Cruises

This week is contest week at Go Green Travel Green. Comment on this post to be entered to win.

Depending on your travel habits, you may only bring out your luggage only a few times a year. But when you do use it, it takes a beating. We were gifted a set of luggage a few years ago and it’s already falling apart. We will do our best to repair it, but if we do need to buy a new bag we will be considering more environmentally friendly options.

Luckily more companies are producing what they label as “eco luggage.” For example, Patagonia has several bags made from recycled materials.  Heys luggage has a new set out, Eco Case, that’s made from 100% Recycled Plastic.  (It even comes in the color green.) Sierra Club has put their brand on luggage that is “eco friendly on several fronts.” And finally, Eco Traveler sells a 2-piece carry on luggage set – made from hemp that’s PVC free.

While it’s great that companies are moving in this direction, there still aren’t a lot of green options available. Because you will likely buy luggage that isn’t labeled as eco luggage, here are the features to look for in conventional luggage that will help ensure your bag is a little greener.

Weight of Bag

It’s surprising how much luggage weighs. When we recently went to New Zealand my rolling carry-on didn’t meet the weight limits for carry on, not because of what it contained, but even when it was half empty the bag itself weighed a lot. When everyone’s empty bag weighs a few pounds, the result is too much energy being used just to transport the luggage.  When searching for green luggage buy the bag that’s weighs less.

Size of Bag

The first rule of luggage size is to buy a bag that’s the right size for your purpose. While we prefer that everyone pack light, we’d rather you buy a bigger bag that you’ll actually use. Otherwise you’ll have to buy another bag.

The second rule of luggage size is to buy a smaller bag. Why? Because the more space you have the more likely you’ll be to fill it with stuff you don’t need. I prefer carry on sized luggage because 1) it saves the environment because I’m transporting less and 2) it save me the bag checking fee. I honestly don’t know time I packed my stuff in a non carry-on size bag. Even when we went to Argentina for three months (or New Zealand for 10 days) I still just brought a carry on.

Expandable/Multipurpose Bag

Buying an expandable bag may seem to contradict my last recommended feature. But, I have found that an expandable carryon bag means that you actually have to own fewer pieces of luggage. When you end up buying too many souvenirs or get an extra large Christmas present expandable luggage comes in handy. You can carry-on one way and check the bag on your return trip.

Bag Material

If you can, buy a bag that’s PVC free and/or made from recyclable materials. Hemp or organic cotton are also great choices.

Durability

As I alluded to in my intro, cheap luggage often falls apart. Buy a bag with good reviews, a good warranty, or a well known brand. Make sure it feels sturdy. You might pay a little bit more now, but you will save the earth and some money down the road by not having to buy new luggage every few years.

Luggage Repair

Last but not least, if you are in the market for some new green luggage, first ask yourself whether or not you can repair your current luggage. If it’s just a broken zipper or wheel you can likely get your luggage repaired.

Personally, I love bags. One of my favorite places to browse in a department store is the luggage section. There are always new styles with fun compartments and nifty pockets. But, I know the greenest luggage is to continue to reuse by old luggage.

How often do you purchase new luggage?

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Green Luggage

 Win a Amazon.com gift certificate by just leaving a comment to win. See full details at the bottom of post. Winner will be drawn in two weeks.

Why a Stainless Steel Cookware Showdown?

Given the popularity of our Stainless Steel Water Bottle: Smackdown and our recent commitment to covering green home issues, I wanted to write about a surprising and scary issue in the home: nonstick pans.

I used to be an avid lover of nonstick pans. I adore eggs and nonstick coated cookware made my kitchen pans incredibly easy to clean. But, nonstick coatings are unbelievably bad for you and the environment. How bad? So bad that the fumes can kill birds. (Check out this article and the references in it if you want to learn the specifics. For instance, according to the article, “although an accurate national accounting of deaths is not available, in a single year [a]Chicago veterinarian documented 296 bird deaths in 105 cases involving non-stick cookware.)

The problem with nonstick pans is something called polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE. The most well known brand is Teflon®.

Now, I’m not one to be an alarmist, but I take my personal health very seriously. At first, when Kimberly tried to convince me to throw out our nonstick Teflon pans I insisted that they were fine. But I did a lot of research and eventually realized that nonstick is terrible. The fact that the fumes can kill birds makes me think that nonstick may be even worse for you than BPA (the bad stuff in plastics and the reason to use stainless steel water bottles).

So, when we decided to purchase a new cookware set we researched different types of cookware. Most professional chefs use copper or stainless steel cookware sets. If they use these materials, why not us too?

But, our first stainless steel cookware set (a department store special) quickly broke. The handles came loose and food didn’t cook easily. The worst part about them was that the pans heated unevenly and were difficult to clean.

Luckily, for a wedding present we received an extremely nice stainless steel cookware set – All-Clad. They pans have held up exceptionally well. But more on that later.

Stainless Steel Cookware Comparison

To conduct our Stainless Steel Cookware comparison we have several different contenders. We’ll discuss each one and the importance of their features

Contenders: Basic Stainless Steel Cookware Set, Cuisinart Stainless Steel Cookware Set, KitchenAid Stainless Steel Cookware Set, Celphalon stainless steel cookware set, All-Clad Stainless Steel Cookware Set.

Features

You are probably asking yourself – isn’t all cookware created the same? What’s the difference between these different brands of pans?

Here are the critical differences in the pans’ features:

1) Overall Construction – How sturdy are the pans? Do they hold up well? You want to buy pans that last.
2) Number of Layers – How many layers are there? And what type of metal are they? Generally you want 3 layers as this creates a more even distribution of heat which means the food cooks evenly.
3) Type of Lid – What type of lid is it – glass or stainless steel? (I prefer stainless steel as it’s unlikely to break if I accidently drop it. Other people prefer glass.)
4) Made in USA – Is the pan made in the US or in China (or elsewhere)? Many people have concerns about metal contaminants of non- American made products.
5) Induction – If you have an induction stove (you’ll know if you do) you need a pan that will allow for induction.

The reality is that the more you pay the better pan you will get.

How the Cookware Stacks Up

The Into Pack aka the cheap stuff
Cook N Home 10 Piece Stainless Steel Cookware set with glass lids. This is a good intro kit. It’s only and is likely great for a college student or someone just starting out. It has an aluminum bottom but doesn’t have some of the features that the more expensive pans have. But if you’re looking for a good cheap stainless steel cookware set – this is it.

The Middle of the Road 
A middle of the road stainless steel cookware set that is good, but not excellent is the Kitchenaid. A 10-piece set costs about 0 on Amazon (a 50% off price). However, these are not entirely stainless as they have silicone grips.

The 10 piece Cuisianrt Classic Stainless Steel Cookware set is less than 0 on Amazon (71% off). It has 350 plus reviews and given that you get more pots and pans than Kitchaid for the price, this is probably the best of the middle of the line. It comes with stainless steel pan covers plus: 8- and 10-inch skillets; 1-1/2- and 3-quart covered saucepans, 3-1/2-quart sauté pan; and 8-quart covered stockpot.

Top of the Line

The following sets are the really high end stainless steel pans. All of the following sets are tri-layered which means they will be sturdier and last longer. I am providing more information about them because while they are more expensive, they will last longer. Because they’ll last longer they are more sustainable and better for the environment.

All Clad

We were lucky enough to get our All-Clad Stainless Steel Cookware for a wedding present.
We’ve had the set for two years and it works amazingly well. We have had no problems with the pans — save some discoloration that is common to all stainless steel.

A 9 piece sets is pricey at 9.  While the most expensive of stainless steel cookware, All-Clad really does last a lifetime and in doing so reduces waste. (My aunt and uncle have had their same All-Clad set since they got married 30 years ago.)

We also got an additional 8" fry pan (great for eggs) and 12" fry pan (for larger meals).

All-Clad is made in the USA — mostly. It seems that their lids as well as some appliances are made in China (and subject to thorough inspections and testing). Their pots and pans are made from US supplied metal manufactures and bonded together at the Pennsylvania manufacturing facility.

Cuisinart MultiClad Pro

The Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 7 piece set is a little under 0. But given that there is only 1 fry pan in the set you’ll likely want to buy a separate skillet.

Overall the Cuisinart gets better reviews than the Calphalon; but people who also owned All-Clad were mixed on whether or not they would buy the Cuisinart again. Many said they noticed no difference. A few people mentioned the pans felt lighter. And they are made in China. So if the price is more important to you and you are ok with a Chinese manufactured pan you will want to buy the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro.

Celphalon

Reviewers of the Calphalon seem to love it.There are some complaints about customer service, the handles getting hot, and the fact that this cookware is made in China. But overall people really like it. A difference between this and All-Clad (other than the cost) – is that All-Clad tops are Stainless steel and Calphalon are glass. A 13 piece set costs about 9 on sale on Amazon. 

How to Clean Stainless Steel Cookware

Cleaning stainless steel pots and pans is a little more difficult than cleaning nonstick pans. But, in two years since we’ve owned our All-Clad we haven’t had too many problems. We recently learned about a  product called "Bar Keeper’s Friend" (found at any retailer like Target or your local market.) While not a green product, it is free of phosphates and does wonders for cleaning stubborn stainless steel stains. We use it maybe once a month on our most frequently used pans to keep them sparkling. (Well, stainless steel does get discolored and stained. But it doesn’t affect the use of the pans at all).

How to Make Stainless Steel Cookware Not Stick

I’ll be honest — ensuring that food doesn’t stick to stainless steel plans is an art. It takes patience. But, here’s the trick — make sure that the pan is hot x 2. First, get the pan hot. Second, get the oil/butter hot. This doesn’t mean to turn the heat on high (for boiling water — sure, but not for sauces, eggs, etc). Turn the heat on medium to medium low and let the pan get hot throughout. Then add a little oil. Let the oil heat until it’s almost smoking. If you tilt the pan the oil will spread and run like water. Only once the pan is hot should you add the food you are cooking to it.

What about "Green" nonstick cookware?

You can buy nonstick cookware that is supposedly fine for you and dones’t contain the same chemicals as the bird-killing nonstick pans do. But honestly, I don’t fully trust these products. I will stick to stainless steel becaues I know it’s safe.

Best Stainless Steel Cookware

I would buy the All-Clad cookware again in a heartbeat. For made in America cookware that has a long track record and proven reputation you just can’t beat it.
However, given the high price of it, my second choice would be Cusinart multiclad.

Contest: Win a Amazon.com Gift Certificate
To help you with your cookware purchase we’re giving away a gift certificate to one commenter. Please leave a comment with what features you look for in cookware. In two weeks we will use a random number generator to choose a winner.

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Stainless Steel Cookware: Set Showdown

Remember this week is contest week at GGTG. Comment on any (and all) of this week’s posts to be entered to win.

Some early posts at Go Green Travel Green were part of a series called “Shades of Green Travel.” The basic idea of the initial post, Shades of Green Travel, is that you don’t have to be the most eco-conscious person on the planet to be a green traveler. You don’t need to constantly worry about every little detail of your travels. Rather, you should focus on big categories and choose several categories where you can try to be a greener traveler. We laid out “shades of green” – pea green, Kelly green, and forest green – as ways of scaling how green you wanted to be in those categories.

For example, you might choose to green your accommodation and food. So you might camp or eat local as ways to be a “forest green” traveler. And then you could choose to worry a little less about transportation; for example taking a hybrid taxi instead of public transportation as a way of getting around. In the transportation category you might be a “pea green” traveler.

Thinking about your “shade” of green is just a fun way of thinking about how to be a little bit greener.

photo credit: the missiah

As we’ve recently started writing about having a green home I thought about the shades of green travel post and how it’s applicable to our everyday lives.  The best way to think about how to green your life is to consider the categories where you could be greener and then choose to make an environmental difference in those categories. Here are the categories I came up with and a few ideas about how to be greener in those categories. We may write more about certain categories in the future.

Green Home: Actually making your house and your energy consumption in your home eco friendly. For example, buy energy star appliances, use rain barrels, and turn off the lights.

Green Cleaning Products: Buy and use green cleaning products. Better yet – use vinegar and baking soda!

Children: Ensure that your children’s toys, food, and clothing has fewer chemicals and additives.

Pets: Feed your dog natural dog food and buy natural dog toys.

Clothing: Buy used clothing from thrift stores or new clothing made from organic or reused materials.

Cosmetics/personal care products: Ensure that your cosmetics and personal care products are paraben free.

Food: Eat locally grown and organic food. Dine in more.

Shopping/Green Products: When you need a new item reconsider if the purchase is actually necessary or if it’s just creating more waste. When you do have to buy something new try to get a more environmentally friendly product.

Transportation: Ditch the car and opt for public transit or biking.

In what other categories can we try to be a shade greener?

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Shades of Green: At Home

Just a quick note for those of you with websites, blogs, businesses or anyone generally interested in making money online. (This has nothing to do with traveling or environmental issues – so if you’re not interested in entrepreneurship please disregard this short post.)

I’ve previously written about my experience with an online marketing course called Project Mojave in the post Make Money Traveling. (Read that post for a full review of how it helped me). But, that course will likely never be open again.

However, the project’s creator, Clay Collins has a new product that will be launching tomorrow called the Interactive Offer. I believe all of the Project Mojave coursework will be in that course along with a ton of other great stuff.

Even if you’re not interested in buying any products, you should definitely watch the free videos. Video 1 tells you all about the basics of why you should make your product offer interactive. And video 2 goes into even greater detail telling you the exact steps to take to make money on a product before you ever spend a cent making that product.

These are honestly some of the very best free videos about online marketing that I’ve ever seen. I highly recommend you watch them if you’re interested in making money online. With their content you will be able to travel and make money.

Note that this post contains affiliate links. If you click the link, watch the video, and eventually buy the Interactive Offer when it is released, I will get a commission. Regardless, I highly recommend you take 20 minutes of your day to watch the videos. The content is truly incredible.

Now back to our regularly scheduled posting…

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Travel and Make Money

We are in such great moods after a wonderful trip to New Zealand (more stories and pictures coming soon) that this week at Go Green Travel Green is Contest Week. All you have to do is comment on any of our new posts this week. The more posts you comment on, the more likely you are to win. (This post not included). Continental US Residents only please for the items that require shipping.

We have lots of great stuff to giveaway including:

• 1 GoodLife Stainless Steel Water Bottle, courtesy of GoodLife Water Bottles (Review of GoodLife water bottles coming this week.)
• 1 Eco Vessel Stainless Steel Water Bottle, courtesy of Eco Vessel Water Bottles (Check out our Eco Vessel Filtered Water Bottle Review)
• 10 Lexus Dark Ride Cards, courtesy of Lexus  In anticipation of their soon-to-be released hybrid, the Lexus Dark Ride card gets you discounts and upgrades at a variety of places in Chicago, NY, LA, and Miami. For instance, one of the offerings that comes from activating the Dark Ride card comes from the sustainable luxury hotel Playa Viva, who are offering a huge discount on hotel stays, complete with a free guided evening tour to their famous turtle sanctuary, a haven for the highly dwindling leatherback turtle population.
• Amazon.com Gift Certificate  (Comments on Wednesday’s post only.)

Looking forward to your comments!

At the end of two weeks (on June 28th) we’ll use a random number generator to pick winners.

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Contest Week at GGTG – 0’s in prizes, Comment to Win

I have long been addicted to Twitter; I still am – it has helped me get things off my chest, especially when I was recently stranded in Holland. I love that I can share my life with people that are interested, post photos when travelling, but I do believe that it spoils the travel experience.

Distracted means you’ll miss a lot

When you are travelling around, taking photos, typing tweets, and recording videos you miss so much of the destination. I remember going to Berlin in 2009, and came home disappointed that I missed out places such as checkpoint Charlie, and numerous museums.

Getting the most out of your holiday

In May I went on a press trip with British airways to New York, and I had 1 full day, and a morning to see the tourist attractions that I had included on my “must visit” list. The roaming charges were expensive, but it meant I hardly used my mobile and ticked off every place on my list.

Using social networks can make you antisocial

Rather than wandering around the streets getting lost, finding places that you would never think about visiting, you end up asking people on Twitter where the best places are. I spent more time looking at my mobile, instead of communicating with people, especially locals, who can be incredibly helpful.

Those are my experiences, but of course, I am interested to hear what you think about Twitter. Also, have a read of this excellent article by Eric Felten on the Wall Street journal about how networking tools are making us antisocial. An interesting read.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

Why using Twitter on holiday spoils the experience

While catching up to date with emails I found one from Travel Supermarket regarding research they carried out to find the price of airline telephone helplines. The most expensive airlines were BMI baby who charge £0.65 per minute and Ryanair for a priority helpline charge £1.00 per minute.

Expensive helpline telephone rates

I wonder how much these airlines made in telephone calls during the volcano ash cloud travel issues, well Ryanair, recently announced profits of €319m after tax, an increase of 204%. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic had the best value customer service phone numbers at 5p a minute or less.

Poor customer service lines

What is frustrating is that you are paying these ridiculous telephone rates and you spend most of the time on hold, so while the airlines might suggest that they charge these rates to pay for their help centre, most of them close outside of business hours or are not satisfactory staffed.

While in Holland I attempted to telephone the Jet2.com helpline. I was on the telephone for twenty minutes without speaking to a human. I dread to think how much it will have cost me considering I was calling from my mobile phone abroad, and had no other way to communicate with them.

Companies jumping on the social media bandwagon

When Twitter and Facebook emerged I initially thought that these would solve the problem that consumers have with contacting airlines and travel companies. Instead I have found is that companies have jumped on the bandwagon just because it is seen as a cool thing to be part of.

Trying to contact airlines and travel companies on the likes of Twitter and Facebook is a waste of time.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

Airlines helpline telephone rates rip off

During the first three days of our New Zealand trip, we explored the Coromandel Peninsula, a small peninsula east of Auckland on the North Island.

The weather was perfect and the sights were amazing. But the beautiful mountains came with a price. Driving the campervan –  around the twists and turns, upshifting and downshifting from 100-45-80-25 kph, trying to avoid falling over cliffs or running into cars — was more than a tad stressful.

Despite the harrowing drive, we explored Coromandel Town, Hahei Beach, Hot Water Beach, Cathedral Cove, and several small towns and beaches along the way.

Here are some of our favorite photos.

Ocean view from roadside stop near Coromandel Town

Cows lounging in beautiful New Zealand countryside

Beachfront sunrise near our holiday park in Hahei Beach

View from the road on Coromandel Peninsula

Digging a personal thermal pool at Hot Water Beach, Coromandel Peninsula

Beach near Cathedral Cove, Coromandel Peninsula

Disclaimer: This trip is partially sponsored by Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand.

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Coromandel Peninsula in Pictures

Tomorrow we travel to New Zealand.

We head from Minneapolis to Los Angeles (where we have a 3.5 hour layover) then switch airlines and board an Air New Zealand flight to Auckland. The flight from LAX to Auckland is 12 or 13 hours long and leaves LA at 10pm. I share this because numerous people have asked me how long the flight is.

I’m curious to see how a flight of this length feels. The furthest I’ve previously traveled is to St. Petersburg, Russia – but I had a 3 day stopover in London. And the flight from London to St. Petersburg was about 8 hours long. Similarly, when we went to Argentina the flight from Miami to Buenos Aires was about 9 hours. To be honest, both of these flights were a tough length, and arguably too short. It’s difficult to settle in, sleep for 7-8 hours, and eat a meal (or 2) in that short of time.

My hope is that our air travel to New Zealand will involve a good night’s sleep, a meal, a movie, and a lot of on board guide book reading. 12 hours seems to be the perfect length of time for this. (I just hope Air New Zealand has more leg room than some overnight flights I’ve been on!)

We will definitely need the travel time to do some planning. This is, by far, the least amount of planning I’ve ever done for a trip. We have a campervan booked for the first 7 nights and a hotel in Auckland for the 8th night. That’s it.

One last thought about our travel to New Zealand. We’ve taken a little flak about our trip — Why such a short time? Why the North Island only? Why go in (their) winter when it’s going to be 80 degrees and sunny back home?

As previously mentioned, we are heading to New Zealand courtesy of Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand (thanks again!). It’s not too frequently a trip just lands in your email box, but when it does it requires some tough decisions.

You see, I had always imagined a New Zealand trip as a big 6 week excursion to both Australia and New Zealand. The folks at Air New Zealand would have let us stay for 6 weeks, but we just aren’t able willing to commit to that sort of trip right now.

We’ve taken extended trips before (Eastern Europe for 10 weeks and Argentina/Central America for 4 months) and would consider doing it again someday. But I found that, for me, being location independent isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Many people dream of packing up and taking a year or two or forever to travel. I no longer have this dream. I like my house, my dogs, my friends, my family — life in Minneapolis is pretty darn good at the moment. So, we’re taking 8 nights/9 days (not counting travel time) to see a country we’ve always dreamed of visiting. We won’t see it all – but we’ll have some amazing adventures and new cultural experiences. We’ll have some laughs and great memories. Maybe even make a few new friends. And in the end, we’ll return home – happy to be back somewhere familiar. We won’t be thinking about what we didn’t see or do. Or what a short trip it was. But we’ll remember everything we did do. And I know I’ll be grateful for not only the opportunity to get away and take a vacation, but also the opportunity to return home. Back to a place where there are still plenty of sites I have yet to see and unknown adventures I have yet to take.

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Travel to New Zealand

Unfortunately, there’s still no agreement between UNITE and British Airways (BA), so the cabin crew strike commenced yesterday and at the time of writing this post, it will continue until 29 May. According to the airline, passengers can either receive a full refund or rebook their flight for another time.

Strikes having a massive impact on the airline

There are two further five-day walkouts planned on 30 May and 5 June, threatening to disrupt the journeys of millions of passengers during the school half term. If you have a flight booked then visit the BA site for strike updates, and if I find out any more information I will update this post.

The cabin crew strikes are obviously having a massive impact on the airline, and I suspect that many passengers will be put off flying with them until the dispute is resolved.

Here’s the latest update from British Airways.

Leave your flight questions

If you have any consumer questions please leave them in the comments section and I will try and find someone from the airline to come and answer them.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

British Airways cabin crew strike information