I don’t know about you but I like travel gadgets and different things that are suppose to make your trip fun and easy especially now that the airlines have made it so difficult to bring anything with you.

I have tried a couple of things with some good and some not so good results. I will be telling you about them here and I hope you will let me know if you have tried them or anything else that you like or dislike.

I have the VioLight toothbrush case that is suppose to sanitize your toothbrush with UV light. Now I have read pros and cons about UV light and if it really does sanitize like it is suppose to. Whether this case does or not I don’t really mind. I like that my toothbrush is in a case that completely seals it instead of just the brush part of it. They give you a full size brush to go in the case though they say that a standard size toothbrush will fit also. That really depends on the toothbrush you have. With so many of them out there today you have to make sure that it is a straight toothbrush without a curve in it. The curved ones do not fit in the case. Once you are done brushing your teeth you just put the toothbrush in the case and close the cover. The UV light comes on to sanitize the brush and it will automatically turn off when done.

Another item for the teeth is Archtek’s Toothpaste Tablets. I kept seeing these in a catalog that I get and finally got them. The concept is very unique and I like it but I don’t really care for the end result. The tablets are about the size of an aspirin and what you do is put one in your mouth chew it and then start brushing your teeth. They foam up pretty well but because you have to chew them small pieces do get caught in your teeth. The flavor is a cool mint which isn’t bad. I think with some tweaking these would be very good. They save you from making sure you have the right size toothpaste tube with you and they are very handy. I just wish they would chew up easier and foam more.

The last thing I am going to talk about today is soap sheets. You have probably seen soap sheets before, they are small sheets of soap that you put in your hands add water and rub and you have soap. I have used a couple brands before and really like them. They now have expanded to shampoo and conditioner and bodywash sheets. I have used the shampoo sheets and I have to say they are no where near as good as the soap sheets. The first time I used them I wet my hair and then put a sheet in my hand and put my hand in my hair to start using it. It basically glued immediately to my wet hair and wouldn’t move. I had to let the water run over it until it melted away. The second time I tried using them I tried getting the sheet wet in my hands first and trying to bring up some suds. This did work a little better but not as good as regular shampoo. Now I am sure they would be great if they were the only thing available to you but I would just suggest getting a travel size bottle of shampoo and using that. Of course depending on where you are going and staying most of the time the shampoo is provided for you so you really don’t have to worry about that.

I hope this has been a little helpful to you and I do hope you will write me and let me know about some of the products you have used and what you think of them.

When you stay at a hotel alone for an over night or a weekend or week do you stay at a certain hotel chain or stay at a mom and pop motel?

I have stayed at both. I usually stay a hotel chains when I am in or near a city and the mom & pop motels in small towns. When staying at a motel by yourself you really need to ask some important questions. Is there a manager on site 24/7 or do they leave at a certain time? Make sure you ask to see the room before you agree to stay. It needs to be clean and neat. You can have a very enjoyable stay at mom & pop motels. I have enjoyed meeting the owners and their families. They can tell you the best restaurants in town instead of the just the chain restaurants. I would recommend staying at a motel once in a while, you could be pleasantly surprised.

As I said, I stay at hotel chains when near a city. I would highly recommend joining the hotel rewards program. They are usually free and it doesn’t take long to fill out the information requested.

One of the things I like about the reward programs is that you can set your preferences for what type of room you want and where you would like it. Personally, I ask for a high floor, and a room away from the elevators.

Remember, when you are traveling alone, especially a lady traveling alone, you need to be aware of your surroundings. One of the easiest ways to be safe is to be on a higher floor than the ground floor and to be away from the elevator.

This weekend I am on the 4th floor and just about as far away from the elevator as you can get. Yes you have to walk a bit but it is worth it because you don’t hear the elevator or the vending machines all night and you usually don’t have to worry about being bothered.

When you travel alone you usually are going for pleasure and to have a good time so why not take a few extra minutes and ensure that you will have a good time. Join the hotel’s rewards program and fill out the profile tab. I am a member of just about all the hotel chains. I go for the best price so I don’t get a lot of rewards but it is worth it to feel safe when I travel alone.

So get out there and travel and have fun but be safe doing it.

It has been a while since I wrote anything, was going to write about my latest trip but decided before I tell you all the fun stuff I should give you some important information to think about.

How may of us when we go on vacation either with a group of friends, family or just by ourselves think about what would happen in an emergency? I know for myself I never have thought about it. Well I am here to tell everyone that you really need to take just a few minutes before your next trip to think about it and be prepared.

I went to San Diego with three of my friends. We had a great week and enjoyed ourselves immensely while out there. On the day we were traveling back home we had to make a connecting flight in San Francisco and were rushing to make it when one of my friends collapsed. Thankfully a nurse was passing just at the right time and was able to help until the paramedics arrived and took over. They wanted to know my friend’s medical history to which the three of us had to say we didn’t know.

To make this a short story I will tell you that as of right now my friend is still in San Francisco in the hospital but is recovering quickly and hopefully by early next week she will be able to come home.

The point to telling you all this is to let you know the lesson we all learned the hard way this past weekend. When you are doing any kind of traveling make sure you have your medical history with you. It can just be written down on a piece of paper or you can take the time and type it out and then fold it and put it in your wallet never to be seen again. If you are taking medication for anything make sure you write that down even if it is just something you are taking for 10 days.

You may also want to look into giving one of your friends or family that is traveling with you medical power of attorney. My friends and I have decided that in the future we will be doing that. The hospitals were great with keeping us updated on our friends condition up to a point and then we were told they couldn’t tell us anything because we were not family.

So do yourselves a favor and write up your medical history and give medical power of attorney to someone and hopefully you will never have to use it. But if something does go wrong, like it did for us, people will be able to help you better because of what you did beforehand.

My next post will be about something more entertaining than this but I know I never thought of this before so I figured some others may not have either and this is very important information.

Thought I would give you some tips that I have learned about finding prices and when to purchase tickets and stuff like that today.

I become almost compulsive when it comes to purchasing airfare for an upcoming trip. Once I know for sure that I am going I start looking at travel websites along with airline companies websites trying to find the best deal I can. The best day to purchase airline tickets is on Wednesday. I am not sure why the airline companies do this but the prices do go down on Wednesdays. You have to pay attention though because they do not stay down for long.

If you go to www.bing.com and click on “Travel” you can put in your departure & arrival airports and your dates and it will show you different airlines and the cost of the flights. But what I use Bing for is their “Price Predictor” It will tell you if they think the price of the airfare will drop or go up. I have used this the last 3 times I have purchased airfare and it has been correct every time. Great little tool.

Once I have decided on a place I also start doing research on what to see when I am there along with what I can miss seeing. I also like to get information on places to eat. For most of this research I go online. I have even seen things on TV that look and sound interesting and then gone online to check it out more.

When I went to Charleston, SC a couple of years ago I did all the normal research on Ft. Sumter and plantations. But one night I was watching Feasting on Asphalt with Alton Brown and he did a piece on a place in Charleston. I put it in the back of my head and didn’t give it much thought. Once we were there though and I remembered the place, I looked it up online and found out that it was going to be near the plantation we were going to so we decided to stop in.

Now, had I not seen it on TV I probably wouldn’t have stopped, it was just a little hole in the wall place that really didn’t look like a place two single ladies would stop in by themselves. The place is called “Jack’s Cosmic Dogs” and if you like hot dogs and fresh cut french fries then this is the place to stop when in Charleston. We were so glad we had stopped and that wouldn’t have happened unless I had seen it on TV.

Basically my point in this post is to do your homework. Once you have decided on a location start digging around online and see what you can find about the place. It is great doing some tourist stuff but I always want to go to places the locals go because they know the best places. They live there after all.

There are all sorts of places online where people write in and tell their opinions of place. The first one that comes to mind is Trip Advisor. Just remember to take the reviews with a grain of salt, everyone is different and so are their likes and dislikes.

If you do a little homework before you take your trip, not only will you have a more enjoyable time but you could find a hidden gem.

We spent a day cruising the Tracy Arm Fords and looking at the glaciers. I would definitely recommend you bring something very warm with you as the wind coming off the glaciers is very cold. It is amazing how the captain can move through the water when it has icebergs in it. I was amazed that the icebergs could look small out of the water but in actuality be very large because of the part that is submerged. Below is a picture of one of the icebergs.

The next day we were in Ketchican.  I went on an excursion that dealt with totem poles.  It is pretty amazing to think that at one time totem poles were the only way some Native American tribes communicated.  We were able to watch a gentleman as he worked on creating a totem pole.  He said that he had been working on it for the past 2 years and was hoping that he would be finished by the end of the year.  The detail that is on them is pretty amazing.

I have to say for my first cruise I couldn’t have asked for a better destination to go to than Alaska.  I am hoping to get back this year or next year.  If you ever get the chance to cruise Alaska I am telling you that you should.  It is well worth the money and the time it takes to get there if you live on the East Coast.  Go and enjoy!

About 5 1/2 years ago I was lucky enough to go on my first cruise. I went to Alaska. These were 2 things that I had always wanted to do but didn’t know if I would be able to do them. Now I can’t wait until I can get back to Alaska again.

I was all set to go solo for the trip but as I was talking about the trip to friends they decided they wanted to go also. Now, going solo on a cruise is not cheap because most cruise lines will make you pay the price of two people so it is always better to have someone share the cabin with you. This trip was actually the first cruise for all 4 of us so we were very excited about going. I have a friends who are cruise travel agenst so they were able to help us with all the details.

We left a day early and flew to Seattle, WA. We had a great afternoon in Seattle playing tourist. We went to Pike’s Market and had fun looking at all the stuff there. Below is a picture of some grapes my friend bought. Yes, those are quarters in the middle. They were so good but none of us had ever seen grapes that big.

The next day we were picked up from our hotel by the cruise line to go to the pier to board the ship.  I would recommend that you pay the little extra it costs and either be picked up at the airport or your hotel by the cruise line you are going to be taking.  When you get the  port, the place is huge and there are lots of different cruise lines waiting to take people on board so being dropped off right where you need to go will help immensely.  We were on the Golden Princes and it was great.

Now I have heard people say that they don’t like cruising because there is nothing to do on board while you are at sea.  I have been lucky enough to have taken 4 cruises now and I have to say I have yet to be bored.  Yes, you can do as much or as little as you want and yes, a lot of what you may want to do on board has a price you have to pay but this is your vacation so have a little fun.  My friend and I played bingo a couple of times and there is a fee for the cards but she won once and that paid for the fee and she had some left over so she was happy.  It is very easy to forget you are actually paying for things because you just show them your room key and that is it. But remember, your room key is hooked to your credit card so you are still being billed even though they have made it very easy to forget that.  More on that in a later post, just remember you can always view your bill on the TV in your room so you can keep track of your spending if you want to.

Since this was our first cruise we did excursions through the ship instead of trying to do them once we got on land.  Now, doing them through the cruise line is a good thing because they will make sure you get back to the ship in time to get back on board.  If you take an excursion through a company once you are off the ship you have to make sure you are back in time to board because the ship is on a tight schedule and they will leave you behind if you aren’t back when you are suppose to be back.  This happened to a couple at our first stop.  Just remember, if you miss the ship it is up to you to make it to the next port of call to meet up with the ship.

I will tell you about my Alaskan adventure in my next post so stay tuned.