Texas RV Travel blog

I remember when flying was considered a luxury and airlines catered to their passengers with all types of services. Full meals, with a choice of entree, free coffee, juice and soft drinks, snacks, magazines, newspapers, blankets and pillows. In first class, you sat in wide leather seats, were served your food on china, plied with free alcoholic beverages and given hot towels to clean your hands.

Most of these services were free, but they have been phased out, one at a time. Recently, I have heard that airlines have stopped providing blankets and pillows, snacks and free soft drinks. In fact, there is a TV commercial that shows a flight attendant reciting the costs of services while onboard. Even ringing your call button had a minimum charge!  While, I do not think things are this bad (yet), airline travel is becoming very utilitarian as airlines struggle to find solvency and profitability.

Well, now you may carry your own blanket, pillow and foot warmer, no matter what your mode of travel. Choose between black and cranberry cuddlers. When ready to use, just unwrap your Cabin Cuddler, place your feet in the blanket pocket, wrap the cuddler around your body like a coat and you will be warm and cozy. The reversible tote bag turns into a hygienic pillowcase for the inflatable pillow. Blow up the pillow and use it to support your neck, the small of your back or your head.

Carry your comfort with you for only $29.95. Take advantage of the free shipping offer, too.

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My mother, father and older brother and sister were born in New York City. I was the first native born Texan in my family. The first time we visited New York City, I was only five years old and remember being cold, ill, and wondering how Santa Claus was going to find us in a motel in New Jersey. I do remember seeing the Statue of Liberty and visiting family members.

As I grew older, I was happy to visit my family in New York. Growing up within a nuclear family means you miss family reunions, Christmas at Grandma’s and having a safe place to go when you need it. My extended family lived in the Bronx area of NYC. This is a very old part of the NYC and the apartments were built just after WWII. It was always exciting to stay there because you could not plug in more than one appliance at a time or you would blow circuit breakers. However, we could walk to Macy’s and to buy pizza, large hot soft pretzels and Italian ices. I could have lived on those four items.

My mother and I went to New York City three or four times before I left home. Each time, I was a little older and we did more sightseeing. We toured Manhattan and Brooklyn in a double decker bus. I liked the buses much more than the subways. We did use the subways to visit my aunts on my father’s side of the family. We ate lunch in the middle of Manhattan.

One tour gave us a ticket to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but my mom did not like museums, so I went on my own. On the way, I met some young people and found out about all the things to do in New York. I went on a tour of the countryside on a motorcycle with these new friends and saw some truly beautiful lakes and byways within an hour of NYC.

If you are planning to travel to New York or other major city, read the online travel guides at the Trusted Tours & Attractions website. While you are there, make sure you sign up for Trusted Tours & Attractions eNewsletter for a chance to win a $150 iTunes Gift Card!

Happy trails!

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I am the credit card queen. I have an Excel spreadsheet on which I keep track of our credit cards, interest rates, special offers and debt. I visited a website called CreditCardClub that provides credit card reviews. You may find just the card you need on this site. Whether you want a card with no annual fee, low-interest rate, 0% introductory rate, cash-back option, airline mile or gasoline rewards, you will find it. They also offer information on business credit cards as well.

We have a gasoline reward credit card that pays us cash back on the first $100 of gasoline or automotive repairs and maintenance each month. We receive cash back for other purchases, but it is the gasoline reward that sold us on this card. We fill up our truck and our car once a month and receive cash back!

I do not recommend getting into credit card debt, but if you pay off your bill monthly, you may find some deals on this website that allow you to float your debt for 25-30 days. The site is easy to use and they have done all the work. My next credit card is going to be an airline mileage reward card. I have almost enough air miles for two round trip tickets to Hawaii and Kauai is definitely on my “bucket list.”

If this helps you in some way, I am glad.

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Photograph by dufferin on Airstream Forum

The colors of the sky are reflected in the shiny sided Airstream. I love this picture because it shows how close the outdoors are when you are traveling in an RV. You are much more aware of the sky and the wildlife. The focus in an RV is outward.

Photograph from Metro.co.uk

This is the First Lady’s Airstream Trailer so that she may travel in style, even when she is going to foreign locales like Iraq. No traveling with the troops for Mrs. Bush. In her Airstream cocoon, she could be flying anywhere.

The Design Within Reason (DWR) Airstream is16 feet, 7 inches in length and weighs . Although compact, the efficiency of design is simple, yet incredibly functional. The exterior features Airstream’s famously sleek aluminum skin design and custom pull-out awning.

The interior incorporates a new design sensibility, unique materials, and modern classic furnishings — Hellerware indoor/outdoor dinnerware, a Nelson Ball clock, British designer Tom Dixon’s coat rack, and luxurious bedding from Matteo.

UBW (UNIT BASE WEIGHT) 3050 pounds
HITCH WEIGHT 430 pounds
NCC (NET CARRYING CAPACITY) GVWR MINUS UBW 1250 pounds

Copy and pictures of DWR from Airstream, Inc. 2008 Line.

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Dirt Devil has developed a new energy-efficient technology for cleaning that uses 70 percent less energy than other rechargeable vacuums. The AccuCharge technology is available in both a rechargeable stick vacuum and a rechargeable hand vacuum.

The AccuCharge technology is the first cordless cleaning system to earn Energy Star approval. Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Since 1992, the Energy Star program has helped Americans to save money and to help protect the environment through the use of energy efficient products.

The AccuCharge technology in these vacuums charges them twice as fast as other rechargeables, which means you save energy and time. The small profile of both these vacs is perfect for RVs. Space is at a premium in our trailer, so the hand vacuum is perfect for us.

To tell the truth, we do not spend much time cleaning our trailer. I have a back problem which precludes most heavy cleaning and Michael does not clean at all. I guess you could say we save a lot of energy on cleaning!

Talk about saving energy while cleaning, I will never forget one of the first times I went to Michael’s house. We were just starting to date, so he was still trying to impress me. To that end, he was cleaning his home and was going to cook dinner for me. I showed up a little early and found Michael standing in the living room with a leaf blower and wearing a dust mask. He was blowing trash, animal hair and dirt out the back door. I must say it was the quickest house cleaning I had ever seen! Or would have seen, if I did not have a severe dust mite allergy and had to leave immediately.

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