Luggage Lore

Here are a dozen suggestions on packing, luggage and what to do about the weight thing. 1 ) If the Shoe Fits, Wear It When you go shopping for shoes, do you ever fall in love with the softness of the leather and the cool trim and say to yourself, “I’ll break it in?” We can almost guarantee that the shoe will break you before you break it. It is a very bad idea to buy new hiking boots or walking shoes right before a trip. You haven’t had time to check them for the blister factor. You don’t know if they are really water proof, or if they’re too tight when your foot expands from hot weather. If you want to avoid shoes blues, use your oldies but goodies or buy a new pair well in advance of departure. 2 ) Two is Better Than One More folks than ever are traveling, and the airlines are misplacing or losing luggage at a startling rate. The groans of missing luggage are louder than ever before. You can almost assume, if you are a frequent traveler, that sooner... Read More →

How To Have A Memorable Trip

1 ) Thanks for the memories Are you one of those blessed people with perfect recall? You can remember what happened on September 14, 1986 and what you ate for dinner three days ago? If you are not, then you know how elusive memory can be. Sometimes your long term memory lets you down, and sometimes it’s the shorty that is just out of reach. While you are traveling, you think you will remember the moments forever. But, trust us, you won’t. So you can start by making a commitment to really imprinting your trip. 2 ) A picture is worth a thousand words If you are a photo hound, you already know this. If you are a technophobe, there is a three-word solution: Point and Shoot. There are digital cameras that are really digital servants–they do all the work for you. You decide what you want to capture, you point the camera, it makes adjustments and calculations for you, and all you have to do is click. When you get home, you load the photos into your computer. You can save them,... Read More →

How To Be A Traveler and Not A Tourist

1 ) The Glass is Always Empty A fellow travel journalist once remarked that most travel is calculated to keep tourists separate from people who live in the country they are visiting. In fact, tourists generally see the destination through glass. Either they are riding in a tour bus, staring out through a restaurant window or observing the village or city through the well-cleaned windows of a hotel room. The key to becoming a traveler is to see the world directly… not through glass. When there is glass, there is separation. When there is no glass, it’s the beginning of integration. You can touch, smell, hear, feel and interact with the environment and the people who live there. 2 ) The Teacher Isn’t Looking When you were in school, you were subjected to a form of torture known as grammar rules. In French, you probably squirmed through the subjunctive. In Latin, you sweated over whether a word was masculine, feminine or neuter. In German, you watched in horror as a simple verb... Read More →

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