Life's Journey Travel Blog

Packing Tips and Tricks

12/4/2020

pink suitcase with neatly packed clothing

Many of you are seasoned travelers who probably know how to pack a suitcase for vacation in an hour flat, but it never hurts to have a few reminders on how to pack efficiently. Here are some quick tips for keeping your bags under your airline’s weight limit and protecting your items along the way:

Pick a few colors and stick with them. A good rule of thumb is to have one pop of color surrounded by versatile neutral ones. You can always deviate from the scheme for special items, but try to follow the color scheme as much as possible to maximize your mixing and matching abilities.
Take fewer shoes than you would like. If your space is limited, opt for versatile shoes and leave out some of the more outfit-specific ones.
Wear the heaviest and bulkiest items on travel days. To give you a little more room in your checked or carry-on bag, wear your layers on the days that you travel. Plus, airports can be chilly, so your layers save you from packing a blanket!
Pack the things that wrinkle most easily and will be visible last. Jeans and durable items like them can be rolled and packed first in your suitcase. Underclothes such as T-shirts and camisoles can also be packed early on, since it will not matter if these wrinkle. Wait to pack silks, linens, and other fine materials last.
Protect fragile items with other clothing. If you’re bringing delicate items like perfume or cologne bottles, you can protect these by placing them in a plastic bag (just in case they open) and then putting them in your socks. For even more protection, you could place this sock bundle into a packed shoe.

To all of you commencing your summer travels in the next few weeks, bon voyage! If you don’t have plans yet, but want to go somewhere soon, feel free to reach out to Life's Journey Travel.

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Traveling with Kids and Grandkids

10/16/2020

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If you are a parent, you may know that taking trips with kids requires a little extra planning; if you are a grandparent, you may be doubly familiar with this sentiment. Traveling with little ones can be a rewarding experience for everyone involved - it just takes a slightly different approach from planning adult-only travel.

Thinking ahead is key. First off, children are often scheduled in myriad activities, so even just finding the time to take a vacation can take some doing. If you’re a grandparent taking your grandchildren without their parents, you will be coordinating with the parents’ schedules; you may also need a letter of permission from the parents if you are taking your grandchild out of the country.

Aside from those initial logistics, it’s a good idea to try and make the actual traveling process - the planes, trains, and automobiles part - as smooth as possible. You can apply for the TSA pre-check program to minimize your time waiting in airport security lines, select your seats to ensure that you are sitting together and in the seats you want, book nonstop flights to decrease layover times or transfers, and arrange for ground transportation ahead of time so that you have fewer logistics to think about when you arrive in a potentially unfamiliar location. Your travel agent can help you get all of these things in order.

When it comes to the destination itself, plan now to make things easier later for both you and the children with whom you’re traveling. Even the most seasoned travelers can get turned around in a new place; being responsible for children at the same time can compound the stress of the situation. Booking a guide for your activities can help take some of the pressure off your shoulders. Also, building in down time and giving the kids some space (whether that’s an adjoining room or a workshop for kids) will keep everyone in better spirits.

Introducing children to traveling at such a young age can be a fantastic way to give them exposure to new cultures and worldviews, while at the same time deepening the bond that you share with them. All it takes is a little planning, which is something I’d be happy to help you with. Let me know when you’re ready to begin planning your next family adventure!

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How Travel Advisors Help in Emergency Situations

3/18/2020

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When you’re planning a trip and dreaming about all of the wonderful memories you’re going to make with your cherished loved ones, the last thing on your mind is a pandemic. No one wants to think about emergency situations before, during, or after travel, but they’re a reality that every traveler should prepare for.

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Winter Travel Packing Tips

1/10/2020

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The winter season brings with it many wonderful things: occasional dustings of snow (for those of us who live in the South and consider snow a novelty), the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the clothing we’ve had in storage for the last six months, and of course, time to travel to new places. In addition to the summer months when the kids or grandchildren are out of school, winter travel between Christmas and the new year is also prime time for leisure travel.

Now, we’re a little more than a week past that peak winter travel time, which means we’re in the off season for travel to Europe. For many major cities in the Old Continent, “off season” only means that there are fewer tourists, but not much less to do! If you’re thinking about taking a trip across the pond between December and March, give these winter packing tips a read before you go.

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Language Learning Tips and Tricks

1/3/2020

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I’ll say it: travel would be much simpler if we all just spoke the same language. That would significantly cut down on language-related miscommunication and entirely eliminate the irrational fear that someone within earshot is speaking about you in a language you can’t understand.

While a world with one language would probably easier, we would lose the vast cultural knowledge that is contained within our diverse tongues, and with that, we would lose a part of what makes each culture unique. Instead of wishing the differences away, why not embrace them by adding to your language repertoire? Before your next excursion to a land far away (or maybe your next stroll down the international cuisine aisle at the grocery store), be sure to take a look at the following language learning tips and tricks.

Russian, Spanish, German, and Romanian dictionaries

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