Recent Product Reviews
In the past few weeks, Carol has fired up her camera and uploaded two video product reviews. Here they are in case you missed them: Smart Women Travelers on Makeup Travel Bags Smart Women Travelers on Travel Shoe Bags
Relationships and Travel: Top 5 Lessons Learned (Both Good and Bad)
When one spouse or partner travels and the other doesn’t, keeping a relationship can be a challenge. Keeping that relationship long-lasting and healthy when you may be miles apart is an art. It takes mindful effort and the outcome can truly be one of the strongest and fun partnerships you can imagine. I’m very fortunate to be in one of these wonderful trusting partnerships with my husband . . . in spite of some of the thoughtless things I’ve done while traveling. I share my experiences, both good and not-so-good, on what has helped us create and sustain ...
A Spa In Your Hotel Room
It’s challenging to find time for ourselves, especially when we split our time between home and travel. When you’re out of town, it’s all too easy to focus all of your time on work, dinners and hopefully a bit of work-out time. With the spa ideas below, you’ll enjoy an evening of quiet bliss, away from it all! You’re already away from home, so get over the guilt of not being available to your family. Giving yourself the gift of quiet time will present you with new ideas and insights, and you, your family and your work will be better ...
Google Your Way Around The World
Whether you are in a new city finding your way around or an old favorite looking for something new, Google’s mapping services can help immensely. The days of walking around with a fold-out map are giving way to GPS-aided maps on phones, and more people are researching their trips online before they even leave home. Here are a few tricks for both Google Earth and Google Maps that will help you enjoy your travels! - Google Earth Research places to see before you go. Google Earth doesn’t just show you where the museum is, but also displays pictures, videos, websites, reviews and ...
Top 7 Tips for Packing Your Suitcase
It’s taken me several years to perfect the suitcase packing, and I’m almost there! I still take too many books and magazines to read, but otherwise have a very compact suitcase that is easy to lift into overhead bins, rental car buses and car trunks. Here are some tips that have worked for many experienced female travelers: 1. Decide on a color-of-the-week so that only one pair of shoes is needed. I work around one color scheme: Black and gray for the week so that I only need black shoes, or brown and tan with brown shoes. If I leave for the ...
Travel Gem for August 26th – Know Your Luggage Limits!
Here’s a great resource for knowing what your luggage limits are for the airline you’re traveling on and to the cities you’re flying to: www.luggagelimits.com They offer detailed baggage allowance information on all routes and ticket classes for over 100 airlines! All of the information you need to avoid expensive airline luggage fees is provided along with helpful airport specific... [Read more]
Gate Agent’s Expert Advice When Traveling with Kids
When it comes to knowing the rules about traveling with your children, who better to ask than a gate agent who answers these questions all day long? Welcome to guest writer Cindy. Cindy works for a major U.S. airline in Orlando so she’s seen it all with the countless families traveling in and out of Orlando every day. So whether you’re planning a big family vacation with your little ones... [Read more]
Travel Gem for August 25th – Hotel and Flight Tools You’ll Want to Use
Here are two travel tools that will help get you the best deals on your hotels and keep current on your flights. Dealbase Dealbase.com, started by the founder of TravelPost.com (now part of Kayak.com) is a great choice for snagging bargain hotel rooms in North America, Mexico and the Caribbean. They offer deals from thousands of sources, including hotel websites, email newsletters, private hotel offers,... [Read more]
Travel Gem for August 24th – 7 Tips to Minimize Jet Lag
Whether you fly coast-to-coast or international as a ‘Road Warrior’ or vacation in a far-away location, you’re not alone when you’re concerned about jet lag. Many people say that it takes them days to recover from a long flight before they feel like they’re back to their normal schedule. It’s not easy on our body when our natural biological clock gets out of whack... [Read more]
Carol takes on Travel Safety
Carol offers up her top safety tips in her new video. Read More →
Travel Gem for August 23rd – Turn Your Words into Actions with JOTT
I love Jott! Jott helps me stay on top of everything, especially important with my busy travel schedule. With a simple phone call to 866-JOTT-123, you can capture notes, set reminders and calendar appointments, interact with your favorite web sites and services…all with your voice! Simply call Jott (store their number in your mobile phone’s Favorites list) and tell them where you want... [Read more]
More Healthy Eating on the Road: Real Food Company at IAH
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past years, it’s to Ask Ask Ask. When it comes to healthy eating in a full-serve restaurant, I know that if I ask for a meal prepared a special way (without sauce, with extra vegetables, etc.), a restaurant is more than likely able to accommodate me. But when it comes to cafeteria-style restaurants, the food is usually not as healthy and... [Read more]
Travel Gem for August 20th – Junior Flyer
Ever need to explain the ins and outs of Aviation to kids? Have a young one gearing up for their first flight? Need something for kids to do while in flight? Junior Flyer offers all of this and more. Junior Flyer is written by industry insiders, and includes the basics of flying in terms that kids can understand. Find out how an engine works or what keeps planes up in the air. You can even submit your... [Read more]
Travel Gem for August 19th -Why you want to pack baby powder in your bag
I always have a small container of baby or talcum powder in my luggage. The majority of the time, I’m using it to feel silkier and dryer after a shower or before I’m heading outside in the heat. Here are a couple of other great uses for baby powder: End up with a greasy spot on the front of your blouse after eating out at a restaurant? Try this solution: Lay the garment flat, stain... [Read more]
Travel Gem for August 18th – Fear of Flying
Studies report that 1 in 3 adults have fear of flying or anxiety in the air. Fear of baggage fees, lost luggage or in-flight credit card charges do not count! Seriously, fear of flying is a real fear that prevents many adults and kids from flying at all. I am no expert in this area, so here are a few great sources of information on how to combat this fear. http://www.airsafe.com/issues/fear.htm Airsafe.com... [Read more]
Travel Gem for August 17th-Pre-trip Travel Health Checkup
Preparing your travel checklist for an upcoming international trip? Remember to include a pre-trip travel health checkup. Whether it’s vaccinations you need or medications to take along with you, it’s smart planning to start looking into your travel health about 6 to 8 weeks ahead of your trip. The most authoritative site for what vaccinations, health issues abroad and more is the Center... [Read more]
Thumbs Up for Chef Hernandez’s Recommendation at McCormick & Schmick’s
I met a girlfriend at a downtown Houston restaurant for dinner. That’s dangerous. It always means a bottle of red wine, great food where we nibble on each other’s meals, and lots and lots of talking. So much talking that we’re one of the wait person’s first tables for the evening and one of the last. Tonight was no different. We started with a bottle of Menage a Trois (~... [Read more]
Travel Gem for August 16th – In-Flight Productivity
Ideas for keeping productive while on a plane. We spend valuable hours on a plane that we’ll never get back. So what are ways we can make the most of these hours so that we feel it was time worth spent? Here are a few ideas for productive plane time: Read a few magazines that you’ve been collecting at home. Toss the magazines into your laptop bag with the goal of leaving them behind... [Read more]
