We know it all too well, the “travel funk”. It’s on planes, trains and conference centers around the globe. Fight the funk with Travalo! Body sprays and perfume bottles are hard enough to find in travel sizes, so when they inevitably bust open in your purse or luggage, it’s all the worse.

On a recent trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, I took several planes, totaling almost a full 24 hours of travel. I arrived safe, tired and stinky, only to find that none of my bags made it there. Honestly, it would have made a big differnce in how I felt if I had some way of sprucing up. Of course, I had no perfume or sprays of any sort, as they wouldn’t have made it through security. Next time I’m headed off to Europe, with hours of travel ahead of me, my Travalo is for sure coming with!

We love, love, love this product, and not just for traveling. The Travalo hasn’t left my purse since I filled it. And filling it was a snap. No spills, no unscrewing caps and no trying to find that tiny little funnel that came with your flask. You simply remove the top part off of that nozzle thingy and pump!

Here are the deets:

-At $9.99, we would consider this a great find.

-Comes in different sizes and colors

-Holds 50-65 sprays (depending on the model)

-Aircraft Approved

-Lightweight and shatterproof

-Lifetime Warranty

-Perfect gift!

Now that you have to have one, here’s your chance to win one!

Just Tweet us at @Galavanting, and tell us where you would like to take Travalo and we’ll choose one lucky winner.

If it’s not your lucky day, don’t fret, you can still order one here. When you get it, twell them how much you love it at @Travalo!

Hurricane Irene makes landfall on the East Coast. Image courtesy of National Weather Service

According to CNN, American Airlines has already canceled 126 flights, with other carrier following suit. Many travelers Caribbean travelers can change their flights without incurring fees:

Major airlines — including US Airways, American Airlines, United Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and Air Tran — have dropped ticket change fees for passengers scheduled to fly to or from many cities along the East Coast this weekend.

In addition, the aritcle points out, Amtrak has already canceled train services south of Washington, DC, with more cancellations expected in the Northeast.

Some states are already are already declaring evacuation warnings and states of emergency. New York City has published an evacuation guide for certain city zones, while Governor Andrew Cuomo has stated that Albany’s Emergency Operation Center will operate round-the-clock for 24 hours a day. Transit will also be halted if necessary, according to officials. As for other states:

New Jersey: Governor Chris Christie has declared a state of an emergency, and urged residents of the barrier islands to evacuate voluntarily. Vistors and residents of the Jersey Shore were also encouraged to leave the area by Friday evening, though Irene isn’t expected to touch down until Saturday.

Virginia: Governor Bob Mcdonnell said, “At this time, I encourage all Virginians to gather items they may need this weekend in case of power outages and disruptions in public services and to make sure their family members and friends are also prepared for this storm.” Eastern Virginia residents in low-lying areas have been advised to evacuate. 

North Carolina: President Obama approved a request by the state’s Governor Bev Perdue in declaring a federal disaster declaration before the storm hits landfall. The National Guard have already begun preparing for Irene, while highway patrol will expedite evacuation and offer storm response.

South Carolina: The hurricane warning for the coast of South Carolina has been downgraded to tropical storm, though the appropriate warnings are still in place.

Maryland: Currently a category 3 storm, Hurricane Irene could strengthen to as strong as category 4 as it travels up the coast. Governor Martin O’Malley has declared a state of emergency, while events—such as the scheduled dedication of the new Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial—in Washington D.C have been postponed.

Wherever you may be, it’s best to consult local broadcasts for evacuation warnings and region-specific news. As always, be safe.

Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft on its way to launch. Photo by spatlan

One such company, Orbital Technologies, hopes to build an orbiting hotel by 2016. The hotel will accommodate seven guests for five days at $1 million a pop. Orbiting at 217 miles above the Earth, “the hotel would be more comfortable than the space station, but did not promise luxury.”

Orbital Technologies made its announcement alongside other Russian firms looking to enter the space tourism industry at MAKS air show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow. Now that NASA has retired its shuttle program, different companies are entering the space tourism game. One company, state-owned RKK Energia plans to build a replacement shuttle for the 40-year-old Soyuz craft currently used by Russia. Currently, the Soyuz is the only way to join up with the International Space Station, though costs $50 million dollars a ride.

The Russians have a lot of catching up to do, according to both foreign and state officials. It’s an upward climb to obtain funding, especially when compared to private firms in the United States. In the article:

Russian officials say at least one of four U.S. companies at the forefront of the commercial space industry could develop space taxis by 2016 to take astronauts into low Earth orbit, up to an altitude of about 2,000 km (1,250 miles).

Russia, on the other hand, has to contend with older equipment, race against established companies like Boeing to replace the existing Soyuz and also develop a new tourism program, whereas these problems are less of an issue in the better-funded programs of the US.

Are you as addicted to smartphone photography as we are? Yeah, apps like Instagram are great for scratching that “I’m an artsy photographer” itch, but it is still only software. Photojojo, however, offers something much cooler than a software trick: actual lenses for actual photography, rather than merely manipulating in post. 

Photojojo’s lenses come in three varieties: a fisheye, telephoto and a wide-angle/macro lens. They attach to any smartphone with the use of a detachable magnetic ring. Merely place the ring around the phone’s camera lens and you can attach any of the lenses suiting your fancy.

The wide-angle lens includes a removeable macro ring for close-up photos. The telephoto lens allows a phone so equipped to achieve 2x its average zoom. Finally, the fisheye lens creates a 180-degree view for those wacky Facebook photo-ops kids these days seem to enjoy.

The lenses are available for purchase through Photojojo’s site. The telephoto and wide-angle/macro are $20, while the fisheye is $25. Or you can go for broke and purchase all three lenses for $49 to help you achieve your quasi-dSLR dreams.

The shutdown was a result of disputes over funding the FAA and has continued since July 22. During the shutdown, taxes collected on fares lapsed; 4000 jobs were furloughed; and 70,000 airport contruction jobs were affected. The uncollected taxes added up to $30 million a day that would have contributed to government revunue available for halted projects.

The compromise reached by Congress is only a temporary extension until it returns from recess in September. According to Reuters,

The FAA impasse hinged on cutting more than $16 million in subsidies for rural air service — a demand by the Republican-led House that rankled key Senate Democrats like Reid, Finance Chairman Max Baucus and John Rockefeller, chairman of the Commerce Committee.

Congressional and transportation officials said the linchpin of the compromise gives LaHood authority to waive cuts in service to rural airports targeted in the bill, raising the prospect that some or all of the cuts will not be made.

There are undertones of another partisan showdown, though. Congressional Republicans want to rework the FAA funding such that unions are not easily created at airlines. As Reuters also point out, the extension of FAA funding ends the revenue stream created by the uncollected taxes, which some airlines capitalized on by raising fares equal to the hole left.

Mapnificent from Stefan Wehrmeyer on Vimeo.

Gizmodo tuned us into what is possibly the most useful development in map-technology in recent memory. No exaggeration: If you live in a major urban area, Mapnificent will make your life that much easier.

The premise is simple. Mapnificent limits your map searches of a given area by your travel time using public transportation. As the video demonstrates, if you found a job in a new city but don’t want to commute more than 30 minutes from home, Mapnificent will highlight the map around your workplace that is within the time restraint you’ve set forth. There is also a color-coded map feature, showing the amount of time it takes to reach any given zone from a fixed point. Finally, it is possible to search the intersection of two map points in a given time, so a search for a mutual meeting location is limited to an area accessible to both points. Put simply, you and a friend want to meet for coffee or dinner; insert your locations and desired travel time, and locations will be aggregated in the intersecting area.

Immensely useful, Mapnificent is perfect for travelers and locals alike. Sure, locals will benefit the most, as it can be used daily, but travelers afraid of straying too far from their lodgings will find it an incredible resource. Always late because you misjudge public transport times? (Ahem… me.) Mapnificent will help you judge your departure and travel times. Never be late again! (Or late less often.)

Mapnificent is available for many United States cities and a few international locations, with more on the way. And in case it wasn’t made clear: Mapnificent’s name is definitely right on the money.

Sedaris travels often, and therefore spends countless hours in aiports and on airplanes. Many of us have stories of radical and surprising behavior from grown people in airports; sometimes, those metal detectors seem to act as a black hole of manners and morality. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk is an eye-opening look at these instances.

Each short story is played out by the animals that Sedaris chooses specifically to go along with the behaviors of the characters. Each one of the outlandish stories are surprisingly relatable and thought-provoking. Although a bit more sinister than expected, these clever shorts will leave you with a smirk. 

I snagged this quick and easy read from the iTunes bookstore for $10.

TechCrunch reports that Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky issued an unequivocal apology for how the company dealt with the issues. Calling the incidents a “crash course in crisis management”, Chesky and Airbnb shoulder the consequences and offered a new guarantee to customers using the service:

Starting August 15th, when hosts book reservations through Airbnb their personal property will be covered for loss or damage due to vandalism or theft caused by an Airbnb guest up to $50,000 with our Airbnb Guarantee. Terms will apply to the program and may vary (e.g. by country). This program will also apply retroactively to any hosts who may have reported such property damage prior to August 1, 2011.

The new guarantee, as TechCrunch notes, addresses Airbnb’s major problems headon, but does open it up to fradulent insurance claims in the future. In the meantime, though, it may serve as a way to move forward from a recent string of bad press.

In June, a woman in San Francisco who rented out her home returned to find it ransacked and vandalized, with her personal effects rifled through and identity possibly stolen. While this incident has received the most press, other incidents have come to light, according to Gawker. According to the site, Troy Dayton of Oakland experienced a similar tale of apartment rental mayhem, complete with meth pipes and property damage:

he rented his apartment through the vacation listings site two months ago, only to find out the tenants were meth addicts, who stole his valuables, including a computer, cash and his birth certificate; rifled his personal information; were so paranoid they took apart every electronic device containing a light; and were so high they put his sweater and in the freezer and mixed together everything in his refrigerator. They also kicked or axed his closet and bathroom doors and left behind pipes and a cat (!!), which was returned, in exchange for keys (which were also, apparently, stolen).

There was an additional instance of a customer renting an apartment in Berlin, only to have the “real” owner show up, while the fradulent renter made off with their scammed funds. While Airbnb seemed to have dropped the ball in earlier attempts to make amends with customers, it can’t be all bad: Dayton still uses the service to rent out his home.

Banksy-Locations app brings helps you find Banksy’s art.

And while Banksy’s work is readily accessible online, in books and on film, like all art, there’s nothing quite like viewing the original in the context of its space. Well, in the sage wisdom that is Apple, “there’s an app for that”. The new Banksy-Locations app, to be more precise. Search for street art near your current location or postal code, or locate installations featuring the artist’s work. Videos and photo galleries showcasing Banksy’s work are also available, with information contextualizing the piece as well. For Banksy’s new work, there’s the News tab providing updates on locations and pieces.

For $1.99 in the App Store, Banksy-Locations brings the artist’s subversive, pervasive art to the iPhone-toting masses, further democratizing the liberating street art. Or is it graffiti? 



JetBlue offers 3 months of unlimited flights. Photo by Duke Green

There are three levels to the BluePass. The “Boston All” pass lets you fly anywhere JetBlue flies, as long as your originating flight is from Boston; it costs $1999. For $1499, the “Boston Select” option flies you to 13 JetBlue markets that connect to Boston. Finally, the “Long Beach Select” BluePass, at $1299, allows you to fly to nine JetBlue markets out of its Long Beach hub. Once purchased, the BluePass is valid from August 22nd to November 22nd.

In addition to the unlimited flights to limited destinations, the BluePass also offers some perks. Enjoy no change or cancellation fees for flights, with same day changes available too. BluePass holders can also book up to 90 minutes before a flight’s departure, enjoy free standby and last seat availability. The BluePass sale lasts as long as supplies do, so get on it while you can.