Stackable cars: the future of transport?

by Neil Woodburn on

It won’t be too far in the future when travelers can step outside an airport, subway, or train station, swipe their credit card, unfold a miniature car, and peel off at 55 m.p.h. Once they arrive at their hotel, they can simply return the car to the nearest lot and be done with it.

City Car, the brainchild of MIT’s Media Labs, is patterned after the very successful Vélib bike program in Paris. Sure, this type of “borrow when you need” system is great for cheap modes of transport like a bike, but can it work at the automobile level?

Investors think it will if the automobiles are a bit more like bikes than cars. And that’s why City Cars are only 5 feet long, powered by electricity, and can be folded up and shoved together like a bunch of shopping carts. In fact, the MIT website actually compares them to airport luggage carts; “users simply take the first fully charged vehicle at the front of the stack,” and off they go.

Look for them getting underfoot in 2011.

Budget Travel seeking writers for 10th anniversary issue

by Neil Woodburn on

If you’ve ever wanted to be a travel writer, there’s never been a better chance than right now.

One of our favorite magazines here at Gadling, Budget Travel, is dedicating their entire 10th anniversary issue (June 2008) to reader submissions. Even the cover photo will be selected from amateur photo hounds (that would be you if you’ve ever submitted a photograph to our Gadling Flickr Pool! Make us proud!)

The editors have created a number of different categories and ideas which will be open for reader submissions. Some of them are list oriented, such as 25 Reasons You Love New York, while others are more detailed essays; Has a Trip Changed Your Life?

If you collect specific souvenirs when you travel, there is a category for you, or if you have ever wanted to review a guidebook then Budget Travel is looking for your thoughts. Even those who do nothing but shop are welcome to submit for the chance to spend $100 of Budget Travel’s money in a “fascinating locale.” All you have to do is tell the editors what you bought.

What a great idea! I’ve never heard of a magazine turning an entire issue over to its readers. For a category like budget travel, however, it makes sense; deals on the road come and go quickly and a volunteer army of travelers is the best way to dig up the very best and the most current.

Save a couple of bucks and fly on the holiday

by Grant Martin on

Flying around Thanksgiving and Christmas is typically the most stressful time of the year to be in the skies, both because of the volume of people in the airports and the egregious ticket prices. Since demand is so high to travel over the days preceding and following the holiday, airlines can get away with robbery.

But loads (and demands) are less strenuous during the holidays themselves; people want to be home with their families over the duration and not stuck in some snowstorm in Chicago. So if you’re really tight on cash but want to get home at least for the day to see mom and dad, try flying the day OF Christmas or Thanksgiving instead of the day before.

Perfect example: I want to fly from O’hare to DC to see my estranged Uncle Barish and drop off his fruit cake. Flying from the 21st (Friday) to the 26th will cost 200$. But if I fly from the 24th to the 25th its 150$.

I know, flying for such a short duration is tough. But if you’re a broke college student (or need an excuse to get back to your friends at home), you can always save a couple of bucks this way.

Southwest airlines to allow higher-paying customers boarding priority

by Catherine Bodry on

Justin covered Southwest Airlines‘ boarding procedures as the company tooled around with changes (here and here). But as the boarding rules changed, one thing remained constant: all citizens were equal on Southwest flights. Here, the economy-class commoners mingled with business-class budgeters. There was no “class warfare” on Southwest, as there were no classes. It was all economy, all the way. No special boarding, and no special treatment.

But although Southwest is maintaining the illusion of a perfect democracy, those with more money will soon be able to board first and get their pick of seats. The airline isn’t adding a First or Business class, and presumably it’s still in the budget-airline category. But it is beginning to cater to business travelers by selling last-minute and more expensive tickets to “business select” travelers. Customers who buy these tickets are automatically placed in the “A” boarding group, which gets to board first. “Business select” travelers even get a complimentary cocktail!

Sounds like a new class has emerged at Southwest after all.

Read the full article here.

Remember Kyla Ebbert, the Southwest Airlines “Skirtgate” girl? Click here to check out her shameless MySpace photos.

Flying courier: can it still be done?

by Grant Martin on

Every so often, the wayward adventure traveler still asks me whether or not its possible to fly courier. That is, a company pays for your plane ticket and you transport an article for them as your checked luggage. They save on shipping and you get to fly somewhere. If you’ve ever seen EuroTrip you know what I mean.

The topic has been discussed ad nauseum across several travel forums, but I’ve never seen a consolidated post about why it’s implausible. Yes, implausible. In fact, damn near impossible. Our friends over at Airfarewatchdog.com have created a very comprehensive post on the topic discussing the fabled fares out there and the companies that claim to deal in them these days.

Fact of the matter is that these days the market is too competitive (both in the airline and the shipping sectors) to support any sort of margin for courier fares. Couple that with added security measures in the last few years and it’s best to just keep an eye out for travel deals. Luckily you have people like George and me for that.