Issues: May 2009 Archives

If you're planning to stay in a hotel at all this summer, watching this segment done by a Houston TV station is certainly worth five minutes of your time.

It's pretty amazing just how easy it is for someone to get your personal information or room key.

The segment reinforces basic tips such as:
*Never announce your last name or personal information out loud.
*If a front desk clerk verbally tells you your room number or floor, ask for a different room and explain why.
*Be aware of your surroundings. If something feels funny, it's better to be safe than sorry.

What tips would you add for personal safety and security while traveling? Share by posting a comment.

Memorial Day -- the unofficial start of summer -- is just a couple of weeks away, and the travel forecasts have already been made.

Experts expect travel during Memorial Day weekend to be up from last year, but still not as robust as it was a few years ago.

As for the rest of the summer, things will still be slow. We might not have $4-a-gallon gasoline to deal with like last summer, but the housing market, layoffs and general economic malaise seem to be catching up with folks.

I wonder what this means? More backyard cookouts? Higher attendance at free community festivals such as Mechanicsburg's famous Jubilee Day? Skyrocketing memberships at local pools?

I just read this story that, after nearly eight years, the crown of the Statue of Liberty will finally reopen to the public on July 4. It was closed for security reasons after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

I say it's about time.

Of course, you better get there soon if you want to check it out -- they're planning to close it again in two years for renovations. Here's what I'm wondering: why couldn't they have done the renovations while they had it closed for security reasons?

What do you think about it? Have you been up in the statue? I haven't gotten there yet.

This just in from the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds: "Many campgrounds and RV resorts are now investing in various green initiatives, both to help the environment and to help their bottom line. Studies show that consumers are more likely to patronize green businesses."

One local campground highlighted was the Elizabethtown / Hershey KOA in Elizabethtown.

The park is spending $150,000 to improve its swimming pool, which includes equipping it with Pentair Intelliflo pumps, which can slash energy consumption by 30 to 90 percent. The concrete from the old pool deck has also been recycled into fill, which will be used to extend several campsites to better accommodate big rigs.

Are you more likely to patronize a business if you know it is taking steps to protect the environment and save energy?