travel | Government Book Talk

GPO Summer Travel Series: California, Here GPO Comes

July 10, 2018

We’re having the best summer ever traveling the country with you, and we can’t wait to make it to our next destination. It’s home to warm weather, palm trees, movie stars and surfer dudes. Not to mention, it’s also a great place to experience some of the most beautiful National Parks in the country. Oh man, we knew the movie star hint was too obvious. Yep, you guessed it – California, here GPO comes!

Our journey begins in the southern part of the Golden State in Joshua Tree National Park. Here, two desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together. This park is filled with Sacred Datura, cacti, Brittlebush, and the quirky Joshua tree whose limbs twist and turn every which way, forming wishbone-like shapes. While in the park, put your little Junior Rangers to work. The Joshua Tree National Park Junior Ranger Official Program and Activity Booklet from the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service offers challenges for kids ages four and up who are visiting Joshua Tree National park. Activity booklet in hand, these Junior Rangers will be on wildlife watch and scavenger hunts throughout the park which contains about 800,000 acres of unspoiled desert.

Next we’re headed to the far northwest part of the state to Redwood National and State Parks. It’s a little bit of a hike, but we promise your breath will be taken away once you’re transported to this endless world of wistful redwoods. Towering high above their admirers, these trees are so full of nobility and grandeur that you won’t help but feel humbled by them. Make sure to bring along Redwood: A Guide to Redwood National and State Parks, California for an introduction to the parks and the movement to preserve redwoods, which are world’s tallest trees. This handbook explores redwood natural history, the work of restoring logged lands, and North Coast Indian culture. Get lost while meandering beneath billowing trees, beside trickling streams, and across wooden bridges. We didn’t mean literally get lost! Pull out that handbook. It includes a travel guide and reference materials for touring the parks. And don’t forget entertainment for the kids! Junior Park Ranger Redwood Activity Book Ages 4 and Up helps children on the trip earn cool badges while exploring the parks. Activities incorporate important tips on poison oak, beaches, wildlife safety, and much more.

All aboard! It’s time to hop on the California Zephyr, a long train that travels daily between San Francisco and Chicago, through the heart of the Rockies. Have your cameras ready because this train ride is considered one of the most beautiful in all of North America. The Zephyr route contains over 2,400 miles long of overwhelming scenery and takes about 52 hours to complete. Junior Ranger California-Zephyr: An Explorer’s Activity Guide Onboard AMTRAK provides an opportunity for children ages 8-18 to test their skills at researching places, identifying unusual animals and reading about great cities and local experiences along the way.

We came, we saw, we conquered California and beyond. But there’s still much more to see and conquer! Stay tuned for GPO summer travel destinations to come.

GPO Summer Travel Series: A Cape Cod Vacation

June 20, 2018

Our GPO Summer Travel Series is back. And let’s be honest. What is summer vacation without a retreat to the coast? So if you’re in the mood to ditch reality for colored sands, saltwater, spectacular sunsets, and communal history, consider a vacation to Cape Cod, the world’s largest glacial peninsula.

Cape Cod is the first place the Mayflower Pilgrims landed in 1620 and is where many American maritime cultural traditions, such as using carved bird decoys, were founded. The area once attracted seamen who sailed around the world hoping to bring home wealth and exotic treasures. Dating back to the 1800s, authors have been fascinated by the solitary and quaint life of Cape Codders such as lighthouse keepers and skip-wreck scavengers.

Today, the cape experiences much more activity and is one of America’s most popular public parks. But its traditional seafaring culture can still be felt by anyone who visits the destination. Full of wild inhabitants, summer cottages and colorful boats, it’s no wonder the shore attracts more than five million visits each year. And don’t miss out on majestic old lighthouses like Nauset Light, which you may recognize from your potato chip bags. The restored lighthouse is still used today to alert mariners off Eastham’s Atlantic coast.

Want to know more about this charming seashore? Order The Cape Cod Official National Park Handbook, produced by the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, from the GPO Bookstore. Written by longtime resident Robert Finch, the handbook offers endless information about the cultural and natural history of Cape Cod. It examines the land, the sea, and recent transformations in the peninsula. Maps and a travel guide make this a great resource for those traveling to the Cape. Whether you’re interested in the bountiful sea, clambakes, or the historic attractions at Cape Cod, this handbook is guaranteed to make your Cape Cod experience even richer than it otherwise would be.

GPO Summer Travel Series: Discover the Grand Canyon

June 7, 2018

We’re back again with another installment of our GPO Summer Travel Series. And today we’re talking about your trip to discover a natural wonder with layers, colors, rocks and ridges that tell a story like nowhere else on earth. Folks, we’re headed for an adventure at the Grand Canyon in Arizona!

Not sure where to begin planning for your great expedition? Check out The Grand Canyon Trip Planner from the GPO Bookstore. Published by the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, the Trip Planner is a great resource that contains a guide so you can make the most of your trip. In it you’ll find hiking maps and tips.

And we’ll even give you a head start now. The rumors are true … high elevation is likely to affect you differently than your home environment. If you and other family members or friends aren’t used to hiking in high elevations, you’ll want to come extra prepared. Drink lots of water, take breaks if you need to, and protect your skin with sunscreen and hats.

If you’ve got kiddos coming along in your group, don’t leave home without the Grand Canyon South Rim Junior Activity Book. This fun booklet teaches children about wildlife, geology, land and historic site preservation at the Grand Canyon. Activities in the booklet include recording animal sightings, studying rocks, and decoding the name of each layer of the canyon. And if you return the completed book to Grand Canyon Visitor Center, Verkamp’s Visitor Center, or Tusayan Museum, your child can receive a badge for their good work. We guarantee the adults in the group will a thing or two, too! After all, witnessing something so grand can make us all feel small again.

So what are you waiting for? You’ve got the tools. Get out there and experience the magic that is the Grand Canyon.

GPO Summer Travel Series: What to Do and See in Washington DC

Don’t forget to check out our latest catalog America The Beautiful.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.

Leave a Comment » | Family, National Park Service, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism | Tagged: Grand Canyon, National Park Service, travel, travel and toursim, us vacation, vacation, vacation planning | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Smartphones Make Traveling Easy and Fun!

March 15, 2017

Smartphones are becoming essential for people who travel. But how do you find the best travel app for you?

Whether you are a sophisticated or a new adapter of smartphones, the recently released publication “Smartphone Applications to Influence Travel Choices” published by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration offers up the information foundation to let you maximize the value of this new technology.

Are you a user of business-to-consumer apps, a mobility tracker, bike sharing believer, or are you interested in public transit apps or real time apps? Who can’t use a ridesharing or taxi-hail app, a smart park or courier network service?

Get the picture? If you are a “mover or shaker” then smartphone applications are a must, and keeping apprised of the latest and greatest new technological features and applications is key to your daily survival.

And for the newly initiated as well, the booklet, “Smartphone Applications to Influence Travel Choices” is the easiest way to take an information leap forward.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

6 Comments | Business, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Adminstration (FAA), Mobile and Apps, Science & Technology, Technology, Travel and Tourism | Tagged: highway travel, Science and Technology books, Science and Technology publications, smartphone, smartphones and travel, Technology, travel, travel tips | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Explore the Nation’s Capital

July 6, 2016

Washington D.C. is the nation’s capital and is one of the most exciting and vibrant travel spots in America, especially in the good ole summertime. You can jump start your travel plans to the Nation’s Capital with the following publications, available from the U.S. Government Bookstore.

A fun teaching tool, the White House Junior Ranger Activity Book Guide Book can teach your kids about the history of the White House in three easy steps. Buy it in advance of your trip to DC so the kids can equip themselves with cool facts about our President’s home.

Lincoln Memorial: A Guide to the Lincoln Memorial, District of Columbia is your introduction to the majestic memorial set at the far west end of the Mall. Learn about an iconic President and the imposing memorial representing his legacy of freedom. Your visit will be richer for it.

There’s no more beautiful site in Washington than the Botanic Garden in full summer bloom. A Botanic Garden for the Nation: The United States Botanic Garden offers a tour of this natural treasure that explodes with color and biodiversity.

Don’t just take our advice. Visit washington.org to discover more about your nation’s capital.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

Leave a Comment » | Consumers, Family, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism, U.S. Botanic Garden | Tagged: the nation's capital, travel, travel tips, washington attraction, Washington DC, washington dc attractions, washington dc tourism, washington dc tourism and attractions, Washington DC tourist attraction | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

How to “SPOT” Trucks Carrying Hazardous Materials on Highways during Road Trips?

October 1, 2014

(Image compliments of dreamstime royalty free photos)

I travel to NJ by car frequently for long weekends. This past summer, I took a long road trip from Northern Virginia to New England. This large span of highway took me close to ten hours in my personal vehicle without traffic delays or any traffic-related accidents.

On these trips I often encounter the now familiar visions of red brake/tail lights in front of me, and hear the screeching of brakes coming from somewhere around me and hope/pray that the other vehicle is not near me. Sometimes these massive slow-downs are a result of a car fire, a traffic accident with multiple vehicles, or bumper-to-bumper traffic due to people viewing a recent incident on the other side of the highway.

While I am sitting at a stand-still, I often wonder how the policeman that arrives while I am sitting in traffic know whom to call to clean the roadway to make it safe for others? When we are allowed to move forward and get closer to the incident, we have all seen them – those responders, that are in their “special” suits and masks called in to deal with cleaning up this roadway mess, an image that may look similar to this one:

(Image compliments of US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration website)

They often arrive after the incident has taken place. Aside from their sense of smell, how do they know what type of hazardous material is on the roadway? Are all chemical spills treated the same way?

According to the Department of Transportation (US DOT), Federal Highway Administration’s publication targeted at First Responders titled “Traffic Incident Management in Hazardous Materials: Spills in Incident Clearance”. The Federal Highway Administration’s mission is to “Keep America Moving”.

Traffic Incident Management (TIM) and spill management are two of the tools in the “resource toolbox” that focus on reducing congestion.

The purpose of this document is to report practices regarding the clean-up of incidental spills and to explain the use of the United States Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG). This document also describes techniques and strategies that can be used to handle hazardous material spills at traffic incidents.

Volume of Hazardous Material Shipments

(Image compliments of dreamstime-copyright-free images)

Current research indicates that hazardous materials traffic in the U.S. now exceeds 800,000 shipments per day. When you think about how many trucks you see while driving on the highways and airplanes flying overhead daily, that is an abundance of hazardous materials being transported!

The largest tank volume is the saddle tank (normally 70 gallons) on a semi-truck. Depending on the number of tanks on the truck, the maximum capacity for fuel for a commercial vehicle can be as much as 350 to 420 gallons!

Types of Hazardous Materials

(Image compliments of U.S. Department of Transportation website)

Under the DOT’s Hazardous Materials Regulations notations included in this guide, (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) hazardous materials are categorized by analysis and experience into hazard classes and packing groups. Each shipper is required to classify a material according to these hazard classes and packing groups and communicate the material’s hazards. The shipper repetitively communicates the hazard through the use of package labels, shipping papers, and placards on transport vehicles.

The DOT has broad jurisdiction to regulate hazardous materials that are in transport, including the discretion to decide which materials shall be classified as “hazardous.” These materials are placed in one of nine (9) hazard classes based on their chemical and physical properties. Therefore, it’s important for response personnel to understand the hazard classes, their divisions, and reclassified materials so they can assess the situation and respond, accordingly.

Here is an image of a sampling of the types of placards that you may be able to recognize on trucks traveling the US highways with you:

(Images compliments of Wikipedia)

You can find this Transportation Incident Management in Hazardous Materials Spills in Incident Clearance print book available at the US Government Printing Office Overstock Sale here.

While supplies last, you can check out all the titles in our 50% Off Overstock collection here.

Our Overstock Sale includes an assortment of print and eBook titles discounted by 50% from the list price ranging in topical categories from military history …. to transportation …. to health resources ….. to childcare …… check out this clearance sale today!

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE PUBLICATIONS?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy these publications with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore website at http://bookstore.gpo.gov:
- Click here to purchase Emergency Response Guidebook 2012
- Click here to purchase Traffic Incident Management in Hazardous Materials Spills in Incident Clearance
Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.
Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.
Visit a Federal Depository Library: Search for these in a nearby Federal depository library.

About the Author – This week’s blog contributor is Maureen Whelan, Senior Marketing Team Leader for GPO’s Publication & Information Sales division in Washington, DC. Maureen oversees print and digital content dissemination strategy and manages third party free and paid content distribution vendors such as Apple iBookstore, Google Play eBookstore, EBSCOhost, Overdrive, and more.

Leave a Comment » | Consumers, Department of Transportation, Emergency Response, Travel and Tourism | Tagged: emergency response, hazardous material, Hazardous Materials, highway travel, road trips, travel, travel tips | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Tips for Travelers to Mexico

November 17, 2010

Guest blogger Ingrid Reyes-Arias sounds ready to pack her bags!

I’ve recently discovered how much I love to travel! It can be either extremely difficult or easy to plan for a trip. My first few travel journeys were a disaster and I didn’t enjoy myself as much as I could have. I do plan everything, but if you’re anything like me, you don’t always leave room for unexpected problems. Now, wouldn’t it be great for someone else to plan your trip and give you useful tips? Well, if you’re a recent college graduate like me, that’s probably not the most money-saving option. So why not buy a booklet that has it all?

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs has provided the American public with a guide, Tips for Travelers to Mexico, which is a great asset in any trip to Mexico.

This guide begins with important information on “How to Have a Safe and Healthy Trip.” There’s information on important things to know before you go, the U.S. Consular Information Program, health-related topics, safety tips, information on traveling using your car or a rental car, crime, and how to avoid legal problems.

Not only does the guide provide this information, it also lists useful resources, such as the American Embassy, in case you lose your passport, contact information for U.S. Consulates General in different parts of Mexico, and U.S. Trade Centers. If, for some reason, you decide to purchase wildlife or wildlife products, this book provides a list of items that could be confiscated and possibly subject you to a fine because they are prohibited from international traffic.

I would suggest getting this travel guide for your next trip to Mexico and taking it everywhere you go. If you’re on a budget but need information, take the time to read over Tips for Travelers to Mexico and then pass it on to help others on their journeys. You can browse through it here or get your own copy via the GPO Bookstore. Note: Since this is an older publication, for the latest State Department information on travel to Mexico, go to this page.

3 Comments | U.S. Department of State | Tagged: Bureau of Consular Affairs, mexico, travel, travel tips, vacations | Permalink
Posted by govbooktalk

Government Book Talk

GPO Summer Travel Series: California, Here GPO Comes

GPO Summer Travel Series: A Cape Cod Vacation

GPO Summer Travel Series: Discover the Grand Canyon

Smartphones Make Traveling Easy and Fun!

Explore the Nation’s Capital

How to “SPOT” Trucks Carrying Hazardous Materials on Highways during Road Trips?

Tips for Travelers to Mexico

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