City Trav

Any web savvy human can tell you that Google’s analytics are complicated, and ever-changing, and not very easy to understand. Conversely, it seems that their strategies for employee treatment and benefits are simple and unwavering.

As a company, Google really knows how to take care of its employees. Onsite, the company offers workers all access to free, gourmet food cooked by a professional chef, free athletic amenities including 2 swimming pools, and even free annual checkups. But one of google’s initiatives that benefits employees and the environment is their shuttle services to and from work.

Located in Silicon Valley, the Google office is centered around what is known as some of the nation’s worst traffic areas. To mitigate some of the exhaustion and headaches surrounding the daily commute, Google has decided to spare the young engineers the trouble by providing transportation services to and from work.

The shuttle services currently in use by 1,200 Googlers at the company. Running across 6 counties, the shuttle bus services perform approximately 132 trips a day; pick up and drop off times start at 5 am run as late as 10:05 pm. Pickup times run between 15 minutes of one another.

Google hopes that the added convenience will enable its employees to spend the hours saved commuting hard at work instead.


Shuttle buses are typically used for transportation to the airport, special events, and bus tours; Google’s employee transportation services are a relatively unique practice among companies. But not only does it save the employees time, it saves the environment from a great deal of CO2 emissions. Carpooling is an effective means of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Perhaps other companies should follow suit with Google’s shuttle services. While it would cost the company money, shuttle transportation services enable employees to have more energy and focus for the job, furthermore increasing productivity and revenue.

Another benefit of providing shuttle buses for employees is that it boosts employee comrade, morale, and pride. While such things are seemingly intangible, human resources would argue that employees who feel solidarity toward their company and fellow workmates tend to be more productive and happy.


Do you think more companies should follow Google’s model? Let us know in the comments below!

Summer is prime time for family gatherings and celebrations such as backyard barbecues, birthdays, graduations, weddings, and of course family vacations. If you and your family have long dreamed of a family-friendly vacation spot that allows the adults to kick back and relax while keeping the kids entertained in a fun, safe environment, then you may want to consider having family gatherings and vacations in the Outer Banks.

Located off the shore of North Carolina, the Outer Banks are 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands that extend into a small portion of Virginia. Long considered a hot spot in terms of family and kid-oriented vacations, the Outer Banks boasts a variety of family friendly condos, beachfront dining establishments, and oceanfront hotels that the entire family will love.

Many Outer Banks resorts offer premium or all inclusive Outer Banks packages that make having a family vacation there both enjoyable and very affordable. These packages are also perfect for weddings in the Outer Banks, which has become a popular go-to location for destination weddings.

Part of the reason why the Outer Banks are such a popular beach location for families, weddings, and even business or professional conferences lies in its versatility. There is literally something for everyone in the Outer Banks, whether you simply want to have a relaxing day at the beach, tour a museum, experience the local wildlife, or enjoy an exquisitely prepared meal.

While summer is by far the most popular time to visit the Outer Banks, spring, fall, and even winter are also excellent times to enjoy all it has to offer as well. Temperatures remain in the 80’s well into September, with fall and winter temperatures being generally mild. This allows for a variety of both indoor and outdoor activities, and of course spectacular scenery.

However, in order to truly appreciate all that the Outer Banks has to offer, you just have to go there and experience it for yourself.

When hiring a limo service, it is important to make sure you are selecting the right service to meet your needs. Whether you are looking for wedding limo services, transportation for corporate events, or simply wish to have a night on the town, there are a few common factors to consider.

The first thing to do when hiring any limo service is to check their references. In addition to asking the company representatives for any references, do a search online for recent customer reviews. The company is not likely to provide you with any negative feedback they have received, so it is important to get an accurate overview of their service. Check with the Better Business Bureau to find out how the company has been rated over the years.

In addition to learning about a company’s service record, you will want to examine their stance on safety. Make sure you only hire specially licensed drivers with insured vehicles. In addition to being licensed and certified as necessary, your chauffeur is an important part of the limousine renting experience, and should be well versed in the local hot spots.

Make sure you get all agreements in writing, including the rate of service and the hours you have agreed to rent and return the vehicle. Finding out the company’s policy on alcoholic beverages and impromptu stops is especially important for special occasions. Some states allow passengers to drink champagne, while others prohibit all alcoholic beverages from being opened in a vehicle.

Lastly, find out if the company has any promotions or sales. Ask about payment plans if that is an option you are interested in. If you will be utilizing the limo as transportation for a themed event, you may want to ask about the types of vehicle available, and be sure to always tip your driver no matter what.

Renting a limo can be a great way to celebrate a special occasion or to travel in style on business trips and vacation. Ask your employer, family, or fiancee if limo service is right for you!

Are you among the 52% of people worldwide expecting to take a beach vacation within the next upcoming year? If you are currently trying to figure out where to stay at the beach, here are a few helpful tips for finding the perfect vacation rental property for you and your family.

Look At Maps And Photos Of Vacation Rental Properties

If your ideal vacation consists of spending quality beach time with your children, like 51% of worldwide travelers, you will want to make sure your vacation rental property is located in the right spot, with easy access to a family-friendly beach. Sometimes, vacation rentals may be advertised by resort management companies as “beach home rentals” when in actuality, they are located across a busy street or are in a beach neighborhood, but do not have access to the area’s private beach. To avoid one of these vacation hiccups, it is important to do your research before signing any agreements until you are sure the vacation rental property is right for you. Looking up addresses on maps and viewing property photos are great resources for getting a feel for what you are putting your money towards.

Consider A Group Vacation To Save Money

If you are like most people, the overall price of your beach vacation is your top concern when planning your trip. Keeping this in mind, one great tip for making the most of your money and getting the best vacation rental property you can is going in on the property with another family. By using the resources from a larger group, everyone can contribute a smaller amount and often, get a very nice rental property to share. Group vacations also have other perks, such as providing company for adults, playmates for children and allowing you to share the labors of planning the trip and activities.

Be Organized In Your Search

The best way to make sure you get a vacation rental that you are satisfied with is by clearly delineating your priorities for the property. List the features and amenities you desire, including things such as number of bedrooms, location and proximity to the beach. If you would love a certain style of house or a particular feature such as an outdoor shower, also list these. Next, prioritize your list from most to least important, indicating which items are must-haves and where you are a bit flexible. Using the list as your guide when talking with a representative from a vacation rental management company will help you communicate your desires and give you a better chance of finding the perfect property for your family.

Please share any additional tips or questions about finding vacation rental properties by leaving a comment.

Are you having trouble planning what to do on vacation? Want a leisurely summer vacation to relax from the stresses of work or the hectic end-of-school time? Taking a vacation is something that isn’t too popular with the hardworking American culture. Unlike our European counterparts, we work more and play less. However, that doesn’t always have to be the case! Every now and then we need a true break. When planning a low-key summer vacation plan, one popular warm weather activity to consider choosing from is hitting the beach. A recent survey of over 1,100 adults asked what their preference for vacation was. Going to the beach was the top choice of 29% of those surveyed, which outstripped other pastimes like camping, spa days, or playing golf. Additionally, a global survey showed that 33% of the respondents (the majority) said that they would choose to go to the beach if they could only take one vacation. Below will be some beach vacation tips to help you plan your perfect beach getaway.
What to Do on A Beach Vacation
Some of the best beach vacation tips are pretty simple. For example, there are variety of things to do on a beach vacation, but by far, 60% of Americans said they preferred doing nothing or relaxing at the beach when they went. Sunbathing or reading on the beach is a great way to spend a day, with your feet propped up on a pull out chair or relaxing on a towel, listening to the crash of the waves on the beach. Another popular option was walking on the beach–it’s great for people watching and getting a little exercise. It’s also great if you have small children with lots of energy. In line with that, swimming is another wonderful activity to partake in when on a beach vacation. Swimming in waves is always thrilling for children who have never been to the ocean and relaxing for those who have been many times.
What to Consider When Going on A Beach Vacation
Some important beach vacation tips that will help you streamline your plans involve thinking about the atmosphere you want, where you’ll stay, how much you can spend, and how to be prepared for any accidents that may come up. Do you want to stay in a not so touristy area? Do you want the full tourist experience? These questions will shape where you choose to stay on your vacation, be it a private house, a hotel, or other accommodations, like camping. If you choose a hotel or resort, try to reserve places early before beach season starts–while the vacation concierge at your hotel might be charming, the prices many beachside hotels or resorts charge can be ridiculous. Be ready for any accidents (coral, jellyfish, allergies, etc.,) ahead of time and pack antidotes or emergency equipment as needed.
Taking a yearly vacation can help you live up to 20% longer. Do something good for your health and your state of mind and consider heading to a beach this summer. You’ll have leisure time, exercise, and plenty of fun in the sun. Make all your coworkers jealous by coming back with an excellent tan, a refreshed attitude, and an abundance of stories.

As camping becomes an increasingly popular pastime for families across the country, the number of different camping accommodations available to these families continues to diversify. These days, families can go camping in a cabin, tent or even a yurt!

Another popular camping choice? Taking an RV camping trip — but there are a number of important considerations you should take into account before hitting the road with the whole family in your RV.

Is taking your family camping in an RV the right choice? Find out with this list of the biggest pros and cons of going RV camping:

Pro: Kids love it

There are few things more exciting to children than idea of a home on wheels — especially one that takes them on a fun camping excursion. RV trips are a great way to get kids excited for the outdoors, and when it’s packed, it has everything they could want or need close by — from a stocked refrigerator to all their favorite toys.

Con: Long journeys can become expensive

Driving a vehicle as large as an RV takes a good deal of fuel — and with that comes a lot of money. If you’re planning on journeying far away to reach your campsite, the price of keeping your RV fueled might add an unexpected price to your trip. Another thing you should consider is the overall maneuverability of an RV; these vehicles are much more difficult to drive than a normal car!

Pro: An RV is the perfect platform for many camping activities

With an RV, you never have to worry about having enough space in the car for hiking gear, bicycles or other equipment needed for outdoor activities. With an RV, you can be ready for any fun adventure you and your family want to pursue while going camping.

Con: RVs can feel like cramped quarters

RVs aren’t known for being the most spacious places for living and relaxing — especially with three, four or more people cramped into this one small space. If your kids are prone to getting restless or irritated in close quarters with one another, an RV camping trip can be a nightmare for everyone involved. However, it’s just another reason for them to spend their trips enjoying the outdoors instead!

Have any other questions or comments for us on RV camping? Share all your thoughts with us in the comments below! See more.

Once you’ve found the right temporary housing if you’re relocated for a short time for work or the military, the hard part is over. Since these are usually furnished apartments for rent for a short period of time, you’re pretty much set as far as the living situation goes. It’s important, however, that while the apartment will be furnished, it’s not going to have every single thing you need. Here are a few things you should remember to bring with you.

1. Personal Hygiene and Care Items
Corporate housing apartments are going to have things like linens, towels, and a shower curtain, but they are not going to have hygiene and personal care items like a hotel would provide. Make sure to bring soaps, shampoos, lotions, and things of that sort with you. Additionally, if you use things like a curling iron or hair straightener bring those with you as well.

2. Technology
Short term rentals generally have a television, alarm clock, and maybe a music player like an iPod docking station — but that’s about it. If you need things like a laptop or desktop computer, those are things you’re going to have to bring with you. The same goes for video games systems, if that’s what you do for recreation. Also make sure to bring all of the connecting cords and chargers with you.

3. Personal Touches
Depending on how long you’re going to be staying in corporate housing, you should think about bringing some personal items with you. Things like framed pictures, books, and other small items can make the apartment feel more like a home and less like a hotel room to make a longer stay more comfortable.

What have you needed to bring with you during a stay in corporate housing apartments? Feel free to share with us in the comments section below. For more information, read this website.

Camping is one of the most popular pastimes for American families — in the last year alone, a whopping 43 million people went camping! And because camping is more popular than ever, there are tons of reasons why taking your kids on a camping trip can benefit them.

But with the massive variety and number of family camping resorts comes a tough choice — which one will provide the best camping experience for you and your family? It might seem like a tough decision, but it doesn’t have to be.

To be sure that you and your family have a fun, memorable camping trip, be sure to ask these three questions while looking at family camping resorts:

How will my family and I be camping?

From camping in an RV or cabin to roughing it in a tent, there are plenty of different ways your family can spend their trip. Figure out which camping option you want, and narrow your search down from there — for example, if you have an RV, obviously look for RV-friendly campsites. If you have younger kids, you might want to avoid tent camping — for now, at least.

What kinds of amenities and services will the campsite provide?

Some campsites have no showers, no electricity, outdoor bathrooms and require you to carry water back to your campsite from a central location. Yet other campsites offer deluxe amenities like Wi-Fi, cable TV, bath houses and more. While most campsites tend to fall in between these two extremes, you’d do well by determining how many of these amenities you need.

What can my family and I do at this campsite for fun?

There is virtually no end to the number of things your family can do for fun when they go camping. From swimming to hiking, bicycling to nature observation, there’s always plenty to do in the great outdoors. Find out what kinds of outdoor activities each campsite offers, and make sure its activities fit with your family’s interests.

Have any other questions for us on choosing the right camping sites for your family? Feel free to ask us anything by leaving a comment below! For more information, read this website. Check out this website for more.

How many days a year do you see rain? If you live in Chicago, you see more than 130 days of precipitation per year. In New York, they see more than 125. In Seattle, more than 200 days per year include rain showers. Imagine, for a moment, that you could almost guarantee “no rain” on your next vacation? Then imagine that in addition to no rain, you could guarantee sunny skies and warm temperatures? Imagine more than 300 days per year of no rain and total sunshine. Book your next vacation rental home in Sante Fe and you just might be that lucky.

Sante Fe is famous for its sunny weather and variety of fun activities. There are hundreds of cheap vacation rentals to help you see Sante Fe at an affordable price. In addition, there are great entertainment choices like concert venues and theatre halls as well as historical landmarks from ancient indian inhabitants. Santa Fe hosts 13 museum as well as a world famous opera. Given that Sante Fe’s cost of living is on the lower end, visitors from Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Seattle might find that the Opera, while world-renowned, is also quite affordable.

Sante Fe also has more than 225 premium restaurants to choose from. With just 60,000 living and working in the area, the likelyhood of getting a spot at one of the premier restaurants is much higher than other metropolis.

Lastly, if you aren’t so inclined to do vacation on the cheap – Sante Fe is still great for you! A luxury vacation rental home may make more sense than the cheapest vacation rentals. Santa fe luxury vacation rentals usually have amentities like a washer and dryer, outdoor views and wifi. Summer vacation rentals are abundant and given the cities size, they are usually not too far from the attractions you’ll learn to love.

Santa fe vacation homes are a great way to bring the family together on any budget- big or small. No matter the season, Sante Fe is happy to have you. Put it on your short list of vacation destinations.

Summer is unfortunately winding to an end, but there is still time to go on one last trip with the family. If you’re itching to get out and have one last respite before the kids go back to school and winter rolls in to keep you cooped up in the house, you might want to consider going camping. Here are three reasons why:

Unplug
There is something really refreshing about unplugging from all of your devices. Leave your cell phone, laptop, and game systems at home and just enjoy the recreation that camp sites have to offer. Avoiding looking at a brightly lit digital screen and constantly checking for updates can cut out a source of stress and distraction.

Hang out with the family
Going camping is a great way to bond with the family. Choosing campgrounds that are a good distance away from home ensures that the kids won’t have any excuses to go to a friend’s house and that your spouse won’t feel that they need to go run this errand or that errand. Getting the whole family together to spend some time can be tough, but it can be tough for them to get away from camp sites.

Camping can be comfortable
Some people avoid camping because they think it’s dirty, gross, or uncomfortable; however, there are plenty of camping options out there now that make the experience more comfortable. If your family doesn’t want to go camping in tents because they are unsecure and sleeping on the ground can be uncomfortable, you can opt for camping in cabins with separate rooms and a bathroom.

Getting one last vacation in before winter is a great way to bond with the family and refresh yourself before the stress of the coming holiday season. Camping can help you relax and spend uninterrupted time with your family in a comfortable environment. See more.