TRAVEL BUCKET LIST

What's on your travel bucket list? I've got many, but at the top of the list is Machu Picchu in the Andean mountains of Peru. These ancient ruins were only rediscovered by an American archaeologist in 1911. This Inca site was  built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls  around AD 1430 and one hundred years later was abandoned. This is one of my must see before I die destinations. Tell me yours....

BUY BROADWAY TICKETS BELOW FACE VALUE

When in New York going to a Broadway show is a must do,so I'm sharing a huge value secret with you... where to get Broadway & Off Broadway show tickets below face-value. I don't get anything for sending you to this site, but the satisfaction of knowing my readers are saving some bucks. Check out http://www.applause-tickets.com/ and they have an 800 number that allows you to talk to a real person! You can also pick up a New York Pass from this site as well. What is it you ask?  Looks like a credit card and gives you priority and cash-free access to over 55 of New York’s most popular attractions. The more you use it, the more you save. The card allows you to skip the long lines; just look for the New York Pass signs when you arrive at the attraction and find the attendant to swipe your card, and you're in. You can get a one, two, three or seven day adult or child pass starting at $55 up to $190. You can purchase up to a year in advance and they have a money back guarantee. This can save you so much money and lead you to many well known and not so well known adventures and gems of New York city.

PACKING

I like to lay out everything I am packing on my bed & take digital photos, which I keep in my phone as well as email to myself. Then I type the itemized list & print out 2 copies; one I keep with my travel documents in my purse & the other in my suitcase. If either of those go MIA then I always have a copy in my computer. The list speeds the process of notifying the airline and insurance company if your suitcase gets lost or stolen. Don’t forget to make a list of your medications including name of meds, purpose, doctor’s name and contact information, and prescription number. When packing to go home check everything off as you pack it so nothing gets left behind.

DON'T LEAVE THE HOTEL WITHOUT IT

When you check in to your hotel make sure everyone in your party has a hotel business card to keep on their person whenever leaving the hotel. If the hotel does not have a business card ask if they have a postcard, matchbook, pen or other item with their address and phone number. This is even more important when traveling in foreign countries with an unfamiliar alphabet. If you get lost or turned around just show it to a taxi driver for no misunderstandings and a quick return to the hotel.

ESSENTIALS: TOILET PAPER

TOILET PAPER is a must to carry when traveling in the Middle East, Asia, South & Central America. Not that European toilet paper is wonderful, but they generally have it. Take the cardboard core out of half-size roles & flatten to pack in plastic bags. Travel packs of baby wipes (just not in China, I'm told airport security will take them from you) are advisable along with hand sanitizer. If you don’t bring your own toilet seat covers, even in many parts of the United States they are not provided… squatting helps build leg muscles! Since I grew up in Japan where most toilets were bowls in the floor I'm good at squatting & forget about the worry of what you might contract from contact with the toilet seat!

WHERE DO YOU KEEP MONEY SAFE WHEN TRAVELING?

I prefer to travel with new bills in small denominations. If you can’t get new bills then steam iron your money to help compact it. I carry $100- $200 in singles for tips and small purchases. Also, keep money in more than one location; wallet, money belt, your sock, inside your bra… what are some of your creative spots for keeping money safe while traveling?

TRAVELING WITH MEDICATION

Don’t carry your entire bottle of prescription medication with you. Go to a craft supply store and buy small baggies or  the snack size ziplocks from the grocery store and put the required number of dosages plus 3… just incase you miss a flight or get delayed a day or so. Photo copy the prescription label and insert into the baggie. Then make a list of all medications including the dosage and strength. Keep this list in a safe place incase you need to replace medication while traveling, or are traveling to a country that can duplicate the medication without a prescription and is cheaper to obtain. I know people who travel to Mexico on a regular basis to stock up on antibiotics and claim to save hundreds of dollars a year. Another time saver: package pills by day/doses. Say you take  2 medications and a multi every morning put all in a baggie and label AM. If you have afternoon, dinner or bedtime dosages label the baggies so it makes sense to you. I use AM (upon waking), N (afternoon), D (dinner time) and PM (bedtime).

Mosquitoes Be Gone

BOUNCE fabric softener sheets are a must to pack if traveling to places with mosquitoes… tie one to a belt loop to repel the pests. Also keeps your clothes smelling fresh in your suitcase.

Before You Travel

Scan your driver’s license, passport, your travel documents & only the credit cards you are taking (never take more than 2 credit cards) & email them to yourself so if any become lost or stolen you can easily access them at an Internet Café. Not a bad idea to copy these to someone close to you that is not traveling with you.

Travel Teaches Life Lessons

When I was growing up our family didn't take vacations, but we traveled quite often because my father's career took him to new towns, new states & new countries every couple of years. My Dad always said, "Travel is the best education you'll ever get." He was right. The travels of my youth taught me to appreciate the differences in cultures and others opposed to wanting the world and the people in it to be one way. Travel taught me patience and to go with the flow. It taught me that it is better to face challenges with a light heart and laughter... to make the best of what you have. It taught me to trust that whatever happens it ultimately happens for the higher good of all concerned. Travel is a classroom for living a more open, loving, tolerant and appreciative life.