smarter traveling, driving and spending
Drum roll please! ecoXplorer has a new newsletter. Sign up for free to stay up to date on green travel, green cars, and saving the green in your wallet on both. Click here to sign up, or via the “Subscribe Me” box on the upper right of this page, above the familiar icons for our
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Alcohol and hot weather can be an especially dangerous mix. Drinking impairs judgment and increases risk-taking any time. In hot weather, you add the potential risk of heat stroke caused by dehydration. That’s because alcohol lowers the body’s tolerance for heat and acts as a diuretic, meaning it causes the body to lose more fluid
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One of the great joys of summer is the family road trip. Make sure Old Breakdown doesn’t live up to its name by taking some simple steps to avoid potential problems that could ruin your vacation. Schedule a tune-up to help the engine deliver the best balance of power and fuel economy and produce the
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Where you go on vacation can determine how much weight you gain. Surprisingly, the legendary rich food of France, the all-you-can-eat buffets in Las Vegas, or the beer and pretzels in Germany, did not top the list. The destination with the largest weight gain is Greece, where the average adult puts on three pounds over
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Normally, the automotive events I attend, which include test drives of the newest models, are just for us automotive writers. But Ford has a different idea. Their Go Further With Ford safety, environment and design trend conference at company headquarters in Dearborn this month included an interesting mix of writers and bloggers on fashion, technology,
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The all-new 2011 Kia Optima has been collecting notable awards that would be impressive even for a sedan that costs a good bit more than this class-leading, family friendly, fuel efficient sedan with a starting price of $18,995. Most important for my money is that the 2011 Kia Optima is the first Korean-built vehicle to
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The AAA estimates more than 92 million Americans will be on the road during the holiday period between December 23rd and January 2nd, 3.1% more than last year. There is a mind-boggling selection of iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry apps to download that will help make your driving and travel less stressful and perhaps even
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We’re all in a hurry at the holidays. But driving fast is not the answer, and it most certainly is not safe driving. Speed-related deaths kill approximately 13,500 Americans each year, according to the Governor’s Highway Safety Association. And thousands more drivers, passengers and pedestrians are injured by speeding. Here are five reasons you should
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The eagerly-awaited extended range hybrid Chevrolet Volt has been getting all the headlines lately, along with many of the top car awards. But so has the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu, which the Volt looks like and even feels like behind the wheel, although the fuel efficiency of the two models is very different. I test drove
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There are 50 million allergy sufferers in the United States who have problems going on vacation because of the allergy aggravators in hotels, from the cleaning supplies used to the feathers inside the bed pillows. Hotel chains have taken notice, and are offering allergy-free rooms for sensitive noses for whom there aren’t enough antihistamines or nasal
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