As of this weekend, Americans will have a new reason to appreciate George Washington: whiskey. Three miles from Virginia’s Mount Vernon Estate, the George Washington Distillery & Gristmill is described as the only authentic 18th-century distillery in the country and will feature fire water made using the first president’s recipe for Rye Whiskey. Built to look like the 0riginal distillery and mill Washington built in 1771, the building operates the old-fashioned way: with a 16-foot waterwheel to power the millstones, as well as copper stills and mash tubs for, uh, other whiskey-related activities. Distillery visitors will be able to explore exhibits like Spirits of Independence: George Washington and the Beginnings of the American Whiskey Industry. Now that’s what I call drunken patriotism.

Totally missed this piece of news. But even old news has some value, right? On July 1, smoking will no longer be allowed in England’s public places, including pubs, offices and even in private clubs. Check out the BBC’s Q&A: Ban on Smoking in Public for details.

Found this travel tip on Top Tips: How to Haggle in Foreign Countries.

I’ve heard many strategies for getting the best deal in countries where bargaining is common practice, but I’d never thought or heard of this one.

Top Tips has lots of brief travel tips - just search for travel, and you’ll get a list.

Read this on A View from the Wing this morning:

500 Delta Miles for Auto Insurance Quote Can Be Done Every 6 Months

Just apply for a quote, and you get 500 Delta miles. You don’t have to actually get the insurance to get the miles. Apparently, you can do this once every six months - an easy way to make an extra 1,000 miles annually.

Via World Hum, I learned about the Rough Guide World Party. Published in December 2006, the book covers the world’s top festivals and famous celebrations from Berlin’s annual Love Parade to Burning Man, the Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica to St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. Along with full color maps, the guide offers tips and scheduling information for a slew of the planet’s most dynamic world hangs.

Carbon offsetting is a big buzz term among travelers these days. But when you start to hunt around online, figuring out the differences between all the varied carbon offset programs out there can be confusing. If you’re interested in purchasing carbon offsets to balance the CO2 emissions generated by your travel activities and you’ve got a spare 30 minutes, consider skimming Clean Air Cool Planet’s Consumers Guide to Carbon Offsetting. Not only does it give all the background info you need to understand carbon offsetting, but it also catalogs carbon offset calculators and discusses the pros and cons of some of the top programs out there right now. This is a great resource for those of you who like to read primary sources…

Airlines are questioning the FAA’s de-icing rules, which require planes to take off within 25 minutes of de-icing when weather forecast calls for ice pellets (basically sleet). I’m simplifying it all a bit. Check out USA Today’s Airlines Question Rules for Icy Take-Offs for a quick explanation of the situation. Airlines say the rules, in place for the last two years, contribute to the horrifically long delays passengers have been faced with this year. What’s more, airlines allege that the rules are based on unsubstantiated information from one study and should be looked at again. If revisiting these rules could result in an end to the outrageous delays on the tarmac that have been plaguing passengers this year, then I’m all for it.

According to the Washington Post’s Travel Log blog, Orbitz is close to announcing the its own carbon-offsetting program. Rivals Travelocity and Expedia already have programs in place that allow customers to purchase credits that will essentially make their travel (flight, hotel, car etc.) plans carbon-neutral. The money travelers pay goes to organizations that counteract carbon emissions by planting trees or creating energy through wind power. Just the other day, I was discussing with a friend my surprise that Orbitz had not implemented a program like this. Glad to hear it will soon be available.

Take a Flight, Save a Tree

For some passengers, the news comes as blessed relief. For others, it’s just one more sign that Americans lack the mobile phone capabilities found in other countries. Whatever your perspective, it’s pretty unlikely you’ll be chatting about it while flying the U.S. skies. Yesterday, the FCC decided to stop investigating the use of cell phones on airplanes after concluding that land-based cell networks simply can’t accommodate calls bouncing in from 30,000 feet.

And I quote from CNET story Chief Says FCC Opposes Cell Phone Use on Airliners:

The problem cited by Martin did not have to do with flight safety or the mood in the cabin, but a problem raised by the cell phone industry. The system is designed for phones to communicate with a single cell tower at a time. But a cell phone that is several miles in the air can contact many towers at once, tying up circuits in all of them, the industry argued.

For now, at least, you’ll have to save your pressing calls for your next flight on Emirates.