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Al Gibes | ONLINE GUY
For some peace of mind while on the go, try Travel Stix
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Updated: Mar. 7, 2010 | 11:07 a.m.
Wondering if you remembered to turn off the iron should be one of your only worries the next time you travel if Linda Kagan has her way.
Giving a trusted friend or family member the authorization to make medical decisions about your children or pets in their care is now as easy as tucking a credit card-size flash drive into a wallet or purse. Kagan, a New York attorney who was spending a lot of time on the road, created Travel Stix as a portable way to help deliver peace of mind and real-world documentation for nearly every travel situation.
"I was traveling so much, leaving my kids behind," she said. "I always had that awful feeling in my stomach when on planes or trains or in courthouses without access to cell phones."
Kagan said the portable drives don't rely on access to the Internet. The cards are available with a set of prepackaged documents tailored for specific situations, such as children traveling with relatives or friends; grandparents caring for children; pet boarding or sitting; college students; business travelers; and others. You can see them all at www.forms4travel.com.
The drive slips into a computer's universal serial bus port and forms can be printed, completed, scanned and saved.
"A lot of times people have their baby sitters or caregivers travel to a destination on different flights, for whatever reason. They don't realize that if the parent who is not traveling has to give written authorization for the child to travel," she said. "People get to the airport and can miss their plane because they don't have the authorization."
Now the forms are available via Travel Stix. The documents include medical authorizations, temporary custody authority information, emergency and insurance information, medical information and legal consent forms specific to a family or child.
Although an Internet connection isn't required, those who can get online with the device in their computer will find links to many travel resources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel and vaccination information; official travel warnings; passport information and others.
Each Travel Stix costs $24.95, and they are available on the Web site. Kagan said smartphone applications and other methods of distributing this information are in development.
My recent column on the many digital options offered by libraries focused on the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District.
This does not include libraries in Henderson. Bookworms with cyberdesires there should point their browsers to mypubliclibrary.com. The site has many digital options for card holders and information about the six walk-in library locations.
Share your Internet story with me at agibes@reviewjournal.com.
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