Avis has simplified the car rental. With WeDriveU, customers are met by an Avis representative at their airline’s baggage claim and given keys to their rental immediately. A rep will also meet you curbside to facilitate an easy return.

In ten key U.S. markets: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., chauffeurs are available. For $30/hour plus a 15% service charge, with a three hour minimum they will take you anywhere within a 60 mile radius of your chosen city.

To qualify, you need to become an Avis Preferred member which is accomplished quickly online and is free of charge.

WeDriveU

Source: Global Traveler

Sanyo has created the world’s first waterproof consumer camcorder and it’s getting good reviews. The Xacti E1 can capture both video and 6 megapixel still images up to 5 feet underwater for 30 minutes. It’s pocket sized, easy to operate and works with both PC and Mac computers. It’s perfect for capturing some footage of a snorkeling or diving trip and it also works just as well on dry land.

$449.88 Amazon

Source: Hemispheres

X-Socks has created two models of sock designed with the needs of travellers in mind. The Travel Comfort sock is light and comfortable. It features an advanced “air-conditioning channel” which keeps feet dry and well ventilated. For long flights, the AirTravel sock has all of the above plus a “smart compression” feature to promote circulation and prevent deep vein thrombosis. They cost $28 and $34, respectively, and come with a 2 year guarantee.

FYI-the photo is just colored to show special features. The actual socks are solid black.

X-Socks

Source: Hemispheres

Finally a camera that can handle your extreme vacations AND your clumsiness!

The 7.1 mega-pixel Olympus Stylus 770SW can withstand 220 pounds of pressure, be taken 33 feet underwater, dropped from 5 feet above and even frozen to 14 degrees Fahrenheit! With an image stabilizer to prevent blurring, a manometer which calculates altitude and depth and an LED illuminator perfect for shooting in low light, all you have to do is point and shoot.

$379.99 Olympus

Source: Outside

GTX Corp is about to unveil their new Xplorer smart sneakers equipped with GPS. Using a Google map you can program boundaries for them and if they leave the set area, a message is sent to a cell phone or computer. The sneakers can be tracked online at any given time and you can also look back at your course after a walk or run to see where you went. Not only will these shoes be great for keeping track of children but they are also a great innovation for backcountry hikers. Without fail, we hear stories of hikers getting lost every year. The sneakers will stay charged for days giving an ample window of time to find a lost explorer.

You can learn more about Xplorer Sneakers on the GTX website and look for them in stores this summer with prices starting at $200.

GTX Corporation

Source: Budget Travel

Sometimes you don’t want to leave your valuables behind for even a second, but what about when you are out on a water excursion? Paqua makes waterproof bags in a variety of sizes to keep everything from your cell phone to your digital camera to your wallet safe and dry. Two of their pouches are even submersible so you can strap them around your waist or over your shoulder and wear them while you dive or swim. Paqua is an Australian company and sells in outdoor shops all over the country. Outside Australia, you can buy the products on many sports outfitter websites that ship internationally. To learn more and for purchase information visit the official website:

Paqua

Source: Vacations & Travel

Go ahead and laugh, but believe it or not, toilets are a culturally defining piece of architecture. Recently, a friend of mine scared me with tales of restrooms she encountered during a trip to China. Still, I think knowing what to expect is half the battle and you have to admit, toilet design offers a truly unique perspective into a foreign country.

If you are intrigued, check out the book “Toilets of the World” by Morna Gregory and Sian James available on Amazon for $11.53 here:

Toilets of the World

Source: National Geographic Traveler

Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine features a popular column called “20 Tips”. Every month, readers send in their advice and the best are chosen and published. What’s in it for the tipsters? A free one year subscription to the magazine and this year, as a bonus, their “Smart Traveler’s Passport” book. The book is a collection of the 399 best tips they’ve received to date. Not bad right?

If you have a good tip e-mail it to Tips@BudgetTravelOnline.com and don’t forget to include your mailing address.

Or mail it to:
20 Tips
Budget Travel
530 Seventh Ave., 2nd Fl.
New York, NY 10018

MTV and Frommer’s have teamed up to produce a line of travel guides. The books focus on the hottest party scenes and adventures for the Tara Reid set. Ok…you might cringe at the section that points you to the totally awesome ruins or the jokes about getting wasted, but I’m all for a little hip travel advice to get young people inspired to move. So far there are 8 guides in print, focused mainly on Europe. They are pricey at $22 a pop but hey, if you’re travelling in Paris Hilton’s crowd, I’m so sure you can afford it!

Frommer’s MTV Travel Guides

No matter how much we love travelling to new places, most of us dread the actual flying segment of a trip. Perhaps that is why, over the years, we’ve lost our sense of wonder when it comes to aircraft. Photographer, Jeffrey Milstein is releasing a new book of pictures he took capturing the undersides of commercial airplanes during takeoffs and landings. The result is a stunning display of color and technology that can only be described as art.

The book, Aircraft, The Jet as Art, is slated for release on May 1, 2007 but Amazon is already accepting preorders.

$19.77amazon.com

Source: CITY Magazine