smarter traveling, driving and spending
The five car companies that interested car-buyers most in 2009 were Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet and Nissan, in that order, according to the Kelley Blue Book. But, the top five specific models researched were all named Honda and Toyota. The Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic have been the top three researched models on the KBB website in one order
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Travel is not negotiatiable, but just how you travel is negotiable, and small changes can make a big impact on the envirornment — and also save the green in your wallet. These tips on making your getaway more green from no less an authority than the Union of Concerned Scientists Flying — First class, business class and
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Green cars were the big news at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September and the Los Angeles Auto Show in December 2009, and the expectation is that hybrid cars, plug-in electric cars and hydrogen fuel cell cars will be making headlines at the important Detroit Auto Show in January 2010. The rumor is that Toyota will introduce
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Airport food is worse than you think. It’s enough to make you sick. With all the new airport security rules, we’ll be spending more time at airports, which means we’ll be eating more airport food. But unless airport food vendors clean up their act, there will be more passengers locking themselves in airplane bathrooms, like the
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How appropriate — the hotel with the world’s top green rating is in the city of Greensboro. It’s the Proximity Hotel, one of the few hotels anywhere to achieve the LEED Platinum rating. Don’t think you have to give up luxury to travel green — this hotel has an AAA Four Diamond rating. Platinum and diamond —
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Getting smart: The first plug-in electric Smartfortwo minicar has been delivered to customers in Berlin, close to the Stuttgart home of its parent company, Mercedes-Benz. The first two owners — an artist and a dental technology company executive — currently own the regular gas-powered Smartfortwo. The compact two-seater is the first emission-free vehicle in the world with
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The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa in Beaver Creek is the first hotel in Colorado to earn the important Silver status of LEED Certification. How difficult is it to get this green travel award? Only nine hotels in the U.S. have earned it, including the Westin Riverfront, which opened early in 2009. To celebrate this
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BMW is unveiling a fully-electric compact coupe at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2010. The concept BMW 1-Series prototype is called the Concept ActiveE. The BMW 1-Series electric concept will have lithium ion batteries, and the packs are placed in the spot a conventional drive train would be in a conventional gas or diesel BMW. Here’s a teaser video:
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Missed connections, misplaced or damaged luggage, an unexpected accident or illness in the family before or during a trip, a strike or work stoppage by airline or train workers, even forgetting your passport for departure or losing it en route — these are all reasons you should not leave home without travel insurance, travel medical insurance,
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Winter driving requires more space between you and the vehicle ahead, more attention to changeable road conditions, more attention to the speedometer, and more time to get to your destination safely. Winter driving also requires less speed on icy or slick roadways, less dependence on technology like anti-lock brakes and traction control, and less trust
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