Tuesday's Tip

Are you enjoying summer travels? I know we are!! It is great to get out and explore the country when your children do not have to be in school. Whether you work or stay at home with your children, many people travel during the summer. Favorite destinations include the beach and the mountains.

When we travel, we love to send postcards to family and special friends. I actually like going in the junky tourist shops so that I can buy 10 postcards for $1. In "shi shi" Martha's Vineyard, the postcards could not be found for a bargain. Once I find my postcards, I am very excited. I sit and write while waiting in restaurants or at night in our hotel room or house.



Then what do you do? How do you know everyone's address? How do you mail the postcards. Certainly smartphones have made life easier for us as addresses can be stored right in your phone. I take a copy of our Christmas address list with me when we travel. I also go to the post office in our hometown before we leave and buy a sheet or more of postcard stamps. Then, once I write the postcards, I can drop them in the mail! Therefore the postcards will have the cool postmark of whatever fun place we are visiting at the time rather than the postcard of our hometown. Don't you just love it?! Go out and buy your postcard stamps right now before your next trip! You can even keep them at the ready in your purse! Don't forget a favorite pen as well:). Happy Travels!

Tuesday's Tip... a day late!

Happy Wednesday! I feel like life is flying by, and I better grab and hold on to it! Whew! I'm sure you feel that way too. Some sweet friends are leaving on a trip to Europe, and it brought back memories of my first trip to Europe many years ago. During college, I studied French in Tours, France for a summer. I LOVED it! It was such an exciting time as I was really immersed in the language and met so many interesting people. I lived in the home of a beautiful woman named Nicole Demontiex. I can't believe her name just came to me! She was a divorced woman with a beautiful home that had plenty of room. During the summer, she housed students and during the year, she sailed around the world. She fed us breakfast and dinner each day, and I learned so much from the other students in her home.
Mercedes was from Spain and was the first person to kiss me on both cheeks and to kiss me every time I saw her! Yasou was from Japan and we corresponded for a while after France. Yasou was very smart and had a great time enjoying French wine! Nicholas was from Austria and Otto was from Sweden while Josephine hailed from England. There was another American at our home who refused to speak any English to us! It drove my friend, Rod, and I crazy because Richard made us call him the French pronunciation of "Ri-chard". Hilarious. I am amazed at the details that are coming to me now, but I know that many have been forgotten.
Nonetheless, that is where my Tuesday's Tip comes in to play! Of course I took pictures of EVERYTHING and made a cute photo album upon my return to the U.S.. However, the best thing I did was keep a journal. It wasn't just a journal filled with words. When I packed for my oversees trip, I packed a journal, plenty of pens, and a GLUE STICK. I not only wrote about life in Europe, but I glued postcards and notes and tickets and other things in my journal as I wrote. It is fascinating to go back and read it and to see the beautiful places I visited because they are RIGHT THERE glued in the book! So, as you travel, pack a glue stick with your journal and be sure to glue in postcards and other small mementos! You'll be glad you did!

Tuesday's Tip for Travel

On a recent trip, I took several items that made a difference. First of all, I took my friend's recommendation and brought a travel tin candle. It was the Seda France Japanese Quince candle. What a lovely, crisp, and fresh fragrance!

Secondly, I packed several ziploc bags. These bags were used frequently. I kept my important items in a ziploc bag within our pool and beach bags. They kept our camera, phones, and money from getting wet, especially when tropical showers appeared quickly. They were also used to take home wet bathing suits, t-shirts, and cover-ups. Imagine the mildew had we not used these bags! They are also perfect for a pair of women's shoes or other items that you may want to separate from the rest of your bag. If you're lucky enough to have some extra delicious smelling shampoo or lotion, the bags work for those items too.

DH thought I was particularly brilliant for packing a nightlight. Hotel rooms have fabulous curtains to keep it really dark in the wee morning hours. However, sometimes it's difficult to find the bathroom in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar location. The night light was perfect!

We also traveled with a lot of one and five dollar bills. This way, we could easily tip for a quick golf cart ride, help with our luggage, et cetera.
I love to send postcards, so if we are not going somewhere international, I pack lots of stamps. Of course I always pack a favorite pen as well!

Sometimes I also carry a flashlight to keep by the bed. We have been awoken in the middle of the night by a fire alarm in the past, and it helped us have a quick and easy exit.
An arsenal of medicines like Pepto Bismol tablets, calms forte', ibuprofen, benadryl, hydrocortisone, and neosporin also helps!
What do you pack on trips to make life easier for you? Perhaps you can inspire Mama Henley~

Tuesday's Tip on Monday

My friend, J, has the best ideas. Since she is not a blogger, I am totally stealing her tip for Tuesday's Tip on Sunday! When speaking with her about our upcoming trip for our 15th anniversary, she had a wonderful suggestion. Of course we are packing bathing suits and good books to read, but she suggested one other thing. She said that I needed to be sure to pack my travel candle. What is so funny is that I have looked at the lovely Seda France and Voluspa travel tin candles in the stores many, many times. However, for some reason I have never purchased one. Well, J says they add to a romantic weekend, so guess what I am off to buy tomorrow! Also, be sure to pack some matches! Just be sure that both items are in your checked bag, not your carry-on! Toot a loo!

Travel Ideas!

My friend, B, always has the best ideas. She recommended we look into "We Just Got Back", a website offering travel deals, recommendations, and ideas! Maybe you can take advantage of the lower prices and vacant hotels & plan a summer trip!