Media Mentions: The Daily Business Review

August 12, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

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Adventure Travel: A Guide to Travel Preparation

June 27, 2016 by · 1 Comment

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Destination selected?  Check!  Flights booked?  Check!  Accommodations selected?  Check!  Itinerary prepared?  Check!  Now what?

If there is one thing you should take away from reading this blog, it is that the secret to a great adventure is in the planing and pre-trip preparation, which takes place long before take off.  I get asked about this topic a lot, so, as Chad and I get ready to head to Peru, I thought I would share with you how we prepare for a destination like this – one that is a little more off the beaten path and adventurous versus a leisurely destination like Europe or the Caribbean.

Step One: Entry Requirements and Visas

Guess what?  Some countries require visas to visit them, even for American citizens!  Some also require proof of certain vaccinations or have an entry fee.  The first thing you should do is determine what the requirements of your detestation are and whether your destination requires a visa.  You can do that by visiting that country’s embassy’s website, ask your travel agent (just one more reason on a long list of why agents are a great investment for some trips), or click here.

If your destination requires a visa, there are typically two options: Option 1) obtain your visa before your trip or Option 2) obtain the visa at immigration upon arrival.  Guess which one I recommend?  The first one, obviously, for like a million reasons.  It is no doubt the more expensive option (but really, it’s not that much more expensive), but it is money well spent.  The lines to obtain visas from immigration at the airport in-country are long.  Like ridiculously long, because most people chose Option 2 and sometimes because people didn’t even know they needed a visa to enter!  There is usually always some degree of chaos involved: miscommunication, language barriers, disasters!  Also, do you really want to wait until you have flown all the way over to BFE and get denied entry because you are missing a crucial document, didn’t get a required vaccine and/or don’t have the certificate to prove it, can’t pay the fee for whatever reason (you don’t have local currency, they don’t take credit cards, etc.), and/or don’t have the requisite amount of time left on your passport before expiration to meet that country’s requirements (you usually need 6 months)?  That is not the way to start your journey, so do some advance leg work.  You can obtain the visa(s) long before you go right from the embassy or, if you don’t live near an embassy, hire a visa/travel document service to do this for you.  I have used TravelDocument.com before, and I was very satisfied with their services.

Step Two: Get Vaccinated

Travel prep Vaccines

If your destination doesn’t have a vaccination requirement for travel, you could travel without first being vaccinated, but I don’t know why you would. Nothing is worse than contracting an illness or virus on vacation.  Getting vaccinated can help you avoid that.  All you have to do is check the CDC’s website to see what vaccines are recommended for your destination.  Then you can make an appointment with a travel clinic to get your vaccines.  We always use Passport Health.  I like them because they have locations all over the country, they give you a complete book with information on your destination, and they will create a vaccine passport for you.  Their website is easy to use and offers information on what vaccines are required and what is suggested for each destination.  They will review your itinerary for you and make suggestions accordingly.  They will also let you know what each country requires based on the order you are visiting them.  For example, in Africa, if you visit Zambia to see Victoria Falls, in order to come back into South Africa (i.e., Cape Town and/or Johannesburg) (even if it is just to get on a connecting flight), you MUST be vaccinated for yellow fever and have a certificate proving that you have been vaccinated; however, if you visit the falls from Zimbabwe (which I recommend since the majority of the falls are actually located in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe), you don’t need to be vaccinated for yellow fever at all (add another tick to the “why you should use a travel agent” column).  The vaccines are available and administered on site, and they can (and do) write you a script for antibiotics to take with you in case you get sick on your trip and/or for Malarone if you are going to a country that has a Malaria risk. They also sell travel-related products, like a mosquito repellent for your clothes and for your body.

Step Three: Buy Currency

currency

 

If you have a credit card that gives you points and doesn’t charge you foreign transactions fees (like my favorite card, the Capital One Venture Card), you should use that (by the way, don’t forget to call each of your cards and let them know your exact travel dates and travel locations)! But you can’t pay for everything by credit card.  You can’t tip driver and bell hops on a credit card. Not all places all over the world take credit cards, especially if you are dining in small local restaurants or shopping the local markets.  And, let’s be honest, if you are going to be haggling, you need to be paying in cash. It is typically cheaper to get the local currency before you go.  Airport exchange booths charge a premium, and it is more than you probably would’ve paid if you ordered directly from your bank (which will also charge a service fee) or went to a currency exchange place in your hometown.  Also, it is nice to have cash on hand as soon as you touch down.  It is one less thing you need to worry about.

In downtown Miami, there is a seedy little street that is lined with no frills currency exchange stores.  Come with cash and your I.D.  This is usually the best place to buy popular currencies (like the Euro, for example).  Before you go, know what the value of the currency is for that day, then go to into each store, ask for their daily rate, ask how much of the currency they have on hand, and ask for a discount if you are accepting from them large bills in that currency that will be difficult to break in-country or are buying a large quantity.  For less popular currencies, you will likely need to order them from your bank.

Step Four: Make Your Packing List

packing

Consult the weather for the time of year that you will be at your destination and your day-by-day itinerary for your trip.  I like to pre-plan a day outfit and a night outfit for each day, including all accessories (bags, socks, scarves, undergarments, outerwear, etc).  This way, I know I have something to wear each day, and I am not just mindlessly packing unnecessary (precious!) weight.  Once I have that done, I pack 2 extra day outfits and one extra night outfit.  I try to build outfits around 2 to 3 pairs of shoes, 1 to 2 bags, and 1 to 2 jackets.  Also, I pack 1 to 2 days worth of clothes and my necessary toiletries into my carry-on luggage just in case my luggage doesn’t make it to my destination at the same time that I do.

Without a doubt, you will encounter things on adventure travel that you may not encounter on leisurely vacations.  In my experience, those encounters usually involve impoverished children and stray animals. Also, you may encounter locals that you want to photograph.  If so, you should always offer them a small tip (see step three above), and I like to give them a small gift, so I plan ahead for this. I always pack small gifts that I can give to local children like these activity sets from the dollar spot at Target:

Toy sets

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dog treats

I also always pack snacks like protein bars, snack bars, mixed nuts, etc. for Chad and me (bust, mostly me) to munch on along the way and to share with locals that we encounter (Fun Fact: While giving alms to the monks in Luang Prabang, Laos, we learned that monks love peanut butter. It is apparently quite the rare treat in Laos, which we only learned because we had snack-sized peanut butter packs in our snack packs; so when we ran out of rice, our guide suggested that we switched to Jif, and we quickly became the most popular alms-givers in the processional!).  Please see Exhibits A through C below (woohoo, legal ease made it into a blog post!):

Alms

PB alms

(sorry that this picture is blurry, but it was literally SO early…)

Give alms

Some other things to consider packing include, baby wipes (because bathrooms with toilet paper are not a given), hand sanitizer for obvious reasons, a control released topical mosquito repellent (like a real one, no Skin So Soft or OFF! BS!), a first-aid kit (which, depending on where you go, should include latex gloves and your own syringe. Yes, really!), batteries, an extra memory card for your camera, a rain poncho, an electric current converter and adapter, a portable phone charger, a car charger for your phone that can be plugged into a cigarette lighter in the car, a travel-sized luggage scale, and internet.  That’s right, BYOI (Bring Your Own Internet).  I literally love this device because it provides you with a secure WiFi connection pretty much anywhere in the world and you can connect multiple devices (like over 6) to it:

mifi

And don’t forget to call your cell phone provider and put an international plan on your phone for your travel dates and location or you will come home to a shocking phone bill. And on that note, don’t forget to turn off your cellular data roaming or you could really be in for a major surprise on your phone bill, as in hundreds or even thousands of dollars in charges! Trust me, that mistake only happens once!

Step Five: Prepare Your Luggage

I try to do Step Four about a week before our trip in order to also do this step.  If you are traveling to a place where mosquitoes are prevalent (especially now with Zika everywhere), it is imperative that you treat your luggage and your clothes (mostly the outwear, pants, and  non-leather or suede shoes and sneakers) with mosquito repellent.  I like this product that we get from the travel clinic because it repels and kills mosquitoes, ticks, and chiggers, is odorless, and is good for 6 washes:

spray 5

I usually assign this job to Chad because you are not supposed to breath it in or come in contact with it, so this, by definition, is man’s work.  You need to treat your luggage and clothes outside in a well-ventilated area, and once it’s on, your luggage and clothes it needs to dry for about 2 to 4 hours.  I have used this product on my precious lululemon gear (my adventure travel sportswear of choice), and it is safe. See Chad at work:

spray 4

spray 3

spray

You are almost set to jet, but, before you do, make multiple color photo copies of your itinerary (with all hotel information, contact numbers, and your travel agent’s information), your passport (and your visas!), and the front and back of your driver’s license, health insurance card, your global entry card, and all your credit cards. Take one with you and put it somewhere other than where your valuables are.  Then, leave one at home, one at work in a safe location, and a couple with different people that your trust, just in case.

Okay, NOW you’re ready to go! It’s adventure time, baby! Bon Voyage!

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The 5 Best Gifts To Buy For Any Traveler

June 5, 2016 by · 3 Comments

Gift giving can be a hassle.  It is for this reason, among others, that Chad and I have decided to disengage when it comes to buying each other gifts.  You read correctly– we do not buy each other gifts for our birthdays, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, Christmas or any other special/milestone/gift-giving occasion.  Instead, we decided to divert whatever money we would spend on these gifts to our travel fund, opting to enrich our lives with the gift of experience over material things.  It has been one of the most liberating decisions of our relationship.

Try as we may, we have not yet been able to convince the rest of our family to jump on the no-gift giving bandwagon.  As a result, I decided to put together a list of the top 5 things that I believe that any traveler on your list would love to receive, in the order that I would love to receive them!

Number 1: Frequent Flyer Miles and/or Hotel Loyalty Points

Did you know that you can buy miles or points for your beloved traveler?  If your traveler has a favorite airline or hotel chain that they love to use when they travel, why not literally give them the gift of travel? Most airlines and a few hotel chains allow you to buy miles and/or loyalty points. Personally, I prefer the miles.  My airline of choice is Delta, which allows you to buy, gift, transfer, or donate miles! I would be ecstatic if I received Delta SkyMiles as a gift.  On Delta, you can buy as little as 2,000 miles or as many as 60,000 miles.  The prices range from $70.00 to $2,100.00.  My second favorite airline, JetBlue, also allows you to buy TrueBlue points. I like the idea of miles over hotel loyalty points because depending on where you go, the particular hotel brand may not be available.  Also, I find that travelers tend to be more airline loyal than hotel brand loyal.  But if you have a traveler  that is hotel brand loyal, the same concept applies. In researching this post, I found this site to be most helpful to navigate you through hotel loyalty points purchases.

Number 2: Smart Luggage

If you thought luggage was luggage, you are dead wrong.  Wait until you hear about the technological advances that luggage has made! Today’s luggage can weigh itself, find itself, lock itself, and charge your electronic devices! What traveler in their right mind would not want one of these fancy new hi-tech bags?! While these bags tend to be a little pricier, they are worth it.  Here are a few that I like, in no particular order:

Bluesmart is a carry-on suitcase that you can control from your phone.  You download an app, and from the app you can lock and unlock it, weigh it, track its location, be notified if you are leaving it behind, and charge your phone 6 times with a built-in battery.

Andiamo is the maker of iQ which has its own Wi-Fi hotspot, a USB battery charger, removable power pack, built-in digital scale, and a remote lock or unlock feature, which works with a mobile app. You can also get text messages whenever the bag moves away from you (up to 98 feet) or comes toward you, such as when it’s on a baggage carousel.

Planet Traveler USA’s Space Case 1 is a smart bag with cellular-enabled “global” tracking, a mobile app, biometric fingerprint ID for authentication, a built-in scale, a power bank for recharging devices, a Bluetooth speaker and microphone for “integrated hands-free calling,” a security alarm to guard against “unexpected separation,” and a 10-year warranty. You also get access to a “personal concierge” via the associated app, which provides details on flight status, gate numbers, hotel reservations and more.
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Number 3: Smart Luggage Locks and Bag Trackers

Since smart luggage can be pricey, another option is to buy your traveler a smart lock and/or a bag tracker.   LugLoc is a device that you slip into your luggage.  The device uses GSM-GPRS technology and a mobile app to help track your luggage in real-time.  While the first 15 days of unlimited traces are free and no subscription is required, you have to purchase a package of traces that expire in a year’s time.  Similarly, Trakdot is a device you insert into your bag that uses GPS technology and a mobile app to help you keep track on your checked luggage. Each Trakdot costs $50 and requires a $20 annual service fee.  Finally, eGeeTouch and AirBolt both make next-generation luggage locks that use an app and open with your fingertips or a tap of your phone.  In addition to opening your suitcase, these locks also let you authorize other users or see whether your bag has been inspected through the app.

Number 4: Clarisonic’s Mia FIT or Alpha Fit

I love my Clarisonic, but I don’t love packing it for travel because it’s bulky and takes up too much room in my cosmetic case.  The Mia FIT (for women) and Alpha Fit (for men) solves this problem! They are compact, lightweight, and designed for travel.  They also come with a USB enabled charger!

Number 5: Travel Gadget and Cord Organizer

Chances are your traveler is bringing at least one iPhone and iPad charger and a pair of headphones on their journey, and there is nothing worse than a mess of tangled cords and earphones in a bag when traveling.  That is why I think these are great gifts!  There are literally hundreds of options in all sizes and price points.  Seriously, do a Google search and see what I mean. You can even get them on Etsy! I think one that has slots to hold at least 5 to 6 cords and 2 pairs of earphones (so 8 slots total) with a perhaps 1 or 2 zip pockets to house a mobile Wi-Fi device and the iPhone and iPad plugs is ideal.

So, that is it; that is my travel wishlist!  I hope you found this post useful, and I hope it helps you in the idea department when it comes to wowing the traveler in your life on the next gift-giving occasion! If you have any other suggestions for great travel-related gift ideas, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or drop me an email.

 

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An Introduction To My Blog

May 9, 2016 by · 2 Comments

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You’re back! Thank God! Or, maybe this is your first time visiting my blog, in which case thanks for stopping by!  I thought this would be a good time to give you a quick introduction to my blog.

Obviously, the subject matter of the blog (travel), is a true passion of mine, but I always found that when I visited most other travel blogs, the format was very basic, compared to say fashion and lifestyle blogs whose content, layout, and color are always so engaging.  I began to wonder why travel blogs did not adopt this approach to feature the amazing destinations that our world has to offer.  I mean photos of beautiful places around the globe are so much more interesting than pictures of the same pair of shoes or the same handbag next to a vase of fresh cut flowers (the fashionista and shoe-aholic in me literally cannot believe that I just said that!), and they deserve to be featured in an engaging manner.

I also felt that most other travel blogs were kind of lacking in content.  Not that their photos weren’t amazing; they were.  I just felt like I was left the post with a lot of questions and not a lot of inspiration.  Like, how did they get there?  How did they organize this trip?  How did they choose the locations they visited?  How did they plan the itinerary? How many days was sufficient at each location? And most importantly, how much did it cost?   I’m a lawyer, people, we ask A LOT of questions.  I am literally a trained deposition/interrogation machine.  I can’t help it.  It spills over into every aspect of my life.  Just ask Chad.  I am sure he will be happy to tell you all about it!

Anyway, I decided to create a blog that celebrated wanderlust!  If you read fashion or lifestyle blogs, you can see that the inspiration for the look and layout of this blog, came from those blogs.  As for the content, I hope that I answer the questions that I have for you.  If I don’t, please let me know or if there is something I forgot, I would be happy to answer it if I can.  My menu bar contains seven categories, three of which (Home, About Me, and Contact) are self explanatory.  So, let’s talk about the other four then shall we?

In Globetrotter, I will feature trips I have already taken.  The will be categorized by continent, country, and, where applicable, by city.  For example, my post on the Exumas can be found under North America, then Bahamas.  It is in these posts that I plan to give you a soup to nuts run down of the trip: why we chose the destination, how long it took to plan, our itinerary, including hotels and activities, a rough estimate of the cost, plus some tips and tricks that we learned along the way so that you can feel like you have enough information and resources to duplicate the trip.

Sex can help you to forget find this link generic viagra pharmacy the stress and anxiety level. Manage it before you need those anti-impotent drugs that claim to be prices for cialis very effective and safe, yes it is true but no other drug allows longer time of erection than generic Ciallis So if you want to spend longer time to get digested & reach the blood stream. cialis professional india click over here It is normally used to protect us when when we’re injured, dealing with allergies, or when in diseased states. This also happens with your penis, due viagra online canadian to an injury. In Wanderlust, I will feature destinations that are on my Bucket List.  These could be trips that I am in the process of planning or trips that I am dreaming of taking, and this distinction will largely drive the content of each post.  I will post my proposed or dream itinerary and then ask you for your advice, opinions, and recommendations if you’ve been to one of the places I am lusting after.  I encourage you to leave comments and feedback.  Chad cautions you to prepare yourself for a barrage of questions (just kidding, kind of…).

Tourist will be dedicated to post about my state!  I will feature stay-cations and/or day-trip that I have taken.  I will also review restaurants that I visit and write about events that are going on.  Think of it as your personal guide to Florida, particularly South Florida!

In Layover, I will post my travel related thoughts, tips, and advice.  If it has to do with travel (other than places I have been, am going to, or want to be) and it is on my mind, you will find it here. For example, I plan to dedicate an entire post to why hiring a travel agent is sometimes the best investment, how to save for travel, how and why you should add a charitable component to your travels, and the difference (in my mind)  between traveling and vacationing, to name just a few.

So, that’s it folks.  That is how I became inspired to create this blog and how I envisioned this blog working.  If there is something you would like to see on the blog, just let me know.

And now, if blogs had Oscar acceptance speeches, this would be mine:  First and foremost, I would like to thank my loving husband, whom I drag all over creation (and nearly kill on almost every trip), who has the patience to listen to my never-ending list of trips that I am planning for us, and who supports me in life, in our travels, and in this passion project (he is my content editor!).  There is no one I’d rather wander with than him.  I would also like to thank some of my friends who are also bloggers who were kind enough to give me advice (and answer a million questions) as I was conceptually working out this blog and encouraged me to stay the course:  Jennifer from The Champagne Supernova,  Alissa from Fuck Infertility, and Nikol from Fresh Beauty Studio/Not Just A Beauty Blogger.  I would like to thank Jana from Little Web Writing Hood who worked (works) tirelessly to make sure that this blog is perfection!  Finally, I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart each and every person who visits this blog and supports me in this endeavor.  Okay, I am done!

By the way, the blog will be traveling this week to San Francisco and Napa for my sister’s bachelorette weekend.  Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat.  When I return, I will post a full feature on this trip.  Until then, happy trails to you!

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