Editorial
Front Page - Friday, May 29, 2015
Vacationing on the easy
Do It Yourself
By April Sherrill
April Sherrill
C’mon people, now is the time to take a break, use those vacation days you have been hoarding, and let the stress fall from your shoulders. Sadly, sometimes vacation planning can be so stressful, it can ruin the vacation itself, or at least provide a major deterrent when visiting somewhere or trying something new.
When it comes to vacationing with our family I am not going to lie, it can be stressful. With three young kids, and us being younger adults ourselves, the reality is that we are still learning. Conversely, we have learned quite a few great tips along the way that always makes things run more smoothly.
For instance, in the planning process, anytime we are searching for hotel rooms we always use privacy browsing and “incognito tab.” Unfortunately, companies on the Internet are tracking every site we visit and everything we search for. Using the “incognito style,” eliminates hotel websites from raising prices simply because they know you are looking. You have to be as sneaky as they are!
Heavy research shows when booking a flight, there is a magic
time when you can find the cheapest rate possible. To book the best rate available, always wait six weeks out from the flight, and at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday. This is called the “magic hour.”
There are quite a few great tips we always follow when packing. For example, we always place a dryer sheet in the bottom and top of our suitcase. This keeps our clothes smelling nice and fresh. In addition, we always roll our clothes. This allows the maximum space and prevents wrinkles.
One thing I learned last year was to store all of our cords into an extra eyeglass case. This keeps them altogether, and prevents any tangling.
Instead of packing full bottles of shampoo/conditioner for the entire family, we keep our old prescription bottles and use these for holding shampoo and conditioner. This can be a maximum space saver and prevents the chance of the shampoo and conditioner bottles from coming open and leaking.
On the subject of liquids, before you pack any bottles, whether they are bath gels, perfumes, etc., take the lid off and cover the top with plastic wrap, and then securely place the lid back on. This will eliminate any chance of leakage. Also, double protect yourself by placing liquid filled bottles in a large zip-lock bag.
Always mark your luggage with “fragile.” Airport staff will most likely place the luggage on the top of the pile, meaning the luggage will come out first at baggage claim. Priceless!
If you forget the USB plug for the phone charger, do not fret and definitely do not go buy one! Always check the television in the room. Almost all newer models will have one on the side or back.
Get the Wi-Fi password for many hotels, restaurants, and cafes by checking
Foursquare, a local search and discovery service app, which provides a personalized local search for users. Most of the time you will find the password for the particular place you are located, as people frequently post Wi-Fi passwords on this website.
Call the bank and any credit card companies you will be using before you leave. The last thing you will want to deal with is a company putting your card on hold for suspicious activity.
Taking empty water bottles through security at the airport and then filling them once you have passed, prevents you from having to spend $4.00 in the airport on H20. Similarly, you can bring single serving bottles of alcohol onto the plane. If you like to have a drink or a glass of wine on a flight, this is a much cheaper option than buying them once on the plane.
When parking in new locations, always drop a pin on Google maps, or take a picture with your phone of the location where you parked. This will help when looking for the vehicle after a day of sightseeing. To drop a pin on Google maps, just hold down the location and the pin will post.
If traveling with wine bottles or something of that nature, use children’s swimming arm floats to secure the bottles from breakage.
Probably the smartest and most important tip I received was when my daughter was traveling to Canada with her uncle. Someone told me to make a copy of her passport and itinerary, so in the event her information was lost or stolen, I would have a digital copy I could send to him.
Happy stressful - I mean stress free traveling! Bon Voyage!
April Sherrill is a staff writer for the Hamilton County Herald. Contact her at april@dailydata.com.
C’mon people, now is the time to take a break, use those vacation days you have been hoarding, and let the stress fall from your shoulders. Sadly, sometimes vacation planning can be so stressful, it can ruin the vacation itself, or at least provide a major deterrent when visiting somewhere or trying something new.
When it comes to vacationing with our family I am not going to lie, it can be stressful. With three young kids, and us being younger adults ourselves, the reality is that we are still learning. Conversely, we have learned quite a few great tips along the way that always makes things run more smoothly.
For instance, in the planning process, anytime we are searching for hotel rooms we always use privacy browsing and “incognito tab.” Unfortunately, companies on the Internet are tracking every site we visit and everything we search for. Using the “incognito style,” eliminates hotel websites from raising prices simply because they know you are looking. You have to be as sneaky as they are!
Heavy research shows when booking a flight, there is a magic
time when you can find the cheapest rate possible. To book the best rate available, always wait six weeks out from the flight, and at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday. This is called the “magic hour.”
There are quite a few great tips we always follow when packing. For example, we always place a dryer sheet in the bottom and top of our suitcase. This keeps our clothes smelling nice and fresh. In addition, we always roll our clothes. This allows the maximum space and prevents wrinkles.
One thing I learned last year was to store all of our cords into an extra eyeglass case. This keeps them altogether, and prevents any tangling.
Instead of packing full bottles of shampoo/conditioner for the entire family, we keep our old prescription bottles and use these for holding shampoo and conditioner. This can be a maximum space saver and prevents the chance of the shampoo and conditioner bottles from coming open and leaking.
On the subject of liquids, before you pack any bottles, whether they are bath gels, perfumes, etc., take the lid off and cover the top with plastic wrap, and then securely place the lid back on. This will eliminate any chance of leakage. Also, double protect yourself by placing liquid filled bottles in a large zip-lock bag.
Always mark your luggage with “fragile.” Airport staff will most likely place the luggage on the top of the pile, meaning the luggage will come out first at baggage claim. Priceless!
If you forget the USB plug for the phone charger, do not fret and definitely do not go buy one! Always check the television in the room. Almost all newer models will have one on the side or back.
Get the Wi-Fi password for many hotels, restaurants, and cafes by checking
Foursquare, a local search and discovery service app, which provides a personalized local search for users. Most of the time you will find the password for the particular place you are located, as people frequently post Wi-Fi passwords on this website.
Call the bank and any credit card companies you will be using before you leave. The last thing you will want to deal with is a company putting your card on hold for suspicious activity.
Taking empty water bottles through security at the airport and then filling them once you have passed, prevents you from having to spend $4.00 in the airport on H20. Similarly, you can bring single serving bottles of alcohol onto the plane. If you like to have a drink or a glass of wine on a flight, this is a much cheaper option than buying them once on the plane.
When parking in new locations, always drop a pin on Google maps, or take a picture with your phone of the location where you parked. This will help when looking for the vehicle after a day of sightseeing. To drop a pin on Google maps, just hold down the location and the pin will post.
If traveling with wine bottles or something of that nature, use children’s swimming arm floats to secure the bottles from breakage.
Probably the smartest and most important tip I received was when my daughter was traveling to Canada with her uncle. Someone told me to make a copy of her passport and itinerary, so in the event her information was lost or stolen, I would have a digital copy I could send to him.
Happy stressful - I mean stress free traveling! Bon Voyage!
April Sherrill is a staff writer for the Hamilton County Herald. Contact her at april@dailydata.com. v