I Cannot Think of a Worse Way to Wake Up

I am no morning person. The sound of my alarm clock in the morning is worse than the sound of someone running their fingernails down a chalkboard so the Flying Alarm Clock by Hammacher Schlemmer seems like a good contender for the worst invention ever.

This digital alarm clock launches a rotor into the air that flies around the room as the alarm sounds, flying up to 9′ in the air, and will not cease ringing until the rotor is returned to the alarm clock base, compelling even the most stubborn sleepers to get out of bed on time.

Seriously? They want me to hop out of bed to a jolting sound of an alarm and play frisbee?

And They’re Off…

 

Alright, I’m going to let you guys in on another “insider” secret. We (Destination) will be awarding our first annual Trip Legend Award this April to encourage and reward audacious travel adventures by honoring the most legendary trip of the previous year, inspiring others to explore beyond the standard conventions of recreational travel.

We researched the web and read numerous travel stories and have decided that this year’s award will be given to Zach Levenburgh and Graham French of who, in 2006, set foot on a voyage to ; the longest moped trip in history. Their five month, 13,000 mile trip to the southern most tip of South America at speeds of around 30 miles per hour is a testament that travel is not solely about the destination.

 

So you are probably wondering why I am telling you this a month ahead of time… turns out, Zach and Graham shot video of their entire trip last year in hopes of producing a movie documentary. Their documentary dreams were crushed after a mugging in the last 48 hours of their trip when their last two weeks of footage was stolen along with a passport, check card, digital DV camera and many other things.

So Zach and Graham are leaving today and flying to Buenos Aires with their mopeds and they will be spending the next three weeks shooting the footage to complete their film. They will be back at the end of the month and plan to release the documentary this summer along with a photo book.

They have dedicated 6 months of their time on this project and in speaking with them you can truly see their desire to share their trip with the world. Their determination will not allow this movie to not be made and is a huge testament to fulfilling ones dreams and making awesome things happen. In order to hit the area in the appropriate season and time frame, they are leaving the country with very few funds and they are reaching out to their future viewers for help in funding the rest of a movie not yet finished. If you would like to help them complete their dream, they have set up a PayPal donation account here.

If you have a travel story that you feel is label or Trip Legend Award worthy, send it to us at info[at]destination-nation[dot]com.

And here is their just released movie trailer:

What Time is it in Kalamazoo?

If you travel a lot, or make lots of calls outside your timezone, and you are like me, you spend an enormous amount of time trying to figure out what time it is where. And if your like me, you usually calculate it wrong.

Moss has a great idea in their World Time Clock. This 12 sided clock has a city in each time zone placed along the outside which denotes the 12 o’clock marker for the city on the face.

Now if I could only remember what cities are near the 12 cities on the clock.

Nonsense

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” – Dr. Suess

What a Monday!

I came in to the office today to a fresh copy of Launchpad Magazine featuring Destination!

AND, I was already in a good mood because I listened to Matt & Kim on the way to work!

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Baggage

Last year I had the most successful year when it comes to checking bags and having them actually appear at my destination.

I was actually getting to the point of being surprised IF my luggage appeared rather than disappointed if it was lost. However, after arriving on the other side of the world in 1999 only to find out my luggage decided not to leave the US, I vowed I would start traveling light and only taking what I could carry on.

As you know, on August 10th of 2006, the airlines banned liquids and since I was traveling on August 11th with about 300 sample bottles of shampoo, I had to break my rule and check some things. I am delighted to say [and probably cursing my next flight] that since that day in August, the airlines have not lost my luggage.

The airlines just announced that in 2006 they “mishandled” a measly 3.5 million bags. 3.5 million bags? Come on!

Now I am sure this ENORMOUS number has a lot to do with the fact that all of a sudden everyone was practically forced to check a bag due to security but at the same time, isn’t it the airline’s responsibility to not only take us where we are going but our luggage as well?

There are a few things you can do to prevent your bags from getting lost and make your bags more travel savvy…

– Luggage Tags: it sounds ridiculous but i can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone open their suitcase at the baggage claim to ensure that it was theirs – I guess they didn’t realize that if it was lost no one would never know who’s it was

– In addition to an outside luggage tag, attach a luggage tag inside your suitcase. The inside luggage tag isn’t going to rip off and will work as a last resort in getting your bags back to you.

– Personalize Your Bag: I flew into a real small airport to meet my parents awhile ago and greeted them at the baggage claim area. When the belt started, my father said I should go closer to the baggage carousel so I could see when my bag came out. I assured him I was fine where I was. In the sea of all black suitcases, my teal and white flowered suitcase with pink stickers all over it screamed. I have almost customized it to the point of ridiculousness but I cannot tell you how much of a difference it makes.

– Ship It: If you are short on time for your trip, or you don’t feel like wasting time at the baggage carousel, ship your items that can’t be carried on. Hotels will accept shipments for arriving guests (you may want to forewarn them of its arrival though).

– Avoid it: Airline restrictions are constantly changing but as it stands now you can carry on liquids that are in bottles of 3 ounces or less. Buy travel sizes of your favorite products. As a matter of fact, we are working on a Destination travel kit that holds all of the essentials in a TSA approved carry bag. I’ll keep you posted on that before its release.

Any of you have lost luggage stories?

Did Any of You Score?

I am curious if any of you out there were able to get your hands on one of the 500 copies of ALL GONE BOOK. I’d like to hear what your thoughts are.

 

 

 

 

All Gone is a self proclaimed “bible for the streetwise” that pays homage to 180 collectors products that launched during 2006 to include sneakers, designer toys, tees, skates and collectibles. From the pictures, it looks like a beautifully executed book featuring A bathing ape, Alife, Amos, Clot, Crooks & Castles, DC Shoes, Futura Laboratories, Huf, Ice Cream, Jordan, Medicom Toy, Nike, OriginalFake, Revolver, SBTG, Silly Thing, Supreme and Undefeated to name just a few.

 

And, it features original artwork from KAWS, Futura, Delta, Michael Lau and James Jarvis.

 

 

 

 

All 500 copies are gone! Please let me know if you scored one… I’m jealous.

Where Do I Put My Drink?

Elsewares.com has these nifty Street Sign Coasters that your guests will go wild for. These stylish coasters are independently handmade from salvaged American street signs and carefully finished and sealed by hand.

A Must, Must, Must See: Body Worlds 2

Did you know?
Beards are the fastest growing hair. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it could grow to 30 feet over the course of his lifetime.

 

Body Worlds 2, The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies, is currently at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. The Body Worlds exhibitions are first-of-their-kind exhibitions through which visitors learn about anatomy, physiology, and health by viewing real human bodies, using an extraordinary process called Plastination a groundbreaking method for specimen preservation invented by Dr. von Hagens in 1977. BODY WORLDS 2 features more than 200 real human specimens, including whole-body plastinates, individual organs, organ configurations and transparent body slices. The exhibition also allow visitors to see and better understand the long-term impact of diseases, the effects of tobacco consumption and the mechanics of artificial supports such as knees and hips. To date, more than 20 million people around the world have viewed the BODY WORLDS exhibits.
Not only do you learn all kinds of stuff about the body you live in everyday, its pretty cool.-amy

Because the iPhone is so Last Week

LG Electronics and PRADA unveiled another touch screen mobile phone right in the heals of the giant iPhone announcement. The PRADA Phone by LG (KE850) introduces advanced touch interface which eliminates the conventional keypad making the overall usage experience a highly tactile one. An extra wide LCD screen maximizes visual impact, allowing the user to benefit from several key features of the phone, including the 2 megapixel camera featuring Schneider-Kreuznach lens, video player and document viewer capacity. Above all, these features contribute to the phone’s beautifully sleek and simplistic appearance.

Glowing icons on the face of the phone disappear when not in use to reveal a pure, un-adulterated black exterior. The phone is ultra thin (just 12 mm), nonetheless it hosts an array of additional multimedia functions, including an MP3 player and a music multitasking function for messaging. It also boasts an external memory slot, allowing the user to increase memory capacity for images, music and film clips.

See it and read all about it here.