Travel Safety Tips!

Let’s pretend we’re not all under self-quarantine and instead think about all the travel we’ll be doing soon enough! #coronavirus

When it comes to safety while I’m traveling there are a few things I take seriously and want to share with you!

Door stop.  Whether you’re in a hotel or an AirBnB put this in front of the door and you’ll be notified any time someone opens it!  It alerts you by sounding a *VERY* loud alarm that will wake the whole house!

Door jam lock.  This device only works on American doors (or those very similar to them).  I’ve tried it on hotel doors in Germany and the door jam was too small for it to work.  Insert the metal piece into the wall, shut the door, and lock it by sliding the red piece into the locked position.  This will prevent the door from opening, even if the deadbolt is unlocked!

Personal alarm.  You might think this is a bit overboard, and you might be right, however I still bring it with me when I travel.  I hang it from my purse and have peace of mind whenever I’m walking around town alone!

STEP Program.  Register here for any international travel you’re doing.  This will put your travel plans in the US Embassy system so that if you need to go to the Embassy for any reason they’ll already have you on file!

TripIt.  This app is invaluable to me for itinerary sharing purposes!  I’m able to forward all of my trip confirmation emails to the app and it generates an itinerary that I’m then able to pass along to my family back home.  I like knowing that they’ll have an idea of where I am and when should anything happen.

Lastly, make two copies of your passport – keep one in your suitcase and one at home.  If you lose your passport, then you’ll have a copy of it with you.  Alternatively, you can ask loved ones back home to send you the copy you left at your house!

Ok guys, I made a much more animated YouTube video sharing these tips for your viewing pleasure 🙂

That’s it for now!  Stay traveling….AFTER COVID-19 slows down of course.

-L

 

How Do I Travel So Much?!

Questions I get asked regularly are, “Do you ever work?”  “How are you traveling so often?”  “How can I travel like you do?”  These questions make me laugh on the inside because the response I think to myself is, “How are you NOT traveling more?!”

So, how do I travel so often?  Here are five ways that you can travel more:

• Make it a priority.
  • It’s what I choose to spend my money on.  Some people shop til they drop…I stalk the Delta website until my eyes go crossed.  Everyone makes time for what they want – this applies to everything from love interests to hobbies…to travel!
• Find a job that requires travel.
  • I honestly didn’t know how obsessed with travel I was until I was forced to travel on a weekly basis for work.  There are many different careers that require all ranges of travel.  I am in the clinical research industry but if that doesn’t float your boat, then you could consider sales, consulting, project management, or business.  There are also the obvious options of working for a cruise line or an airline as a flight attendant (ask me later about my experience interviewing for a flight attendant position).
• Be flexible.
  • One tip you’ll hear from anyone who travels frequently is that the more flexible you can be with your travel dates, the better the deal you’ll find and therefore the more often you can travel.  Sign up for various travel alerts from websites like Scott’s Cheap Flights, Kayak, and more.  
• The more you do, the more you can.
  • By this I mean that the more you travel and collect loyalty program rewards points, the more you can travel later by using those points to offset costs.  Often, as a loyalty program member, you will receive special offers that will give you even better deals on travel!
• Get a travel credit card.
  • I’m hesitant to put this one on the list.  If you are not financially responsible, then do not get a credit card.  Alternatively, if you can control yourself and not spend more than you bring in, then a travel credit card is a fantastic way to collect points to spend on hotel, airfare, car rentals, etc.  I’m partial to the Delta Skymiles American Express card but there are several others, like the Chase Sapphire card and the Capital One Venture card, that are worth mentioning.  Find one that makes the most sense for you and put as many of your expenses as you can on it to collect as many points as possible.

Ok guys, that’s it!  I expect to see all of you traveling more and more! 🙂  Let me know what other things you’d like to know about travel and where is the number one destination on your list?

Stay traveling – L

Santa Fe

Last winter, I had the opportunity to take a quick trip to the country’s oldest capital city. I couldn’t possibly pass that up, amiright?! While I have been to New Mexico before, I had never stopped in Santa Fe so, to me, that’s reason enough to go!

Pre-flight selfie. Obvs.

Since I only had one day to do a little sight seeing I didn’t waste any time. Directly nextdoor to our hotel was this beautiful church with such intricate design elements you’ll only find in this part of the country.

One block from the church was the town square that, even in January, was still decorated with lights and even had some left over snow! I was surprised at how cold it was here in the desert.

The main drag in Santa Fe is lined with shops and cafés so you know I had to take a stroll. I even came across the famous El Dorado Hotel!

That’s all I had time for on this quick trip to Santa Fe but I enjoyed it nonetheless! Have any of you been to this southwestern city?

-L

 

 

 

 

7 Ways to Keep Cruise Costs Low

Cruising doesn’t have to break the bank.  Check out the final installment of my 5 article series with Cruise Radio to read all about my recommendations for keeping costs low! 

7 Ways to Keep Cruise Costs Low
-L

To Travel, With Love…

From as early as I can remember, I’ve always loved to travel. My mom always used to tell me that I could have had a decent bank of sky miles by the time I was one year old! We flew for free back then (perk of having family members working for Delta) but that’s beside the point. We frequently took road trips all over the south and southwest as well. I would get way too excited about staying in hotels. Actually, I still do.

It’s only been in the past couple of years that my love for travel has evolved from being something really cool to do as a kid/young adult to something awe inspiring and dare I say emotional as I’ve grown older. Let me explain…

Several members of my family currently work and/or have retired from the travel industry. My maternal grandfather retired from Delta as a “Red Coat”. My father and step-mother are air traffic controllers. I have an uncle who is a commercial pilot. And, my paternal grandfather retired from Eastern Airlines. So, to say it sort of runs in my blood would not be an understatement. And yes, I do believe that these kinds of things are ingrained in us from the beginning. The lyric “I got it from my mama” didn’t come from nowhere as they say. 

I’ve recently started traveling for work so I’ve been flying quite a bit. I was sitting on the tarmac watching the line of planes in front of us take off down the runway when I felt my throat tighten up and tears fill my eyes. My mind was going from the science behind flight, the excitement of just being on a plane in general, the trips I had planned with my brother, the logistics of air traffic control, and the list goes on. I felt a few things; excited that I have a job that is allowing me to travel; inspired by the said excitement to continue doing what I love to do; giddy about the physics of how fast planes have to be going before they can take off, and how the shape of the airplane helps the air lift it up; amazed at how the pilots have to be able to detect wind patterns and speed to manage the angle of the plane in order to remain on course; intrigued by the level of concentration it takes for controllers to keep planes appropriately separated and therefore the passengers safe. I’m a bit of a science nerd, I’ll admit but it was all pretty overwhelming in the moment. 

But, on top of that, the traveling I’ve done in the last couple of years compared to when I was younger has become so much more interesting and inspiring. When we’re young we don’t always appreciate what we’re actually seeing/doing/eating, etc as we travel. As an adult, I feel like I’ve completely engrossed myself in each destination. Regardless of if I’m traveling solo or with a group, I try to make it a point to eat what, and where, the locals eat and not just run to the nearest American chain restaurant. I try to really absorb my surroundings when I travel. 

Travel has changed me. It has made me a more patient and open-minded person. In the last 12 months it has been something I’ve come to rely on to take me away from life’s attempts at bringing me down. And, while I’ve always been eager to learn, travel has even taken that to a new level. I don’t know where, or who, I’d be today today without it. And, not to be a total cliche but, I can’t wait to see where travel will take me next. 

Is there a destination that has completely changed your perspective on travel? I must go there. 

-L

5 Tips for Navigating the Caribbean

If you’re like me, then the Caribbean markets can be overwhelming. But, there’s so much more to the islands than that! Click the link below to check out my 5 tips for making the most of your trip! 

5 Tips for Navigating the Caribbean
Stay traveling!

-L

3 Ways to Track Your Cruise Expenses

If you’ve ever been on a cruise before, then you know how easy it is for your money to suddenly disappear. I’ve listed out 3 ways that I find helpful for keeping my spending in check onboard. Click the link below to take a look! 

-L

3 Ways to Track Cruise Expenses

5 Reasons to Book a Suite

If you find yourself booking a cruise anytime soon, I would encourage you to consider booking a suite versus an interior cabin. The perks are endless. Read all about it here in my article on Cruise Radio’s site! 🙂

Stay traveling. 

-L

5 Reasons to Choose Royal Caribbean

Cruise Radio asked me to write a few more articles for them. Here’s the first! I hope you like it 🙂

https://cruiseradio.net/5-reasons-cruise-royal-caribbean/

2016 Lookback and 2017 Travel Wish List

This time last year I made a list of all of the places I wanted to visit in 2016. You can read about that here. It seemed doable but life got in the way, as it does. I was able to check off 3 out of 10…not ideal but like I said, life really got in my way this year. The three I did check off though are Vegas, a Southern Caribbean Cruise, and St. Augustine. All of which were great trips! 
I am, however, knocking Boston off of my list early in 2017. My birthday is early March so my friend and I are going for a long weekend. I’m super excited about that trip! It will be brutally cold from what I here, but I’m kind of looking forward to that. It’ll be a nice change from the sweatbox that is Georgia. 
As for the rest of 2017, it’s shaping up nicely. Below is my travel wish list and some already booked trips for the year!
Las Vegas – this has pretty much become an annual thing. I’ve sort of fallen in love with it and I’ve still got some Cirque shows to catch up on. 
Europe – I’ve booked a 12 day Mediterranean cruise for late May going into June. I’m also tagging Paris on to the end of it. So, needless to say I’m losing my mind with excitement for that trip!
Mid-West – I’ve never really been to the Mid-West so I’m excited about this one. I have family that lives in Montana, so after some visiting time with them we’re driving to Glacier National Park and down to Yellowstone Park and the Grand Tetons. It’ll be a lot to squeeze in with only a week to do it but I never back down from a challenge. 🙂
NYC – I really want to go during Christmas time. I haven’t done that since thanksgiving 1995! The snow, lights, music, and food is calling my name!
Charleston, SC – I’ve never been and have really wanted to go for a long time, so I’m going to make it a point this year. 
Keeping my list shorter for 2017 will hopefully make it easier to accomplish. I won’t lie though, I’m already making plans for 2018…
Where do you want to go this year? Pick one destination and just go. Just. Go. 
-Stay traveling.