SuperShuttle, the nation’s largest shared ride service to and from 33 airports, is taking a bit of the traveling stress off families planning summer vacations this year by offering the Summer Lifts Family Fare Sale. Additional passengers traveling to and from a residential address can ride for just $5. The primary family member who belongs to one of SuperShuttle’s airline partners will earn double miles. The Summer Lifts Family Fare Sale is valid through September 15, 2009.

This is a pretty groovy deal considering finding a parking spot at the airport can be a little stressful. Then of course, there’s the joy lugging the suitcases and bags to the airport shuttle pickup point and hoping there’s enough room for it and everyone on the shuttle. Returning home after summer vacation can be disorientating, especially if returning from an overseas trip and having traveled the globe for 24 hours. Having SuperShuttle pick you up from home and deliver you and the family to the airport removes some of the unneeded stress. No need to find a parking spot. No need to remember where the car was parked upon your return.

Plus, using SuperShuttle or any other shared ride service is good for the environment. Fewer cars on the road means fewer greenhouse gases are being emitted.

SuperShuttle airline partners where the primary family member can earn double airline miles are: Delta Airlines SkyMiles(R), Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns(R), Northwest Airlines WorldPerks(R), United Airlines Mileage Plus(R), or US Airways Dividend Miles(R) programs. That means 100 miles earned each way on any one of SuperShuttle’s many airline partners.

Book online to receive Summer Lifts Family Fare Sale special at www.supershuttle.com/summerlifts

It only makes sense to let SuperShuttle give you a lift. You now know how to get to the airport for your summer vacation but where are you heading after that?

Logo: SuperShuttle International (PRNewsFoto/SuperShuttle International) 

The good people over of AAA are making it easier for AAA members to save money while vacationing in the United States and Canada. A free GPS-based application called, “AAA Discounts,” for the iPhone is now available. First in a series of AAA applications planned for the iPhone, the app displays retail locations participating in the AAA Show Your Card & Save program. There are more than 100,000 discounts being offered throughout the U.S. and Canada. On average, AAA members each save $100 annually which pays for the cost of membership and then some.

It’s pretty sweet how technology and the discounts come together. The iPhone app pinpoints a user’s location then displays all merchants within the area offering an AAA discount.  The search can be customized by selecting business categories of interest including entertainment, shopping and travel. Details of the AAA discount are provided as well as address, telephone number and the best route from the current location with narrative directions.  The AAA Discounts app works on the iPod Touch as well when the user has access to WiFi.

Need roadside assistance? Select the “More” option to request assistance and the GPS location is transmitted, too. Not an AAA member? What are you waiting for? The only way to take advantage of these savings is to become a member and the AAA Discount app makes it easy to become one. A few finger taps connect you with an AAA membership counselor to begin savings and peace of mind with roadside assistance. Kinks are still being worked out of the free AAA Discount app but it’s still fabulous to have when traveling this summer.

Yup. There’s an app for everything.

Central Florida theme parks offer wild rides and close encounters with animals but these are usually in controlled and oftentimes manmade environments. Head south to find Mother Nature’s paradise at Forever Florida where black bears and alligators roam free. Only an hour from Orlando, the 4,700-acre wildlife conservation area offers nine Florida ecosystems and opportunities for tree huggers and city slickers to wrangle up a cow on the Crescent J Ranch, tour the working cattle and horse ranch by coach and soar like an eagle above the treetops on the new Zipline Safari. These activities are offered by Florida EcoSafaris.

The Zipline Safari is Florida’s only zipline and the world’s first flat ground course meaning the elevation is created by towers rather than mountains or hills. Talk about a rush! Zip across high tension cable up 50 feet above Florida wilderness at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. Go ahead and scream like Tarzan, it’s hard not to.

Read on for tamer safaris…

Join a cow hunter (the politically correct term for cowboy but don’t call them cowboy, ‘pardner’) for a half day rawhide roundup by horseback or perhaps just hop on a horse for a one, two, or three-hour journey. Other Horseback Safaris are offered including overnight camping trips.

For smaller kids, the Coach Safari is appropriate for its scenic animal viewing and the excitement in riding in an open air safari coach that’s elevated 5 feet above the ground. See Spanish Colonial Cattle and Florida Cracker horses. It’s also possible to see turtles, alligators, and turkeys, to name a few critters.

On site is a delish restaurant serving home cooked meals. Breakfast and lunch are served Saturdays and Sundays (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and lunch Mondays through Fridays (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.). It’s a great place to unwind after whichever Forever Florida safari you choose.

Giddy up!