7 Days; 7 Travel Stories

1. Online Trendsetters

Web 2.0-social networking sites come to the forefront. http://www.dopplr.com/ allows users to track the travel schedule and whereabouts of themselves and their friends through a visual interface reminiscent of Facebook. Another startup, http://www.tripit.com/, takes user-submitted information such as airline and hotel confirmation e-mails and uses the data within to generate a tailored itinerary, replete with maps, local weather info and the like. It also allows users to create lists of friends. But Dopplr may stand out in terms of early buzz -- the company claims nearly 100,000 users -- and for quickly orienting itself around business users.

2. Set Your Stop Watch

Atlanta city officials should take some advice from Brisbane city officials where tourists are being asked to cut their shower time to four minutes when level six restrictions come into force next month. Brisbane’s Water Commissioner said water-saving messages would be displayed in hotel rooms and bathrooms may even be fitted with shower timers, in response to "public concern" about the lack of advice for tourists. Among the tips: turn off the tap while shaving or brushing teeth. ETN

3. Old and Steady

The fleet of big jets operated by nine major US air carriers has aged steadily since 2002, increasing from 10.6 years to 12.2 years. Since 9/11, the airlines largely stopped ordering new planes. The carriers have collectively saved about $23 billion in the process, using the money to pay down debt or as a financial cushion. American’s fleet of 300 MD-80s has an average age of 17 years. United 191 Boeing 737s and 757s, 15 to 18 years. Northwest’s 109 DC-9s, 35 years. Continental’s 48 Boeing 737s, 20 years. US Airways 152 Boeing 737s, 757s, and 767s, 15 to 20 years. Delta’s 145 Boeing 757s and 767s, and 120 MD-80s,16 to 17 years. Southwest, 219 Boeing 737s, 16 years. NY Times


4. Sign of the Times

An army of government-funded “travel advisers” will be ringing door bells at millions of homes next year throughout the UK as they try to persuade people to switch from driving to walking, cycling and public transport. In case you are not home, they will keep coming back up to ten times including evenings and weekends. The travel advisers will be armed with information that can be tailored to a person's journeys, including maps for walking and bus timetables. If you appear unconvinced, they will offer incentives such as discounts at local bike shops and outdoor stores and free pedometers to measure how far you are walking.

The initiative is part of the Government’s Sustainable Transport Strategy which rejects the idea that congestion can be eliminated by investing billions of pounds in building more roads and railways, and favors smaller schemes that aim to change behavior and attitudes. Trials costing a total of £10 million in three UK cities found that car journeys fell by about 11 per cent after travel advisers visited every home. Cycling increased by at least 25 per cent, walking by 17 per cent and trips on public transport by 13 per cent. London Times

5. A World Without Air Travel?

Passenger air travel is growing at a rate of three percent each year, with air-freight growing even faster. Current projections estimate the number of people traveling by air -- both in the US and abroad -- will double or even triple by 2030. Meanwhile, fuel prices are hitting record highs, with analysts increasingly expecting oil to break the $100-a-barrel mark, while airplanes are branded as global warming enemy number one because of their habit of depositing CO2 emissions high in the atmosphere.

A legion of aeronautical researchers and designers around the world are seeking to keep up with future demand for air travel while reducing its environmental impact and increase its efficiency. But is it possible? Current research points to a dramatic re-design of airplanes which will not only accommodate higher volumes of air travel but will also be more environmentally friendly than today's craft. conceivable that in craft of the future, fuel burn - which directly affects energy use and environmental impact - could be reduced by anything up to fifty percent. And one way to do this is to change the shape of aircraft.

Taking inspiration from nature, these craft will probably mimic the movement of bird and insect wings by morphing dramatically mid-flight. The SAX 40 aircraft prototype -- a blended wing body aircraft -- is the fruit of the Silent Aircraft Initiative, a three-year multi-million dollar collaborative project between Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Cambridge University, England.

As the name implies, the main thrust of the project was to find ways to make planes quieter. But the team found that the same technological changes that make craft quieter also make them more fuel-efficient. The SAX 40 is projected to fly 149 passenger-miles per gallon of fuel compared to 120 miles for the best current aircraft of its range and size -- an equivalent fuel efficiency to a Toyota Prius Hybrid car carrying two passengers -- while cutting noise outside the airport perimeter from around 88 decibels to 63. CNN

6. Business Travel Forecast

American Express just released its annual Global Business Travel Forecast, predicting that the demand for business travel services will exceed supply in 2008 and drive increases in rates for airfare, hotels, car rentals and corporate meetings. The study says a domestic trip next year inclusive of airfare, car rental and hotel stay will increase six per cent or approximately $63, bringing the average trip cost to a total of approximately $1,110. The international trip increase is expected to be nearly seven per cent, or approximately $205, bringing the cost of an average trip to $3,171.

7. Free For All Travel

Factories and processing plants all around the country now welcome visitors with tours and product samples, and admission is usually free. But then again there is the Boeing factory tour in Everett, Wash., where you can see the final touches being made on its 747, 767, 777 and new 787 jumbo jets. The visit will set you back $15 for an advance reservation ($14 for seniors; $8 for children younger than 8, with minimum size restrictions); same-day walk-up admissions are less, but you run the risk of missing a tour.

On the free side: with a some vroom: BMW in Spartanburg, S.C.; GM/Corvette in Bowling Green, Ky.; Ford Rouge plant in Dearborn, Mich.; General Motors in Janesville, Wis.; Honda in Marysville, Ohio; Mercedes-Benz in Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Nissan in Smyrna, Tenn.; Saturn in Spring Hill, Tenn.; Shelby (Cobra) in Las Vegas; and Toyota in Georgetown, Ky.; Toyota/GM) in Fremont, CA.

Some 35 RV factories open their doors and floors to visitors too including Airstream in Jackson Center, Ohio; and Damon Motor Coach in Elkhart, Ind.

The most popular industrial tours in the country are those that go through wineries, breweries and distilleries. Two books that list hundreds of factory tours throughout the country: "Inside America: The Great American Industrial Tour Guide," by Jack, Eunice and Donna Berger, and "Watch It Made in the USA," by Karen Axelrod and Bruce Brumberg. There is also the Factory Tours USA Web site, http://www.factorytoursusa.com/, SF Chronicle

Rich’s Weekend Reader is published by AndTyler222 Communications. All rights reserved. Information from various sources and mostly rewritten. andtyler222@verizon.net