Share Rides to Save

We;ve all seen big cars on the road, usually with just a driver and no passengers. Think about how much money and fuel emissions could be saved if cars carried one or more passengers in addition to the driver. That is the idea behind a Website that offers to link up cars and passengers, https://www,erideshare.com/#.

The site includes bringing people together for regular local trips such as commuting to work or school, as well as long distance travel. I'm very familiar with carpooling, since that was how I got to high school --at first our parents had to drive us, then when we were 16 we all got licences and began driving ourselves. Mine was a one-car family, so on days when I had to drive my dad got a ride to his office with a colleague.

Most of the ads on the site are for local carpooling, but there are also several hundred for long-distance travel. Many of the destinations seem to be in California or Western Canada, but there are also a number in other locations, mainly in Eastern North America. There are a few international listings, such between Florida and Costa Rica, Budapest and Prague, or Brescia and Lausanne.

You can join the site either as a driver seeking passengers, or a passenger seeking a ride to a particular place.

On another subject, if you have free time in October Cunard Line (www.cunard.com) is offering an amazing deal on its cruise to New England and Canada. This 12-day trip from New York can cost as little as $799 per person for the best available cabin. I've sailed these waters several times, and always enjoyed the voyage. You need to book by the end of September to get the reduced price.