The Travel Teacher

Remember when you were young or your children were young and they always had to go “potty” everywhere you went?  Basically they wanted to see the bathrooms!!!  I got pretty good figuring out which corner of the store they were in.

When you travel, you don’t need to be checking out the hospitals or clinics all over the world.  Seen one, seen them all, and most are not as nice as at home.  And trying to find a doctor who speaks English can be challenging.  Staying healthy when you travel is #1 to having a good vacation.  My husband doesn’t have a spleen and can go into pneumonia at the drop of a hat.  So, here are some tips that I have found to work. 

• Brookstone has this little filter that you wear around your neck or in your pocket.  I know it works because since we have been using it on planes, we haven’t gotten sick.  Proof enough.
• Spray your nose with nasal spray before boarding the plane.  Acts as a block to germs.
• Take hand wipes to wipe down the food tray.  Must be the dirtiest thing on the plane.
• Take hand sanitizer and use it frequestly.  The one that does the most good is Soapopular.  Doesn’t dry out your skin or have an offensive odor. Take your own pillow for sleeping on red eye flights.  I cut an old down pillow in half and roll it up into a plastic vacuum bag putting it in my carryon.
• Wash your hands in warm soap and water often.
• When going to 3rd World Countries, take your own syringes incase you need to get a shot.  Carry them in a paper towel tube with the ends taped shut.
• Get as much rest as you possibly can.   When you are tired you pick up stuff more easily.
• I wouldn’t even have a problem wearing a mask if I am in a motorcoach and people are coughing and sneezing.  That can spread very fast.

Now to address the Norovirus.  There is a lot in the papers about this on cruise ships.  Well, it has to be reported because those ships are registered in foreign ports and the cruise lines have to report sicknesses when they come into the US.  HOWEVER, it is not just on ships.  It is in hotels, schools and any public places.  I have had clients get it BEFORE they even got to the cruise.  Sometimes people are sick when they board and they think they will get well in a day or so and in the meantime they have infected 50 people.  The cruise lines are watching people very close and if they suspect the passengers are sick, they will quarantine them. 

My last point is the MOST IMPORTANT.  BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE!!!.  The cost is small, but the benefits are HUGE.  Buy it on my web site www.cruiseandtourplanners.com or call me.  Just this past week we heard of a lady who fell down in Italy and cracked her head.  Her family is trying to raise $100,000 to bring her home.  How sad.  I have another client who has cancelled 3 trips because of medical issues and got her money back - she is young.  Then there is the young college studen surfing in Costa Rica who broke his neck and needed $500,000 to come home.  Age has nothing to do with it.  I could tell lots of stories.  DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT INSURANCE!!!

SUITCASE CHOICES:  HARDER THAN WHAT PAIR OF SHOES TO WEAR

Some people loves shoes.  Some love purses.  I love suitcases.  Why have just one when I have can have many?  The new colors and fabrics are so pretty.  But with the new airline regulations, some of my older suitcases have had to go into storage.  So, how do you decide what suitcase is best for your trip.

First I decide about my carryon.  What weight and size will the airline allow for this trip?

Also, how long is the flight and how many connections? 

More and more I lean toward wheels on most everything.  Or at least be able to hook an non wheel to a wheel.  For instance, I take a lap top in a case.  It can be attached to my small carryon with a strap.  My purse goes inside the carryon, so now I have just 2, the maximum most airlines allow.  However, on this last trip, I saw some people with really large wheeled carryons, a backpack and a lap top.  Most were not stopped.  Those who were, let their carryon be checked at the gate and avoided the “more than one” checked rule. 

On red eye flights, I have a back pack type with wheels.  It cost $39 and is the best suitcase I own.  In it I have                                                                                                               

      my  ½ down pillow rolled in a vacuum bag

      a sweater because you never know about the temperature on the plane

      my glasses case with an eye mask, ear plugs and lip salve

      a bottle of water I buy before boarding the plane (some airlines fill up water bottles from the plane’s tank and tell you it is bottled water)

      a quart sized zip lock bag with toilet seat covers, packets of wipes, hand sanitizer, a few bandaids, and panty liners (then you can wear your underwear more than once, if necessary), tooth paste and tooth brush

      a change of clothes

      if I am landing in a rainy place, a rain poncho. 

This bag also acts as a footrest under the seat in front of me, unless I am in business class with a foot rest.  Don’t forget the fold up bag for all the treasures you will be bringing home.  Or you can pack a small bag inside a larger bag.  Watch your weight on that one.

With that done, then I can move onto the larger bag which depends on the length of time I am gone.  Less is always better and I never seem to get that right.  The main reason is I don’t want to spend every evening doing laundry in the bathroom sink.  Many times it doesn’t even dry before I have to pack it.  Speaking of laundry, I love the old fashioned Fels Naptha bar of soap.  It rinses out quickly and is easy to pack.  It goes into a baggy with my clothes line that has suction cups on each end for hanging in a shower or even between 2 chairs on a deck.

Do you have a special suitcase?