Lost and Found

Whether the airline recently misplaced a prized piece of your luggage or you just like nosing around in other people's stuff, you'll want to check out isthisyourluggage.com. This guy collects lost luggage (the airlines actually auction it off if they can't find the owners), photographs it (yep, the entire contents, too), and posts the pics on the website. Why? "Lunalaboo,"as he's called, admits it's mostly to satisfy his "weird voyeuristic passion," but says he also truly hopes to find the suitcases' rightful owners. Too bad it's not before the whole world has seen their dirty underwear!

Thanks to Raffy for letting me know about the site!

Earthy Exercise

[Photo by Prabhu B/flickr]

Frequent travelers usually like to stay in shape (you never know when you're going to have to sprint to your next flight gate or squeeze into that tiny bikini), but while we're looking out for our bodies, we can also look out for the planet. In honor of Earth Day, here are seven ways to green your exercise routine, courtesy of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel...

1. Donate your used fitness shoes.
Soles4Souls (soles4souls.com) donates shoes to those in need. Nike also accepts shoes and recycles them into sports courts around the world (letmeplay.com/reuseashoe).

2. When participating in a race, walk or other event, carry your own water or sports drink in a reusable plastic bottle (if you don't mind the extra weight).

3. Leave your car in the driveway and ride your bike to the gym (especially on weekends, when you have more time).


[Photo by Tuftronic1000/flickr]

4. Carpool to races.

5. Wear eco-friendly training clothing.

6. Sign an "eco-pledge" created especially for athletes, at AFitPlanet.com/pledge.

7. Designate a cleanup day for your running, cycling, inline skating or fitness club, where you agree to pick up the garbage along your usual route.

[Photo by Per Ola Wiberg/flickr]

Happy Earth Day!!

Ocean Dreams...

[Photo by Muha/flickr]

Just a little inspiration for planning your next escape. Happy Weekend!!

Bronze Beauty

[Photo by XirannisX back on/flickr]

The warmer weather has me dreaming of a fantastic beach vacation, which immediately got me thinking about bronzer (naturally fair-skinned, I don't get too much summer color that's not from a bottle or compact). When I head for the beach, I never leave home without Laura Geller's Bronze-n-Brighten.

This creamy, baked powder bronzer gives my face a lovely glow with a quick sweep of a brush, and it never looks orange or cakey. Who could ask for more?

Free Roxana

[Photo by Eustacio Humphrey/ZUMA Press]

Recently, my in-box has been flooded with messages about Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old American journalist of Iranian descent who is currently being held in Iran on charges of espionage. Roxana is a fellow graduate of the Medill School of Journalism, and several of my former professors and and fellow alumni have set up a blog, freeroxana.net, to keep her case in the public eye and lobby for her release. A former Miss North Dakota, Roxana moved to Iran six years ago to work as a freelance journalist, reporting for NPR, the BBC and other news organizations. She maintains -- along with everyone who knows her -- that the charges against her are completely unfounded. (According to the committee to protect journalists, Iran was the sixth-leading jailer of journalists in 2008.) Please visit freeroxana.net regularly to view updates, sign petitions, etc.

Bring Your Own

[Photo by delgaudm/flickr]

In this economy, everyone's looking for a bargain. One of my personal favorites is a BYOB restaurant. These little gems can save the day (or night) when you want to have dinner and cocktails, but you don't have the cash for an expensive evening out. The only problem? BYOB's can be pretty hard to find...until now. GoBYO.com is a new site that has complete listings of BYO restaurants in cities across the country. Just enter the zip code you're in and -- voila! -- a list of restaurants in your area that don't mind at all if you bring in a bottle of 3 buck chuck to enjoy with your meal. Cheers!

First Class Seats...In Coach

[Photo by Lin Pernille/flickr]

Wanna make sure you always get a seat you love, even when you're flying coach? Check out my interview with SeatGuru.com founder Matt Daimler over at Examiner. Matt shares all sorts of tricks for getting the perfect seat (one with lots of leg room and a little chance of being near a screaming baby), and even dishes on his personal favorite: seat 9A on a United Airlines 757. I know what seat I'll be requesting on my next trip!

Rain, Rain, DON'T Go Away!

White Lipped Green Tree Frog [Photo by whotheheckareyou/flickr]

All the rainy weather in New York today got me thinking about...the rainforests! Some of the most beautiful and diverse places on earth, we all know our planet's beautiful rainforests are in grave danger of disappearing -- and we certainly don't want that to happen. Doing your part to save them is as easy as a click a day. Head on over to The Rainforest Site right now and "click to give." It's free!

Costa Rica [Photo by baxterclaws/flickr]

Each time you click, you're shown the list of site sponsors. The Rainforest Site donates 100% of these sponsors' fees to charities who buy endangered rainforest land. In the five years they've been operating, the site has raised the funds to purchase and protect over 5,650 acres! When you're done with your "click" (bookmark and do it every day), check out the on-line store. They've got lots of great goodies, and, of course, the proceeds go towards --you guessed it -- saving the rainforest.

Safari Time

Photo by Michael Poliza

Aren't these guys adorable? This photo was taken at a Wilderness Safaris camp in Botswana. This ecotourism company hosts safaris from top-notch camps across southern Africa (including a super-lux camp in the Seychelles).

North Island camp, Seychelles, Photo by Dana Allen

With such beautiful sleeping quarters, how could you not want to go? You can read more about Wilderness Safaris in my article over at examiner.com.