Traveler 2.0

My new blog "A Southerner in San Francisco"

In addition to my posts here, I've started a personal blog about my life as a Southerner in San Francisco. The title: "A Southerner in San Francisco." (I put a lot of thought into that one!) It's written under my byline James A. Martin.

Check it out when you have a chance to find out about my "shocking Sunday in the park with Colonel Sanders," if the West Coast has ever been hit by a hurricane (the answer may surprise you), and an odd-item on the North Carolina Governor's to-do list. 

Travel tips part 1 -- the clothes guys should pack for a long trip

For several months now, I've been planning a two-week trip in September to the U.K. and Italy. Even though I know the summer travel season is winding down, I wanted to pass along some things I've learned, or been reminded of, in my research.

Today's topic: clothes that are ideal for travel. The following porducts mentioned are for men, though many similar products are available for women as well. And in case you start to wonder, no, I don't receive freebies, a commission, or payment of any kind by mentioning these products.  

 * Pack just two (three, tops) pairs of underwear. ExOfficio underwear is reasonably comfortable, it breathes, and it will dry within about 24 hours if left in your hotel room after washing. On a three-week trip to the U.K. a few years ago, I took only three pairs of underwear like these ($18). REI sells ExOfficio underwear, and the retailer has a generous return policy: Don't like it? You can return it at any time.

* Pack at least one no-iron
 dress shirt. A lot of retailers are offering men's dress shirts that supposedly need no ironing and dry fairly quickly after washing. I've yet to own a shirt that never needed at least a quick touch up from an iron, however. The material in a no-iron dress shirt tends to be heavy, so it's not recommended if you're going to a muggy climate. And no-iron dress shirts aren't the most stylish shirts you'll find. Still, I've had good luck with shirts from Banana Republic and Jos. A. Bank Traveler label shirts.

* Pack (or wear) a pair of Ecco slip ons. Ecco makes the most comfortable dress shoes I've ever worn. You could practically go for a run in the Ecco Helsinki slip on shoe ($140; pictured). It's great for trips where you'll be doing a lot of walking--attending a large trade show, going to the theater in New York or London, and so on. And if you buy a pair, get them from Zappos.com (click the above link). They'll arrive practically minutes after you click the 'Buy' button, the shipping is free, you can return them within 365 days, and return shipping is also free. 

Next time: tech you should travel with--and when you should not use it.  

How to get money for your old iPhone

Apple recently expanded its recycling program, allowing you to trade in your  old iPhone and iPads in exchange for Apple gift cards at a "fair market value." 

But is it really a fair market value?

To find out, I went to Apple's recycling page to see what my still-in-good-condition iPhone 3G (16 GB, locked to AT&T, and not jailbroken) might fetch. The result: a $65 Apple gift card. Next, I went to eBay and discovered that similar used, good-condition iPhone 3G phones had recently sold for $135 to $220. Finally, I headed over to Amazon.com and learned I could get a $114.40 Amazon gift card in exchange for my old iPhone 3G. Amazon's trade-in programs require that you send in the original packaging and accessories, which I still have. The Apple offer doesn't appear to come with those requirements. So kudos to Apple for being eco-minded. But I'm going to trade in my old iPhone 3G at Amazon instead.