CabCorner: Cab Sharing
Want to reduce the cost of your cab fare to and from work or the airport? Cabcorner.com connects people with similar destinations so they can share taxis, and the fare. Cabcorner.com is also available as an iPhone app.

Bing Maps: Calculate Your Cab Tab
A new feature of Bing, the Bing Map will now help you calculate your cab fare by using estimated pick-up, time traveled, and distance. It will also show you the shortest route, so you don’t waste your money by taking the scenic route.

There are ways to save on travel without having to take a lame vacation. With a little bit of legwork, find out how you can still have fun without breaking the bank.

Cheeps and Twitters
If you’ve been avoiding social media sites such as Twitter, you may want to think again. Many companies now use these networks to market to customers. Jet Blue, for example, “Cheeps” exclusive deals and last minute discounts on Tuesday mornings.

Bucket Shop
Bucket Shops, such as Airbrokers International, offer deeply discounted international airfare. These companies buy blocks of tickets from the airlines, then resell them to individuals and travel agencies. Before buying from a Bucket Shop, verify that they are reputable.

Clear Cache
Who would have thought that clearing your internet browser records could save you money? Well, according to National Geographic Traveler, it can! Apparently, websites you surf and spend money at track your purchases and will actually charge you more based on your spending history. Clearing your cached sites in Internet Explorer is easy. Click on Tools, Internet Options, and select Delete Browsing History.

Sources:
“57 Ways to Cut Vacation Costs”
via National Geographic Traveler

“10 Ways to Cut Your Travel Costs This Year”
via New York Times

Tourists are often targets for thieves because they carry cash and other valuables on their persons. To avoid falling victim, here are several steps you can take.

Use a Money Belt. Money belts are small zippered pouches that fasten around your waist and remain hidden under your pants. Put your cash, passport, and other important personal items in the money belt, instead of carrying a wallet or purse.

Keep Cameras Out of Sight. Don’t leave your camera on the table at a restaurant or sitting next to you at an event. Wear it around your neck or keep it completely out of sight.

Use the Hotel Safe. If you plan on leaving valuables in your hotel room, use the hotel safe.

Don’t Flash the Cash. Keep only a limited amount of cash on you, and when you use it, only pull out what you need, not your entire wad.

Stay Alert. Always be aware of your surroundings, and what is happening around you!

Hiking naturally conjures up images of dense woods, towering trees, and wildlife. A recent article in Eco Salon however, explores the idea of Urban Hiking—exploring cities on foot.

What can an Urban Hike entail?

Explore local markets.

Journey to city parks.

Take your camera and capture the city’s unique architecture.

If the city you are hiking in is known for something in particular, such as antique shops, art galleries, the food and/or wine scene, or museums, “hike” these districts.

In 2009, The Daily Beast compiled data and crunched numbers to determine which U.S. based airlines have the best safety records. The rankings take into account airlines’ accidents and incidents. The data took into consideration both 1 and 5 year records. Their findings, for national carriers, ranked from best to worst, are as follows:

1. AirTran
2. JetBlue
3. Southwest
4. US Airways
5. American
6. Alaska
7. Continental
8. Delta
9. Northwest
10. United

There are plenty of big aggregation sites to help you search for airline tickets. But don’t count out these lesser-known guys.

SkyScanner.Net works by including a wider variety of budget options than the traditional aggregators. SkyScanner also allows you to search rates for an entire year, which is extremely beneficial if you like to book early, or have a flexible schedule.

BudgetFlightFinder.com helps you find budget airlines that fly a specific route.

Tripeedo.com searches across carriers and aggregators and opens their sites on a separate window. This allows travelers to view any advertised specials any flights they might not otherwise see.

The following travel apps will help you plan, navigate, locate, and more, so your vacation is as easy and stress-free as possible.

WorldMate Live
At WorldMate Live, you can create an itinerary, look up a flight status, flight alerts, flight schedules, find hotels, get maps and directions, check the weather, check the time, view exchange rates, and more. WorldMate Live is available for all smartphones, including the Blackberry, iPhone, Windows Mobile compatible devices, and certain Nokia models.

GPSed
Find your position anywhere in the world with this app! Mark your favorite restaurant, or retrace your way back to your hotel—even if you’re without network coverage. You can also add photos to your tracks, add text to your tracks, and share your tracks with other users.

GPSed is compatible with mobile devices equipped with internal GPS receivers, including many models of the iPhone, Blackberry, and Nokia. It is also compatible with mobile devices that have access to external GPS receivers via Bluetooth, and any GPS receivers, such as Garmin, TomTom, and others.

Around Me
With AroundMe, you can quickly find out information about your surroundings. Locate nearby restaurants, hotels, gas stations, supermarkets, hospitals, banks, and more, and AroundMe will show you a complete list by category within a certain distance of where you are.

AroundMe is available for free on iPhone and iPod Touch devices.

BestParking.com is a free search engine that allows users to search for parking rates in most major cities, including New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston. Major airports are searchable as well.

When searching by city, choose daily parking or monthly parking rates and search by neighborhood, address, cross street, or attraction. Details for each parking facility are given, including phone number, capacity, and any type of vehicle restrictions.

When searching airports, both short and long term parking options are available. The airport code is given as well, so you can double check your flight tickets to match codes. A map of the city, with the location of the airport, is also available.

Crater of Diamond State Park
Located in Arkansas, the Crater of Diamond State Park is the only diamond mine in the world open to the public. Bring the entire family here to search over 37 acres of land strewn with diamonds and other rocks and minerals. You keep what you find! Other area attractions include old mining ventures, natural forests, museums, and more. Camping and lodging available nearby.

LL Bean Discovery Schools
With locations throughout the Northeast and Midwest, L.L. Bean offers outdoor adventures for the entire family. Create custom adventures, or choose from individual courses, including fishing, kayaking, bicycling, and more. Walk-in adventures cost only $15 at retail stores.

Family History Library
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City is one of the world’s best places to search for genealogical records. With over 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed records; 727,000 microfiche records; 356,000 books; 4,500 periodicals; and 3,725 electronic resources, you’re sure to find something about your family!

Arcosanti
Seventy miles north of Phoenix, Arizona is an experimental town called Arcosanti. Arcosanti was built as an alternative to urban sprawl and ecologically unsound living practices. You can take guided tours of Arcosanti, or participate in workshops, programs, and other events at the unique town.

While many airports have, or are in the process of implementing, airport-wide free internet access, many more only offer internet access for a fee. If you’re at an airport that requires you to pay for an access code, here are a couple of tips on how to get around the charge.

1. Look for free minutes from Boingo, which provides Wi-Fi at over 500 airports. You can usually find free minutes at airport food establishments and gift shops.

2. Call Boingo, or the airport’s internet provider, directly, and ask for a promotional or complimentary code.

3. Check LoungeGuide.net for airport lounges that offer free internet access.