Put Away Your Wallet - It's All Included! 9.29.11

This week, I wanted to share a great new resource for my UK readers (as well as anyone looking to take a mini-break from their vacation to the UK). Since most of my deals are centered around my readers in America and there are so many sites that cater to just the UK, I thought it would be great to showcase one type of site for you that can really help you save money on breaks and long holidays.

Travelling can be expensive, but as I’ve shown you before, there are many ways to cut costs and go on great holidays for less. One of the easiest ways to do this is by seeking out all-inclusive resorts that bundle all your meals, entertainment, lodging and, if you’re lucky, airfare into one manageable package. You know exactly how much you’ve paid and any leftover money in your budget can be put toward activities that aren’t included in your rate, like shopping and other things you want to do off-site. While some websites claim that an all-inclusive is cheaper than you could book on your own, it’s not always true, but if you do the math to see what it is per night per person, you may find that if you book separately, you would never be able to go for so cheap.

Some of the best deals on holidays can be found on all-inclusive holiday sites geared toward travellers from the UK. You can find 3-, 4- and 5-star resorts that have packages to fit every budget. Choose your own dates and stay between 1 day and 3 weeks! Look at the offers of the week and find great holidays starting around £250 per person, including resort stay, round-trip airfare, meals, drinks and more. Most resorts are beachfront or very close to the shore, so you can splash around in the surf, too. If the ocean isn’t for you, all resorts have beautiful swimming pools that are perfect for everyone in your travel party. You also have the possibility of shopping at nearby, off-site stores at many resorts, so you don’t feel as if you are trapped on the premises.

All-inclusive holidays are great for those travelling as a family and take the guesswork out of researching an entire trip to figure out if you can even afford to go. You will know right up front what the total of your holiday will be, including delicious multi-course meals that you may not have been able to find the money for otherwise. Isn’t that better than bringing your own food or eating at cheap restaurants that have a drive-thru the entire time you are away? The whole family will have so much to do; whether you travel for two weeks or just have time for a weekend break. Take the hassle out of holiday planning and just kick back and relax. Destinations vary widely and you will find something to everyone’s liking, whether you wish to holiday in the Canary Islands, Egypt or Cancun. Not only will you have amazing locales to choose from, but you’ll also enjoy amazing views when you get there.

 

Pricing and reviews can be found on many of the easy-to-use websites. A deposit often is required for booking, with the balance of your holiday costs due prior to your departure. Now, after finding your travel destination, all you need to do is pack your bags and be the hero of the family, because you saved so much money. You don’t need to tell them how easy it was!

This is a Sponsored Post by me for all-inclusive holidays, however, all opinions are 100% my own.

Live and Learn: Paris 9.28.11

It's called the City of Lights and also The Most Romantic City in the World. I'm talking about Paris. While these things can certainly be true, there is also much to be learned in the city, which is not always romantic or bright. Regardless, the city is an amazing one to visit and experience culture. We only had three days there, but we still ended up learning quite a few things – some good, some bad – which were useful and easy to help us change our trips for the future. And here I am passing them on to you, so you won't make my same mistakes.

Plan ahead to get around town – The RER (Metro) can be a fantastic way to get around, but if you are used to the ease of the Underground or haven't mapped out your route, it can be kinda hard to get where you want to go. There are fewer stations, so you do need to plan ahead when you first get there (or before), so you don't get lost and end up somewhere totally far from where you meant to go.

Not all food is good food – I know. I rarely say this, but it's true. Since everyone told me that I would find such delicious food in Paris, I didn't research restaurants before leaving home. I really regretted this after the first day, because I ended up having McDonald's and pizza for two meals and the other times we ate were also disappointing. In fact, the one meal that we really loved was a ham and brie baguette that we picked up at a street vendor. Amazingly, it was also much more affordable than everything else we ate as well.

Jet lag is a thing – Get your body used to "local time", otherwise you'll end up losing most of a day like I did. Two days into our trip I crashed and burned and got up for breakfast and went right back to the room and passed out. Even though I missed half a day of vacation, when I woke up, Eric had sightseeing plans mapped out for us, which was pretty awesome. Not as awesome as going to Disneyland Paris, but I probably would have missed out on some of those cool things he planned if I hadn't been jet lagged. At least we made the best of it and it worked out well.

Parisians will snicker at you, even if you attempt the language – It's true. Unless you are fluent in the language, the French think it's "cute" that you are failing, even a little bit. I've never encountered this anywhere, but I have heard stories of other travelers say this is the norm. I think next time I will pretend to be British. My most irritating travel memory is from France....getting off the train, we headed to the ticket booth to ask for directions. I asked the lady if she spoke English, to which she replied "no". So, after butchering some French to ask where I could get a taxi, where I received a blank stare all the way through, the lady points toward the door and tells me in perfect English that there was a taxi stand down the street on the left. For real? I mean, I was tired and cranky and that lady is lucky there was a wall of glass between the two of us. 

There’s no such thing as free refills – I'm probably used to the American way of restaurants where you can have as much beverage as you want/need. Europe is really not like that. In fact, you're lucky if you get more than 3 cubes of ice in a drink. If you want refills, you have to pay for them, at full price. Your best bet is to just order a bottle of still water (non-carbonated), which is usually the biggest thing on the beverage menu and about the same price as a soda. Maybe they are just used to people ordering wine.

Coffee costs a fortune – Remember how I just said there were no refills? Imagine paying more for a cappuccino at a restaurant as you would for a Venti Frappaccino at Starbucks...and then having to pay the same for a refill or even something else to quench your thirst. 

You have no personal space – Do you like your personal space? Well, you better let go of that before going to France, because people there don't believe in such a thing. More than once you'll have someone pressed up against you in a line and realize you don't actually know them. Worse is when you feel their breath on you, too. Not that I have an issue with people being within close proximity to me, but unless I know you well, I don't really want to spoon you. So, that's something I (and probably you) will have to get over next time I travel there. Also, don't resort to dirty looks, because they don't care. Just make sure your bags and everything are not accessible to them, in case there are thieves among the crowd.

The Eiffel Tower is crowded – I think if you don't care about seeing the city at night, then  going as soon as the Tower opens is your best bet for beating long lines. If you do care, then expect to stand in line for at least an hour with a bunch of people who have no regard for your personal space and 

So, there you have it. My short break in Paris taught me some valuable lessons for when I return. I'll do much more research, so I will be able to see more, get more rest and also eat delicious food. Of course, if I has to subside on those yummy baguettes, that wouldn't be the end of the world. It will just be good that I walk around the city so much, to combat all the carbs and cheese.

Hawaii: A Lesson in (Carry-on) Packing 9.24.11

I’ve been making my packing list and perfecting my techniques and while I talk a lot about how to pack and shove everything into a carry-on-size bag, I am well aware that a picture is worth a thousand words. That said, I decided to make a photo guide for you showcasing my actual packing and everything I take with me. Keep in mind that I am packing for two, so packing for one should be even easier if you travel alone, go with friends or you just want your own bag. I find that putting everything in one larger carry-on is convenient for us, because Eric can carry that bag and then I can carry my purse and the smaller carry-on that goes under the airplane seat (the one that has the toiletries in it).

Before I start, I can let you in on a new secret I learned: make your pile of travel stuff (clothes, toiletries, shoes, etc.) and put it all in one place, then take a picture of it. Take a look at it with an objective eye and wonder what other people would think of your must-take pile. Is it huge? Would a carry-on packer be embarrassed for you? If so, maybe it’s time to reevaluate. I don’t say this to be mean, I say this because it can really help you pare down your “essentials”. Even I was able to look at what I was taking and toss some stuff back in the closet, so you may see the before pictures with some notes!

My "plane purse": big enough to hold my netbook, ipad, Kindle,
card games, confirmations/boarding passes odds & ends and snacks!

I truly LOVE packing. It could be because I know it means I’m going somewhere fun and different, but I think I also like to see how good I am at actually getting everything into a small space and still have room to spare for bringing back goodies. While that is not quite as easy with two people’s sets of clothing, we also don’t take a lot of pieces. I always suggest taking clothing that coordinates with everything you plan to take. Each piece should match with at least 90% of other stuff you are bringing. It makes putting together outfits super easy at your destination, because all your tops will pretty much go with all your bottoms and vice versa. Make sure your shoes do the same, so you don’t have to take 9 pairs. Two should be your limit (not including a pair of flip flops, which are always useful). Wear one on the plane and pack one. This saves you valuable space in your travel bag and also helps you choose all your items carefully.

Eric's clothes including a pair of pants and
swim trunks

My clothes, including swimsuit. I've decided I'll be wearing the pair of pants and a top from this set on the plane.

You may have noticed that there aren’t enough tops or bottoms for the whole week, unless we re-wear pieces. We plan on doing that. I also plan on doing some laundry to achieve that. I know, I know. Laundry on vacation? That sucks! Look at it this way: You saved between $15 and $35 to carry your bag on instead of checking it. You’ll be hanging out in the room for at least an hour at some point during your vacation, so use that time to pop your clothes in the washer. While you wait you can watch a movie, catch up on some email, write a postcard to your mother, eat a sandwich, wander around the hotel gift shop, play a game of cards with your travel partner, call a friend and catch up. It’s only an hour. Give your feet a break. If you don’t have laundry facilities, then do your laundry in the sink while you’re winding down for the evening. Let it soak a few minutes, rinse it out and then roll items in a towel and wring them out, so they’ll dry faster. It’s not as horrible as it sounds. In fact, it’s kinda fun. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time hand washing, then do a few pieces each evening and then you’ll be done faster. 

See how these items are interchangeable?

Now, onto the actual packing. You always want to put the heavier things on the bottom. In the case you'll be packing one person per bag, your toiletry bag will be on the bottom with the shoes, as I show here:

 Shoes to pack --- my shoes and toiletry bag, if I were just packing myself.

Since there are two of us, I pack the toiletry bag in the smaller carry-on and use the space for the second pair of shoes. Putting the shoes at the bottom (the side near the wheels) helps to create a foundation for packing and also keeps your bag more stable when upright. Try to pack them where you will take up as little space as possible (see how I've wedged my shoes into the space left by Eric's?)

Now that you have your "foundation", you can start adding actual clothing. I prefer to roll my clothes, because it makes it easier to pack and because you can get quite a bit more into the bag that way. Without rolling, I find that only about 2/3 of the same stuff would actually fit in the bag without unzipping the bag's expandable section...and if I do that, I won't be able to take it on the plane. So, roll the clothes and go in layers. Bigger items on the bottom and smaller ones on the top and in spaces left between other pieces. Here's my progress:

Obviously, Eric's clothes are bigger than mine, so they go on the bottom.

I added another layer with the rest of his clothes.

I finished with all my clothes on the last layer and my swimsuit on top.

Make sure you leave out your luggage "seat belts". You'll need these later. See how I've crammed in everything in all the available space? This is the secret to efficient packing. Got some empty space between clothing? Shove something in there: socks, underwear, a scarf. Unused space is wasted space and makes your stuff take up more room. It is helpful to employ this type of packing on your way to your destination and also get practice for when you are on your way back and need to fit more in the same space, because you bought things. If you bought too many things, then you might need a tote bag, like the Travelon Pack-flat Backup bag I have and highly recommend. I put this on top of my clothes and then cinch everything down. If you have to open your bag for any reason, it's already organized:

 

In the zippered compartment of my bag, I put undies, bras and socks...and the all-important Spacebags (in case I REALLY buy stuff or only have a little bit too much to get back in the bag).

If you are packing for just one of you, you can also add all your toiletries and extra stuff you plan on bringing with you, like your hair dryer, accessories or any of this stuff I take as well:

If you are packing for more than one of you, they may still fit in your bag, or these extra items can go in a smaller carry-on that can fit under the seat. You can probably also put the things you need and want to use on the plane in this smaller bag, like those that I put in my "airplane purse" above. My small carry-on has my toiletry bag, both of our 3-1-1 bags and a packable rain jacket for each of us, because they are more convenient than umbrellas and might be needed upon arrival. 

You can use the same packing technique with this smaller carry-on, with the heaviest items on the bottom. In my case it would be my toiletry bag, then I layer with packable jackets, my bag with my iGo, tips, camera charger and power strip and I end with my 3-1-1 bags on the top, because I will need to get to them quickly when going through security. Now, obviously, if you are packing one person per carry-on, you will have room for pretty much everything you need in the one large bag. (Even with all our clothing, there is still room for much of the extra stuff in ours. The above is just an example.)  You'll probably want a purse or laptop bag to carry what you want to use on the plane, because trying to wrestle your big bag in and out of the overhead is inconvenient and sometimes totally impossible. My "airplane purse" will fit right inside this bag, too, if I need it to.

I hope this "tutorial" helps you in your packing endeavors in the future and inspires you to try to pack lighter, because if we can pack two people's worth of clothing for 1-2 weeks in one large carry-on and one small carry-on, then certainly you can do it for one person in one bag. Not only will you save money, but you'll also save your back, because you can carry it all on your own.  

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