type.

Photo courtesy of blog.traveloregon.com Click photo to link to blog post

What would you do in Oregon?  Choose between a wine country bicycling tour, a golf getaway or an adrenaline filled adventure!

There are 3 prizes available and each is a bit different so be sure to read the contest rules!  Each prize includes airfare and all include transportation- though the transportation for the cycling tour is a bicycle!

Contest ends July 18, 2010.  One entry per person per category.  You must enter for each category separately; that is three entries.Visit the TravelOregon website to enter.

I recently made my first visit to New York City for a conference.  And while the city was a bit nerve-wracking at first (I truly thought I would be in some sort of auto accident before I even arrived at my hotel) I found it was very easy to navigate.  I did come away with a few tips for the first time visitor.

1)  Plan how you will get to your hotel before you arrive. My biggest worry was how to get to Midtown Manhattan from Newark Airport.  While I could have taken the subway I really didn’t want to drag luggage on and off a few trains and then a few blocks down the street.  Super Shuttle was recommended to me via Twitter by @giuliaccia.  Not only was it inexpensive but it relieved a lot of pre-trip stress.  Note: Stop lights, street markings and turn signals seem more like suggestions than actual rules in NYC.  Don’t panic- your driver is used to the chaos!

2) Get a good subway map. Once you are in New York City it is economical to take the subway.  Each ride is $2.25, but you can buy a 4 ride Metrocard for $8 or a 1-day Fun pass for $8.25.  Seven, 14 and 30 day Metrocards are also available.  You can associate yourself with the New York City subway online (the map can be downloaded in .pdf format) but I recommend picking up a map that shows the subway and streets.  Of all the maps I had the nytab given to me by our hotel was most useful.

3) Know that the taxis take credit cards. Sometimes you just don’t want to take the subway.  It’s too far to walk to the station, you’re tired or it’s late.  NYC taxis now have credit card machines in them- no worries about having enough cash!

4) If you want to take in the sights get a New York City Pass. There are sights that everyone has on their “to bee seen in New York City” list.  The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Empire State Building, the American Museum of Natural History, the MoMA…  The New York City Pass saves you $65 by bundling the attractions together.  You can buy the pass online or at any of the participating attractions.

5) When you tire of running around take a “time out” in Central Park.

Even the most gung-ho traveler needs some down time.  Possibilities are extensive in Central Park. Rent a boat or a bike, see if you can find all the sculptures, rent a model boat and maneuver it, or just wander along the miles of pathways and soak in the quiet peacefulness in the middle of such a busy city.

For more New York City tips from travelers see the comments section of the post Tips for a First Time Trip to New York City. Lots of great input on what to see, what to skip and the best “hidden” places to eat.

New York City Vacations

The prize for 4 includes:

• a four-night stay in a suite for a family of four at The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs
• paddleboat and bicycle rental for each person per day (seasonal)
• breakfast for two adults and two children in Lakeside Terrace daily
• onetime-use passes for two adults and two children to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
• dinner for two adults in Penrose Room, with complimentary childcare services for children ages 3-12 for that time.

You can enter daily! Enter the Broadmoor contest at We Just Got Back.

Contest ends July 31, 2010.  Rules are here.

Not long ago I tried the HP Mini 311 with built in mobile broadband and loved it.  The only downside for my traveling family was that only one of us could use it at a time.  And my husband likes to get online when we travel, too.  Solution: Verizon Wireless Mifi.

Tiny but powerful

This tiny wireless hub can support up to 5 devices at one time.  Laptop, iPod, camera, Nintendo DSi…  And because it works on Verizon’s 3G network you can connect from practically anywhere.

The mifi is easy to set up.  Verizon even has a very nice tutorial page to walk you through the process.  The VZAccess Manager shows you all connections available and will allow you to utilize free wifi so you don’t burn through your data plan.

Best Features:

• small size (like a credit card, but a bit thicker)
• wireless or can be tethered (which will keep the device charged)
• easy set up and easy to change passcode.

Downside:

• as with any wifi, the more people using it the slower it may be
• very rural areas or inside some buildings may not have 3G

Overall I was very pleased with the Verizon mifi and we plan to buy one before our next road trip.  Being able to work while my husband drives is priceless!

Verizon Mifi retails for $269.99.  If purchased with a 2-year contract the device is only $99.99.  At the time of this article there is a $50 rebate.  Monthly data plans begin at $39.99. With hotels charging $10 per day or more and airport wifi averaging $7, this little device will save you money if you travel even one weekend a month.

Disclosure: I have been a Verizon customer for over 5 years (as an AT&T customer previously I have personally found that their coverage doesn’t work many places my family ventures) and have been happy with their extensive coverage areas and products. The products I am talking about today were loaned to me by Verizon Wireless. I did not receive cash or product compensation for this post.