Are you thinking of making a trip to Disney? I’ve been about 5 times over the last several years. Most of these were side trips while I was attending conferences. Over the years I’ve amassed several really cool tips that can keep you (and your family) from standing in line to enter the park. If you’re headed to meet Mickey this summer - check out these tips. Update: Make sure to check out the comments as several new tips have been posted - including information about a software package called Ridemaxx which helps plan your trip to minimize your wait times (they also have a really cool method to obtain multiple FastPasses). If you have any tips to add - let us know in the comments.

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Whenever I travel to Florida I marvel that alligators roam freely. One year at a conference my friend Myron paused during our morning walk around a golf course to scoop a ball from a brush covered water hazard. I hurriedly reminded him that getting anywhere near low visibility water in Florida was not advisable. Imagine my surprise that while walking in downtown Orlando, I snapped the above photo which promotes a mini-golf establishment featuring live alligators! Even the Gaylord Palms convention center features live alligators in their atrium. Click through for the pictures.

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Would you ever skydive? That’s a question that I’ve always answered with a resounding “no way - no how”. My fear of meeting “Mr Earth” face first is much stronger than any thrill seeking ambitions. At least I thought so until I found an indoor skydiving center located in Orlando.

Indoor skydiving offers the freedom and excitement of skydiving, but without the jump or hard fall. In the tunnel, your instructor will assist you in leaning directly into the wind flow so you will be lifted up. An instructor will be with you one-on-one while you are in the tunnel. No experience or special skills are needed to fly.

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Whenever I travel, I struggle with carrying far too many clothes. I have yet to crack the code for carry on luggage. I remember on one trip my roommate packed one jacket, a pair of pants and two shirts to last five days. There’s no way I could go for that – I need to have a change of outfits at a 1.5 ratio per day! On my last trip, my luggage was delayed for two days; by then my jeans were standing straight up. Now look at this picture; granted I am on the road for an extended work trip, but I have to get a better grip on the amount of gear I carry. Do I need help or do all road worthy gadget lovers carry this much stuff?

Part of the lure of a being on holiday is the ability to get away from all of your tech distractions. But if you’re reading this site, then you’re probably like me and derive an inordinate amount of enjoyment from having all of your toys and gadgets with you wherever you go. There’s a lot to be said for putting your smartphone, MP3 player, digital camera or laptop away in order to be able to fully soak in your surroundings, but when used in moderation, I think gadgets can actually enhance your travel experience.

There are all sorts of considerations to take into account when travelling with your tech toys. Will it have enough storage for all my photos and music? Is it durable enough to handle the rigours of the road? Will the battery last me until the next time I get to a power outlet? And what happens if my bag gets stolen?

Gadget insurance is something I’ll cover in another post, but the rest of the concerns are easily take care of with the right tech and accessories.

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On these, the first days of spring, the first rays of true sunshine have started peeking through the buildings in downtown Chicago. So I thought, what better way to celebrate than to look ahead to even warmer weather and all the wonderful things that come with it!

What follows is a list of things that I love about summers in Chicago; so if you live here, try them. If you don’t, come visit, and I’ll do them with you!

photo courtesy of Virtual Tourist

1. Cubs Games (of course!): Even though going to a game in April means taking the chance on being snowed out, it’s a great time to start planning for those summer Saturday day games and even weekday games when you might accidentally (oops!) call in sick to work. I guess the White Sox are ok too, but their field is not nearly as historical or majestic.

2. Street Festivals: Whether you live in Lincoln Park, BuckTown or the Gold Coast, you can bet that you are in close proximity to at least a street festival per week over the summer. With themes of all kinds (everything from food to music to art), it’s like celebrating Fat Tuesday every seven days.

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“Look mom! a pet shop is over there. I wanna see puppies.”

“OK, let’s go to the pet shop… uh… WHAT? it is a … HOTEL???……”

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