These inexpensive Survival Straps have been used to tow a snowmobile, haul someone upwards who has slipped off a cliff, and tied to create a tourniquet.  The list goes on, but the main point is that these Survival Straps made of super-strong paracords, which come in the form of  bracelets, neck cords, dog collars and other imaginative ways, can be incredibly useful in emergencies.

It was above 90 degrees in the jungle, but I was cool while floating on an inner tube down the White River in Jamaica. River tubing is popular here in Jamaica, and in my home state of Colorado.  I've watched a man  floating down Colorado's Yampa river beer in hand, with his dog sprawled across a second inner tube.  Didn't see dogs on inner tubes during my excursion, but the kids in the inner tubes near me were having lots of fun and shrieking with glee as we went through the rapids.

Photo: © Lois Friedland

On Maui, you can still do this.  Check out the Giant Swing at GoZip Hawaii. You're pulled upward 40 feet and then you self-release to swing back down. As you swing, you'll get spectacular views of West Maui and Lanai. It's just part of the Giant Swing and 5 Zip Line experience.  It's just one of the many zip lines in the U.S. guaranteed to give adrenalin highs.

Photo: (c) Aubrey Hord/GoZip

Moon Travel Guides is giving away a brand-new eBook, the Moon USA Travel Planner through September. It includes a sampling of chapters from top travel destinations in the U.S., that have been excerpted from Moon Travel Guide books that cover these locales in depth. The emphasis is on summer, and chapters range from Florida's Gulf Coast to Washington's San Juan islands.

National Geographic is offering  free TV episodes and magazine issues for  iPads, in an effort to attract new subscribers. The list is short but interesting, and the apps are free through August 15.  Download the Last Lions Urban Safari, and you can put yourself or your kids right into scenes from the Last Lions movie which came out during the winter. Love national parks? Download the Grand Canyon episode of the National Parks series.

The goal is to entice you to buy the magazines, so if you've wondered whether a subscription to National Geographic or National Geographic Kids Magazines is worth the money, here's your chance to find out. You can download a free sample (one issue) of the National Geographic Kids Magazine. You can get a free sample and a copy of last February's issue of National Geographic for free.

The page you are directed to also has an enticing selection of current TV shows and books that cost money.  But isn't luring you into looking at these selections to find all the free choices, a way to get you to buy your favorite shows?  Got to iTunes.com/National Geographic to see the list.