Month: March 2015
Travels: Book Fest in Vacaville
Travels: Advance Planning
Think about these things before you travel…some you may need to do well in advance of your next trip.
Get required immunizations: Since some immunizations require more than one dose, you don’t want to wait until the last minute to see what you need. Check the CDC’s Travelers Health or the State Department website to find out what is needed for the country you’re going to visit.
Book your house and pet sitters. Again, waiting until the last minute may mean they are already booked.
Figure out what adapters and converters you will need for the country you are visiting.
Break in any new shoes. Blisters are no fun anywhere…and especially no fun on vacation.
If you need a special meal on the plane, book it now.
Travels: Emergency Kit
Do you have an emergency kit of some type you take with you when you travel? If not, you should think about putting one together.
Items should include:
all the medications you take on a daily basis…vitamins, prescriptions, etc.
aspirin or ibuprofen
bandages and gauze
antibacterial ointment
alcohol pads
antibacterial hand sanitizer
a copy of any prescription meds you take
sunscreen
lip screen
antihistamine
Other things to consider:
spare contact lenses
spare glasses
tweezers
cold medicine
tape
eye drops
Travels: How to paint those wonderful Italian terracotta tile roofs
Travels: New Luggage
Are you in need of a new piece of luggage? With so many new options available, first decide what’s important to you. Do you need one with the spinner wheels feature? Or, are you more concerned with its size?
Read reviews and then go to a luggage store to try them out. Is it lightweight enough, can you easily move it around, can you lift it into the overhead bin without assistance, do you want a color other than black, do you want a piece for checked baggage only and don’t care to bring it on the plane?
All of these matter. Once you decide what you’re looking for, you can narrow down your search.
Travels: Flight Status
Do you have an upcoming flight and have the information saved somewhere in your bunch of emails? Want to find out about that flight more quickly?
If you are logged into a Google account, type in the words flight status in the bar. From there, you have several options. You can bring up any of your emails related to any of your flights. Or you can click on the tab at the bottom of the options that says search the web for flight status. This will bring up your next flight, seat assignment, flight status, flight number, delays, etc.
Travels: Good Life Wine Collective
Travels: Save Some Money
A little advance planning might save you some money when you travel.
Face it, you can’t see everything on one visit. Decide what is a must see or a must do and work those into your trip. Know how long you will be in a place and plan accordingly.
If you’re of the age to use senior discounts…don’t be afraid to ask. It may save you some real money.
Instead of booking your hotel or airfare from a third party site, go directly to that hotel or airline. That way you can ask if there are any additional discounts or specials available.
When you check in to a hotel, ask if there are any activities or special events in the area. Many times they offer coupons or deals.
Travels: Safety
I’ve posted safety tips before but always seem to have questions about these. Think about these when getting ready to travel and when you’re in a different place.
Check in with the State Department before you go. Did you know the State Department provides updated safety information for every country in the world? You can find things like what vaccinations you need to travel warnings. While you’re on their website, www.state.gov, also check out the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) page. You can register your travel plans. This is a good idea for you as well as people at home in case of a disaster as they will be able to get in touch with you.
Scan your passport and email it to yourself. Take a photo on your phone. It just makes life and travel easier if it gets lost or stolen. And, if it’s locked in the hotel safe…you still have the information close at hand.
Find out what the local emergency number hotlines are in the country where you will be. Save them on your phone. Remember, 911 isn’t the number to call in other countries.
Check the U.S. embassies or consulates in that country and save those numbers and addresses on your phone as well.