Travel Tip: Be Prepared

Life is unpredictable and it pays to be prepared. Keep your toiletry bag packed with all the essentials. When you return from a trip and are unpacking, make it a habit of refilling anything that has been used up during the trip so you are ready for next time. Also, keep all of your travel essentials in one convenient location so you can easily access them. I keep my toiletry bag, noise-canceling headphones (airplane essential) and travel pillow in a box underneath my bed. You never know when a tragic (or wonderful) event would require you to leave town unexpectedly. Last year I received a phone call at 5am saying that my Grandmother was gravely ill and I needed to get to her very quickly. Because I was prepared, I was able to get to the airport in under an hour. I was very distressed and had my suitcase not been mostly packed already, I would not have been able to make decisions about what to pack and would not have made it so quickly. Being prepared isn't only beneficial in the sad times, but in the happy ones as well! With a mostly packed suitcase and a basic checklist, you could jet off to the Caribbean at a moments notice to take advantage of a super great last minute deal!
Life is unpredictable and it pays to be prepared. Keep your toiletry bag packed with all the essentials. When you return from a trip and are unpacking, make it a habit of refilling anything that has been used up during the trip so you are ready for next time. Also, keep all of your travel essentials in one convenient location so you can easily access them. I keep my toiletry bag, noise-canceling headphones (airplane essential) and travel pillow in a box underneath my bed. You never know when a tragic (or wonderful) event would require you to leave town unexpectedly. Last year I received a phone call at 5am saying that my Grandmother was gravely ill and I needed to get to her very quickly. Because I was prepared, I was able to get to the airport in under an hour. I was very distressed and had my suitcase not been mostly packed already, I would not have been able to make decisions about what to pack and would not have made it so quickly. Being prepared isn't only beneficial in the sad times, but in the happy ones as well! With a mostly packed suitcase and a basic checklist, you could jet off to the Caribbean at a moments notice to take advantage of a super great last minute deal!

INTL 101: Identification

These days, no matter where you go out side the continuous 48 states, you will most likely need a passport. Almost all cruises now require them, and even Canada too. One of the worst things that can happen to you on your trip is to have your passport lost or stolen. To prevent being stuck in a foreign country because you lost your ID and have to hang out at the U.S. Embassy for days, follow this tip...

Photocopy your passport and keep copies in several places like your purse, suitcase, and with a friend back home. This way, you have some identification to facilitate the process of getting your ID back in case of the worst. If possible, leave your passport in your hotel safe during the day and carry only the copy. Another option is to take a photo of the passport with your digital camera and keep digital copies (as well as paper copies) in your email or some other online service that you can get to from anywhere in the world. You can even take a photo with your camera phone as long as the camera is good enough to make the text on your passport clear and readable. If your camera phone doesn't take excellent photos (mine doesn't), you can always sync the photo from your computer to your phone or email it to your phone, depending on your phone's capabilities. Bottom line- don't leave home without copies of your passport!