Month: February 2009

Dirty laundry happens.
You can put it in a separate bag so it won’t smell up your clean clothes. If you don’t have a bag just for dirty laundry, put it in a separate laundry bag inside your suitcase. Then toss in a small unwrapped bar of soap from the hotel (2 if necessary). They won’t hurt or stain your clothes and they certainly help with the smell. And you will be able to find them when you get home.

If you aren’t staying at hotels, pack a couple of dryer sheets in your laundry bag before you leave home. They will help keep the odor at bay. Just remove before you do your laundry.

Dryer sheets come in handy if you are going to do laundry at a hotel or laundromat. Typically the water is fairly hard. The dryer sheets will help with static and help soften your clothes in the dryer.

Many rental car agencies are upgrading to the latest GPS technology. Budget Travel rated several and this is what they found.

Enterprise rents the Garmin nuvi 265W for $10 a day.

Hertz uses their own brand for $13 a day. This one is fixed below the dashboard so be careful when parking as it cannot be removed and placed out of sight.

Avis/Budget has the Garmin nuvi 780 for $14 a day. Budget Travel really likes this one as it is a newer model and will even give you real time traffic updates.

Dollar/Thrifty rents the Garmin nA1/4vi 660 for $12 a day.

Alamo/National has the Garmin StreetPilot c330 for $12 a day.

Each have pros and cons so do some checking if having a GPS is the reason you are renting from a particular company. Happy navigating.

Plan to visit San Francisco next February for the Chinese New Year parade. It is rated one of the world’s top 5 parades celebrating Chinese New Year. We spent a glorious sunny day in San Francisco but did not know about the parade until too late.
Next year, we will buy tickets to ensure a seat on the bleachers. For $30 US you get to view this glorious parade up close.
What better way to ring in the Chinese New Year?

When looking for a great restaurant in Sacramento, California, look no further than “Fat City”. This turn of the century bar and cafe serves some patrons on the Legendary Pioneer Bar from 1876 in use in Leadville, Colorado.

This Famous Purple Lady, from the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair took first prize in the stained glass category. Now it graces one wall. Tiffany chandeliers hang over each table, leaded glass windows provide views of the streets and boardwalk, and ornate wood and beveled glass doors beckon you inside.

The Fat City Building was originally built around 1849 as a general merchandise store. Today it has been rebuilt to its original 1849 appearance.

Don’t pass up a chance to try their food. It is not your typical bar and cafe food. The chef does an amazing job with everything we have tried. Enjoy.

My friends at Budget Travel offer some tips for taking better sunset photos. Sometimes I remember to do what they told me…other times I get so into the sunset and snapping photos, that I forget. See if these tips help you.

1. Turn off your flash, allowing the warm natural light to dominate the picture. If you can’t turn it off, turn to the “night photo” setting.

2. Fill the camera frame with the sky. Point the center of the frame above the horizon line and fill the frame with as much of the color and light you want captured.

3. Try pressing the shutter button half way down to lock in the exposure and focus. When you’re ready, press the shutter all the way to take the picture.

4. Be prepared. Take your camera with you. And pack an extra battery.

5. Set your own film speed. A faster speed like 400 or 800 ASA/ISO is designed to be used at sunset.

6.If using a digital camera, choose the highest resolution your camera will allow.

7. Try composing off center. Use objects to give your picture some depth.

8. Early riser? These tips will work for sunrise as well. Just don’t shoot into the sun!!

If you don’t have time to learn the language when traveling, take a look at this cool piece of equipment. Ecataco iTravl can translate and speak more than 70,000 phrases in eight languages, including Chinese.
It comes with Fodor’s travel guide and a language tutor to help you master the basics. Use it during your flight and be ready to say “good morning”, “please” and “thank you” when you land.
This handy piece is around $600.00 US. Look for it at www.ectaco.com.

Renting a car on your next trip? Sign up in advance for the rewards or loyalty program of the company you are going to use. Most programs are free. Some offer discounts for your first rental and many offer on-going discounts or frequent user promos. Almost all will offer members-only lines with shorter or no wait times, allowing you to start your vacation quicker!