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Top 5 Tricks for Sleeping on Planes
Let’s be real, unless you’re in first class, where I hear they have actual beds (?!?!…someday…) the possibility of a truly restful, full REM cycle sleep is slim to none. However, even a cat nap or two for a couple hours not only kills some time on an 8+ hour flight, but goes a long way to offsetting jetlag on arrival. So, here are 5 tips for sleeping (a least a little) on planes. Buy a Trtl pillow. The u-shaped ones never seem to fit the neck right, or feel particularly secure. Plus, they’re pretty bulky and scream tourist if they’re hooked on to your luggage on your way to…
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Top 5 posts about Shopping for a Traveler (or Yourself)
Sometimes, when times are tough and the government gives you money that wasn’t going to cover rent anyway…retail therapy is nice. So, if you’re in shopping mode while stuck at home, check out these lists for the traveler in your life, who may or may not just be you. I won’t judge. In the immortal words of Donna, “treat yo self.” Consider Packing Cubes A post I wrote a while back on packing cubes. Maybe it’s time to retire the ziploc bag method… In-Flight “Essentials” Essentials is relative, and a seat cover for the airplane might be a bit extra, but a nice pashmina is always a good idea. If…
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Top 5 Tips for Packing for Summer
Hats! At the risk of sounding like my mother, the first and most important thing to pack for summer trips (and really just to have) is a hat. Now, you might say, well I’m not a hat person. You just haven’t found the right kind of hat yet! If you’re thinking, ‘no Maggie, really I’m not a hat person,’ consider scarves and sunglasses. Not only are all three of these things fun accessories, but they also protect you head and face from the sun! I’m a big fan of a floppy brim, straw hat, they go with everything. Mr. C. prefer’s baseball caps and duck hats (I hate the second…
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Top 5 Tips about Planning a Trip You Can’t Take Yet (stupid Covid19)
Make a Dream List Most of us probably have one of these anyway, but making a physical list of places you want to go, or experiences you want to have, or sites you want to see, can really help with choosing which trip to do when. For example, I wanted to visit India, but I especially wanted to experience Holi. This meant arranging a trip to India for the end of March or beginning of April. The year mattered little, but the months mattered. With a good Dream List, you can pick the trip that best fits the time you’re able to travel. Track flights You can do this for…
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Unique day in the Loire Valley, especially if you love Gardens!
In the summer of 2019, Mr. C. and I took a trip to France in memory of an aunt of mine who had passed away the previous year. This aunt, who had always wished to go to France but never managed to get there, especially loved gardens and medieval history. To honor her, I planned this day in the Loire Valley. Enjoy! Take a lazy morning in your Airbnb if you’re staying in the Loire valley. Your first stop, Chateau Chaumont sur Loire does not open until ten in the morning and if you stay at this lovely little Airbnb in Champigny en Beauce, you’re about a forty minute drive…
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My Trip Planning Process
This past June Mr. C and I embarked on a week long, self-planned tour of France. Obviously, this was not the first self-planned trip we’ve done, and it wasn’t my first trip to France but planning it presented the opportunity to reflect on how travel planning works (at least for me). I’d like to share that process with you. Step 1: What are your goals? Any country you go to, even if you choose one or two cities, will present you with so many options in terms of sites, restaurants, activities, day-trips….It can get overwhelming quickly and a voice in your head will start howling But I want to do…
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Most Expensive Mistakes
Ever seen those flawless travelers, the ones who exit the plane after a 13 hour flight looking like they just left the spa? I daydream about being that person, but even after years of travel I still have to plan meticulously to come out looking mildly presentable. The point is that even with experience, there is always learning to be done in travelling. Really isn’t that the point? Travel is in essence making the world your classroom, excuse the philosophical digression. Sometimes those learning experiences are gorgeous, stunning, glorious and pain free. Sometimes. They are also occasionally frustrating and expensive. This is my list of the top five most expensive…
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Iceland Part 3
Be sure to read parts one and two of this series! Day 3 in Iceland was an open one for our Groupon. We decided to fill it with a bus tour of the south coast, from Reykjavik to Vik. We went with Reykjavik Excursions on this tour and had an awesome time. The tour used the few hours of sunshine well and we crammed two waterfalls, a glacier, and a black sand beach into the day. The first waterfall was Skogafoss, which, according to the tour website, “was featured in Thor: The Dark World and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” I just appreciated that you could walk up the…
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Throwback Thursday: Giants and Artists
Every Thursday I bring you a post from one of my journals. This week, it is a post I wrote on study abroad in Belfast. Enjoy! “Welcome to Belfast. Belfast is a really safe city. By the way, don’t go into the pub across the street.” This past weekend was my Arcadia sponsored trip to Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Belfast is a beautiful city with a fascinating history. However, when the above is the first thing your program manager says after you’ve pulled up to the hostel, it doesn’t put you at ease. Apparently, the bar across the street was known for being “sectarian.” As dumb…
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Iceland Part 2
Looking for part one of this series on Reykjavik? Click here! Our tour of Iceland through Groupon included not only our stay at Skuggi hotel, and airfare, but also, for a fee, a trip to the Blue Lagoon. Day two was Blue Lagoon day. Except we didn’t end up going to the Blue Lagoon, it was closed for the entire month we were there. Instead, we went to Laugarvatn Fontana. We left fairly early, in pre-dawn deep blue light, on a big bus. Our tour guide surprised us with an extra stop first! A visit to the Fakasel Horsepark. Icelandic horses are a unique breed that is kept stringently pure.…
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