Most travelers assume that their trips will be uneventful, but sadly the more often you travel it becomes increasingly clear that anything can - and will happen. It's just a matter of time before it happens to you and that's why travel insurance is an important thing for you to consider. While insurance won't prevent something from happening, it's your hedge against a bad event being worse than it needs to be. Unfortunately, one of the biggest reasons that many of us choose not to purchase this service is that claims can be difficult to submit and process - especially while traveling, and the money never seems to come in time. After all, when you are traveling and the airlines lose your bag - you want that compensation ASAP, not after you return home. Luckily, companies like Allianz Global Assistance are listening to customers and they have developed a new app to help make things easier.

Palo Alto is located between San Francisco Bay and Stanford University. It is an interesting place to visit whether you are in the area on business, settling a college student in at Stanford, or enjoying the sights as a tourist. Three unusual places you should not miss in Palo Alto are the Frenchman's Tower, the Pneumatic Tubes at Stanford Hospital, and the Birthplace of Silicon Valley. Before you check out each of these attractions, make sure to check into an innovative and natural hotel that offers an atmosphere and technology that speaks to the style of Silicon Valley.

Going on an adventure with your buddies is an enticing offer. You've got time away, the friends to go with, but where do you go? What is there to do? Philadelphia has numerous things to offer, from restaurants and bars, to the obvious long list of historical sites. But if you're looking to get away with the boys, Philadelphia also offers a ton of unexpected places and experiences to keep you occupied and happy.

Reno has been at the butt of a lot of jokes for as long as I can remember and unfortunately, it's always been "Nevada's Other Casino City". In reality, while the comparisons are easy to make, it's more than just another Vegas and in fact has a ton of personality that is all its own. 

Take away some of the "home" features like a refrigerator that knows when you need more milk and instead, let's focus on the core system that we've all dreamed about. Despite our homes being stuff with IoT devices today, what still separates our "smart homes" from what we see in the movies is the system that runs it all and unifies the hardware, the software, and the brains. No matter if you're using Zigby of Z-wave, no consumer-level smart home today can genuinely call itself smart. For that experience, we're going to have to take a cruise. When Princess rolls out it's OCEAN system later this year, powering the Ocean Medallion, we're finally going to see the potential for smart home technology... it's just going to be on a cruise ship with waiters and crew instead of robots. In fact, this smart ship is so smart it knows that it doesn't even has to use that label :)

Spring Training tailgating is different that football tailgates in the fall. Here, it's more relaxed, more casual and frankly more about hanging out and bonding as guys than it is a showcase of extravagant cooking and over-the-top decorations. Spring Training tailgate parties are special because for most of those in attendance, it's a pilgrimage. It's a time when friends travel across the country to hang out, share stories, and have an amazing experience that will live on as memories for years to come. We just came back from Cactus League Spring Training in Phoenix and here are our tips to make the most of your spring training tailgating experience.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of STP. All opinions are 100% mine.

This is an amazing country and I love exploring it by car because it gives you the freedom to explore that flying from one point to the next simply doesn't. It can also be a very inexpensive way to travel if you know how to save money on road trips like I have learned how to do. As someone who travels by car several times each year there's an almost infinite number of travel hacks to save money, but here are my five favorite ones.

Among the various geological features of California, none of them can come close to the legendary San Andreas Fault. Unfortunately it's often misunderstood and instead simply feared for it's destructive power. However, after a fantastic Fault Line Tour with Big Wheel Tours I now have a much better appreciation for it.

Palm Springs is pretty much synonymous with the concept of a guys weekend and Hard Rock Hotel is about the perfect place to call base camp for your adventure. This is a destination that since the 1930's has been home to legendary men such as Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and even General Patton who's troops trained in the desert near here. Today, it is a destination with almost limitless opportunities for guys to rock out, blow off some steam, and then get pampered with top notch spas.

For those of you who are baseball fans, there's nothing like making a trip to Spring Training in Phoenix. For six weeks each spring, this oasis in the desert plays host to 15 MLB teams and it's possible to see all of your favorite teams just a few minutes drive from your hotel. When you combine that with the phenomenal spring weather, great golf, and fantastic food this is a MUST DO guys weekend for anyone who loves baseball! 

Joshua Tree National Park is an absolutely stunning natural reserve with wide open spaces, amazing colors, and terrain ranging from sharp cliffs to sandy plains. It's a fantastic place to explore on foot though it can get extremely hot during the summer, so I find it much more enjoyable to use one of the off road trails and explore it's hidden spaces that way. We did this recently with the 2017 Jeep Cherokee Overland 4x4 and were completely impressed with how capable it was.

New York State has some of the top bass fishing spots in the country and this makes it a great place to visit year round - including ice fishing as well as from the shore, a bass fishing boat or even a kayak! You get away from the city noise and replace that with nature. Along with the fresh air, it can also be a great exercise. However, choosing the perfect place for your day-off may be harder thank you think. We are talking about 70,000+ miles of rivers and streams. To help you make this decision, here are 5 bass fishing spots in the New York area you should definitely have on your radar.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Visit Maine. All opinions are 100% mine.

Maine is a fantastic - though sometimes forgotten state. It's way up there in the far northeastern tip of the country and sometimes feels like there are more moose, deer and fish than people. That's pretty much true though, except on winter weekends when people come flooding north for the crisp cool air and beautiful mountains covered in fresh powder just waiting for you to make tracks. Whether's it's skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, or fat tire snow biking, Maine has some great options for you to explore this winter.

New Orleans is a fascinating city with an incredibly unique blend of cultures and that makes it an amazing city for anyone looking to try something new. Like cities such as LA, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, people think differently here and normal rules don't always apply. However, what New Orleans has that those other "foodie cities" don't is hundreds of years of deeply rooted traditions to help guide the influences of those different cultures. This results in not just "great restaurants" in different silos, but almost a bouquet of foodie options that generally traces it's way back to either Cajun or Creole roots. For me, this makes it infinitely more fascinating and enjoyable to explore.

Mardi Gras is the ultimate party, but while you will see, hear, and probably smell things you've never experienced before it's probably not what you've seen on TV and those "sensational" photos of women flashing are really only a small part of the experience. I've been fortunate to be able to experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans a few times, so I've acquired a bit of knowledge to help make your experience the best it can possibly be.

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!

While others may be going to the flashier resorts, locals know that the historic mining town of Breckenridge, Colorado is where it's at for year-round excitement. Nestled deep in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, approximately two hours from Denver, it is home to Breckenridge Ski Resort as well as Colorado's largest historic district.

Traditionally, our wives and girlfriends sit and wait for us to pick a hotel that they want for Valentine's Day - but why can't we turn the tables and do things differently? We scoured the internet looking for epic hotel ideas that will inspire romance this Valentine's Day in a completely different manner than the typical 4-star resort with breakfast in bed!

Each of these motels caters to fantasies or have themed rooms that will make your Valentine's Day that much more fun compared to a eewwey gooey, boring romantic night at a typical hotel with red roses and chocolates.

The first few times you come to Vegas, all you can think of overwhelming majesty of the strip. It's a fantastic wonderland of lights, sounds, and sights that you simply can't find anywhere else on earth. After a few visits though, that starts to get more and more shallow and you begin to wonder what lies beyond. The fact is, Vegas is a huge city with more than just the strip to explore. Unfortunately for you and I though, from the moment you land in the airport - everything is designed to pull you and your wallet into one of the gigantic strip resorts.

New England has hundreds of ski areas ranging from small mom and pop mountains with a single lift to huge mega resorts like Killington where you'll find not just some of the finest ski runs in the region but tons of other winter activities. Since Killington ski resorts in Vermont have long been touted as the best places to ski on the east coast of the United States. There are a large variety of trails ranging in skill from beginner to expert. They have a double black diamond trail for experienced skiers and one trail is over six miles long for those desiring another type of challenge.