Take Ear Plugs Whenever You Travel

Some people need ear plugs all the time because they need it quiet when they sleep. Others can do with a bit of noise, even the a/c going on and off.

But being woken up at 3 a.m. in a motel room because of loud talking and laughing in a nearby room, that goes on for over an hour, is not a fun experience. So reported friends of ours.

I just checked my travel kit bag which I never unpack .... found it already has two pairs of ear plugs in it. We are good to go!

More "Little Ways" Tips To Make Travel Easier

At the airport lot, back your car into its spot. If you return home to a dead battery or any other problem, this will make easier access to the battery or to a tow truck.

Many airports now offer less expensive parking lots but it takes time to get from them to the airport. Leave yourself enough time for that shuttle bus.

Pack anything that will be hard to replace in your carry-on, like those special running shoes. Of course your medications and important papers go into your carry-on. Put your quart-sized plastic bag with your liquids in an outside pocket or other easily accessible place.

Have complete information for your hotel in case of a delay, including phone number, fax number and email address. Have a printout of the hotel's location, for your own use or to show a cab driver.

If you are a frequent flyer member, save your boarding pass. If the airline goofs you don't get credit for your flight miles, your boarding pass is the proof you can provide that you took the flight.

Make your checked suitcase stand out from the rest. We use neon green luggage straps and can spot them as they come down the luggage belt and even have seen them being loaded onto the plane. No one is going to walk away with our bags by mistake.

How to Pack Light - OneBag.com

I recently put a link from this blog onto my Facebook account. One of my friends Commented how much she loved reading my Little Ways tips and how she thought onebag.com, a site I wrote about in the past, has really great information.

That comment made me take another look at onebag.com and my friend is right. The site is loaded with great travel information and not just with packing advice. There are links to all kinds of travel sites like currency exchange rates, free PDF versions of arrival/travel guides for many locations, worldwide tourism offices and much more.

Doug, of onebag.com, makes it clear that his site is non-commercial and other than a few Amazon and Magellen's links (disclosure here), does not make any money from the products he promotes. Then I noticed at the bottom of the site a link to make a donation. In the past I've donated to other sites. I use my PayPal account and make a small donation. But this is the first time one of the site owners wrote to me and thanked me.

Hi Diane ...

Thanks very much for your contribution to "One Bag". Not all that many people support the site in any tangible way, and it's rewarding to know that at least some consider it to be of significant worth. Your gift will help to ensure that "One Bag" continues at least as long as I do!

Best,

... Doug

To me that makes the site worth another post and more promotion. Travel on your calendar this year? Check out onebag.com for links to world wide weather, Internet cafes, electrical power and outlet information and much, much more.

You Know You're Addicted to Travel When...

I saw this on another website, asking readers to complete the sentence. There were some interesting closures.

….. you know your airport’s TSA agents by name.

….. you don’t think sample size, you think travel size.

….. you are planning on a new trip before leaving for the next one.

….. you have a bag with pharmacy items like pain reliever, Pepto, band aids, insect repellent, extra tooth brushes, etc. that you never unpack.

….. you have credit cards based upon the air miles program.

….. your friends welcome you home from a trip and then immediately ask where and when is the next one.

….. you wake up in the middle of the night and don’t know where the bathroom is.

….. you wake up in the middle of the night and don’t know what city you are in.

….. you think about getting an airplane tattooed on your ankle.

….. your grown children ask if they need an appointment to see you and how far in advance it must be made.

….. someone calls you and asks you to join them on a trip and you say YES before asking “Where to?”.

….. you fly coach across the country just to boost your frequent flyer miles to a higher category.

….. the flight attendant asks you why you are not flying on your usual seat.

Do you have something to add? Would love to read more ideas. Just leave it in the comment section.

From my TA .... your book "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" is almost all checked off. --- Thanks, Ellen

Winter Has Finally Arrived to Upstate NY

Well, it has only taken until the middle of January for us to get any kind of measurable snow. Up through the end of December, we only had about 2 inches total snow for the season. Today it looks like we got about 6 inches of the white stuff but based upon the weather report, with temps going back into the 40’s next week, the snow won’t last very long.

With this kind of weather, our local ski slopes are empty. Not only haven't we had any snow, but it hasn't been cold enough to make snow. So I suspect local skiers will be checking out other opportunities to get onto the slopes, such as Whistler which gets an average of 33 feet of snow. How do I know how much snow Whistler gets? That’s the kind of information you can find on a site like Ski-i.com.

Plus you can get info to locate a Whistler ski accommodation and buy discount Whistler lift tickets. There is also information on restaurants, child care services, and other activities such as dog-sledding, snow mobile rides and horse drawn sleigh rides. No snow in your area this season? Or looking to try out some world class slopes? Check out Whistler ski holidays.

Express Scripts Inc. No Longer Doing Business With Walgreens

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

You are probably wondering why an article like this is going into my travel blog. The answer is simple. If you travel throughout the United States and are an Express Scripts member (like my Dad was), you will no longer have the convenience of using Walgreens to fill your prescriptions.



Walgreens tried for a year to negotiate a new contract with Express Scripts and remain part of the Express Scripts pharmacy network. Those negotiations failed due to the control Express Scripts wanted to have, such as defining what is and is not a generic. The result is that Express Scripts subscribers will now have to arrange for their prescriptions to be filled at another pharmacy, with absolutely no benefit to the subscriber.



What many people do not realize is that Express Scripts is the middleman between our military and TriCare, the defense department’s pharmacy benefits program. More than 250,000 member of the military and their families have signed petitions to demand the inclusion of Walgreens in the Express Scripts program.



If you are a  Walgreens and Express Scripts client, make your voice heard. Contact your local media. Support Walgreens by liking  Walgreens on Facebook and following Walgreens on Twitter. In the meantime, Walgreens wants to help its customers. Take advantage of the special annual membership discount for the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens.