Summer is here and  I am sure you are dreaming about doing with your friends. Whatever your travel plans are this summer though, it's important to make sure you have your stuff in order. Otherwise, what should be a once in a lifetime trip, could quickly turn into something memorable for lesser reasons. Shaving is a lot like traveling if you think about it, while anyone can do either, when you do it right it's great experience. However, if you have the wrong tools or bad technique it is no fun!

In the past year I've gotten the bug for off-road driving. Fortunately I've been privileged to be able to borrow some fantastic vehicles from manufacturers including Jeep who have indulged my hobby. However, as I look around at the people I meet on the trails I realize that not everyone is driving the latest and greatest models. In fact, most people have an older model truck, Jeep or SUV that has been lovingly updated to serve their desired purpose. In fact, this makes a lot of sense since who wants to dent some brand new body work? I'm still going to wince a bit if I dent the door or get a crack in the headlight of any vehicle but I'd rather it happen to something that was already a bit worn. So the trick is figuring out where to start and how to get your truck off-road ready so you don't waste time and money in the process.

It's that time of year again... one last chance to impress your friends with crazy, mostly useless facts and trivia that we men use to assert our superiority as an alternative to physical violence. While some men are blessed with photographic memories and others simply live for this one moment, allowing every other piece of knowledge to escape their brains - others of us need a bit of help. However, with these tips, you are certain to become the Super Bowl Trivia king of your circle of friends and they don't need to know your tricks!

Cars are deeply personal objects and for most of us they are the most expensive thing we will ever purchase aside from a home. So, it's not unusual that you'd feel compelled to name him (or her) something so that this personal relationship can reach it's full potential as a truly personal part of your life. Whether you call that yellow Pinto rusting in your garage "Old Yeller" or that faithful minivan the "bro wagon" because it serves as a taxi to haul your buddies to the game or on offroad adventures every weekend, it almost doesn't matter. The point though is making sure that it's something that makes sense to you and fits your lifestyle. So, to help make sure you pick the perfect name, here's some quick tips for naming your car.

To most couples in love, St Valentine’s Day is a very special occasion. Many couples celebrate this occasion by enjoying a special, romantic time together and also purchase special gifts for one another to demonstrate the way that they feel. This time of year is a challenge for us men. On one hand, there are many options available when it comes to choosing the perfect Valentine’s gift, but the goal is to buy something that shows how much you care about HER. Because of this, while it might be easy to buy flowers and chocolate... it is even more important to put plenty of thought into it beforehand to ensure that you make the right choice for your partner. You need to choose something that is special, meaningful to her and, given the occasion, very romantic. When you do, you'll be sure to reap the rewards for being the ultimate Valentine Casanova!

Most people - especially those of us who are younger - don't think about travel insurance much. Personally, when I travel domestically, I assume other layers of protection will cover me including car insurance, health insurance, and credit card protection. However, for larger trips such as going on a cruise during the winter while living in Chicago I chose to get travel insurance. In those situations, my primary consideration was having inclement weather causing delays and missing the boat or that a hurricane might impact the cruise itself.  With our trip next week where we'll be sailing with Viking Cruises the situation was a bit different. The chance of a blizzard in San Diego or a hurricane in Switzerland causing us not to reach our boat would be pretty unlikely. I WAS going to roll the odds since I perceived the risk to be low. After all, spending a few hundred dollars to insure the trip didn't seemnecessary.

When one thinks about musical instruments, chances are that cymbals aren't going to top the list but when you think about it they are incredibly important to rock and roll as well as other bands. However, when you look deeper you can discover that they and in fact, their most famous maker have a pretty fascinating history.

Motorcycles, like cars need to be maintained properly to ensure that they are able to operate safely. However, because you have less protection wrapped around you, in many ways proper maintenance is even more important for bikers since there is far less margin for error when something goes wrong. Sometimes it's your fault. Other times it's the other motorist's or vehicle’s fault. The US government estimates that the number of deaths on motorcycles was over 27 times the number in cars, per mile traveled in 2014.Being prepared for the worst means that if you are in an accident, you will be better able to manage the fallout. 

Owning a boat is all fun until winter comes around and you start fretting over how to store it. When the cold season starts creeping in, it means it is time to put away your favorite summer toy. Winterizing your boat is stressful, but it has to be done. You can’t just haul a vessel out of the water and into the backyard garage and think that is it. For one, doing that could cause damage that would demand astronomical costs to fix. Then there is a chance of voiding the warranty, which can be upsetting, especially for a new acquisition. So, how do you get that boat ready for winter?

Fall is typically not a season that triggers that sort of alarm. However, bear in mind that as the summer heat dissipates to make way for the fall season, it’s bound to get colder as the months pass. Indeed, in no time at all, it’s winter. 

Even if you have been playing blackjack at land-based or online casinos for some time, it can be dangerous to assume that you know all there is to know about the game.

While we had the luxury of being able to head back to a resort at the end of the day, even just taking a quick hike in the desert requires proper planning. For example, the days I spent last month in Borrego Springs averaged 115-degree highs, and the minute you stepped out of the Jeep it immediately felt like an oven. While this is certainly extreme, there's no reason why you can't still have a fantastic experience spending a day exploring this amazing landscape.

As you know, we absolutely love the Travel Backpack from Standard Luggage that we received earlier this month. It's a great addition to our travel gear, but the person behind it is even more interesting. It's not often that we get to talk with the guys who actually create great stuff. After chatting with Ryan a bit through email it became clear that he was more than just a guy who saw a niche in the marketplace. Instead, while he is clearly a business person creating an awesome product he's doing it out of his personal passions, and experience as a seasoned traveler too.

Driving safely is one of the most important things you can do, but honestly most of us learn by surviving accidents and "near misses". Sure, your drivers education class that you (and likely your kids) took at school teaches you how to operate the vehicle but it is mostly under ideal conditions. What happens though when the driver is distracted, the road surface is slick, or something causes your car to temporarily lose control? These aren't hypothetical... they are REAL conditions and like anything in life, you can can't simply avoid them. The only solution is to teach drivers how to reduce risk while teaching them how to manage situations when they arise. 

They say that good things come to those who wait and others say patience is a virtue. Honestly, it's tough sometimes to do that with the fast pace that our lives seem to be stuck in these days. Unfortunately, there are a lot of different things in life that you simply can't rush that are worth the wait. So before summer is gone, let's kick back and relax on the beach... eat some delicious bbq... enjoy a sunset... and then have a great night sleep!

Airbnb offers a lot of great opportunities for guests to explore new ways to travel and experience things that might not be discoverable if you only stay in hotels. However, homes aren't just "ready" and the best hosts know that they need to prepare properly to make the guest experience fabulous as well as to ensure that their own experience is a positive one.

Vegas can be a tricky place if you don't know what you are doing. I know my first few visits weren't nearly as fun as those that followed since I began to learn my way around but I'm in awe of Las Vegas Concierges. There is so much stuff going on in this city that is constantly changing and yet they seem to know everything about it as it happens.

Sleep is sometimes taken for granted. It's what happens naturally when you are tired and lay down in your bed. Or at least it should be and it's those times when rest doesn't come naturally that you start to think about why that is and what you can do about it.

As a Padres member I attend a LOT of baseball games. I love the sport. For most people, the tickets are just a small fraction of the total cost of going to the game I've gotten good at being frugal. A trip to the concession stand can easily set you back $15 per person and that adds up over the course of a season. It's a tough challenge because everywhere you look you are assaulted by opportunities to spend money on souvenirs, food, drinks, and other things. These are a few of my favorite tips to help you save money and be more healthy at the ball game. The good news is that while this is specifically about baseball - most of these tips will work great for other sporting events such as football, hockey, and basketball too.

Thanks to Neutrogena (Landon Donovan is a spokesperson for them), we got the opportunity to ask some questions from this incredible athlete and MLS star.