When going on vacation with your family or friends, you often have special memories of different locations or attractions. An inexpensive way to capture those memories is to purchase a postcard from that location and immediately have each person write down on the back of the postcard their favorite part of the attraction. Be specific.
When you get home, collect the postcards and add them to an album with some of your pictures taken at the location.
[Image credit: D Sharon Pruitt]
I find no better way to remember a vacation than through the kitschy photo books available at any tourist shop. They’re relatively inexpensive and are full of photographs unique to that particular spot on the globe. They can be kept on a bookshelf at home, and you can revisit your favorite vacation spots any time the mood strikes.
I have one photo souvenir book that’s almost thirty years old. It covers one of my favorite vacation destinations, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and its breathtaking Butchart Gardens. While I may not have the photos we took handy, these books are only an arms reach away.
Since the increase in security, airports recommend you keep your luggage unlocked because if they find any reason to check your belongings, they will be forced to break open any lock on your bags.
So, you think you have 2 options:
1.) Have multiple spare locks (which can be costly!); or,
2.) Keep your luggage unlocked and risk your suitcase bursting open with your undergarments flying (unfortunately, speaking from experience).
However, there is one more option: use zip ties to secure your zippers. Zip ties will keep your zippers closed tight, but are simple enough to cut open if security needs to check your bag.
Bonus: Not only are zip ties cheap, they come in a variety of colors, which is useful when trying to spot your luggage amidst dozens of other identical suitcases.
The iPhone and other smart phone applications are making our lives simpler every day. Road trips are no exception. Before leaving on your next road trip, try these apps, all available on the App Store (warning: links open iTunes):
How many times have we planned on leaving at 7 in the morning for a road trip only to find that we’re running two hours late before it’s even started?
With the exception of the cooler and (maybe) the kids, everything that’s needed — from luggage to GPS to toll transponder — can all be put into the car the night before.
If you cannot do this because you park your car in the street and not the garage, have everything you need right by the door so you can just grab and go the next morning. Remember: the fun part of the road trip start right after all the work finishes.