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 When thinking about how to reduce our individual carbon footprints, one of the simplest ways to cut back on emissions is to fly less often. But for those who want to see the world, there are ways to make trips more sustainable, including where you go, what you pack, and how you get there. From New York Times Travel, here is a guide to leaving a lighter travel footprint in 2020. 

 

 

 

In the Race for Cheap Airfare, It’s You vs. the Machine  Travel providers now use software to re-price their offerings, sometimes dozens of times a day, putting travelers at a big disadvantage. This New York Times article lays out how travel companies are using AI to maximize revenue and how you can increase your odds of getting a decent price on flights and hotels.

Reader Recommendation: Busbud is a website and an app that provides travelers instant access to the most extensive global network of city-to-city buses using their bus-booking platform. You can search, compare, and buy tickets from 3,900+ bus companies in 21,000+ cities connected by 2,300,000+ bus routes across 80+ countries. Check out bus prices and schedules for your next trip on the Busbud site.

This is How Vacation Rental Pros Find a Better Place  Vacation rental owners sometimes lie. They post descriptions of their property filled with hyperbole and staged photos that use wide-angle lenses to make their homes look enormous. So how do the vacation rental pros find a better place? Consumer Advocate Christopher Elliott shares tips for finding the best vacation rentals.

 

 

 

 

On public Wi-Fi, personal data is in the air for anyone to grab... unless you use a VPN.

 

The easy setup VPN app for your computer, phone and tablet:

• Protects you from online identity theft - what a way to ruin a trip.
• Let's you search the web in your own language when abroad.
• Gives you access to sites that are blocked in certain countries.

Save 15% on StrongVPN's annual plan

I use StrongVPN. Click, sign up and enter "Solotraveler" as your coupon code and you'll save 15% on the annual plan.

 

If you want more information about VPNs read VPN for Travel: What, Why and an Easy Setup Guide.

A New Project in the Works 

 

Janice and I are in the early phase of developing a new project that we're excited about! Solo Traveler will continue, of course, but we have other interests as well. This project will be about grappling with and learning about issues we don't understand, on just about any topic. As with Solo Traveler, our goal will be to inform, inspire, and advocate, and community participation will be a very important component. It will take a few months to get off the ground but if you would like to be notified of the launch you can sign up here. Of course, you'll be able to unsubscribe at any time.

 

If you're traveling soon, don't forget... 

• Going Alone? Travel Insurance is a Must - why I never travel without insurance, how I've used it to recover losses, and how to buy it. 
• Bare Minimum Packing: Here’s Your Packing List - our ultimate packing check list which I continue to use for every trip.
• Five Top Travel Apps Plus a Few More I'd Never Travel Without - These make travel easier.
• Readers chose Booking.com as their favorite travel brand in our 2017 reader survey. You can support Solo Traveler by booking your hotel, hostel, B&B or inn through Booking.com here.