Review & Giveaway: OHSO Marko Travel Toothbrush

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Packing light is becoming a necessity with all the extra fees airlines are imposing on travelers. You’re probably going to leave a lot of stuff at home, but even if you don’t bring much else on your vacation, you aren’t going to leave home without your toothbrush. I keep a special travel toothbrush in my toiletry bag. I know a lot of people just take their regular one, but I like to keep the most I can in my bag, so I don’t have to remember to pack too much when I’m traveling anywhere.

I’ve had many travel toothbrushes over the years and I’ve discovered that a case is a must. I want to be able to brush my teeth, throw it in my toiletry bag and be able to check out. I don’t want to pull it out and have hair and other weird stuff attached to it. Gross, right? Having a case also keeps your other stuff from getting all wet and soggy.

The OHSO travel toothbrush gives you an all-in-one hygiene accessory for your teeth. It has a hollow handle that you can fill with your favorite toothpaste and then cap and bring with your everywhere. No need to pack a tube of toothpaste, too. In order to use your OHSO, you twist the barrel and it squeezes paste onto your brush. Convenient and easy! It eliminates mess and doesn’t leak, so you don’t end up with water or toothpaste on all your other necessities.

With the OHSO, you will not have to share your toothpaste with anyone or realize you forgot it at home. Everyone has their own store of toothpaste with them, which is pretty useful. OHSO sent me two brushes. One with a clear handle and a fancier one with a chrome handle. I chose the clear, so you could see the inside of the handle and how the toothpaste goes in and see the mechanism inside that pushed the toothpaste into the brush.

This isn’t the first brush I’ve owned that also has toothpaste in the handle, but it certainly is the most attractive one and the only leak-proof one. It also is the only one that has let me use my own toothpaste. My only complaint is that the toothpaste comes out at the bottom of the brush, so you have to hold the toothbrush upside down as you twist the handle to squish the paste out and onto the actual bristles. It didn’t make it less convenient to use and, as you can see, I had no problems with brushing my teeth with it.

When you purchase an OHSO travel toothbrush, you can choose the basic set or the gift set that includes an extra brush head, a travel tube of toothpaste and a universal adapter for using your favorite paste. It’s a great addition to your travel bag and a fun gift for the traveler on your list or other travel companions.

More information

Where to buy: Go! OHSO website

How much they cost: basic set - clear $14.95 | basic set – chrome $19.95 | gift set $24.95

Colors they come in: Clear and Chrome

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Disclosure: I was provided with the OHSO Marko Travel Toothbrush for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are mine.

Review: Aerobie AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

Happy REVIEWapalooza! Don't forget to enter to win a Conair MiniPRO Ceramic Straightener if you haven't already.

Some people just can’t get up and going without coffee in the morning. I can understand. I love a good cup while I’m getting ready, especially when I’m on vacation. I’ve gotten to the point that when I travel, I bring my own ground coffee, simply because we’ve stayed in so many places where they either don’t provide enough for our stay or provide crummy coffee or instant crystals. Now, I don’t think I’m all that picky about coffee, but if you’re going to go through the trouble of putting a coffee maker in my room, then giving me instant coffee seems senseless. Generally, this only happens in the UK, but it also has happened in South America, so I assume it has happened to more than just me.

Going to the coffee shop can get spendy and even if you bring your own coffee, some of those in-room coffee makers just aren’t any good. I know how angry that can make some people. If you are a frequent traveler and like a consistent cup of coffee, what’s a person to do besides spend $4+ on an espresso or latte from a nearby Starbucks? Well, I’ve got a new solution for you, brought to you by Aerobie.

You know that I’m not into packing unnecessary items in my travel bag, but I’m all for saving money and bringing something from home that’s going to make my trip more comfortable. Luckily, the AeroPress Coffee & Espresso Maker is fairly small and packable and I won’t need to bring along the accessories that come along with it if I don’t want to (stirrer, spoon, funnel and filter holder).

When I read that people claimed that the AeroPress made the best coffee they ever had, I was intrigued and was interested to try it. Once you figure out how the filter cap fits onto the chamber, the AeroPress is super easy to use. If you can measure grounds and push down on a plunger, you could have a fast cup of coffee, too! The steps are easy:

·         Put a filter in the filter cap

·         Screw filter cap onto the chamber

·         Place chamber onto a coffee cup

·         Add two spoonfuls of grounds to the chamber

·         Add 1 cup of hot water to the chamber and stir with grounds

·         Insert plunger and press down firmly

·         Enjoy your coffee!

Now, at home I have and use a Keurig coffeemaker regularly and I found that the AeroPress made a similar quality cup of my favorite coffee. The air pressure brewing extracts all the best flavor from your grounds without having to wait for the water to drip through them like a regular coffeemaker. Even other travel coffeemakers take more time to make one cup of coffee. With the AeroPress, you can make coffee for everyone in your travel party quickly. Like, everyone could drink coffee together, instead of being practically done with their cup by the time the next one is ready. The other awesome thing about the AeroPress is that it doesn’t need to be plugged in, so you can use it anywhere, even if you go camping. Even if you don’t have a microwave to heat up water, you can just run the tap until it’s as hot as it gets and use that to make your coffee. I tried both ways and my coffee was just as good both times. The coffee was rich and not bitter at all, which can sometimes be a problem with dark roast. What it can’t do is make mediocre coffee better tasting. I did try with some flavored coffee, but it still came out weak and unappealing.

While I probably wouldn’t replace my current coffeemaker at home as other peoplesay they did, I would add this to my travel bag and know that I will be able to get a great cup of coffee wherever I am. My dad is an all-day coffee drinker and being so, I anticipate I may buy him this little gadget for his trips, because it makes good coffee, fast. You can even buy a metal filter for it to save on purchasing new paper filters and also create less waste. Unlike some of the other things I’ve reviewed and suggested for your travel bags, Aerobie makes the AeroPress available worldwide.

More information

Where to buy: on Amazon and many on and offline retailers in the U.S. | International

How much is it?: $25.95

Other Specs: 4.8″ tall

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Disclosure: I was provided with the AeroPress Coffee & Espresso Maker for the purpose of this review, but all opinions are my own.

Have you tried the AeroPress Coffee & Espresso Maker? If not, would you consider trying it out?

How to Stay Healthy from Plane to Sightseeing Part 2

In Part 1 of healthy travels, I talked about the first 7 things I do or take with me to prevent myself from getting sick and also being healthy enough to jump off the plane and sightsee to my heart’s content. Don’t let jet lag or a cold bug keep you from having a good time. You spent your hard-earned money to take this trip and allowing yourself to have to be “house”-bound for a day or more is really lowering the value of your vacation. Here are 7 more ways to stay healthy and energetic on your trips.

Papaya Enzyme. Sometimes you eat too much, or you eat something that your tummy really isn’t sure is the best food of the day. Digestive problems can happen on the road, but papaya can really help. It’s found all over and is a natural supplement made from actual papaya that settles the stomach and minimizes bloating. It can also stave off mild heartburn. They are fruity tasting and chewable, so they are an easy take along in your day bag. Just take 2 or 3 when you start to feel ick and they help to work the problem out. Even my dog likes these, which is great when I see her go out to eat grass when she isn’t feeling well.

Allergy pills & other meds. Do you have allergies? You never know how they will react in a different climate, so make sure you bring extra pills along with you while you’re out and about. The same goes for medications. Keep them in your carry-on when you fly and make sure you have enough for your whole trip. If you don’t, call your doctor or pharmacy to get more before you travel. If you are dependent on medication each day, it will suck to be without them for a day or more. Being prepared will always pay off.

Antibacterial wipes, spray or gel. When you travel, I can guarantee you that germs are everywhere! From the escalator handrail to the airplane tray table. You can’t always get to a place to wash your hands, or you may want to wipe something down, so bringing any of these is a good idea. I opt for wipes, because you can use them on anything and they can just go in your carry-on instead of your 3-1-1 bag.

Wash your hands. When you ARE within the vicinity of a sink with running water, make sure you wash your hands. Often. Beat those germs at their own game and also keep from transferring them to your face and making yourself sick.

Plan for downtime. A combination of downtime and getting enough sleep will surely keep you on top of your game when traveling. You’ll feel better and you’ll have more energy. I know it’s exciting to do as much as possible. I pack my days full of fun things to do, but I also make sure we have time to relax. Traveling in the fall and winter forces you to slow down, because the hours for shops and attractions are shorter. If everything closes at 6pm, you really only have a choice of late-night bars or dinner and laundry before bed. I always opt for going back to my hotel/apartment and chilling for a bit, then changing clothes, going to eat and coming back to do email, read a book or play a game. You will notice how much more rested you feel and when you get up the next morning – NOT at the crack of dawn, because things don’t open until 9 or 10am – you’ll be more ready to start your day.

Bring healthy snacks. Snacks are important. You’re burning more energy than usual (or I hope you are), so you need to keep it up with nutritious snacks in between meals. I keep granola bars and nuts in my bag that are protein-packed and won’t slow me down. Fruit is also a good travel companion, but they don’t all survive rolling around in your day bag or carry-on, so choose wisely. Oranges, bananas and apples do pretty well and are somewhat easy to eat on-the-go, as are celery and carrot sticks.

Don't forget to eat. Sometimes you’re having such a great time you just plain forget to eat. Not me. I’m hungry all the time on vacation. But if you’re not like me – like my husband – you will be so engrossed in what you are seeing/doing, you totally don’t eat until you are so hungry you could eat your own foot. Plan meals into your schedule and go even if you don’t feel like eating. A regular schedule is important and even if you don’t eat much, it’s better than skipping a meal altogether. It also helps if you don’t overeat, which I am wont to do on vacation. If I know I’m not starving, then I get Eric to split something with me, because we can always grab a nibble later if we get hungry again.

Hopefully, after the last two posts, you'll never get sick again on vacation. Do you have other tricks for staying healthy?