| HAIR STYLING TIP: Since I burned out the last two using the wrong converter, I never bring a curling iron or hair dryer with me. I have found in most 3 star or above hotels in Europe that it is unnecessary. They all usually have hair dryers. As for a curling iron, try this method instead of a curling iron. It really works! Dry your hair, but leave slightly damp. Using the hair dryer on hot, heat the round metal brush and then roll your hair like you would on a curling iron. Then apply the heat from the hair dryer. Carefully unroll but do not brush. Do each section just like you would a curling iron. Spray with hairspray and wait for hair to cool before brushing. For a curlier look do the same, but then place felt rollers in areas you wish to be curlier. Spray all with hairspray, let dry and cool, then style. Packing tip If you are running out of room in your makeup kit, you can put your big brushes and any dry items in your suitcase, but I never recommend putting any liquids or makeup inside the suitcase. One, because if they lose your suitcase you have all your basics on you in your big purse or carry on, and therefore you only have to replace clothing. Two, If they damage your suitcase you don�t have to worry about them crushing or breaking anything and spilling it all over your clothes. Jewelry tip I fit all my jewelry in a small quart size ziplock. My makeup kit goes inside a gallon zip lock and then inside another empty gallon ziplock. I then put that smaller quart size ziplock in between the two gallon ziplocks on one side, and my wash on the other. This just keeps everything together for me and also makes it harder for someone to just reach in my bag and grab my jewelry. As far as what jewelry to bring; I never recommend bringing anything of sentimental value unless you wear it all the time. I always bring several different pair of earrings for day wear and at least two long dressy necklaces and dressy earrings. I bring two dressy bracelets for evening. Although all of this will be placed in your carry on, there is still the possibility that someone will steal it. I always bring some nice cosmetic jewelry for dress up, but nothing really valuable or sentimental. My best friend wears her wedding rings but nothing else sentimental. Cosmetic Tip Many times it has not been necessary to bring shampoo since the hotels I have stayed at usually have hair products and soap in the bathroom. This may not be the case in budget hotels, so I always bring at least a couple of days worth of samples of shampoo and soap in my makeup kit. Suitcase Style: What style of suitcase to bring? I always recommend a Pullman. My preference is the 25-26 inch. In looking at different brands and styles, I noticed that there were two types of handles. One with the bars and handle spaced close together in the center, and one with the bars spread far apart toward the sides, with a longer bar handle between them. Both kinds retracted in the back of the suitcase. My 1st �Pullman� style was with the bars in the center spaced close together. I found that this style, when loaded heavy was off balance. When pulling the suitcase behind you, it would tip or sway on its wheels from side to side, causing it to be very unmanageable. Having those pull bars in the center, unfortunately, allowed for swing from side to side. I personally think this is a design flaw. My final purchase of a suitcase was a Pullman style with the bars spaced far apart to the sides of the suitcase and a long straight handle about the same width as the suitcase. I found that, no matter where my hand was on the bar, because the distribution of the pull was spread to the outer sides of the suitcase, it rolled evenly without tipping from side to side. I recommend that you purchase a suitcase with this type of handle. Co-ordinating your clothing Once you have made all your clothing selections, hang them up along side each other. Put your core basics, skirts and pants, in one section, and all your shirts and sweaters in another section. Take a hard look at what you are bringing. Do they co-ordinate well together? In other words, have the pants you have chosen all in some way go with all of your shirts and sweaters. A good example would be the following: I bring two pair of black pants, 1-2 pair of jeans, 1 dress black pants, and 1 brown/taupe pants. (One of these I am wearing on the plane). All my multi colored shirts have black in them, so they go with either jeans or my black pants. Two of the shirts have a kind of fall theme to them so the colors are black, cranberry/mauve, and taupe/bronze. They go with my taupe/brown pants. My black cardigan goes with anything, and I have a taupe/brown cardigan that goes with my taupe pants and jeans. My pullover sweater is a odd shade by itself, but when you begin to look at the multi colored shirts you see that at least two go with the bronze color. It along with both cardigans go with my multi colored skirt. The three pullover shirts with rounded or crew necks, one is black, one is taupe, and one is a cream color. All of these go with each of my multi colored shirts. All go with my multi colored skirt. All can be worn under all three cardigans with a least 3 of my pants. The secret here: choose that basic color�then choose one or two other color themes such as the cranberrytaupe/black or the black/taupe/bronze. Anything multi colored should have that theme. Those basic neutral colors that you have choosen will all work together. Even my shoes work well here, black and then the brown/taupe. CLOTHING CARE TIPS: How to approach clothing care on your trip. The concept of the �7 Day Suitcase� is just that, with the suggestions made, you should be able to get through 7 days without having to wash anything major. With that said, in order to preserve what you do have in case you need it, I recommend the following: --Always hang up what you have worn that day. --Use a fabric freshener, such as Febreeze to deodorize. --If you stain something try to damp clean it right away. That night take one of your stain remover packets (This is a small toilette with some stain remover on it) and remove any leftover stains. --If you are on the go, re-roll and repack the next morning. --Place all dirty underwear and socks in a large ziplock before putting back in your suitcase or in a pocket on the outside of your suitcase. This will alleviate any odor in your suitcase. This will get you through the 1st 7 days. As long as you are using the 7 Day List or something similiar, the clothes can extend to a 14 day trip. The only washing needed would be heavily soiled items, bras and underwear, and any hose or socks. --Do not wash every evening, especially if you are on the go moving from town to town. Why, because for the most part, your heavier items will not dry. This means packing damp items in your suitcase and this will cause your suitcase to start smelling. Wait and chose a town that you will be in for 2-3 days and wash sometime around your 7th -8th day. --If you can find a local Laundromat , great, if not hand wash all underwear and socks, and any really heavily soiled items. Rollup in a towel and squeeze out all excess moisture. Do this again with a dry towel. Hang all items separately, if you have full coat hangers, do so in your room, not in the bathroom. By nature, the bathroom stays damp and usually has poor circulation, i.e. takes longer for items to dry. --Let all clothes dry for 24 hours, then iron if needed and let cool. Re-roll and pack in your suitcase. TRAVEL PAPER TIPS: 1. Prior to leaving home, make two photocopies of all your papers, including your passport and tickets. Also make a photocopy of your credit cards and ATM cards, front and back. Make sure the copies are readable. 2. Once you arrive at your hotel, never carry your original travel papers and passport with you in your small purse as you are out and about each day. Place your passport, airline tickets, visa�s and copies of your travel papers in your hotel safe. In some cases, your hotel may require that you turn in your passport until you pay the bill. Having a copy will allow you to� 3. Place the photocopy of your passport in your small purse. 4. I always recommend that you bring 2 CREDIT CARDS and 2 ATM CARDS on any trip, BUT ONCE YOU ARRIVE, NEVER CARRY THEM IN ONE PLACE. Leave your extra�s in your hotel safe or locked suitcase. If something happens to your purse, you have backup, and since the credit cards are different, you have something to use while you are waiting for a replacement of the other one. As for the ATM cards, why two copies? I once had a machine overseas eat mine. I was able to get it back the next day, but it was stripped. I had to wait 3 days for a FedEx replacement. If I had a copy I would not have had to wait. 5. I actually opened a separate checking account that I only use for travel and stuff and ATM cards for it. This way if something happens to the card, I do not have to close my official checking account, the one I pay bills out of. Think about it! Having to call all your creditors to change the account they draft from each month if you are an online payer or you pay by electronic draft. Most banks will open a checking account for as little as $100 and you will have that amount when preparing for any trip. I recommend checking because some international ATM�s do not recognize saving accounts. Always test ATM and Credit Cards at a local ATM with your Pin numbers prior to leaving. 6. Always request a 4 digit pin�one that does not start with a zero. Most european atms use 4 digit pins only and some do not recognize a zero as the 1st number. Final clothing selection advise: Finally, what is the best advice I can give any traveler who is making decisions about what to pack? Many of us like to start our trip with new clothing. This is okay, but only to a point. I once went on a trip with almost all new clothing. I tried each item on when I bought it, but really didn�t test wear them. And to rub salt into the wounds, I even bought new shoes. What happened on that trip? Half of my clothes did not work, either they were too tight because I had gained a little weight, or they just really didn�t work well together. As for the shoes, not one pair was really comfortable. I ended up with blisters under every single toe after just two days into my trip. I was miserable the whole time. If I were to give you any piece of advice that you listen to, it would be to make sure to wear all new clothing at least once or twice prior to your trip. A couple of weeks before your trip, try out your outfits, one by one. Most people wash new clothing anyway prior to wearing them. Do so and try them out in real life. Wear them to work, or wear them to play. You can�t hurt them wearing them once or twice. As for shoes, never buy new shoes less than 6-8 weeks before your trip. Wear them, wear them all! How do you test walking shoes prior to a trip? By really walking in them. My best test for a new pair of walkers; I will buy them about 8 weeks prior to my trip. After that, I will wear them at least 3 days a week. I usually go on one or two all day shopping expeditions for the trip, so I wear them on those days also. If I can get through a shopping day with no pain, then the shoes are good to go. I do the same with my casual flats. If they pinch or hurt or cause a blister, they are replaced! Nothing ruins a trip more than having your shoes cause blisters! As for clothing, over the years, I have stayed about the same size. I may drop or add few pounds, but my cupeth seems to find the same level eventually. Five pieces of clothing that I use exclusively in travel are that black dress, the black skirt, the paisley skirt, a pair of taupe/brown pants, and the velvet black pants. Over the years, I will change the shirts for newer ones or update them based on the current fashion trends, but those basic pieces stay the same. They were the best investments in clothing I could have ever made. I actually went back after using them for my first trip and bought the same pieces to use at home. I never use the original pieces for anything but my trips, so they don�t wear out. I bought them when I was at my largest size. If I have lost a little weight, a well placed temporary tuck in the waist on the skirts or pants works wonders. The dress is meant to be loose and flowing. Because I have the these pieces, I have my basic color scheme. All my other pieces are selected to match these in some way or form. And just about anything goes with jeans, so I am safe for casual wear. If you travel a lot and happen to find such a piece of clothing, think about buying one just for travel. Daily wear at home would wear these pieces out. Even if you take 2 or three trips a year, you could not wear a piece of clothing bought for travel for several years. Hotel confirmation I always confirm and guarentee my hotel reservations with credit card. Most do not charge my card unless I do not show. When I make the reservations, I demand a confirmation number and I ask for it in writing. Usually about 8-10 weeks before I go, I check on it again. I send a fax or email with �this is just to confirm once again our hotel reservations�.�. I do not send or check on them again. Why? Because in Europe, especially during the busy season, the hotel�s will overbook. Who are the ones that they cancel on at the last minute? Usually the ones that call to check on them at the last minute�.No lie�so many have found this to be true. If you have confirmed them in writing and checked on them at least once, do not worry about them. It will be the responsibility of the hotel to find you a room if the worst happens. And if it does, hold them to that. Selecting a hotel Unless you just are really traveling on a extreme budget, I recommend that in London and/or Paris, you choose a three star hotel or better. www.Tripadvisor.com has some great recommendations and reviews, as does the Fodors travel board for Europe, at www.fodors.com . Two star hotels I have found to be in extremely poor condition, and if not, they are so small you can�t move around the rooms. In paris, the two star we had, both beds were pushed against each other, and only one person could walk around them at the same time. The outer door, when opened almost bumped against the bed. We were two miserable people for that whole week. And the room only had a shower, which this plus size women could almost not fit in. Never again! Two star in London may even mean no bathroom en suite. You would share a bath at the end of the hall. Unless you are on a very tight budget, try to shoot for 3 star or better. Currency Oh, this is something I worried about and angst over a many a night on my first 2 or 3 trips. After 6 trips now, I do not worry about this any more. I used to purchase American express travelers checks prior to leaving. I did so in the currency of the country I was traveling in, i.e. in pounds for the UK or in francs (now euros) for France. While I had no problem using these or cashing them at my hotel, it was just inconvienent to have to worry about it all the time. I also tried purchasing from my local bank, cash in the denomination from whatever country I was traveling to. This cost was an arm and a leg. THE ATM machines really work! I can�t stress this enough. Why worry about cash until you get there. It is not necessary. Have all your credit card companies assign 4 digit pins to your cards. Use them and test them on your local atms several times in the month�s prior to your trip. I also have found that you get the best conversion rate through the Atm. Check with your local bank for fees ahead of time. Mine charges no more than if I used another ATM in the states. In the UK, the best machines to use are the NATWEST machines. They do not charge international travelers a separate fee. I pull out just what I need every couple of days and I am good to go. I use my credit cards for my purchases, and the cash for smaller stores and food. If you are traveling in rural areas, especially in Scotland, make sure you stop and get cash at an ATM before heading into those rural areas. If you are on a budget or using a credit card with a smaller limit, you might want to consider setting your hotel bill money aside or placing it on the bill for hold. Why? Okay, embarrassing moment here! On my third trip, (before powers that be decided to get me a higher limit credit card), I went to Europe with my Atm card, two credit cards, one with a $500 limit, and one with $1000 limit. I went on a 16 day trip and just did not count on the cost for food and incidentials each day. About � of the way through my trip, I made a large purchase on my card that I decided that I did not need and I returned the item for credit. I made further purchases, but had in the back of my mind, the balance on my card at all times. I knew I had to still pay my last hotel bill. When we went to check out, my card denied it as over the limit? I knew this was wrong, but what could I do. Nothing!!! Luckily, I was able to piece together the cash and between my two credit cards, I was able to come up with the amount of the bill, but someone else, using only one card, might not be so lucky. What happened? That large purchase that I returned? It took 10 days for it to be credited to my account. Returns do not imediately credit like purchases do, and international purchase returns take extra time. Do yourself a favor and set aside that money or pay the majority of the bill about halfway thru your trip. If something is wrong, that will give you time to find options. ( I had my scare the morning we were leaving to go to the airport!!) As suggested, I recommend bringing 2 copies of your checking account ATM cards. Some saving accounts are not recognized in international atms. I also recommend that you open a separate checking account for travel only. DO NOT USE YOU MAIN CHECKING ACCOUNT. If something happens to your card, think about having to change all your direct drafts etc. Metro or tube travel cards: If you are going to be in a large metropolitan area in Europe for more than 4 days, I highly recommend that you purchase a travel card for the metro trains or buses. It is much more convienent than purchasing the individual carnet tickets and you don�t have to worry about digging for cash all the time. In London, I recommend the London Visitor Travelcard 1-3 zones. You can purchase online thru many different places. In Paris, I recommend the Paris Visite, but do not purchase this one before you go. It is cheaper to purchase it in Paris at any major metro station. London Tube vs. Paris Metro Both of these institutions should be considered man made wonders of the world. They are wonderful! Efficient and fast! What is the difference between London and Paris. I think Paris metro was better planned. One, the stations are spaced much closer together. I think the most I have had to walk to a metro station was about 4 blocks. In London, if you are not careful, you can be as much as 10-15 blocks from a station even in central London. The Bayswater area has a lot of hotels, but it has very few tube stations. We were at the Comfort Inn Bayswater. It was 10 blocks to Paddington Station, 8 blocks to Lancaster Gate, and 12 blocks to Queensway. My feet were killing me. Another thing about London tube stations; you can enter a tube station and the train platform might be 10 blocks underground away from you. I do not kid you! In some places in Central London, you are almost better off using the above ground bus to move within neighborhoods. In Paris, I will always recommend the metro. When selecting your hotel, try to find one within a couple of blocks from a station that is on the Central Line. It will make your trips to and from places much easier. At the end of the day, there is nothing like riding the tube home, and only have to walk a block or two to your hotel. |
| Packing and Travel Tips |
| Packing &Travel Tips |
| THE 7 DAY SUITCASE Copyright@2003 Sancre, Inc. |