Taking off Travel blog

Whew! Where did the month go? It’s been a while since the last edition of Friday Five, but I’ve got some great ones today.

First, to follow up on Wednesday’s post on the health risks of life on the road, there are some tips on eating well and staying active while traveling. These are from the Independent Traveler site and they cover health tips for the plane, road and hotel. Best tip? Pack an exercise band and download a workout routine to make hotel room workouts easy.

Next, the Wall Street Journal’s Scott McCartney takes another look at what’s happening with airfares. In Airfare Bait and Switch, he points us to an article outlining the rapid changes of fares between the time the passenger sees a fare and makes the purchase. It looks like the computers are running things – a scary thought, if you ask me.

Here’s one for the travel writers – some tips on writing great descriptions from Quips and Tips for Achieving your Goals. It’s a different approach to travel writing, but one that may help if you’re stuck for an idea.

And now for a bit of fun. Today Travel has an article on 5 things you shouldn’t wear on a plane. Along with sensible suggestions for your health, there’s another tip. I won’t ruin it for you, but you might want to rethink those slogan tees.

And finally, some stupid quotes about the environment. Should the speakers have known better? Probably, given that they include former presidents and presidential wannabees. Here’s a taster:

“It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment. It’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.” ~ Dan Quayle

Enjoy!

Tropic Ocean Airways, a private seaplane charter airline, has launched this week. It offers round trip shuttle flights between Key West and Miami, as well as private charters and snorkeling tours to the abundant reefs and islands in the Florida Keys, travel to and from waterfront resorts and complete scuba diving and fishing charter packages through partner businesses in Key West.

What makes Tropic Ocean Airways different is the focus on protecting the environment, according to founder and president Rob Ceravolo. Eco-friendly measures include: capturing fuel during testing, filtering and reusing the fuel to prevent waste and ground seepage; and, the use of special injectors that balance fuel distribution, as well as a high-tech engine monitor that eliminates unnecessary fuel burn, reducing emissions and decreasing fuel consumption.

The airline also buys carbon offsets via TerraPass, making it nearly carbon neutral.

I love Florida, yet I’ve only seen a small part of it. My first trip there was in the 1980s. I’d just started my first job and a few of us decided to book a long weekend in Miami. Truth to tell, I didn’t do much sightseeing then; it was enough for me to be in a different place and soak up the sun. But I made up for it on subsequent trips. The one thing I haven’t done yet is take an eco-tour of Florida, but I’ve been doing a lot of research and I’ve come up with a list of places I’d like to visit. Here are a few of them: Read more »

These days the rising cost of oil, steady erosion of natural resources and climate change are on everyone’s mind. The travel industry has taken notice. In response to growing flocks of truly eco-sensitive tourists, hotels, airplane manufacturers like Boeing, Mexican destination-villagers, and even the United States Government are getting into the show.

Make no mistake. These days “green” equates to cash-on-table for the travel industry, while at the same time tourism-operators do right by savvy customers. It’s pretty dang chic’ to treat Mother Earth with respect whilst out and about frolicking in the surf. Read more »