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| Atlantic luggage is lightweight, durable and affordable, perfect for families and students on the go. Luggage makes a terrific gift also, so don’t miss out on these savings. |
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Travel Tips For Mexico
August 18, 2011 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
One of the best travel values currently available is our neighbor to the south, Mexico.
With its popular destinations including Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Cancun and Cozumel, sun-loving tourists have no shortage of vacation options. Historic sites, beautiful beaches, opulent resorts and friendly people await the adventurous traveler.
Image via Wikipedia
As most people are aware, safety precautions are necessary when traveling to Mexico. The US State Department publishes the following tips:
- When you arrive at a major airport, find the taxi counter inside the airport and pre-pay your fare there. After paying, you will be directed to an authorized airport taxi area. Don’t get into a non-authorized cab (known as piratas).
- Order a taxi via phone from a sitio (radio taxicabs) instead of flagging one down on the street. When getting into a cab at a hotel, be sure that the driver displays his permit.
- Try to blend in and look less like a tourist. You might want to determine your route for the day in your hotel room, so you don’t have to pull out the map in the middle of the street, which definitely outs you as a non-local.
- When using an ATM, try to do so during the day, preferably at ATMs inside busy shopping centers.
- Make a copy of your passport and driver’s license and carry them with you for identification purposes. Leave your original documents in a safe place; preferably, in a safe inside your hotel room. Better yet, scan your documents and e-mail them to yourself at an address you can easily access from abroad.
- Use common sense and don’t carry too much cash or wear flashy jewelry. It’s best to leave your valuable jewelry — and jewelry that you are sentimentally attached to — at home.
- Before you leave, exchange sufficient dollars into pesos for the first days of your trip. This way, you will avoid having to carry around large amounts of cash.
Regarding food and water hygiene:
- To avoid any chance of illness on your hard-earned vacation, we recommend you drink bottled water. In restaurants, opt for bottled water instead of ice water.
- When drinking soft drinks (refrescos), your best bet is to drink them directly out of the can or bottle, hence skipping the glass with ice.
- Most produce is washed in possibly unpurified water, so it’s best to eat vegetables that have been boiled and fruits that have been peeled.
- Brush your teeth with bottled or purified water.
A Mexican vacation can be magical, but make sure to take the necessary precautions.
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Atlantic Luggage Compass 2 Spinners [PRESS RELEASE]
August 16, 2011 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
The Only Way to Roll -Lightweight luggage with 360 Degree Maneuverability
(BOCA RATON, FL, June 22, 2011)——Atlantic brand luggage, part of the Travelpro family of brands and a market leader in the affordable, lightweight luggage segment since 1919, is pleased to introduce its new line of 4-wheel Spinners, the Compass 2 Collection. This is the most versatile collection to date, crafted for stress-free travel. Compass 2 appeals to a broad range of leisure and business travelers who seek affordability, quality, and style in their travel luggage.
“We’ve developed the Compass 2 Spinners luggage collection to help make travel easier and more affordable, said Scott Applebee, Vice President of Marketing for Travelpro, Atlantic Luggage, and Austin House. “It has a unique 4-wheel spinner system with extra large rear wheels for effortless maneuverability in tight spaces and the 21” Expandable Carry-On Spinner is only 8 pounds, making it one of the lightest of its kind.”
This lightweight luggage collection is packed with a wide array of features that makes travel easier. Tested for high-mileage travel, Compass’ 2 high quality and durable spinner wheels can roll in multiple directions for maximum mobility through busy airports. A removable garment sleeve comes standard on uprights to help prevent wrinkling of shirts, blouses and pants. Adjustable tie-down straps keep clothes in place and contents secure when the bag is in use.
This intelligently designed luggage collection also features a rugged honeycomb frame and EVA foam construction for lightweight durability. Skid guards, wheel housings and corner guards protect the luggage against potential damage during travel. Additionally, Compass 2 is designed with a fashion forward look that includes silver trim accents, satin zipper pulls and a curved handle grip.
The spacious main compartment expands an additional 2.5”, maximizing space and flexibility for packing. Convenient front pockets provide storage for newspapers, magazines, paperwork, coats and sweaters as well as easy access to last minute items.
The Compass 2 Spinners collection is available in black and cranberry colors. The collection includes the following models: Shoulder Tote, Wheeled Carry-On Tote, 21” Expandable Carry-On Spinner, 25” Expandable Spinner and 29” Expandable Spinner. The Compass 2 Spinner line carries a 10-Year warranty, covering defects in materials and workmanship.
About Atlantic Luggage
Since 1919, the Atlantic Luggage brand has been synonymous with affordable, value-added and lightweight luggage. As a market leader in the lightweight luggage segment, including neatly designed uprights and spinners to trendy and smart garment bags and totes, all Atlantic branded luggage is of superior quality and durability. Whether for business or pleasure, travel is easier with Atlantic luggage, now part of the Travelpro family of brands.
Please visit Atlantic Luggage for a full list of the latest products and retail locations.
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How To Pack For An Island Vacation
July 26, 2011 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
You’re about to embark on a dream vacation to a tropical island paradise to spend time with your toes in the sand, a drink in your hand, and nary a thought in your head. Who the heck wants to worry about trip planning?
You should. The more you plan before departure, the less you have to think about upon arrival.
Image by Tom BKK via Flickr
As always, the best approach for headache-free travel is fitting all your essentials into one Travelpro® Rollaboard® that you carry on your plane. In doing so, you avoid the hassles of checking and retrieving luggage, paying excess and over-sized baggage fees, and dragging multiple bags through security checkpoints.
Here are some proven tips for one-bag island travel:
- Pack casual, lightweight clothing. But, be sure to check whether your resort has restaurants that require you to “dress for dinner.” If so, you’ll need to take along something more formal than shorts and T-shirts. Be sure to select neutral colors so your outfits are easier to match.
- Pack using the “bundle” method. Wrap clothes around large objects (such as bags of toiletries or pairs of shoes), rather than folding or rolling clothes. In most cases, the bundle method saves the most space and also prevents wrinkling.
- On long trips and extended stays, take only the essentials with you on the plane and ship everything else to your final destination.
- Limit yourself to two pairs of shoes, or, at most, two pairs of shoes and one pair of sandals or flip-flops. Remember, you’re going to already be wearing one pair of shoes.
- Buy small-sized toiletries or transfer liquid contents like shampoo into miniature travel bottles. And, don’t forget plenty of sunscreen and skin moisturizers. Or, buy your sunscreen at your destination.
- Minimize the number of items that require electricity, as converters can be costly and space-consuming. Like shaving – do it by hand.
If you plan to scuba dive, take a guided tour or engage in other “for hire” activities, you may want to invest in a packaged tour to ensure your satisfaction and safety.
We’ve all heard horror stories of unwitting tourists being robbed or assaulted when they wondered into the wrong neighborhood or were lead astray by a con artist posing as a “guide.” It’s always best to research which areas to avoid in your destination, and to only deal with reputable, sanctioned vendors.
So, be sure to do the necessary pre-planning for your tropical getaway. There will be plenty of time for blissful idleness once you reach the island.
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What Luggage Is Best For Car Trips?
July 21, 2011 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
Over these last several months, we’ve chronicled how Travelpro rollaboards meet the varied needs of air travelers. For international business travelers and vacationing families alike, we’ve illustrated how our lightweight, durable bags maximize travel enjoyment by minimizing airport hassles.
But, the advantages of Travelpro luggage aren’t limited to air travelers. To anyone about to embark on an overnight car trip — whether you’re a lone salesman chasing your monthly quota or overwhelmed parents transporting a van full of kids to Disney World — we’ve got a range of bags that will make your life easier.
Image by DennisSylvesterHurd via Flickr
While airline size restrictions require air travelers to pack light, “road warriors” have much more latitude in the number of possessions they can take on their trip. Enter Travelpro’s comprehensive line of spacious garment bags, and versatile duffels and backpacks.
These expandable bags measure up to 28″ in length, and can easily accommodate a week’s worth or more of clothing and belongings.
The key to traveling with a large wardrobe is intelligent design and capacity. Most rollaboards offer roomy main compartments which expand 2.5 inches, maximizing space and packing flexibility. Some rollaboards and garment bags also feature a removable suiter sleeve and wrinkle-free foam bars which minimizesthe wrinkling of dresses, suits and other formal wear.
If your travel wear is more casual, the suiter sleeve also accommodates shirts, pants and other outfits while keeping them wrinkle-free. On certain collections, it also acts as a divider, separating “his” clothing from “hers” (and “theirs”), or dirty clothing from clean, which helps you stay organized.
Travelpro’s luggage also feature many side pockets. Use them to store small items, such as belts and portable electronics, that can wrinkle clothing. And don’t forget to utilize the top lid to store shirts and other folded garments.
Common sense plays a major role in effective packing. Place heavy objects, such as shoes and toiletry kits, on the bottom of the main storage compartment, then arrange your garments on top. Pack your formal wear properly in the suiter sleeve and secure your clothing with the interior tie-down straps to prevent shifting – and wrinkling – in transit.
So, whether your travel plans involve the friendly skies or the open road, remember to take along your Travelpro rollaboard. And, if you are hitting the highway (especially with the family), feel free to take more than one.
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What’s The Difference Between “Luggage” and “Baggage”?
July 14, 2011 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
During a recent edition of National Public Radio’s “A Way With Words“(the equivalent of “Car Talk” for word nerds), the hosts pondered the following caller question:
“What’s the difference between luggage and baggage?”
After kicking the question around for a while, the hosts concluded that the word “luggage” specifies the container, while “baggage” is more likely to refer to that which is lugged inside the container.
Image by TEDxAmericasFinestCity via Flickr
A fascinating question, and not just for word nerds.
Webster’s dictionary defines both terms identically: “Cases used to carry belongings when traveling”, though they include a second definition for baggage: “The portable equipment and supplies of an army.”
Merriam’s dictionary makes a slight distinction similar to one made by hosts, Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette. It defines “luggage” as “containers for carrying personal belongings”, and “baggage” as “the traveling bags and personal belongings of a traveler.” Interestingly, Merriam’s has a second, somewhat judgmental definition for baggage: “things that get in the way.” (Merriam’s must not like traveling that much.)
Based on our many years of serving people who’ve become extremely attached to our rollaboards, backpacks and totes, we don’t discount the personal element when defining our products.
In our experience, the term “baggage” is a generic, neutral term used to describe the boxes, trunks, suitcases, etc., people use to transport the articles they take on trips (it’s the terminology airlines use). In addition, “baggage” has a negative connotation in the commonly used phrase “emotional baggage.”
The term “luggage” also generates emotion, but with no such negativity. It’s the preferred term of satisfied users who deeply appreciate not only the bag itself, but how its highly engineered features improve their overall travel experience.
Our loyal customers take great pride in owning Travelpro luggage, and become emotionally invested in each piece. They associate the luggage with the business successes they’ve achieved and the family moments they treasure from past travels.
How do we know this? From the challenges we face when we upgrade one of our collections, and must explain to devoted users that an earlier model is no longer available. Invariably, the newer version offers many improvements but, in the customer’s eyes, it lacks the cherished memories.
“Luggage” or “baggage?”
It’s not just semantics. It’s a reflection of what Travelpro’s commitment, dedication and product quality mean to travelers worldwide.
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Travelpro Showcases New Products at NBA Trainers and Equipment Manager Tradeshows
July 12, 2011 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
In late May, Travelpro showcased its new Platinum® 7 and Executive Pro™ collections at the National Basketball Association Trainers and Equipment Manager Tradeshows in Chicago. With over 40 road games each season, professional basketball players, coaches and scouts need luggage that they can rely on for a no-worry travel experience.
The Platinum 7 Rolling Garment Bag
The new Platinum 7 50” Expandable Rolling Garment bag was a big hit. With the large spacious interior and patented padded foam bar to reduce wrinkles, it is the ideal bag to store the tall suits of players and coaches. With a hangar clamp on each end, this expansive bag can hold six to eight suits.
The trainers and equipment managers were also impressed with the 30” Drop Bottom Rolling Duffel from the Platinum line. It features two cavernous compartments for flexible packing options. In addition to casual clothing, this duffel can effectively store many large-sized shoes for long road trips.
Travelpro Platinum 7 Rolling Duffel
Last season, Travelpro provided luggage and business cases to ten professional basketball teams.
Travel Shows We Like
July 7, 2011 by Karen Amin · Leave a Comment
Travel enthusiasts are rarely asked about their favorite television shows. After all, who wants to sit in front of the TV when there are countless destinations to explore?
But, when the subject of favorite travel shows comes up, that’s a different matter. There are a number of excellent programs available that enable frequent travelers — as well as committed couch potatoes — to vicariously experience exotic locales worldwide. Here are some of our favorites (with descriptions from each show’s website):
Rick Steves. Image via Wikipedia
- andiamo!: An award-winning travel series with a mission: to open the minds of individuals who want to experience life to the fullest, and enjoy all the finer things that life has to offer. As the series’ host and travel expert at-large, Donna Perkins accomplishes this with a style and exuberance which can best be described as perfect. Travelpro is a co-sponsor of andiamo! which airs on all NBC-owned local stations, R & R, Family Net HD, Colours TV, America One and AMG.
- Samantha Brown: In her 10 years at Travel Channel, Samantha has visited dozens of countries, hundreds of cities and countless hotels around the world. She takes you to all of her favorite places and her go-to hotels, restaurants and activities. Plus, she shows you to her secret, off-the-beaten-path discoveries.
- No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain: As he continues to explore every corner of the globe in his Emmy Award winning Travel Channel series, Anthony Bourdain encounters the weird, wild and downright outrageous personalities and places that help define the international cultural landscape. It’s the foreign food, however, that best captures the host’s attention. In the world of a cook, an understanding and appreciation of how others eat is akin to discovering secret societies and cryptic subcultures.
- Rick Steves: Rick Steves advocates smart, affordable, perspective-broadening travel. Over the past 20 years, Rick has hosted over 100 travel shows for public television, and numerous pledge specials. His Rick Steves’ Europe TV series is carried by over 300 stations, reaching 95 percent of U.S. markets.
- Rudy Maxa’s World: Rudy Maxa is one of America’s premier consumer travel experts whose writings and radio and television shows have helped save thousands of travelers both time and money. Rudy hosts a series of public television shows that are broadcast throughout North America on local PBS stations as well as in the United Kingdom, Russia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and India on Travel Channel International.
- Peter Greenburg: Peter Greenberg is America’s most recognized, honored and respected front-line travel news journalist. Peter is Travel Editor for CBS News, and appears on The Early Show, Evening News with Katie Couric, and across many CBS broadcast platforms.
So, if your next trip is months away, don’t despair. You can see (and often taste) the world from your couch through these outstanding programs.
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Adoption Travel Tips
June 28, 2011 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
People travel overseas for many reasons. Some pursue the challenges of international commerce, while others seek relaxation in exotic locales.
But, few overseas trips combine discipline and pleasure quite like adoption travel — a series of complex journeys to a foreign country for the opportunity to enrich you and your spouse’s life, along with that of an orphaned or unwanted child.
Image by real00 via Flickr
As reported at Travelsense.org, adoption travel is increasing in popularity due to the reduced number of U.S. newborns available for adoption. The Department of Health and Human Services indicated that over 20,000 Americans adopted foreign-born children in 2002, over 75% of whom came from China, Russia, Guatemala, South Korea and the Ukraine.
International adoptions typically include several visits (pre-adoption, actual adoption and homeland heritage trips) and a certain amount of unpredictability due to the involvement of foreign bureaucracies. Therefore, we recommend planning your trip with a professional agent who specializes in adoption travel, and allowing ample time for unexpected delays.
During your pre-adoption visit, it’s important to immerse yourself in the child’s native culture. Absorb as much as you can by keeping a journal and taking plenty of pictures as you interact with the locals. By developing a thorough understanding for your child’s birth country, you’ll be able to answer his or her questions as they grow and their curiosity intensifies.
Preparation is key during the actual adoption trip. Be sure to bring all boarding passes, reservations, passports and adoption documentation. When packing your Travelpro Rollaboards, make sure you leave enough space for your child’s belongings for the return trip. Or, better yet, fill that space with supplies (diapers, infant clothing, wipes, etc.) to be donated to the agency or orphanage you’re working with.
If bureaucratic oversights do delay your departure, use the opportunity to soak in more of the local landscape. Many foreign adoptions take place in “non-touristy” areas, so take full advantage of your chance to take the path less traveled. Just be sure to confirm with your contacts which destinations are safe for sightseeing.
Should your budget allow (which, with the expense of an international adoption, isn’t always the case), homeland heritage trips are highly recommended. Enabling your child to see his or her birthplace firsthand will deepen their appreciation for their native culture and their relationship with you.
Adoption travel — a substantial investment with a tremendous return. Safe travels, and enjoy your new family.
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Travelpro Launches Executive Pro “Checkpoint Friendly” Computer Briefcase Collection [PRESS RELEASE]
June 23, 2011 by Karen Amin · 1 Comment
Travelpro, the inventor of Rollaboard® luggage and leader in innovative, high-quality luggage design, introduces its new “Checkpoint Friendly” Computer Briefcase Collection, Executive Pro. The Executive Pro briefcase collection brings sophistication and functionality to the frequent business traveler. With this expansive 9-piece collection of briefcases, whether rolling or non-rolling, a backpack and a combination Rollaboard Luggage Brief to choose from, business travelers can expect lightweight, stylish, durable and Checkpoint Friendly briefs that simplify airline travel, especially when going through airport security.
Executive Pro Checkpoint Friendly Computer Briefcase
“With this new collection, our goal was to make it a little bit easier to speed through the security line at the airport,” said Scott Applebee, Vice President of Marketing for Travelpro. “The extremely lightweight Executive Pro collection is designed with features which allow the traveler to simply unzip the back of the computer briefcase or backpack and pass it through the X-ray machine without having to remove your laptop.”
The collection includes a host of innovative features a busy executive needs on the road. Key features include: rugged polyester fabric with DuraGuard™ coating that make it stain and abrasion resistance for greater durability; extremely lightweight, the Checkpoint Friendly Computer Brief weighs less than 2 ½ lbs; the telescoping handle height adjusts to 41” on the rolling pieces providing comfort for taller travelers; a deluxe business organizer with pockets for business cards, pens and pencils, computer accessories, CD’s, and keys; an adjustable, non-slip cushioned shoulder strap on non-rolling cases for added comfort; quick-loop on the back of the cases for easy attachment to companion luggage; roomy interior pockets that store power cords, chargers, electronic media and smart phones; and a padded laptop sleeve designed to fit most 17” laptops.
The Executive Pro collection includes the Checkpoint Friendly Computer Brief, Slim Checkpoint Friendly Computer Brief, Executive Rolling Brief, Checkpoint Friendly Computer Backpack, Deluxe Rolling Computer Brief, 18” Business Plus Rollaboard, Ladies City Tote, Ladies Rolling Brief and the Messenger Brief.
Travelpro’s new Checkpoint Friendly Computer Briefs and Computer Backpack take away the hassle of having to reach for the laptop and put it in a separate bin from all other belongings and then having to put it back in the bag at the end of the checkpoint. Travelpro backs the Executive Pro™ collection with a limited lifetime warranty that covers defects in materials and workmanship for the lifetime of the product.
Visit Travelpro for a complete list of the latest products and retail locations. You can also follow us on our Travelpro Facebook page or on Twitter at @TravelproIntl.
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