Flipbac – a mega useful camera accessory for spies and tourists alike

by Annie Scott on

Ladies and Gentlemen, behold the Flipbac.

The “Flipbac Angle Viewfinder and LCD Screen Protector for Digital Cameras” is a little mirror on a hinge that attaches easily to any digital camera to make it possible to “shoot from the hip,” as they say. Snapped shut, it looks nice and tidy, and protects your LCD screen from scratches, smudging, and lipstick from your purse.

This reminds me of the kinds of toys I had for playing “spy” as a kid, only it’s for grownups, it’s useful, and it’s totally respectable-looking. You can use the FlipBac to take photos from the ground or around a corner, and if you hold your camera upside down, the Flipbac enables you to take photos from high overhead! Useful in airport bathrooms. Wait … no. Forget that.

You could get this for your next vacation to Banff or your next trip to the pub. It would also make a good gift, especially for someone who’s about to travel somewhere (and has an LCD display camera – most are compatible, list here). It’s only $19.99 and $5 shipping to anywhere in the US. Get one for me here.

Virtuous bicycling is one way to help the environment

by Jamie Rhein on

Even though gas prices have dropped considerably (a gallon of gas is $1.77 not far from my house) conserving energy and protecting the environment is still a concern. In Washington, D.C., bicycle commuting has grown considerably as a viable way to get from Point A to Point B.

Anyone living in an urban environment knows that bicycle commuting can create traffic problems even though they solve many problems. This video documentary created for Round 2 of the YouTube and Pulitzer Center “Project:Report” competition looks at the issues about bicycle commuting in D.C, but they could be applied to any city.

When I watched the video, it did give me the feeling that I really ought to bicycle to places more than I do. Since I never bicycle anywhere, an increase wouldn’t take much. When I lived in Denmark, riding a bicycle was how I got to the train station in the town where I lived–even in the winter. It was a sane way to live.

The sounds of travel: What to listen to when road trippin’ in the USA

by Annie Scott on

Here at Gadling we’ll be highlighting some of our favorite sounds from the road and giving you a sample of each — maybe you’ll find the same inspiration that we did, but at the very least, hopefully you’ll think that they’re good songs. Got a favorite of your own? Leave it in the comments below and we’ll post it at the end of the series.

“Do you like American music?
I like American music.
Don’t you like American music?
Baby-yyyyyy…”
–The Violent Femmes, American Music

For those who are gearing up to travel the vast roadways of America by car, we have here a list of appropriate music to make you feel relaxed, at peace with the road, and good’n American. Though you may be traveling for the holidays, we’ll exclude holiday music. You’ll hear it at every gas station.

The obvious first choice for pulling out of the driveway is America by Simon and Garfunkel:


Even the street on which you live looks a little more ripe with possibility when that song plays.


Once you head out into the amber waves of grain and the fruited plains, it’s a great time for expansive music like that from accidentally Canadian Joni Mitchell. I recommend Urge for Going, Heijira, and You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio. And those are just a couple of her travel-themed hits.

Going through the purple mountains’ majesty? Forests? (Yeah, “America the Beautiful” totally skipped the forests.) Try the soundtrack to Field of Dreams, composed by James Horner. It will fill you with wonder. Here, watch somebody on YouTube play The Drive Home. Want lyrics?

Next, get out some Bob Dylan and play Tangled Up in Blue. Make sure you dig through your classic rock collection. Especially as you pass through strange towns and cities, The Eagles, Guns and Roses, Jimi Hendrix, and Journey all take on a strange, retro-poignance.

Lastly, though it’s downright un-American, The Beatles are great for road trips. Everyone sings along, and if you’re really up in arms about the Britishness, you can get the soundtrack to Across the Universe with all the new covers.

Drive safe!

Click here for previous Sounds of Travel.

How will your holiday travels go? Do some research with the Holiday Travel Cutback interactive graphic

by Anna Brones on

For me to get home for Thanksgiving, I’m lucky enough to only have to take Amtrak. Even though train stations are popping at the seams with travelers during the November holiday weekend, airports are even worse. And this year is no different.

As a matter of fact, during this year’s Thanksgiving and Christmas travel periods, airlines will operate about 2,500 to 3,000 fewer domestic flights than compared with the same periods in previous years. That means that one way or another, you’re probably going to be affected. To visualize just how your travel plans might be impacted, USA Today’s travel blog Today in the Sky has put together an interactive graphic to show how flight cutbacks by airlines could affect your travel choices.

The graphic can be used to find flight changes for select days from every domestic airport with flights to the following seven hubs: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston (Bush) and Minneapolis-St. Paul. The map is dotted with red and green squares to signify fewer or more flights to the hub, making it pretty simple to see what routes are going to be more problematic. But if you’re lucky, you’ll find that your particular route has that great green box, meaning that you’ll actually be able to take advantage of more flights to get you home for the holidays.

To check out the graphic for yourself, click here.

How To Prevent Airline Seats From Reclining

by Mike Barish on

Gadling has covered everything from travelers’ preferred airline seat positions to middle seat etiquette. But now we’ve discovered a traveler who has taken matters into his own hands and gone guerilla on people reclining their airline seats.

(Note: Gadling does not promote or condone any behavior that violates airline policies and procedures. We are, however, amused by this.)

Artist/Blogger Evan Roth really hates when people recline their seats on airplanes. So, with the help of a zip-tie and some good old fashioned ingenuity, he rigged the seat in front of him to remain upright. Rude? Sure. Vandalism? Maybe. Hilarious? Abso-f’n-lutely.

The plan is beautiful in its simplicity and it’s not like he endangered his fellow travelers or put the flight in peril. I’d be pissed if he did it to my seat but I can sleep just about anywhere, including upright plane seats, so I probably wouldn’t even notice. Besides, there are other ways to sleep on planes.

Kudos to you, Evan. And I hope the rest of you don’t get any ideas.