Eye spy with my little eye... Das Rollende Hotel.

Originally posted here.

Tomorrow I'm going on a mini road trip with my big brother G to Michigan. I heart road trips big and small. We're renting a car. By the way, if you ever want to drive across to the US (and likely vice versa) and need a rental, I highly recommend Budget Rent A Car. Not only was Budget the most affordable, compared to Dollar and Thrifty their unlimited mileage feature was actually unlimited. The other rentals were only unlimited within your province (boo!) But as usual I digress...

It just so happens I came across this nifty new way to travel called Rotel. As DVICE puts it, "What else would you call a rolling hotel?" Germany-based Rotel Tours lets tourist travel to fabulous locations by combining tour bus and hotel into one rolling vacation.

The bright red custom-modified Mercedes hotel-on-wheels has 24 seats and 26 capsule-sized sleeping areas for trip participants (the two extra beds are for driver and tour guide of course!) Also equipped with a small kitchen and toilet, however Rotels lack a shower. Ewww, that could get a bit stinky! Thankfully the tour company says they try to stay at campgrounds with shower facilities as often as possible.

Interestingly, while I call this form of travel new, Rotel has been doing this for years. They have 3,400 beds rolling all over the world from the Serengeti to the heights of Patagonia!

Perhaps if I learn German or they add an English or French function to their website, I'll try 'em out sometime. I like think they'd be more affordable than a cruise and way more comfortable than Greyhound!

Bon weekend!

xo,

tee.

PS - Re: "hiring a car..." Oops, also forgot Alamo Rent A Car also an excellent choice for cross-border unlimited affordable rentals.

Since iPhones aren't yet impermeable, enter... Waterpebble!

Is it just me or are there devices for everything?

I recently found out there's an iPhone app that "analyzes your sleep patterns and wakes you when you are in the lightest sleep phase" thereby making "you feel rested and relaxed." My geeky big brother insists it works. Sorry G, that's what you get for not reading my blog ; p

Apps such as "Sleep Cycle" are what have me convinced that if iPhones were waterproof (like the the digital camera pictured to the right) then there two would be an app tracking your water usage when you showered. However, since iPhones aren't yet impermeable, enter... Waterpebble, this week's cuppa green tee...

Discovered via DVice... "The clever [little] device by designer Paul Priestman, monitors water going down the plug hole when you shower. Memorising your first shower and using it as a benchmark, Waterpebble then indicates, via a series of 'traffic lights' flashing green through to red, when to finish showering." The best part, their site claims, "each time you shower Waterpebble automatically fractionally reduces your shower time, helping you save water without needing to think about it."

At £3.19 each, the jury is still out on how usefully green Waterpebble is. In fact, I couldn't help notice this cheeky comment...

Then again, depending on the type of shower (aren't the ones that feel like waterfalls annoyingly the best?) a five-minute shower could be too long! Therefore until I get to test it out myself, all I will say, is kudos on design dedicated to saving our precious water! At the very least I think this invention deserves a cuppa green tee nod :)

xo,
tee.