Something Borrowed

This is a list of things I have been "borrowing" from hotels recently and will probably do again while we are in San Antonio next week. These are great tips for anyone staying in a hotel.

1.Milk
The LG needs a cup of milk at night and one in the morning and there is no refrigerator in our room. What to do? Well, they have free breakfast every morning including those little 8 oz individual cartons of milk. His morning cup of milk comes fresh from the breakfast line and another unopened carton goes back up to the room with me. Then the little guy and I take a fun trip to the ice machine and I "hide" the unopened carton of milk in the ice bucket during the day to serve as his cup of milk at night.

2. Peanut Butter
This is another treat snatched from the breakfast bar. Near the bagels and toast there are baskets for different condiments such as jelly, butter, cream cheese and peanut butter. Each in little individual containers usually just enough to spread on one slice of bread. Well, since the LG loves peanut butter and could care less whether it is spread of a slice of bread or not, I grab a few of these individual containers each morning along with a spoon to serve as little snacks throughout the day. He likes that he has his own little thing of peanut butter that he can carry around with him. Obviously eating the same snack every day doesn't promote variety but most toddlers don't care and when you are not at home but trying to live cheap this is one corner I am willing to cut for the week.

3. Coffee
You know those coffee packets that come with all hotels rooms? The ones they replace everyday like the shampoo and conditioner? Ok if you use those, great but if you don't, take them home. I take mine home, open them up and bump them into my coffee canister at home. If you are a coffee nut who has to drink such-n-such brand or you will die then this will not work for you because what you end up with is a jumble of different kinds of coffee for a while after you return from a vacation but if you collect two - four packets per day for the length of the vacation and every packet will make 2 - 4 cups of coffee then you are saving a weeks worth of coffee money. I usually only drink coffee in the morning so I put the coffee packet from my room in my bag (letting the maid replace the ones in my room) and grab a cup downstairs in the lobby with my free breakfast. Plus, if you really want to save money and don't mind the some decaf jumbled in with your regular at home then grab those packets too and save more.

4. Shampoo, Conditioner, Lotion and Mouthwash
This is the no brainer one, everyone does it and if they don't do it they think about it and if they didn't think about it, they probably just forgot. Take it home and dump it into your big bottles or if you hit the gym then these little hotel bottles are perfect to throw into your gym bag for after workout showers. Also, they are great for camping, hiking or boating adventures or even foreign travel to areas where you aren't sure these types of things will be provided. Another great thing about the lotion and mouth wash is they are usually under 3oz which means they are the perfect size to throw in your clear plastic bag and take on the plane with anytime you fly.






And Now...
Tip Today - This post is full of tips want another one? Use the plastic bag in your hotel room that is supposed to be used to have your laundry washed by the staff to carry your dirty clothes home in. Simply put your smelly clothes in the bag then put the bag in your suitcase this keeps the dirt away from your clean clothes on the trip back home.

Quote Today - “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

Dreaming Of - Getting out of the city and getting on to our San Antonio trip.

Earth.org

Earth.org wins an award (according to me) for the best up and coming travel website.
Earth.org is a collaboratively written travel guide with a non-profit approach. Earth.org is written by people just like me and you from all over the world. They have taken the basic idea behind wikipedia and turned it into what could very possibly become the best travel guide on the web.

I love that Earth.org is non-profit, so many travel guides these days stink. How can a guide truly be telling me the best places to eat when the restaurants pay to be included in their guidebook? That smells fishy, same goes for most travel shows these days too. From what I have read and heard I don't think we need to worry about Earth.org selling out any time soon.

Everyone has information they contribute to a project like this, even if you don't regularly travel you have information about the town you live in that people visiting would love to have, so take a few minutes to share those insider tidbits of information with the traveling world at Earth.org. I plan to share tons of info about New Orleans and maybe even Fort Myers, Florida since I lived there for 25 years. If you know the best place to shop for bath products or the only place in your city to get real Chinese food or anything else you would like to share then go to Earth.org and share your knowledge with travelers all over the world.

Learning From Postcards

Getting postcards is so great, the ones from different parts of the world are so much fun. I learn things too. Like this card above. It took me a while to figure out what the card was depicting since I don't speak (or read) Czech but I finally found a website that when translated for me by Google was filled with lots of information on the event. It is a march through the woods that have been decorated and filled with actors portraying fairytale characters. It seems to mostly be an event for families and children, it looks like fun to me. You can find more info and lots of pictures of the festivities at this website.
I also found this video on You Tube, you don't have to understand what they are saying to know the kids are having a good time and that it would be a fun event to attend with kids for sure if you were ever in the Czech Republic around May or June. It seems like different villages have their own marches through the woods on different dates mostly during those two months.









And Now...
Tip Today - If you need to pack using just a carry-on, then pick one that is big enough to hold about five outfits and three or four books. A great bag is a school backpack! - From 1000tips4trips.com

Quote Today - "Most travel is best of all in the anticipation or the remembering; the reality has more to do with losing your luggage." -- Regina Nadelson

Dreaming Of - A day off from the terrible twos

And Now...

I started something on my other blog, Mom's Not All and I think with a little modification it will work nicely over here too. I picked three things I thought would be interesting or helpful to know but I might tweek them down the line if I find that others don't find them as informative as I might have hoped or if I just find something I think would be better.

First, I will pass along one great travel tip everyday with the goal of helping a few of you make your next vacation the best it can be. If anyone has a travel tip they would like to be included in this section please let me know. If you blog about you travel tip I can even link back to you in this section.

Next, I will share a travel quote of the day. There are so many great quotes out there, people from all walks of life travel. Some around the world and some just to the next town but where ever they go they usually have something to say about the experience. I will do my best to find off the wall quotes about travel from all kinds of people.

Finally, I will share something I am currently dreaming of, since this is a travel blog I will mostly share my current dream vacation (it changes a lot since it is a dream, the sky is the limit and nothing is too small) but sometimes I might be dreaming of something else.




And Now...
Tip Today - Want to save on renting a car or don't feel like driving to your destination? Check out Amtrak's Auto Train

Quote Today - “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine

Dreaming Of - taking a vacation to somewhere like a beaches resort where my husband and I can have a god time and so can my son. A place with something for all of us.

Great Outdoors Month

Did you know that June is Great Outdoors Month? Neither did I until I found the Great American Backyard Campout website. In case you can't make it out to an event for National Get Outdoors Day then maybe there is a campout near you on June 27th for the Great American Backyard Campout. If not then take a hint from the title of the day and set up a tent in your backyard, it's the ultimate staycation.

You can pick up a tent for about $100.00 at Walmart or for something a little more substantial check out your local sporting goods store, either way all you need to do is set it up in your backyard bring out you pillow and a blanket and have a great time. Kids love it and you will too. And for all of you out there who don't have kids at home let me tell you sleeping under the stars with the one I love is right near the top of my romantic things list.

If money is tight and you don't already have a tent then grab a couple sturdy sticks, a pack of hotdogs and a bag of marshmellows. Then build a small fire in the backyard. You can make a firering from some unused bricks or cenderblocks or if none of those are around dig a little trench around where you plan to guild your fire to make a barrier between the fire and the rest of the ground. Bring the loved ones outside for dinner over an open fire. It will be a great experience you won't soon forget.


After the Great American Backyard Campout is over keep up the great tradition of getting outside with Green Hour. Whose message is : Time spent in nature is part of a healthy childhood. The thought that by giving our children a "Green Hour" a day -- a bit of time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world -- we can set them on the path toward physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

National Get Outdoors Day

National Get Outdoors Day is in it's second year and will hold events all over the country on June 13th.

"Participants from federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and the recreation industry are again teaming up to host the second annual National Get Outdoors Day (GO Day) to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun at sites across the nation. On Saturday, June 13, these diverse partners will offer opportunities for American families to experience traditional and non-traditional types of outdoor activities. Prime goals of the day are reaching currently under-served populations and first-time visitors to public lands, and reconnecting our youth to the great outdoors."
People are so disconnected from the natural world around them, even the nature around them everyday. The saying Take time to stop and smell the roses" couldn't be more important in today's world. Next time you are walking from your car to the entrance of the grocery store pay attention to how much nature you see around you. I bet if people took the time to do this more often they would be happier, calmer and more appreciative people. That is why I am so happy for an event like this.

There will be an event here in New Orleans at the Bonnet Carre Spillway, you can find an event near you by checking out the National Get Outdoors Day website.

Postcards

I get a lot of really cool post cards through postcrossing. Today I received four more:

This one from the Ukraine depicting the Kyiv. monument to princess Olhe.

This one from Washington State of Mount Rainier, the highest volcano in the contiguous 48 states.

This one sent from Germany actually depicts the Vltava River in Prague where the sender went on a class trip last year.
This postcard makes me want to plan a trip to Prague just to take a day of leisurely strolling over those bridges, picking up some lunch and eating it in a local park...oh that sounds like heaven.

And last but certainly not least This one from Russia of the Tolzhsky Monastyr on the Volga River.
This postcard was very well writen and informative, the picture was also taken by one of the bloggers on the site listed on the card. check it out at www.yarfor.me

Maybe I should make my own postcard.

San Antonio

Even though I made that list of upcoming trips just a couple days ago the line up has already changed. Now we are planning a trip to San Antonio, Texas at the end of the month. That is right we just found out that my husband will be working in San Antonio from the 15th to the 30th of June and the little guy and I are planning to tag along. Now I can hopefully find someone to watch the dog and the new kitty, if not they will have to come with us and that won't be as much fun, trust me if you are already in charge of a toddler on vacation adding in a dog and cat doesn't really go with the more the merrier rule.
I have been to San Antonio, TX before with my family when I was much younger. I have fond memories of riding on the boats by the riverwalk and visiting the Alamo which really moved me. Also we spent the night at a state park just outside the city. It just happened to be a lunar eclipse the night we camped out there, people were gathered with their telescopes looking at the night sky. I remember that this particular park owned a telescope that had been given to them by Louisiana State University. On top of that all through the park were these little deer. They were all along the path when we were walking back from eclipse viewing they were still there hiding in the fog when we woke up the next morning too.
I don't know all the things we will do while we are in town but I am looking forward to seeing San Antonio again and rediscovering the city with my own family.

Postcrossing

I have found something that I just love. It is postcrossing! What you do is simple. You get 5 address' for people all over the world. Then you send them each a postcard. Each postcard you send has a special tracking number that is entered on the postcrossing website when received. When one of your postcards arrives at it's destination you receive an email letting you know, then you can request another address and send out another postcard. While all this is going on you are also receiving postcards from other people and registering them on the website. I love it because I get to pick out and send postcards to people which is great for me because I love stationary and anything having to do with writing, also I love getting postcards from all over the world. They have such interesting things on them. The map above shows my postcrossing map. The pink lines are tracking the places I have received postcards form and the blue lines are tracking where I have sent postcards.

Budget Travel Giveaway

A few years ago my Mother-in-law got me a gift subscription to Budget Travel magazine. I love it! Each issue is full of great travel tips, stories that make me want to start packing my bags, they always have a road trip complete with route and unique stops along the way which I really appreciate because I love a good road trip. There is almost nothing better than throwing your bag in the car and hitting the open road. This issue has some great road trips and tips specifically for road trips and tons of other stuff.
Another thing I like about Budget Travel is they don't pay anyone to go out on assignment. In other words they don't set up free hotel room stays or pay authors a bunch of money to go to Africa to write a story about being on safari. That way the opinions expressed are generally more honest and unbiased rather than bought. Authors do get paid when they get published in the magazine they just aren't paid before.

Now I want to share all that I love about Budget Travel magazine with one of you. I am going to give away this month's issue (June 2009) to one lucky winner.


How do I enter? Good question. There are 4 ways to enter:
1. Leave a comment on this post, yep that's it just tell me what you think about this post/giveaway and you will get one entry.
2. leave a comment on any post on my other blog, Mom's Not All, leave a comment here telling me you did and which post you commented on or the url to the comment.
2. Twitter about this giveaway, then leave another comment here telling me you did so and where I can find the tweet ie. a url or your twitter id so I can find you. This will get you one more entry.
3. Follow Me and you will get one more entry just leave another comment to let me know they you are a new follower and if you already follow me leave a comment telling me you already do.
4. If you have a blog of your own, spread the word about this giveaway on your blog then leave one more comment here telling me about it and giving me a link to your blog. This one is worth 2 entries.
All in all you can have up to 6 entries into this giveaway bringing you that much closer to your owning this wonderful photo album.

What are the Rules to this Giveaway?
1. An email address is required so leave it with your comment (or else how will you know you won)
2. A winner will be chosen using random.org
3. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 2 days to reply before a new winner is chosen.
4. Open to US address'
5. Ends on 6/8/09 @ 10PM CST. Good Luck!!!

And Now...
Tip Today - Always Leave copies of your itinerary, passport data page and visas with family or friends, so you can be contacted in case of an emergency.

Quote Today - “Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation.” - Elizabeth Drew

Dreaming Of - Watching the rain fall in one of those severe Southern thunderstorms.