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You’ve had a great trip and now you’re home. What do you need to do besides empty your suitcase and start the laundry?

The obvious, of course, are to deal with your mail, restart your paper, pay your house or cat sitter, and read the emails you didn’t while on vacation.

Do you also do these things?

Check your credit card statements to make sure they match with what you charged while on vacation.

Check your bank statements, especially if you used a debit card or bank card.

Remember to turn off any international packages on your cell phones.

Download your photos and sort through them.

Check your airline miles, hotel programs, rental car loyalty programs, etc. that you may have used. Make sure to get credit for all your accounts.

And, my favorite…start planning your next trip.

Those socks airlines give you on overseas flights come in handy for more than just keeping your feet warm on the flight.

You probably won’t wear them once you get home as most are impossible to fit into any shoes. However, they work great for protecting anything you don’t want to get scratched or chipped in your luggage.

They also work as a glasses holder in case you forgot yours or to keep items separated in your bag.

Do you have a luggage tag on your bag? Good.

Do you have a tag or business card or some other form of address on the inside of your bag? I hope so.

The outside one can get torn or ripped off your bag. Yes, even the sturdy looking tags can get caught on something and ripped right off.

If you need to identify your bag or if your bag gets lost…having your contact information on the inside will be a big help in getting your bag back.

You already know that most hotels have the amenities you want or need. How about things like hairdryers or irons?

If you need a hairdryer, an iron, or any other item it would be a good idea to check to see if the hotel has it.

I always check for hairdryers. Many times the hotel website has listed what their room amenities are…but not always. If I can’t find it listed, I call the hotel directly. No sense packing bulky items if I don’t need to.

 

When in San Francisco, head to The Buena Vista Cafe for a tasty Irish Coffee. Although the cafe opened in 1916, this Irish Coffee wasn’t introduced until 1952. The owner at that time combined his efforts with a travel writer to recreate the cocktail that was first invented in Ireland in 1943.

Today, The Buena Vista Cafe fills 2,000 to 3,500 glasses every day of this wonderful mixture of warm coffee laced with Irish Whiskey. You’ll find a white coated bartender lining up tulip shaped glasses, placing two white sugar cubes in each, filling them with hot coffee in a continuous stream, adding Irish Whiskey delivered in a dramatic pour, and finishing off each glass with lightly whipped cream. Even the cream is aged.

It’s quite the site to witness and a wonderful way to end…or start…your day.

I roll my clothes when packing. I also include tissue paper in the rolled up clothes. It really helps prevent wrinkles.

You can also ball it up to place in shoes or handbags to help them keep their shape in your suitcase.

Take some dryer sheets in your luggage. After all, they really don’t take up any room. Keep one in your dirty laundry bag to keep the odors down. Stuff one in your shoes to keep them smelling good. Remove static from your clothes and hair.

There are many more uses…what do you use them for when traveling?

I’m sure you have many of these items sitting around. Why not put them to good use when traveling?

Bubble wrap…it’s not just for fun. You know how it protects, right? Why not use it for protecting a snack or an apple you’re taking on the plane? Wrap your tablet computer in it before placing it in your carry on bag. It will also protect any fragile items you may purchase as souvenirs.

If you have a smartphone you can create and store your documents as a back up to paper ones.

Take a photo of your passport. Make sure you take a clear photo…one that could be used to apply for yours in case you lost it.

Make notes or take photos of your hotel reservation, rental car info, hotel address, etc. You could create a file for each trip so you’ll know right where all your information is stored.

Paper maps come in handy in most destinations. I can’t imagine trying to read a map on my smartphone for the streets and alleys in Venice. Paper maps are also a handy place to mark sites, points of interest, and destinations you want to visit.

If you have a rental car, take a photo of the type of car and its license plate with your smartphone. If you are checking into a hotel, you’re going to need this info.

When checking into your hotel, get a business card of the hotel. It will have their address and phone number. Carry this with you. If you’re tired or can’t quite remember the street address in Paris…show the cab driver the hotel’s card.

Have you thought about looking into a convent or monastery in Rome or Venice? Many are located in the old parts of town and are a great spot to stay.

Do you journal about the places you visited? Try buying postcards from someplace you visited each day. At the end of the day, on the back of that day’s postcard jot down a few things you did or saw. List a favorite restaurant or special site. When your trip is finished, you have your journal complete with photos to remind you where you were or what you did. You can then sort your photographs to match the postcards.