With outdoor activities topping the list of potential ‘leisure activities’ for many people, each year millions are choosing to travel for the sole purpose of participating in their favorite sports activities. Travelocity has built done some research and offered some interesting ideas:

WHERE THE RUNNERS GO:

Marathoners can travel to any of the top 10 U.S. cities and a wide variety of international cities to find their dream race and trip. According to non-profit organization Running USA, there were more marathons held in 2006 than ever before, including five races with more than 30,000 finishers. Racers looking for a European vacation can head to:

• London - which held the third largest marathon last year
• Paris - which held the fourth largest marathon
• Sweden or Germany - which held races all ranked in the top 12 international runs

Runners hoping to find a race locally have to plan in advance, with the ING New York Marathon becoming increasingly competitive to enter, and the Windy City marathon filling up more than six months in advance.

WHERE THE CYCLISTS GO:

Cyclists are the second largest growing segment of active travelers behind runners. New York, a hot spot for cyclists, holds its annual Commerce Bank 5-Boro Bike Tour in the city and had a 12,000 participant increase this year with more than 42,000 people from several countries.

Cyclists seeking some extra competition may want to try out the Iron Horse Classic in Durango Colorado, where bikers race a steam locomotive. The group tries to beat the nation’s most famous antique train, the Silverton-Durango Narrow Gauge Railway, over a 50-mile route from train station to train station in the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains.

WHERE THE SEA-GOERS AND BEACH LOVERS GO:

Active travelers looking for a sunny beach vacation to recover from their active lifestyle may want to check out the Baja Peninsula for a week-long sea-kayaking trip or a visit to one of Mexico’s many surf camps. Domestic travelers can participate in one of Hawaii’s many race and trail offerings from the Kilauea Volcano Wilderness Marathon to the always popular Susan G. Komen 5K Hawaii Race for the Cure.

Active travel is not limited to single-day events. There are plenty of multi-day tours, from the annual Tour of Colorado (a seven-day bike ride) and the Pan-Mass Challenge (a two-day charity ride) across Massachusetts, to several annual charity group rides in Europe, such as London to Amsterdam and London to Paris (three to five days). Many of these events include festivals with concerts, BBQ, and shopping, offering the active traveler even more reasons to opt out of the scenic drive this year.

You can learn more and Book your next adventure with Travelocity.

As reformed Road Warriors, we read this article with equal parts amusement and intrigue.  The gist of the article focuses on young “mileage runners”, but I can see a whole class of Boomer runners (Bummers?) picking up this hobby.

This could be the next sport - though pretty dull to watch in real time.

 Mileage runners are the high-tech nomadic wanderers of the air. Predominantly male, generally obsessed with flying and miles, and typically employed in white-collar careers that involve significant business travel, they scour the web for cheap flights, phoning in sick or using vacation days to fly the longest itineraries they can string together.

Here’s what the article writer did:

I was 18 spine-crushing hours into a knight’s tour of airport terminals in Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego and three other cities. Wired News gave me $500 and a mission: Squeeze as many miles as possible out of those five bills, using the tricks and techniques invented by a subculture of airline hackers called “mileage runners” who specialize in accumulating frequent flyer miles at low cost. Now with more than 6,000 miles and 31 hours booked, my only problem was how to spend the other $224.

A really fun read.  The new sport is Extreme Travel

http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2007/07/mileage_runner

I have been looking for a quick link on WiFi Providers at USA Airport WiFi Guide.  Here is a link to a helpful guide.

US Airport WiFi Guide

And if you need to know where to plug in that laptop (especially if your flight is delayed), here is a link of places to plug in at worldwide airports.

Airport Power Plugs

If there’s something we keep looking for - is a better way to pop open a laptop on the road. I think we finally found it!  To see more about this cool laptop bag, click any of the photos.

This rolling luggage cart converts into a stable work platform, providing a sturdy place to use your laptop while traveling when there are no convenient tables, and eliminating the need to perilously perch a portable computer upon your lap.

The desktop is integrated into the carts molded ABS and lightweight anodized aluminum frame, and it unfolds at the touch of a button into a platform 26″ from the floor, secured by the telescoping handle at two points and reinforced by a Y-brace underneath.

The platform can hold up to 20 lbs., and can accommodate a 17″ wide laptop, or a smaller laptop with an external mouse. The carrying platform can fit a 36″ business case, yet the 17 3/4″ width of the cart allows it to maneuver in airplane isles.

When fully compacted and stowed, it will easily fit into an overhead compartment. 17 1/2″ L x 15 1/2″ H x 6″ D. (11 1/4 lbs.)

This is from Hammacher Schlemmer
and we keep finding great stuff there. Take a look.