TripCompanion

A couple of nice juicy fruits are such a pick-me-up while traveling on holiday packages.  After a long morning or afternoon of sightseeing and walking, a juicy snack can give you a boost.  Don’t forget to pack some napkins and trash bags.  The super thin plastic produce bags at supermarkets are handy; give them a second life as a trash bag.  They take up no space in your luggage.  Bon voyage!

Do you read the newspaper every day?  While on a trip, I like to read a bit of news from home, as well as news about the country I’m visiting.  Smartphones and hotel WiFi have made accessing news outlets much easier.  You can research and bookmark a couple of useful news web sites before your flight.  This way you’ll feel in touch with the world, even when thousands of miles from home on your tours and travels.

Are your parents or relatives visiting the USA? If they are car aficionados then take them for some interesting automobile experiences.  Is there is a major car show or exposition in town?  How about a visit to a Tesla showroom?  Would they find a drive-thru car wash a novelty? Perhaps wander through the car department at a big box store like Walmart or visit a specialty automobile parts store.  They may find interesting items or novelties to bring home.  My relative was piqued with the squeegees and brought home one with a silicone blade to wipe away the condensation on the windscreen in the mornings.

Have your parents or relatives made arrangements to visit you in the USA?  This is certainly an exciting experience for them and for you.  Everyone here will be anxiously waiting for them to arrive.  When choosing the airline, one consideration may be whether the flight attendants speak their native language?  For some travelers it is an additional comfort to be able to converse in their dialect with the airline staff.  If they not comfortable traveling by themselves then don’t forget to search the Internet for a flight assistant who can accompany them from the departure airport till the arrival airport.

We all want to enjoy our vacation without unplanned interruptions like catching a virus or having digestive problems. Keeping your gut happy helps avoid bloating, and indigestion. It also helps creates a stronger immune system to fight against common colds and flu. Click here for more information for each tip 9 helpful tips https://goo.gl/CJoRx2

We all want to enjoy our vacation without unplanned interruptions like catching a virus or having digestive problems - avoid bloating and indigestion.

I like keeping the airline boarding passes as souvenirs from my holiday flights.  Boarding passes used to be printed on sturdy card stock.  Although these days some are printed on flimsy paper to save costs or are even supplanted by electronic barcodes on your smartphone.  Nonetheless most boarding passes for international flights are still the good old fashioned card stock kind, and find life afterward as bookmarks and souvenirs.  Do you visit family and friends in other countries but are not comfortable flying by yourself?  Don’t be disheartened, instead search the Internet for a flight companion, especially someone who is already traveling on your flight.  It is so easy for a young traveler to provide light assistance to elder travelers.

One of my favorite activities on holiday is to visit the local supermarkets and convenience stores.  On the practical side this is where I buy fruits, snacks and drinks to sustain us on the trip (and avoid those mini-bar charges!).  Fresh fruit and a bag of crunchy washed lettuce is such a pick-me-up after several days on the road for everyone, not just senior travelers.  At the same time shopping where the locals shop provides an authentic look at local life. Browsing the aisles, fresh produce, meat and deli departments is akin to a voyage of discovery as you see both familiar brands and items novel to you.  On occasion the cashier may ask to see your passport if paying with a credit card. So be prepared or have some cash on hand as a backup.  Bon voyage! -

A few simple hygiene precautions go a long way in avoiding any nasty bugs on your holiday trip.  You don’t have to be OCD or germ phobic, but just practice common sense.  Wash your hands before meals and after visiting the toilet.  Gel hand sanitizers are handy when soap and water are not available.  Anti-bacterial wet wipes can clean aircraft seat trays and restaurant tables.  These little travel companions will help keep germs at bay while you are enjoying new countries and cultures!

Do you bring back lots of wonderful photographs from your holiday trips?  Are you old enough to remember film cameras?  Ahh … the good old days of negatives and 1 hour films laboratories!  But with digital photography today, we can click away without carrying spare film canisters (like big bullets!).  And delete the bad pictures later in the day, or after the trip.  What types of memory cards are there and how big can the card be? The popular physical sizes are the microSD format for smartphones and full size SD format for cameras.  Cards labeled SDHC max out at 32 gigabytes while those labeled SDXC can theoretically reach 2 terabytes (2,000 gigabytes).  The instructions for your camera or smartphone will tell if they support SDXC cards or not.  Memory cards are commodity goods and the prices fluctuate with supply and demand.  So, be patient and keep an eye out for a good deal on memory cards just as you hunt for great vacation deals.  Happy shooting!

Do your credit cards have a surcharge on foreign currency transactions?  Credit cards that charge zero commission on foreign currency transactions can save you money.  When shopping, remember to decline to be charged in US dollars, always perform the transaction in the foreign currency to take advantage of lower exchange rates from the credit card company.  So, in addition to searching the Internet for the best tour companies, put it on your “to do” list to find the best credit card for your overseas shopping!

Are you tech savvy and use your smartphone a lot?  The airline apps are quite useful for any traveler.  You can check-in and perhaps even get an online boarding pass while on your travel tour, when a computer is not available.  Many hotels and airports offer free Wi-Fi for your Android or Apple device.  The airline apps are easier to use than squinting at a tiny browser on your smartphone. And don’t forget to update all your apps before leaving home!

Are you handy with your computer and the Internet?  Chances are yes, since you are reading this blog!  Do you check-in online for the flights on your holiday packages?  Online check-ins often allow you to skip the long queue at the check-in counters.  If you don’t see a special online check-in lane then it does not hurt to ask the airline representative if you can be in a faster queue.  With a quicker check-in you can use the extra time to rest a bit, or even shop at the duty free.  Bon voyage!

Have you just checked-in online for your next exciting trip?  Most tourists have an enjoyable and uneventful experience on their tours and travels. However a few simple precautions can help ease the sting of any small mishaps.  Bring some first-aid essentials such as band-aids and Tylenol or similar. A mini sewing kit, in case the hotels lack one.  Are you susceptible to motion sickness, and have winding roads on your tour?  Take some airsickness bags from your flight or some plastic produce bags from your supermarket.  These extra items are easy to pack and, like all insurance, hopefully need not be called upon.

Do your relatives want to experience snow and winter in the USA?  Some might be undaunted and want to experience the icy weather for themselves.  If they are in good health, then why not?  Some simple sensible preparations will ensure a better experience for your parents visiting the USA, and for you the hosts too.  Prepare some indoor and outdoor winter clothing for them.  There is a wider variety of winter clothing here and at more reasonable prices.  Remind them to be well hydrated during their stay, as the heating at home dries out the air.  Ensure they are dressed in layers, so they can remove the outer layers in warm places such as restaurants.  Coming from a more humid climate, they may not have experienced static electricity in their clothing.  Natural material such as cotton are less prone to static electricity than synthetics such as polyester.  With a few simple steps you can help your guests take home an enjoyable and memorable winter experience!

Are you parents reasonably handy with new technology?  Their visit here it is a great opportunity to introduce them to modern communications like Facetime, WhatsApp, etc.  Not only is the voice quality often better than the telephone, they can see and interact with the grandchildren.  Once you get them confident in using these new methods the quality of communications, when they are back home, will be so much better!  Are they worried about flying by themselves to visit you?  If family and friends are not available to accompany them then look on the Internet for a friendly flight assistant who can help them from the departure airport till the arrival hall.

Do you print your holiday photographs?  Probably not, like most younger people you probably keep them on your smartphone or computer.  When you parents visit you in the USA, you can inquire if they would like to print some of their holiday photographs or photographs with you and the grandchildren.  These days printing photographs is quick and easy, whether you use an online service like Shutterfly or CVS, or while you shop at Costco, etc.  You can even improve or ‘photoshop’ the pictures before printing them.  Your parents will be happy to have some big photographs to remind them of their enjoyable visit with you!  If they are not comfortable flying by themselves to visit us then pair them with family and friends for the flight.  If no one is available then look on the Internet for a friendly flight companion to accompany them.