Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Lowering the impact of your holiday travel

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, Americans will take to the roads, rails and air in droves. The average holiday traveler’s trip is 275 miles during December, and the number of long-distance trips taken during the Christmas/New Year’s holiday increases by 23 percent, and 91 percent are made by personal vehicles. The remaining holiday travelers are split between air travel (five to six percent) and bus, train, ship or other modes (two to three percent). That’s a whole lot of car travel, which emits carbon dioxide while consuming fuel.

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Midnight Train to Maine: How I got to Vacationland via bike and rail

Every August, I head up to Maine for vacation. My dad lives on Harpswell peninsula, just south of Brunswick, and my girlfriend’s family stays at an inn on the beach in Scarborough, 10 miles south of Portland. This year, I ditched the car and plane for the train and bicycle. The original plan was to send my bike via UPS to Portland; I would catch up to it there, assemble it, then bike on to dad’s. Easy, right?

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Grid Picks: Margate, NJ

Dig your toes in the sand at the Jersey shore

Picture waves crashing, the smell of salt in the air and vitamin D nourishing your skin. Pack your beach bag for a day trip down the shore.

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