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Check Out These Awesomely Vintage Motels

There are still plenty of amazing vintage hotels still open for business around the country. 

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There’s no point in fighting it at this point, we are living in the retro-age. It’s all about vintage and throwbacks and reboots. And as annoying as it can be, there is still some really cool vintage stuff out there. And what’s more vintage than cute, little roadside motels? Here are some of the coolest ones out there.

SANTA FE MOTEL AND INN – SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

The Santa Fe Motel and Inn epitomizes the energy and style of the Southwest. From the classic adobe-style architecture to the colorful and rustic interior of the lobby, this place is as New Mexico as it gets. And the awesome Santa Fe Plaza is just about a seven minute walk away. They also offer a deliciously Southwest breakfast for their guests.

THE STARLUX – WILDWOOD, NEW JERSEY

Enjoy a proper New Jersey experience at the StarLux motel as it is just two blocks from the beach and the awesome Wildwood Boardwalk. One of the biggest motels on this list, it has a whopping 45 rooms. Plus they really lean heavily on the vintage vibe with lava lamps in the rooms, fake palm trees by the pool, and actual real-life Airstream trailers for guests to stay in.

PALM SPRINGS RENDEZVOUS – PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

This adorable motel first opened in 1938 and was apparently the motel of choice for the one and only Marilyn Monroe when she visited Palm Springs. There are only ten rooms in the motel and they all have unique and awesome themes. Like the Rebel Without a Cause room, the Shake Rattle and Roll room, and Marilyn’s favorite, the Pretty in Pink room.

BLACK HAWK MOTEL – WISCONSIN DELLS, WISCONSIN

This picture perfect motel looks like it’s right out of a postcard. The best part about this vintage spot? How close it is to awesome attractions! There’s a popular tourist strip just a ten minute walk away, and Noah’s Ark Waterpark and Kalahari Indoor Theme Park are a short drive away. The motel even provides free passes to all its guests!

THE MOTOR LODGE – PRESCOTT, ARIZONA

This quaint little spot was built all the way back in 1910. It was originally just a small collection of summer cabins. It’s changed a lot over the years thanks to multiple owners, but now it’s considered an awesome boutique motel located right around the corner from Whiskey Row and a historic downtown. Guests can also enjoy a complimentary glass of wine when they arrive, a homemade cookie when they leave, and plenty of bikes for borrowing.

RED CABOOSE MOTEL – RONKS, PENNSYLVANIA

This place is an absolute must-see. Literally made from 19 25-ton train cabooses all the way back in 1969, motels doing get any more vintage than the Red Caboose Motel. Guests will literally stay in the cabooses, with some of them big enough to support a whole family, and one honeymoon caboose with a queen sized bed and a romantic whirlpool bath. It also includes a petting zoo, a miniature train ride, and free movie nights in the barn.


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Guides

The Best Photography Equipment for Traveling

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Are you taking your photography hobby or gig on the road for the first time? Whether for business or pleasure, a traveling photographer needs the right equipment. Traveling often means you have limited space and weight requirements, which will have an affect on what photography equipment you can bring along. 

When you’re packing for your trip, consider including the following travel photography gear. 

Lightweight Camera

Do you have a favorite camera you use for your photo shoots? How heavy is it? Having a camera that isn’t too heavy for traveling is important. A heavy camera will be a pain to lug around, and it will add unnecessary weight to your luggage if you’re flying. Consider packing a lightweight camera that is versatile enough to fulfill all of your photography needs on your journey. 

Variety of Lenses

Depending on the type of photos you plan to take, you will likely need a few different lenses to capture the images you want. Consider your photography goals during your travels and be sure to include lenses that will allow you to get the shots you desire. Include a long range lens and/or a close range lens depending on your needs. If you’re going to be photographing people, include a portrait lens. To minimize the amount of equipment you’ll be taking along, choose lenses that are versatile enough to handle multiple purposes. 

Tripod 

You may want a lightweight tripod to set up your camera for specific shots. Find one that collapses down to a compact size for your luggage or carry-on bag. 

Computer or Tablet

Besides just the camera and lens equipment you’ll need, you may want to consider bringing a laptop or tablet to edit your photos as you go. You may also want to download your photos to a computer periodically along the way to free up memory on your camera and storage cards. A computer also allows you to immediately post your photos to social media or blogs to keep your followers up to date on your travels. 

Plenty of Memory

You can never have too much memory for photos. Bring plenty of SD cards, thumb drives, external hard drives, or whatever you prefer to use for file storage. You don’t want to miss an amazing photo opportunity due to lack of storage space. 

Backpack Case

If you’re going to be taking your equipment along for your excursions, it helps to have a backpack case that can hold everything you need for a day trip. You’ll have an easier time carrying a backpack down streets, trails, and on multiple forms of transportation. 

Chargers and Batteries 

Make sure you pack all of the chargers you need for every device or piece of equipment you’re bringing. If anything takes batteries, pack extras or rechargeable batteries, especially if you’ll be in a foreign country where typical sizes of batteries may be scarce. Also consider outlet adapters for international travel. 

Lighting Equipment

If you’re going to be setting up photo shoots that need more than natural light, bring lighting equipment with you. This is especially important if you’ll be photographing people or taking portraits. 

Rain Protection

At the very least, make sure your carrying case is waterproof before you head out. In addition, if you don’t want the rain to ruin your shots or damage your camera, get a rainsleeve that allows you to take pictures in wet conditions. 

Lens Cleaning Supplies

On a related note, in case your camera lens gets dirty, you’ll want cleaning supplies such as lens wipes and a microfiber cloth. 

Ask a Professional 

Are you taking your photography hobby or gig on the road for the first time? Whether for business or pleasure, a traveling photographer needs the right equipment. Traveling often means you have limited space and weight requirements, which will have an affect on what photography equipment you can bring along. 

When you’re packing for your trip, consider including the following travel photography gear. 

Lightweight Camera

Do you have a favorite camera you use for your photo shoots? How heavy is it? Having a camera that isn’t too heavy for traveling is important. A heavy camera will be a pain to lug around, and it will add unnecessary weight to your luggage if you’re flying. Consider packing a lightweight camera that is versatile enough to fulfill all of your photography needs on your journey. 

Variety of Lenses

Depending on the type of photos you plan to take, you will likely need a few different lenses to capture the images you want. Consider your photography goals during your travels and be sure to include lenses that will allow you to get the shots you desire. Include a long range lens and/or a close range lens depending on your needs. If you’re going to be photographing people, include a portrait lens. To minimize the amount of equipment you’ll be taking along, choose lenses that are versatile enough to handle multiple purposes. 

Tripod 

You may want a lightweight tripod to set up your camera for specific shots. Find one that collapses down to a compact size for your luggage or carry-on bag. 

Computer or Tablet

Besides just the camera and lens equipment you’ll need, you may want to consider bringing a laptop or tablet to edit your photos as you go. You may also want to download your photos to a computer periodically along the way to free up memory on your camera and storage cards. A computer also allows you to immediately post your photos to social media or blogs to keep your followers up to date on your travels. 

Plenty of Memory

You can never have too much memory for photos. Bring plenty of SD cards, thumb drives, external hard drives, or whatever you prefer to use for file storage. You don’t want to miss an amazing photo opportunity due to lack of storage space. 

Backpack Case

If you’re going to be taking your equipment along for your excursions, it helps to have a backpack case that can hold everything you need for a day trip. You’ll have an easier time carrying a backpack down streets, trails, and on multiple forms of transportation. 

Chargers and Batteries 

Make sure you pack all of the chargers you need for every device or piece of equipment you’re bringing. If anything takes batteries, pack extras or rechargeable batteries, especially if you’ll be in a foreign country where typical sizes of batteries may be scarce. Also consider outlet adapters for international travel. 

Lighting Equipment

If you’re going to be setting up photo shoots that need more than natural light, bring lighting equipment with you. This is especially important if you’ll be photographing people or taking portraits. 

Rain Protection

At the very least, make sure your carrying case is waterproof before you head out. In addition, if you don’t want the rain to ruin your shots or damage your camera, get a rainsleeve that allows you to take pictures in wet conditions. 

Lens Cleaning Supplies

On a related note, in case your camera lens gets dirty, you’ll want cleaning supplies such as lens wipes and a microfiber cloth. 

Ask a Professional 

The above traveling photography equipment is recommended by Dani Weiss, professional photographer in Atlanta, Georgia. Dani has more than 30 years of photography experience and has traveled extensively throughout the world. Her services include family portraits, corporate photography, event photography, and more. Contact Dani Weiss to schedule a photo session today. 

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Guides

Uber Really Doesn’t Exist In These Cities?

If you rely heavily on ride-sharing apps like Uber, maybe avoid these places on your next vacation. 

 

 

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Uber has become such a regular part of our lives that we can barely remember when it didn’t exist. In fact, we rely on it so much that I’d venture to say a lot of people wouldn’t know how to get around if suddenly the ride-sharing app didn’t exist anymore! Well, you might be surprised to learn that Uber is still banned in many areas. So be wary if you’re planning on traveling to these places any time soon.

HUNGARY

Hungary faced the same dilemma that every city and county that has Uber faced: should ride-sharing drivers face the same requirements as a taxi driver? They are, after all, basically exactly the same as a taxi. But in many places, they are most certainly treated differently and not required to adhere to the same regulations. So because of this, Hungary banned the app throughout the country.

DENMARK

Denmark is a beautiful country that can make for a great vacation. Especially a city like Copenhagen. But in 2016 they passed a law that said all taxis were required to have seat occupancy sensors and fare meters. Uber did not like this and just completely withdrew from the country. But luckily at least Copenhagen is a great bicycle-friendly city.

CHINA

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. China regularly goes out of their way to keep their people being exposed to certain luxuries, including things as simple as access to certain websites. But oddly enough, the decision to not exist in China was made by Uber and it was an economic one. They existed there for a few years, but reportedly were losing roughly $1 billion a year in doing so! So they quickly removed themselves from China entirely.

NORTHERN TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA

Uber is still available in most of Australia, especially the major cities. But if you ever end up in the northern territory, like in cities such as Alice Springs or Darwin, for example, you better have your own transportation figured out, because Uber doesn’t exist there. They withdrew from the area after a new law was passed requiring car owners to pay a license fee. Uber saw the fees as too expensive and inefficient.

FRANCE, ITALY, FINLAND, GERMANY, AND THE NETHERLANDS

We’re lumping all these countries together because the app is only partially banned in certain parts of these countries. In Germany, for example, it basically only exists in major cities like Berlin and Munich. While in the other countries, it exists but only professionals are able to use the app as a driver. The average Joe Schmo can’t take it up as a side hustle.

LONDON… MAYBE

Technically Uber is still operating in London for the moment. London did rule in 2017 to ban the app from the city, but as Uber is currently appealing the decision it’s still available. London’s main problem with the app was legal accountability. They were unhappy with the minimal background checks drivers had to go through and Uber’s limited system for reporting criminal offenses. So it could be gone very soon… but it’s still there for now.


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Destinations

Check Out The Next Generation Of Theme Parks

From Disney’s new Star Wars Land to Universal Studios Beijing, there is something for everyone in these fantasylands.

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The world of theme parks is about to get really exciting in the next few years. A whole slew of awesome new parks are slated to open soon and each one has something exciting. From Disney’s new Star Wars Land to Universal Studios Beijing, there is something for everyone in these fantasylands. Let’s check out the newest crop of theme parks and see why you should be so excited.

 

Pandora – Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney is set to unveil their latest creation, Pandora; the World of Avatar is an expansion to their Animal Kingdom in Florida. This groundbreaking theme park puts visitors into the world of Avatar and sets them on the planet of Pandora. James Cameron, the director who brought us Avatar has been deeply involved in the planning and execution of the new park. Expect lush forests of bioluminescent creatures and out of this world technology.

 

Disney’s Star Wars Land

Disney is doing it again but this time in both Florida and California, wherein 2019 it will debut the Star Wars land. Disney purchased the Star Wars rights in 2009 for a record 4 billion dollars and has been steadily exploiting the franchise. From the concept drawings, you can tell it’s going to be massive in scale and should fully immerse fans in the Star Wars universe. I know people will start lining up for these parks early so be prepared to wait a little bit.

 

Paramount Park, London

The long-anticipated London theme park has gone through some setbacks but it seems on track for a 2022 opening. Expect rides from Paramount icons like Star Trek, Indiana Jones, and Iron Man. This 3 billion dollar theme park better live up its enormous hype or there will be some salty Brits.

 

Universal Studios Beijing

Disney recently opened up in Shanghai so of course, their bitter rival Universal Studios had to open a park in the region. So enter Universal Studios Beijing, the mega-park set to open in 2020. There are plenty of fun parks in China but none are expected to be as grand as Universal Studios Beijing. They are attempting to build a park with heart and soul, so expect something huge and grandiose.

 

Warner Bros. World, Abu Dhabi

Expected to rely heavily on the brands biggest stars, Looney Tunes, and DC Comics. The completely indoor theme park will open in 2018 and is expected to dominate the landscape of Abu Dhabi. The UAE (United Arab Emirates) is a little overloaded with theme parks as of recent but this one is expected to be massive.

 

Wanda Theme Parks

China’s richest man owns Wanda Theme Parks and his goal is to make his theme park company bigger than all others. There are ten mega-theme parks expected to open in the next 5 years in China and that sounds crazy. These theme parks will put all other Chinese parks to shame as they are investing in Hollywood franchises and other huge budget trademarks.

 

Expect huge things from these mega parks in the next few years as the technology and budgets just keep growing and getting bigger.


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