Planning a July4th, Summer Getaway? Roadtrippers Can Guide the Way

Roadtripping in Cody Wyoming, check out the Big Boy Statue on the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway.

CINCINNATI – Planning a trip to celebrate July 4th holiday or a getaway this summer is easy with Roadtrippers Autopilot™. Roadtrippers has long been a popular planning app for travelers heading out in their automobiles, RVs and motorcycles. The app makes it easy to find fun activities, accommodations and more during the Independence Day celebrations.

With more than 38 million trips planned on the platform and powered by patent-pending AI technology, Autopilot makes personalized road trip recommendations based on interests and travel style, suggesting accommodations, meals, routes and stops along the way. The app makes it simple to plan a trip and then navigate with a car or RV using CarPlay through an Apple device such as an IPhone or the vehicle’s compatible device.

Travelers also have a large number of Extraordinary Places to visit on any road trip. This unique feature helps map out a personalized trip with recommendations for stops at sites suited to their travel styles. Fans of quirky stops are especially attracted to this feature, and a recent article from Roadtrippers features America’s weirdest, wildest and raddest roadside attractions with profiles of Carhenge, The International Banana Museum, Salvation Mountain and The Enchanted Highway.

Here are some suggested locales for travelers to check out this July 4:

Traverse City, Michigan

Traverse City is in northern Michigan (but not on the Upper Peninsula) on Lake Michigan. Like many towns, its July 4 celebration features a parade, entertainment and fireworks. What sets it apart, however, is the National Cherry Festival, a week-long extravaganza featuring cherry products and themed activities.

An Extraordinary Place to check out: World’s Largest Cherry Pie Pan.

South Lake Tahoe, California

Located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and straddling the California/Nevada border, Lake Tahoe is 6,225 above sea level. The area is probably best-known for its winter sports, especially alpine skiing. Summer is a blast as well, with “Lights on the Lake Fireworks” wowing the public on the beaches, in boats on the water and at strategic spots on the surrounding hills.

An Extraordinary Place to check out: Marion Steinbach Indian Basket Museum.

Williamsburg, Virginia

For those looking for a July 4 celebration that is more about history than most, Colonial Williamsburg has it. Activities include theater performances and music featuring the Star-Spangled Symphony and the Virginia Arts Festival Big Band. Don’t worry, the Lights of Freedom fireworks display is a nod to modern tastes, but it does conclude with a reading of the Declaration of Independence by a Thomas Jefferson reenactor.

An Extraordinary Place to check out: Jamestown Settlement

South Padre Island, Texas

They love their pyrotechnics on South Padre Island so much that they are known as “The Fireworks Capital of Texas.” Naturally, this town on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico does the 4th of July up right. Festivities kick off at 9 a.m. with a beach parade and end with fireworks over the bay at 9:15 p.m.

An Extraordinary Place to check out: The Freddy Fender Museum.

Cody, Wyoming

This town of just 10,000 people celebrates Independence Day starting June 30 with the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Rodeo, featuring some of the top bull riders in the world. Cody Stampede Rodeo performances are staged on Saturday, July 1, through Tuesday, July 4, with the final night capped by a fireworks show. They also like their parade so much that they have three parades, including one on July 4 with a grand marshal. This year it’s Daniel Lawrence Whitney, better-known as “Larry the Cable Guy.”

An Extraordinary Place to check out: The Big Boy Statue on the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway west of town.

Denver, Colorado

The Mile-High city starts celebrating early with “Independence Eve” featuring live music, food and outdoor activities followed by fireworks July 3 in Civic Center Park. The Cherry Creek Arts Festival is an easy drive or bus ride away and is a multi-day juried show with top-notch artists displaying and selling their creations.

An Extraordinary Place to check out: The Molly Brown House Museum. (As in the “Unsinkable” woman who survived the Titanic disaster).

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Is there a more appropriate place to celebrate Independence Day than the city where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed? Philly features a multi-day celebration with visits to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and an array of establishments making the city’s famous cheesesteaks. Finish up with a free concert and fireworks over the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

An Extraordinary Place to check out: The Larry Fine Mural.

About Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is a road trip planning app, helping people experience the world around them in an entirely new way by streamlining discovery, planning, booking and navigation into an engaging and intuitive process. Roadtrippers has helped users plan more than 38 million trips across 7 million points-of-interest and covering more than 42 billion miles.

To learn more about Roadtrippers, visit www.roadtrippers.com.

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Skyscanner: Americans to Boost Travel in 2023 But Seek Out Value, Experiences, Sustainability

According to Skyscanner survey of Americans, more travelers intend to travel in 2023 but look for value and experiences and will seek out travel companies like Alpaca Expeditions, which offers Inca Trail treks to Machu Picchu, Peru, a World Heritage Site, based on offering responsible, sustainable travel © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

New research from global travel site Skyscanner reveals that US vacationers are expecting another strong year of travel despite economic uncertainty, but price-led decision making will drive change in 2023. With 86% of US travelers planning to spend the same if not more on travel abroad next year, how they are going to spend will differ. The extent of these changes is revealed in Skyscanner’s detailed Travel Trends 2023 report. 

Key trends to come out of the report show that US travelers don’t want the vacation to stop on a Monday morning, but to work where they could vacation and work too. US travelers are also craving experiences grounded in nature and wellbeing. A way to reset and feel normal again. Expect friends to ditch each other in favor of solo adventures, indulge in sneaky smartphone travel searches in the workplace and vacationers navigating the cost-of-living crisis to ensure their time away remains a priority.  

For travel in 2023, there’s a lot we want to do differently and some bold expectations on what future travel will entail. Future gazing sees one in three people expecting vacations amongst the stars to be a mainstream reality in their lifetime, while closer to home, advances in supersonic technology could re-define short-haul travel. 

Naomi Hahn, VP of strategy comments, “It is clear that we’re hungrier than ever to discover something new – even though we might have less in our pockets next year. The aftermath of a pandemic has made travelers look for ways to make up for lost time and create new experiences and memories. 

“Consumers are putting value first, post pandemic. The squeeze on personal spending has shown that consumers will still prioritize getting away but are increasingly shopping around on metasearch platforms like Skyscanner. They are also employing simple travel hacks to ensure they get the most for their money, like being flexible in terms of dates and destination. The year looks set to be a year of new discoveries as emerging, pocket friendly destinations come to the fore.” 

Skyscanner commissioned its deep-dive research into consumer attitudes and behaviors, combined with proprietary search and booking insights, to reveal its travel predictions. Skyscanner’s report, Travel Trends 2023: The year of price-driven decisions analyzes survey data from 2,000 consumers in the US as well as extensive search and redirect data to provide unique insights into travel plans for 2023 and beyond.  

Key trends revealed:  

Travel remains a priority: Consumers today look to make better, more informed decisions about their discretionary spend, recent polling revealed: 46% of consumers are planning the same number of vacations in 2023 as 2022, and 41% are thinking of even going on more trips next year. Just 6% are planning to vacation less in 2023. The rising cost of living is still a concern, but 62% have decided to prioritize vacations next year over other big-ticket items.  

Shift in spending: 86% of US travelers are planning to spend the same if not more on travel abroad next year, while only 5% are planning to spend less. Travelers are increasingly demanding greater ticket transparency, as well as taking control of the value in their airfares, unbundling of price to build packaged airfares that suit their needs.   

Best value destinations for 2023: Skyscanner, which helps travelers compare pricing or choose travel based on budget, can also reveal the destinations that have seen the biggest price drops since pre-pandemic are: 

1. Madeira, Portugal – 22% price drop   
2. Sofia, Bulgaria – 18% price drop  
3. Brussels, Belgium – 13% price drop 

Skyscanner’s 2023 hotlist: Travelers are increasingly on the hunt for less popular places that offer undiscovered experiences and unlock better value breaks. In fact, Skyscanner’s ‘Everywhere’ search is regularly in the top searches post pandemic. Check out some of the destinations that have seen the biggest increase in searches: 

Family hot list: 

• Jacksonville, USA (570% increase in searches)  
• Izmir, Turkey (168% increase in searches)  
• Madeira, Portugal (123% increase in searches)  

Couples’ hotlist:  

• Minneapolis, USA (409% increase in searches)  
• Preveza, Greece (316% increase in searches)  
• Santiago de Compostela, Spain (289% increase in searches)  

Solo traveling is no longer a niche; over one half of travelers (54%) are looking to escape solo next year. Divorcees (78%) ranked among the highest in their readiness to embark on a solo vacation in 2023 and look set to form a new trend of travelers who are ‘solo and self-focused’.  With an increasing number of friendship apps launched and platonic versions of dating apps growing in popularity, there is also the opportunity to hook up with new travel friends and companions. 

Sustainability; Sustainable travel continues to grow in consideration for travelers’ decision making: for more than 1 in 4 (24%) it’s even more important now, than prior to the pandemic. With price-led decision making and sustainable travel both top of mind, 11% are considering new, alternative destinations for their next trip.

Nature first; Wildlife spotting appears in the top 3 travel activities planned for vacations, suggesting the pandemic’s emphasis on getting outside for walks and connecting with the local environment is now transferring as a key component of travel plans.  Interacting with the environment and watching animals has mood-boosting properties.  Skyscanner recommends getting amongst green nature and experiencing the meditative effects of Shinrin-yoku, a new wellness trend that literally means ‘forest bathing’ in 2023. 

Making work work for you (and your wallet): 45% of Americans surveyed plan to work while on vacation next year (“bleisure travel”), a strategic move for which the top reason is ‘it means I get more time in destination’ (59%). Cross-referencing the long list of countries that now offer digital nomad visas with their cities’ cost of living index unearths a selection of savvy options for 2023. All cheaper than London’s cost of living index, Skyscanner’s favorites include: 

1. Mexico City, Mexico – Skyscanner has also seen a 591% increase in searches 
2. Zagreb, Croatia – Skyscanner has also seen a 344% increase in searches 
3. Madrid, Spain      

Sneaky smartphone searches & social media’s influence; 2 out of 3 US travelers now use a mobile device to plan or book their next trip, with the most popular moment being during work hours or lunch break. Celebs are the number one source of travel inspiration in the US with Instagram being the most FOMO inducing – 52% of travelers stated they’re more likely to book a trip if they’ve seen it on the platform.  

• So, for those wanting to get ahead of the Insta trend, Skyscanner can reveal their top spot for 2023 is Amman, Jordan (based on least amount of Instagram hashtags cross referenced x 195% increase in Skyscanner searches). 

Future travel; 2053 will mark 150 years of the Wright Brothers first airplane flight, a lot has changed since then and travelers are expecting significant developments to be mainstream when hitting that milestone in 30 years’ time.  

• One in three people (34%) expect to vacation amongst the stars in their lifetime, climbing aboard space craft for Earth sight-seeing day trips to the edge of space and longer trips beyond 
• Advances in supersonic technology could re-define short-haul travel and Skyscanner’s report reveals 32% of travelers believe it will be a mainstream flight option in the future 

Skyscanner’s new consumer research also reveals hot new trends around destinations and embracing “me-time”. From solo to supersonic travel, working while wandering the globe and social media’s influence on vacation selection, check out these and other findings in the full Travel Trends 2023: The year of price-driven decisions report.

Founded in 2003, Skyscanner is a leading travel marketplace dedicated to putting travelers first. Skyscanner helps millions of people in 52 countries and over 30 languages find the best travel options for flights, hotels and car rental every month. Skyscanner is available on desktop, mobile web and its highly rated app has over 110 million downloads. Working with 1200 travel partners, Skyscanner’s mission is to lead the global transformation to modern and sustainable travel.   

According to Skyscanner’s executives, the most popular search is for “anywhere. Our mission is to inspire.”

Visit Skyscanner.com

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Suiteness Startup Suite Contest Gives Startups Chance to Win Stay in Silicon Valley, Mentor with Top VCs

Silicon Valley: Luxury travel company Suiteness has launched Suiteness Startup Suite, a contest offering startups the chance to win a complimentary three-night stay in San Francisco plus one-on-one mentoring sessions with leading venture capitalists. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

OAKLAND, CA – Oakland-based luxury travel company Suiteness has launched Suiteness Startup Suite, a contest offering startups the chance to win a complimentary three-night stay at the acclaimed Hotel Zeppelin, San Francisco. This travel experience will also include one-on-one mentoring sessions with leading venture capitalists to learn best practices and investment pitching strategies including:

• Eric Weisen, General Partner at Bullpen Capital
• Ludwig Ensthaler, Partner at Global Founders Capital
• Eric Scott, Partner at SciFi VC
• Boris Silver, Co-Founder and President at FundersClub.

Suiteness is an online booking service for exclusive luxury hotel suites and multi-room accommodations.  The Y-Combinator graduate who recently expanded to the San Francisco area is now offering hundreds of glamorous suites and connecting rooms giving business and leisure travelers the space they need and want when they travel.

To enter Suiteness Startup Suite, participating startups must submit a one minute video describing why their team needs to come together in San Francisco – whether it be to pitch Silicon Valley-based VCs, attend a conference or simply escape for a much-needed company offsite. All entries will then be shared with the public for community voting, during which period, startups are encouraged to promote and share their entries to receive votes. The selected winner will be announced on Friday, October 20^th, 2017.

“Suiteness understands the struggles of growing and scaling a new business,” says Suiteness CEO Robbie Bhathal. “It is an exciting experience, but it’s also a stressful one. We believe that connectivity is crucial for young companies to exchange ideas and jumpstart new innovation. Our goal is to bring teams together so that they can succeed at their entrepreneurial goals while also getting a much needed stress reliever.”

Startup Suite Contest Details and Deadlines:

• Phase 1: Application
  • Upload a video no longer than one minute to YouTube, Instagram or Vimeo, and share why their startup needs to stay together in San Francisco
  • September 7, 2017, to October 6, 2017, at 11:59 PM CDT
• Phase 2: Voting
  • Share entries with everyone in their community asking for votes. Companies are encouraged to promote entries via email or via social media channels using the hashtag #StartupSuite
  • October 7, 2017, to October 20, 2017, at 11:59 PM CDT

To apply: https://www.suiteness.com/blog/suiteness-startupsuite

Link to video: https://vimeo.com/231952183#at=3

Suiteness is an online booking platform that allows users to access an inventory of thousands of exclusive luxury hotel suites. Suites range from standard one-bedrooms to spacious apartment-style stays with multiple attached rooms. The company is carving a niche for itself in the international travel industry as the leading website dedicated solely to luxury suites and is finding success with group travelers and families looking for a nice place to stay together.

Suiteness was launched in 2015, with funding and support from investors including Y-Combinator, Structure Capital and Keystone Capital. The platform currently has access to 30,000 luxury suites in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Chicago, and London. The company is expanding its suite inventory rapidly in key markets across the world.

For more information on Suiteness, visit http://www.suiteness.com.

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New Smartphone App Provides Audio Guides to America’s National Parks

A new GPS-powered mobile app from Just Ahead turns smartphones into hands-free audio tour guides of America’s national parks.

A new GPS-powered mobile app from Just Ahead turns smartphones into hands-free audio tour guides of America’s national parks.

Just Ahead’s app and audio guides work even where cell phones, Internet, and Wi-Fi won’t, to stream interesting stories spliced with geography, history, and even driving directions while cruising through a national park.

One example is Just Ahead’s Death Valley National Park audio guide, which recently garnered the Best Travel App award from the North American Travel Journalists Association. This award is due, in part, to the levels of professional travel writing and narration that present the myriad stories of each national park. Content writer and editor Bob Howells has twice won the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Lowell Thomas Gold Award for adventure travel writing.

“Our aim is to give travelers and their families an entertaining and educational travel experience,” underscored Just Ahead founder Gregory Morse. “We think the Just Ahead app and audio guides encourage exploring and getting off the beaten track. You’re engaged at the same time you’re learning.”

Just Ahead utilizes GPS technology to know exactly where drivers are on the road, and delivers stories and maps relevant to their location. Just Ahead also helps drivers avoid getting lost by providing helpful suggested directions. Just Ahead tells drivers why they should turn or not, what they should do after a turn, and recommends the best direction to take if there are multiple route options.

As of mid-winter 2015, Just Ahead apps are available for the following parks: Yosemite, Zion and Cedar Breaks, Bryce Canyon, Joshua Tree, and Death Valley. An additional 12 national park guides are in production, including Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Petrified Forrest, Canyon De Chelly, Monument Valley, and Mesa Verde – with many more to come.

Just Ahead started with US national parks because they are treasured natural assets that are visited each year by 292 million people from around the world (2014 set a record for national park visitation). But the company intends to go beyond the parks. In the future, Just Ahead will offer guides for other major road trip destinations, including California Highway 1, Route 66, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Hawaiian Islands, and many others.

The Just Ahead app is a free download, and each destination guide is available as an in-app purchase. Guides range from $7.99 – $9.99 and include a free trial and free guide updates.

For more information, visit: http://www.justahead.com.

 

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CellarPass Offers New Online Search for Tasting Room, Food and Wine Events, Reservation and Ticketing Service

You know “you have arrived” when you show up at a trendy winery or artisanal distillery tasting room and your name is listed on the plaque out front.

That’s the “cherry on top” of a great vacation, and it’s one of the fringe benefits of an innovative web-and app-based service called CellarPass, the first online tasting room and food and wine events search, reservation and ticketing service.

Visitors need never again be turned away or forced to wait to taste at the most in-demand wineries, breweries and distilleries. The CellarPass service allows users to book their own experiences when it suits them, right from a computer, tablet or Smartphone in advance or even on-the-go. CellarPass member destinations greet their reservation guests in their own special way, too: some offer a special bottling with a tasting flight, add chocolates to a tasting, or announce their visit on a plaque out front. CellarPass gives visitors an instant “in,” and they love it.

The best part – the service is free to travelers.

How CellarPass works: With just a few simple clicks or swipes of a finger, wine, beer and spirits lovers can search the venues they want to visit, consult actual visitor reviews, reserve tasting and tour times, map locations, and even navigate directly to the destination with turn-by-turn directions delivered right to their devices. More of a last minute planner? With CellarPass’ “Nearby” function, iPhone and iPad users can view offerings within a specified distance from their exact location and book on the go.

With the recent launch of CellarPass’ ticket service, users also have access to a menu of special tastings, pairing dinners and other exclusive wine country events – all in one place.

CellarPass helps make a dream food and wine vacation hassle-free. Check it out at www.cellarpass.com.

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Just in Time for Family Summer Vacation Travel, Disney Records Brings Magic of ‘Frozen’ to Innovative Karaoke App for iPad

The “Disney Karaoke: Frozen” app, available on iPad, enables kids (of all ages) to listen, sing along, and record their own voice through an assortment of nine songs from the film (photo courtesy of Disney Publishing Worldwide).

Just in time for the summer family vacation travel season, Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) and Walt Disney Records announced today the launch of “ Disney Karaoke: Frozen ,” an app based on the highest grossing animated film of all time, Frozen. “ Disney Karaoke: Frozen ” will be available in the Music and Entertainment categories of the App Store℠ with movie clips and nine original songs from the film that are featured in the triple Platinum-selling soundtrack from Walt Disney Records.

The “Disney Karaoke: Frozen” app enables kids (of all ages) to listen, sing along, and record their own voice through an assortment of nine songs from the film, including “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?,” “For the First Time in Forever,” “Love is An Open Door,” the Academy Award-winning hit, “Let It Go,” and more. To further enrich the consumer experience, the app allows fans to follow the lyrics with a snowflake and save recordings to a gallery. It can also be used with AirPlay®, offering singers the opportunity to play the music on television screens in their living room or hotel room, as it may be.

What a better way to keep kids entertained on car trips or at the airport or on the airplane or settling into a new hotel?

“ Disney Karaoke: Frozen ” is the next installment in a growing collection of digital apps by DPW that invites fans of all ages to re-live the stunning big-screen comedy adventure featuring fearless optimist, Anna, and her sister, Elsa. “ Frozen Storybook Deluxe ” was the first to launch in the collection and has since hit the Top 10 iPad Kids Category for downloads in 114 different countries and a Top 10 iPad Entertainment Category for downloads in 118 different countries. Later this year, additional Frozen apps will be unveiled to extend engagement of the franchise through unique and immersive digital storytelling.

“As we continue to extend Disney franchises across digital platforms, there is nothing more exciting than exploring the ways in which we can reach today’s consumers in deeper, more engaging ways with our incredible stories and characters,” said Lyle Underkoffler, vice president, Digital Media. “The ‘Disney Karaoke: Frozen’ app celebrates the beautiful music that everyone knows and loves, but it also allows fans to experience the movie anytime and anywhere in a highly active and uniquely Disney way.”

“Disney Music Group has had a long history of success with karaoke products, and it’s incredibly exciting to see this part of our business continue to innovate and grow,” added Trevor Kelley, vice president, Global Digital Marketing. “Frozen really is the perfect title to launch this product with given the strong personal connection that fans have had with the music from the film. It’s been incredible to get it into consumers’ hands.”

A leader in the karaoke audio category, Walt Disney Records also has 30+ titles in the Disney Karaoke Series with over 1.5mm in sales since the line’s inception in 2005. Frozen is the only Disney Karaoke title to debut in the Top 20 on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #17.

The Frozen original motion picture soundtrack spent thirteen non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart and remains the top-selling album of 2014. The Frozen soundtrack surpassed The Lion King’s 10-week reign at No. 1 in 1994 and has spent the most weeks at No. 1 for an animated film soundtrack in the 58-year history of the chart.

Disney Consumer Products is also celebrating the music from Frozen with new products that will be available at mass retailers and Disney Store this fall featuring the beloved songs from the film. From dolls, to role-play dresses, to jewelry sets and more, Frozen fans will be able to recreate the musical moments of their favorite characters.

For additional “ Disney Karaoke: Frozen ” mobile app updates and information, visit www.DisneyStories.com , Facebook at Facebook.com/disneyreads and Twitter at @DisneyReads.

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Travel Health: Sickweather App Tracks, Maps Reports of Illness so Travelers can Prepare

Sickweather, a Baltimore-based company, provides online reports and an iPhone app that scans social networks for indicators of illness, and maps real time data on more than 23 different symptoms and illnesses. Sickweather launched their beta website in November 2011, and now qualifies over 600,000 reports of illness each month.

Sickweather uses a patent-pending process to track and map reports of illness on Twitter and Facebook. The forecast represents the top trending illnesses reported in any given area. The maps may show clusters of activity as represented by orange polygons, or individual reports as represented by blue “SICK” map markers.

A recent report for the New York area showed “Common Cold, Fever, and Cough are going around in New York.  Reports of Cough are on the rise” and provided animated 5-day Common Cold Map; animated 5-Day Fever Map; and Animated 5-Day Cough map.

In 2012, Sickweather was recognized among “100 Brilliant Companies” by Entrepreneur Magazine and featured on the Today Show for successfully identifying the early start of the 2012 Flu Season 6 weeks before the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). For more information, visit: www.sickweather.com

Download The iPhone App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sickweather/id741036885?mt=8

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Mibblio Comes Out with New Interactive Musical Storybook ‘Miss Elephant’s Gerald’ in Time for Halloween

Those clever guys at Mibblio have come out with another interactive musical storybook app to entertain kids at home and when traveling. The “Miss Elephant’s Gerald” stand-alone app featuring The Pop Ups with illustrations by Liz Starin is now live in the App Store, just in time for Halloween! Everything about it is awesome.

Here’s the link:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/miss-elephants-gerald/id731127605?mt=8

Targeted to children ages 3-8, each beautifully designed mibblet is a lively, interactive experience that allows kids to read a charmingly illustrated story, listen to a catchy song, and jam along on a variety of instruments.

It’s like a “Child’s Introduction to the Orchestra” or “Peter & the Wolf” and introduces and engages children in music at a time when their musical aptitude is emerging.

Besides occupying the child in a car or airplane or on a ship, Mibblio is a great way to settle a child into a hotel bed for the night with something that is comforting and fun.

With an intuitive design that is built for kids but enjoyed by all, the imaginative app is the first interactive musical-storybook of its kind and endlessly entertaining.

Mibblio offers a mix of classic songs such as “On Top of Spaghetti” and “The Wheels on the Bus” alongside new, instant classics like “Monkey Jamboree!” Mibblio also offers more narrative stories like The Mashed Potato Monster Gang that appeal to slightly older kids. By showing children the components of each song, instrument by instrument, Mibblio helps children understand the layers of developing music. Parents can watch and listen as children discover new instrument combinations and learn the basics of creating a song, while simultaneously improving reading skills.

“Mibblio is a fun and engaging way for children to explore music in a personalized and meaningful way,” said Sammy Rubin, Co-Founder & Creative Director of Mibblio. “Mibblets frame the musical elements and give what might ordinarily be abstract concepts a fun and familiar context. It’s exactly what I would have wanted when I was young.”

For more information visit www.mibblio.com.

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BeFrugal.com Introduces Fly or Drive Calculator

BeFrugal.com has a Fly or Drive Calculator to help you decide which mode of travel is best © 2013 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Say you are planning to travel to from New York City to Montreal. Is it cheaper to fly or drive?

When planning a trip, start with a free online tool to decide whether flying or driving makes more sense to get from point A to point B. The Fly or Drive Calculator (http://www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/) factors in time taken, cost and carbon emissions. Use the Fly or Drive Calculator from money saving website BeFrugal.com to determine the best travel mode for your next trip in a few minutes or less.

Simply enter your starting location, destination, travel dates, number of travelers and whether or not it is a one-way trip. Next you can fast forward to results or insert more detailed, optional information such as the vehicle you’d drive, number of hours to drive daily, hotel cost per night, tolls, airports, time at the airport, flying costs (transportation to and from the airport, checked bag feeds, plane ticket pricing, etc.) then view your customized results. A detailed comparison of your travel options is shown to compare the door-to-door time, total cost and CO2 impact.

BeFrugal.com now provides average coupon savings of 27% per order for online purchases plus an average rate of 7% cash back.

BeFrugal.com offers discounts on travel through coupons, deals and cash back with Travelocity, Marriot, Avis, Expedia and more travel merchants:

• · Codes are posted for online coupons
• · Deals are also posted (these do not require a promo code).
• · Cash back is a portion of an online purchase that is deposited into a free BeFrugal.com account. When you are ready, get paid by PayPal or a check in the mail: http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/

For example, see the BeFrugal page for Marriot http://www.befrugal.com/coupons/store/marriott. Codes, deals and cash back are all available.

Here is a list of travel merchants BeFrugal can help travelers save at http://www.befrugal.com/coupons/category/travel

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MyCityWay, New Mobile App, Helps Visitors Navigate 100 Cities Worldwide

MyCityWay is a situationally-aware smart app available for use in over 100 cities worldwide including 40 U.S. cities.

Visitors have a new mobile app to help them navigate a city. MyCityWay is a situationally-aware smart app available for use in over 100 cities worldwide including 40 U.S. cities.

Bringing in the utility of more than 30 different Apps, MyCityWay applies artificial intelligence technologies once reserved for high-powered algorithmic trading to making navigating a city easy, fun and personalized.

Funded by the City of New York and BMWi Ventures (the venture capital company founded by BMW Group), the MyCityWay app harnesses information from hundreds of content partners, cross-references it to ensure validity and instantaneously prioritizes information according to the users’ needs and preferences by uniquely marrying location, intent, timing and information from their social graph.

MyCityWay helps travelers quickly and easily…

· Move: Find local transportation options, schedules and routes

· Shop: Discover the best boutiques by category, neighborhood and location and find sales and deals close by

· Play: Purchase tickets to tours and attractions across the city and identify free activities, including cultural centers, landmarks, museums, art galleries and parks.

· Eat: Choose the best restaurants by neighborhood or cuisine, read reviews, make reservations and get directions

· Party: Learn about the best a city offers after-hours – nightclubs, lounges, sports bars or comedy clubs

· Take care of business: Pinpoint nearby bathrooms and WiFi hotspots

To download the app, visit iPhone/iPad, Android, Blackberry, Nokia or MyCityWay Download Page.

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

http://www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

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