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The two questions I’ve been asked most frequently since returning from France have been “What’s a barge cruise like?” and “How did you travel for that long with just a carry on?”

Last week I did a deep dive into the first question of life onboard a barge cruise. Now it’s time to tackle the second most asked question – “How did you travel for that long with just a carry on?”

Packing for a big trip is a big deal and I totally get that some of you would not consider keeping all of your luggage to just carry on bags. Whether you plan to check a bag, or not, each of these tips can come in handy, and with the stories of “mountains of luggage’ still dominating the headlines, it’s more important than ever to consider not checking that bag!

#1 – As the graphic above states, start with the shoes. If you lay out everything you want to take and then pick a different pair of shoes for each outfit, you’ll never fit it all in a carry on. For most trips I try to stick with two pair of shoes, I wear the bulkiest pair and pack a second pair. I make sure that each outfit goes with at least one pair of the shoes. For my two and a half weeks in France, I did pack two pair, but I wore them each multiple times.

#2 – I have a suitcase that I refer to as “magical”, it’s a bit like Mary Poppins handbag in that for it’s size it holds more than some larger bags. I’ve got the standard European sized carry on at 21″ and it is hard sided with no expansion. However one side is completely zippered and the other side has a compression system that makes all the difference. It also has a removable battery that is handy for charging devices on the go, is integrated into the bag so it doesn’t take up space, and it’s one less thing I need to pack.

#3 – I’ve tried it all, folding, packing cubes and rolling my items. I tend to use a mixture of all three methods. On the zipper side I pack shoes at the bottom, in shoe bags, then a packing cube with necessities and a dopp kit with non-liquid toiletries. Clothes go on the other side, I roll most of them and pack from the bottom to the top (wheels to handle). Lastly, any items that would wrinkle more easily are folded on top and all compressed. For this trip the compression side held two dresses, five pair of shorts. a pair of pants and seven tops.

#4 – I also take along a small backpack or shoulder bag. Ladies, leave your everyday purse at home, just pack a small crossbody bag or wristlet, if necessary. In that “personal item” bag I pack the following: my quart sized bag of liquid toiletries for easier access if necessary; a scarf or pashmina to double as a light blanket on the plane; market bags to use for purchases; a corkscrew (without the knife attachment); a set of utensils and reusable straws for each of us; sunglasses; charging cables, electric adapters; passport; wallet; reading material; usually an empty water bottle, this trip we took insulated coffee mugs; headphones for the plane – earbuds take up less space, but I prefer the noise canceling on the plane; eye mask; and extra face masks.

#5 – Don’t pack for the worst case scenario. Sure, we usually pack a small umbrella or rain jacket, we didn’t this time, we also didn’t need them, but could have easily bought an umbrella if we had. We could have also picked up other necessities if we forgot them. Each would put money back into the communities we visited. If you are planning to purchase items like this while you travel, just make sure you have the extra space to bring them home.

Bonus tip – if you try and just can’t get comfortable with packing only a carry on bag, you may consider investing in a service that will bypass the airlines, picking up your bag at your home and delivering it to your destination before you arrive. Another much less expensive option that has proven helpful on social media is to put a tracking device, such as an air tag inside your bag. Certainly it will alert you to the location of your bag, but won’t necessarily make it any easier to retrieve. They can also cause hours of unnecessary worry when they report your bag was “left behind” at the airport of origin when it was actually on the plane the whole time and had just lost connection. This happened to a travel colleague just yesterday on her overseas flight.

The two questions I’ve been asked most frequently since returning from France have been “What’s a barge cruise like?” and “How did you travel for that long with just a carry on?”

This week I’ll answer that first question and give you an overview of a typical day onboard a barge cruise.

With just 20 people onboard I think it’s important that there be some commonality within the group. I would hesitate to book two people into a sailing that was open to all, rather than a charter. I think it could be isolating, especially for English only speakers. Our group was organized by a travel colleague in New England, so while I just knew two of the travelers, there was a common bond of knowing someone else traveling for all of us.

Our first full day onboard began with breakfast at 8am, the posted time was 8am – 9am, but most days we also had a morning excursion that began at 9am. Breakfast was the least extravagant meal of the day, but still consisted of eggs cooked to order, warm croissants, pain au chocolate, fresh fruit, juices, yogurt, cereal, etc.

After breakfast we met our guide for the morning and boarded a bus for a short ride to an olive mill. We were greeted by the owner who explained the modern production process for her farm. Of course after the tour of the olive groves and the facility we were able to taste three of her oils, all very different, along with some jams and the olives themselves.

A short ride back to town we set off on foot for a walking tour of Arles. We were able to get the insight of a local guide who lives in Arles and could explain the history behind the Roman Amphitheater and the Arles Theater, both build in the 1st century.

We then walked along the river, back to the barge where our cruise director was ready with our pre-lunch aperitif (there was a different specialty aperitif before lunch and dinner nearly every day). While enjoying our CroisiSpritz, the chef greeted us and gave the menu for lunch. There were always two salads served at lunch along with entree, cheese course (two French cheeses, along with a lesson) and dessert. Today we enjoyed Salmon en croute and tiramisu for lunch, along with the salads and cheese course.

While we were enjoying a leisurely lunch we set sail from Arles towards Gallician, our longest cruise of the journey at under 25 miles. We sailed through the only set of locks on the trip, then through the idyllic scenes of the Carmugue. The canal was quite narrow, so we could see a great deal of scenery from the top deck as well as passing several groups of the famous white horses of the Carmugue. We arrived in Gallician for the evening well before our 6:30pm aperitif and greeting again by the chef to introduce the dinner menu. I believe this evening we started with a caprese salad and shrimp salad, duck in a wine sauce for the entree and creme brulee for dessert. Each course was paired with a wine and of course espresso was available with dessert or afterwards at the bar with the full selection of included cocktails, wine and beer.

This evening we had a special treat as the Captain, pilot and cruise director arranged a game of Petanque for the guests at a nearby pitch. This was complete with the celebratory toast of Pastis 51 when the score reaches 5 to 1 during the game.

The next morning we started all over again with 8am breakfast. The pace onboard was relaxing and and each day was different, without the hassle of packing and unpacking to move from town to town. The food was outstanding and most purchased the same day from local markets.

I’m back from just over two weeks in the South of France. I’ve begun the arduous task of editing down the 1,000’s of photographs taken by myself and my husband during the trip. But, then what happens? Do those photos just sit on our phones and computers? Or do we actually do something with them?

I remember the excitement of the dark room when developing photographs and watching them materialize before my eyes. I can still close my eyes and breathe in the scene. As digital photography became the norm, more and more photos became trapped in our devices.

Here are some of my favorite ways to set those photos free for others to enjoy as well.

#1 – Photo books – these make great table top conversation pieces. Yes, they are very time consuming to create if you want any control of the layout. There are companies that will take the photos you upload and lay them out for you. I prefer to do that myself to make sure they are in the correct order and more visually appealing. Services like Shutterfly and Snapfish are great places to start if you’re interested in making one of your own.

#2 – Canvas Prints – I like to have my favorite vacation photos printed on canvas to hang around the house. Admittedly, I’m running out of wall space. Gallery walls are another great option to get more photos on display in a small area. There are some great templates that you can view online to help you plan out sizes and layouts.

#3 – Displaying photos on the TV – when I’m working from home, or just around the house I like to sync my phone and TV so my photos scroll across like a screen saver. Sure, this doesn’t actually free them from the phone, but they get more air time than if I were to sit down and scroll through them.

I hope this gave you some inspiration to go back and at least look through the photos from your last vacation, or perhaps even get some of them off the phone and seen a bit more often.

When should you book your next vacation? My favorite answer to that question is “NOW!”

There was a time when waiting until the last minute to plan a vacation could provide a lower price. Those days are long gone! Hotels, resorts and cruise ships have realized that rather than rewarding those who wait until the last minute with lower pricing they are offering their lowest prices to those clients who book the furthest in advance. We then see prices continuing to rise as availability starts to disappear. Even today, when we do see a last minute discount on a resort or cruise, the last minute pricing for airfare negates any savings that clients actually receive.

Did you know that when cruise lines announce that their World Cruise itineraries are open for booking that they normally sell out within a week?

For those clients who are planning a milestone celebration we often start the process 18-24 months before their desired travel time, especially when they are traveling with extended family. These are celebrations for milestones such as anniversary trips, “big” birthday celebrations, graduation trips or group trips or even multigenerational trips when you have the schedules of several travelers to coordinate.

When we start working around school holiday schedules those dates fill quite quickly so it’s not uncommon to start planning 12-18 months out. We’ve got several families booked for Spring Break 2023 already because their dates were not flexible. We’re starting to do the same for Summer of 2023, especially for families who’s children are involved in summer sports and only have one or two weeks during the summer when they can travel. If your dates are not flexible you need to book as soon as possible to secure the best value but also your top choices for destinations, flights and activities.

The other segment of clients who are starting to plan 12-18 months out are the honeymooners, once you have a wedding date set it’s time to start planning the honeymoon to make sure you get the best value for your vacation investment. 

There are clients who are flexible enough to travel during any time of the year and can wait until 9-12 months before their desired departure date to start planning their vacation. These are the clients who are enhancing their children’s education by exploring the world beyond their classroom and traveling during the school year, empty nesters who aren’t tied to school schedules, and retirees who aren’t worried about vacation time allocation.

Certainly the actual time spent traveling is going to provide memories and happiness for years to come, but studies have shown that a great deal of happiness actually comes from the anticipation of the trip as well. So why not start that anticipation process now and cash in on the added happiness? You’ll most likely get a better value for your vacation investment as well.

The news was full of travel stories this past weekend. Between the floods in Yellowstone and the nearly endless stories of flight cancellations and delays in airports around the world, nearly none of the news was good.

What can you do to help cut down on some of the stress of travel right now? I’ve got a few tips:

#1 – Add at least another hour to your arrival time at the airport. The airlines are now recommending you arrive at airport at least 3 hours before domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights. Perhaps longer if you are checking a bag. You’ve heard me say many times, I’d rather you have time to stop at the Starbucks across from your gate than wonder if you are going to make it through the security line before the boarding door closes.

#2 – When you do encounter a delay, contact us right away. The sooner we know about a potential issue, the more options we may have available. Yes, you’ll still have to stand in line, but we can assist in the meantime so you know what the options are.

#3 – Take the earliest flights of the day, not the latest. If you are planning your own flights please pay close attention to the connection times. Domestically, an hour is good, two is better with summer delay potential. Internationally, you’ll need 2-3 hours at the very least.

#4 – Don’t check your bags, use carry on whenever possible. Have you heard about the “luggage mountain” at London’s Heathrow airport? Airports everywhere are understaffed and luggage handlers are no exception. If you must check a bag keep extra changes of clothes in your carry on. I’ve also heard of success stories where travelers were able to point airport staff to a lost bag due to an Apple AirTag that they placed in the bag for tracking before they checked in.

#5 – Be kind – seriously, this should go without saying! We all get frustrated, but loosing your temper isn’t going to suddenly make a plane appear, or lost luggage turn up. Keep calm and carry on!

The news we have been waiting for on inbound testing requirements has finally been officially released! The inbound testing requirement for Covid-19 has been dropped for US Citizens returning to the US by air. No more stressing over whether or not you will test positive and not be able to return home as scheduled. Of course this is subject to change, should a new variant present, or case counts rise, but all in all, this is great news for international air travelers.

 

We hear a lot in the travel industry about “getting out of your comfort zone” so what does that really mean? It certainly doesn’t mean to me that you should be uncomfortable when you travel. I think the answer is really two-fold, it’s a matter of opening up your horizons to new experiences, this is why I do what I do. 

I’m passionate about helping people explore beyond their zip code. I truly believe that the more we see and experience of this big beautiful world the better we understand our place in this world. Travel is more than checking boxes or posting on social media, it carries many different meanings. It’s reconnecting with your spouse, your children or even your parents. It’s disconnecting with the technology we are constantly connected through. It’s exploring those destinations you’ve been dreaming of visiting since you learned about them in grade school. It’s about expanding your world view.

The other way that comfort zones and travel go hand in hand is when it comes to your actual accommodation when you travel. Quite often I hear “the hotel doesn’t matter, we’ll just sleep there” and I tend to disagree. Deep down most people want to elevate their everyday experiences when they travel rather than take a step down from their everyday standard of living. Travelers tend to want to enjoy local cuisine and restaurants rather than heat up ramen noodles in a hotel microwave. Travelers don’t want to clean a bathroom while on vacation. Travelers want to feel less stress, not more! Your travel budget certainly includes how much you will spend, but it also relates to the time you have to travel. We are here to maximize the value in your vacation. Were we to suggest a hotel that isn’t in the right location to fit your needs but sounds like it’s a money saver we would be doing you a disservice when you arrive and realize that you’ll not only spend hours a day getting to and from the center of town, but you’ll also spend more money in doing so than if you had chosen the hotel in the right location for you from the start.

Travel can be life changing at any age. It’s one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. It helps shape the way they see the world and gives them a greater appreciation of their own situations. With graduation season in full swing have you considered the gift of travel for those graduates in your life?

Maybe you’re not ready to give an around the world airline ticket to the kid down the street, I’m not suggesting that you do.

Here are some suggestions that may be more inline with gifts appropriate for those loved ones and help them create memories that will last longer than a check or a gift card.

Passport – you can literally give them the World! Having a valid passport opens all sorts of opportunities to see the world, and they are good for 10 years. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. For those graduates that already have a passport consider the gift of Global Entry to ease their travels.

Luggage – The right piece of luggage can make or break a vacation. I recommend the hard sided cases with four wheels for most vacations – stick with the 20″ – 22″ pieces if you don’t want to fuss with checking a bag. Of course if your graduate is off to hike the Inca Trail or spend a month sailing around the South Pacific perhaps a backpack is more practical.

Personalized Map of the World – Have you seen these? There are some very nice versions available with push pins to mark the destinations you’ve visited. Others are scratch off and allow you to expose a destination after you’ve visited. This is a great gift for those who are taking a gap year or plan to study abroad.

Perhaps the graduate in your life already has a trip planned to celebrate their achievements, here are some additional suggestions

Electrical Converter – my favorite option offers several outlets as well as USB slots. Additionally, there are plugs that fit into the back that allow you to use it with several electrical systems throughout the world. You can easily pick up items like this on Amazon for under $25.

Camera – sure, the camera on a smart phone does a darn good job these days, but nothing beats the quality of a “real” camera. Something like an entry level DSLR kit from Canon or Nikon is often priced under $400.

Journal – there’s no better way to capture memories during a trip than to keep a journal as you go along. I often look back at journals for past trips.

How many summers do you have left before your graduate leaves the nest? Give me a call, or click here so we can get started on some planning! Those 18 summers can fly by if you don’t start making plans.

This weekend officially kicks off the summer travel season with the Memorial Day Holiday. What does that mean for your travel plans? In some cases it means that if you aren’t prepared you could be faced with travel delays, missed connections, and other headaches that come with the territory of trip interruptions.

When faced with the possibility of a travel delay please keep in mind that one quick phone call to me, or whomever you are working with at Slaydon’s Travel can go a long way towards getting you to your destination faster. Last week we spent a great deal of time re-routing passengers. Some due to flights cancelled by east coast thunderstorms, others by snow in the Rockies. In each case, the clients had the foresight to reach out to us directly.

With summer thunderstorms flight delays are increasingly common in the afternoon. If at any time you are uncertain of your connecting flight, or even whether your nonstop flight is going to get you to your destination, that is the time to contact me. With the cutback in the number of flights the airlines are operating there is rarely an empty seat on a plane. When flights get cancelled, or connections are missed, it’s not as easy as putting you on the next flight. The next flight with seats available may be several days out, depending on the route.

Many times I’m asked, “Why do I need to bother you if I’m already at the airport? I’m still going to have to stand in line to get a new ticket, right?” Yes, you are going to have to stand in line to get your ticket re-issued, but normally, in the time it takes you to get to the front of that line, we can have you rebooked on that new flight. Perhaps there are only a few seats left on the next flight and there are 30 people in front of you, if you call me I can grab those seats. However, if you wait in the line without calling, those seats will certainly be gone by the time you get to the front.

Ideally, flights would operate as scheduled and your vacation will go off without a hitch, that’s what we all hope. However, when cancellations do arise isn’t it nice to know that you can pick up the phone and get assistance? That’s what we’re here for. While we can’t promise to get you on the next flight and that you’ll not miss any vacation time, we can promise to do our best to make your trip as stress free as possible.

We are within a year of the REAL ID requirements going into effect. Don’t wait until the first of the year, or later to apply.

“Beginning May 3, 2023, the federal government will require you to present a REAL ID compliant credential, or another federally approved form of ID, in order to board a domestic flight or enter a secure federal facility.” ~from the Virginia DMV website.

You may be asking, “What is a REAL ID and why do I need one?”

The federal Government passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 basically requiring a minimum security standard for state-issued IDs such as a driver’s license. The enforcement date has been pushed back repeatedly over the years to give the States time to put procedures into place. We are now within a year.

Beginning May 3, 2023, every air traveler 18 years of age and older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another acceptable form of ID to fly within the United States.

So, now that you know you’ll need one to fly, your next question is probably “How do I get one?”

I’m happy to report that the process is quite simple in Virginia, albeit a bit cumbersome. You’ll need a combination of documents: one proof of identity, one proof of legal presence, two proofs of Virginia residency, one proof of your social security number and your current driver’s license. Personally, the combination of my current Passport, voter registration card, current license and my social security card were enough to fill all of the requirements. Check the DMV website for your state to obtain the complete list.

You can also get an ID card that is REAL ID compliant, my daughter isn’t old enough for a drivers license just yet, but as a teenager is occasionally asked for ID. We went yesterday to apply for a REAL ID card with DMV. The process was quite easy. We were able to use her passport along with her social security card and my REAL ID. Had my ID not already been compliant there would have been more paperwork necessary. Luckily, we were in and out of DMV within 15 minutes.