DON'T MISS A PERFECT VIEW

WHEN IT COMES TO TRAVEL THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT IT IS BETTER NOT TO SKIMP ON. A GREAT PAIR OF BINOCULARS CAN MAKE A JOURNEY. THERE ARE SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM THAT I ALWAYS SUGGEST TO PEOPLE THAT THEY NEED TO GO OUT AND TEST A FEW. MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOU PICK ONES THAT ARE COMFORTABLE AND COMPACT. IF YOU LIKE TO SHOP ONLINE ,TRY BINOCULARS.COM. RIGHT NOW A FIVE STAR RATED PAIR OF BUSHNELL 7x50mm PERMAFOCUS FOCUS-FREE WIDE-ANGLE BINOCULARS ARE ON SALE FOR $59.98. THIS OFFER INCLUDES FREE SHIPPING.

WRAP SHOES AND SNEAKERS BEFORE PUTTING THEM IN YOUR SUITCASE

NEVER PACK SHOES OR SNEAKERS WITHOUT PUTTING THEM INTO SEPARATE BAGS. REMEMBER THERE IS NO END TO THE GERM POSSIBILITIES OF FOOTWEAR.

SPIRIT AIRLINES TO RAISE CARRY ON LUGGAGE FEES TO $100.00PER BAG ON NOV. 6, 2012!

OK SPIRIT FOLLOWERS, IT'S TIME TO BUCKLE DOWN TO SOME SERIOUS LIGHTWEIGHT PACKING. YOU CAN REALLY PACK AN UNDER THE SEAT BAG IF YOU TRY. ALWAYS PACK WRINKLE-FREE CLOTHING AND CHART OUT WHAT YOU WILL WEAR IN ADVANCE. NEVER PACK ITEMS YOU "JUST MIGHT WEAR" BECAUSE CHANCES ARE YOU WON'T. REMEMBER TO WEAR YOUR HEAVY CLOTHES ON AIR TRAVEL DAYS. THIS WILL INCLUDE YOUR SNEAKERS IF YOU INTEND ON BRINGING THEM OR BOOTS IN WINTER. KEEP IN MIND THE ADAGE, "LAYER, LAYER, LAYER" BECAUSE IT REALLY WORKS. PICK A BASE COLOR THEME LIKE BLACK SO YOU CAN COORDINATE SHOES, CARDIGAN SWEATER, SLACKS, THE ALWAYS VERSITILE "LITTLE BLACK DRESS" HANDBAG AND COAT IF NEEDED. SCALE BACK ON TOILETRIES. YOU CAN ALWAYS PICK THEM UP AFTER YOUR FLIGHT AT A LOCAL DRUG STORE OR EVEN AT THE AIRPORT. ADD A BRIGHT COLOR SCARF OR TWO TO THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR UNDER THE SEAT BAG. THESE HELP TO IDENTIFY YOUR LUGGAGE AND CAN ADD A BIT OF PIZZAZ LATER TO YOUR WAERDROBE.

THE LITTLE THINGS THAT ONE STILL NEEDS WHEN PACKING LIGHT

THERE ARE CERTAIN SMALL ITEMS THAT CAN MAKE A TRIP GO SMOOTHLY. THESE "LITTLE THINGS" MAY NOT SEEM NECESSARY AS YOU PACK YOUR BAG BUT BELIEVE ME THEY ARE IMPORTANT. SUCH ITEMS INCLUDE: BANDAIDS, ANTIBIOTIC CREAM, A SEWING KIT, AN EYEGLASS REPAIR KIT (IF YOU WEAR THEM), A PEN, A STAIN REMOVER PEN OR SPRAY, CHARGERS FOR YOUR PHONE, COMPUTER OR ELECTRONIC DEVICES THAT YOU BRING AND A SMALL DENTAL REPAIR KIT. SUCH THINGS AS ALARM CLOCKS, CALCULATORS, CAMERAS AND GPS EQUIPMENT ARE USUALLY ON YOUR SMART PHONE AND THUS NOT AS INDISPENSABLE AS THEY USED TO BE.

STRESS-FREE SHOES AT THE AIRPORT

I DID IT AGAIN, I WORE SNEAKERS WITH LACES AS I WENT THROUGH AIRPORT SECURITY. SOMETIMES I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF BUT YOU CAN WITH A LITTLE ADVANCE PREPARATION. SINCE MOST AIRPORTS REQUIRE THE SHOES TO BE OFF WHEN AT THE SECURITY SCREEN AREA IT IS BEST TO WEAR (IF POSSIBLE) SLIP ON SHOES LIKE LOAFERS OR FLATS. SANDALS WORK WELL TOO IF WEATHER AND CLIMATE COMPLY. VELCRO SNEAKERS ARE GREAT IF YOU CAN FIND THEM. IT JUST WASN'T PRETTY AS I TRIPPED ON MY LACES AND LATER HAD TO SEARCH FRANTICALLY FOR A SAFE PLACE TO PUT MY SNEAKERS BACK ON.

DEDICATE SPACE IN YOUR CLOSET FOR TRAVEL CLOTHES

DEDICATE SPACE IN YOUR CLOSET FOR LIGHT WEIGHT AND WRINKLE FREE TRAVEL CLOTHES. IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING A BASE THEME LIKE MOST SEASONED TRAVELERS, THEN PUT ITEMS ASIDE THAT COORDINATE WITH YOUR BASE COLOR. I USE BLACK AS MY BASE SO I ALWAYS KEEP A PAIR OF BLACK SLACKS AND A SIMPLE BLACK COCKTAIL LENGTH DRESS AT THE READY. NEXT TO THESE I PLACE TOPS, SCARFS AND LIGHT WEIGHT WRAPS THAT I LIKE. ALMOST EVERYTHING COORDINATES WITH BLACK AND SINCE MOST FABRICS TODAY ARE GOOD DURING ANY SEASON OR CLIMATE IT IS EASY TO STAY WARM OR COOL BY LAYERING. I KEEP A SMALL TOILETRY BAG READY FOR A LAST MINUTE TRIP TOO. I TAKE INVENTORY AFTER EACH TRIP AND REPLACE THE ITEMS THAT I HAVE USED.

I'M LOVING MY NEW CRUISE FINDER APP!

IF I'M NOT ON A CRUISE, CHANCES ARE I'M SPENDING AT LEAST A FEW MINUTES OF MY DAY THINKING ABOUT MY NEXT ONE. MY NEW "CRUISE FINDER" APP SPONSORED BY iCruise.com MAKES THAT FANTASY TIME EVEN MORE ENJOYABLE. THE APP RECEIVED THE PRESTIGIOUS 2011 TRAVEL WEEKLY MAGELLAN AWARD. IT IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANYONE EVEN CONTEMPLATING A CRUISE. IT LISTS ALL THE LINES, SHIPS, SAIL DATES, AS WELL AS NEARLY ANY DETAIL YOU COULD THINK OF. BEST OF ALL, IT'S FREE!

ALWAYS PACK A WATCH

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LEARN THE HARD WAY. ON A RECENT TRIP OUTSIDE OF THE US, I FORGOT TO PACK A WATCH. I THOUGHT MY IPHONE WOULD BE RELIABLE AS THE TIME ZONES CHANGED BUT I WAS WRONG. IT WASN'T OFF BY AN HOUR EITHER. IT WAS OFF BY MANY AND THE MINUTES WERE OFF TOO. A SIMPLE $20.00 WATCH WOULD HAVE DONE THE TRICK AND THEN I WOULDN'T HAVE MISSED A VERY IMPORTANT DINNER.

VELCRO DOTS AND TAPE

I JUST RETURNED FROM A WONDERFUL EASTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE ABOARD THE CELEBRITY ECLIPSE. THE SHIP NOT ONLY BOASTED AN ACTUAL GRASS LAWN (VERY GREEN) FOR CROQUET AND BOCCE BALL BUT, IT HAD A GLASS BLOWING STUDIO AS WELL! PACKING FOR THE SEVEN NIGHT TRIP, WITH TWO FORMAL EVENINGS, WAS STILL VERY DOABLE WITH AN UNDER THE SEAT BAG. VELCRO DOTS AND STRIPS CAME IN QUITE HANDY. I USED THE DOTS FOR A QUICK HEM REPAIR AND THE VELCRO TAPE FOR WHITE STRAP TOPS FOR MY LINDSAY PHILLIPS SHOES. A LITTLE VELCRO GOES A LONG WAY IN EXPANDING A PACKLIGHTER'S WARDROBE. FROM BASIC REPAIRS TO A CLEVERLY ADDED SILK FLOWER TO A BELT OR HAT, VELCRO IS A STAPLE IN MY TRAVEL BAG.

TWO PACKING TIPS FOR A LONG CAR TRIP

RECENTLY STEVE AND I TOOK SEVERAL LONG ROAD TRIPS FOR WORK, FAMILY AND WHAT WE HOPED WOULD BE A LITTLE RELAXATION. THE WORK AND FAMILY PART TURNED OUT FINE BUT THE RELAXATION, WELL THAT WAS NON EXISTENT. TO COMPLICATE MATTERS, WE USED TWO DIFFERENT CARS AND HAD TO PACK AND UNPACK SEVERAL TIMES, UNLOAD AND RESTOCK. WITH ALL THE ELECTRONICS AND STEVE'S LOVE OF BOOKS BEING ADDED AS WE TRAVERSED THE COUNTRY, I WAS BEGINNING TO SERIOUSLY DOUBT AS TO WHETHER PACKING LIGHT WAS EVEN AN OPTION. THE CLOTHING AND TOILETRIES WERE OK, PACKED NICELY IN ONE UNDER-THE-SEAT BAG AND TWO OPEN WHOLE FOOD BAGS FOR EASY ACCESS. IT WAS ALL THE OTHER BAGS FOR COMPUTERS, CORDS, ADAPTERS, ART WORK, WRITING MATERIALS (WE STILL DO A LOT THE OLD FASHIONED WAY),FOOD, BOOTS FOR COLD WEATHER, TOOLS AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES THAT GOT TO ME. FINALLY,AFTER NEARLY LOSING IT SEVERAL TIMES ( WELL MAYBE, ACTUALLY LOSING IT) I CAME UP WITH A SOLUTION. RATHER THEN HAVING TO SEARCH THROUGH NUMEROUS, SIMILAR LOOKING BAGS, JUST IDENTIFY EACH ONE WITH A PAPER TRAVEL LUGGAGE TAG. THESE CAN BE FOUND AT AN OFFICE SUPPLY STORE, ONLINE OR AT A DOLLAR STORE. YOU CAN EVEN LIST SEVERAL IMPORTANT ITEMS ON EACH TAG. FOR EXAMPLE, MIMI'S ART WORK, SHARPEES, ENVELOPES AND STAPLER OR STEVE'S COMPUTER CORDS AND EXTRA READING GLASSES. FINALLY, AS A TIP FOR ANY TRAVELER ABOUT TO SPEND NUMEROUS NIGHTS ON THE ROAD, ALWAYS HAVE YOUR OVERNIGHT BAG PACKED LAST SO IT'S THE EASYEST TO ACCESS WHEN YOU OPEN THE TRUNK.

MY TRAVELON HANDBAG STRAP BROKE : (

MY FAVORITE HANDBAG STRAP BROKE TWO DAYS AGO WHILE I WAS ON A LONG CAR TRIP. I WANTED TO CRY, MAYBE I DID. NOW I WILL SEE HOW GOOD TRAVELON'S CUSTOMER SERVICE HANDLES THE PROBLEM. FORTUNATELY, I HAD A BACKUP CALLED THE FILER. IT TOO, HAS PLENTY OF POCKETS, ZIPPED AND UNZIPPED. IT IS PLAIN BLACK LIKE THE OTHER AND MADE OF THE SAME RESILIENT MATERIAL. THE MAJOR DRAWBACK IS THAT THE STRAP IS SHORTER, THINNER AND BUCKLE ADUSTABLE. I MISS MY OLD BAG WHERE I KNEW WHERE EVERYTHING WAS BUT IT WAS EMBARRASSING STOPPING AT THE ROADSIDE REST STOPS TRYING TO CARRY MY INJURED TRAVEON WITHOUT DRAGGING THE BROKEN STRAP ON THE GROUND. WHY CAN'T THINGS JUST STAY THE WAY THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO?

THE PANASONIC PRO-CURVE TRAVEL SHAVER

TRAVELING BY CAR, PLANE, TRAIN OR CRUISE NEED NOT BE AN UNTIDY AFFAIR. KEEP UP GOOD GROOMING BY USING A PORTABLE, BATTERY OPERATED TRAVEL SHAVER. THE PANASONIC PRO-CURVE GETS GOOD REVIEWS ONLINE AND FROM MY BEST BUDDY STEVE. EVEN BETTER, IT IS INEXPENSIVE AND CAN BE PURCHASED FROM AMAZON FOR LESS THEN $15.00! IT REQUIRES TWO AA BATTERIES.