PACKING for TRAVEL SAFETY

Advice from the USA Government site: International Travel Site

When you travel abroad, the odds are in your favor that you will have a safe and incident-free trip...
We have prepared the following travel tips to help you avoid serious difficulties during your overseas travel. We wish you a safe and wonderful journey!

BEFORE YOU GO

What to Take

Safety begins when you pack. To help avoid becoming a target, do not dress so as to mark yourself as an affluent tourist. Expensive-looking jewelry, for instance, can draw the wrong attention.

Always try to travel light. You can move more quickly and will be more likely to have a free hand. You will also be less tired and less likely to set your luggage down, leaving it unattended.

Carry the minimum number of valuables, and plan places to conceal them. Your passport, cash and credit cards are most secure when locked in a hotel safe. When you have to carry them on your person, you may wish to put them in various places rather than all in one wallet or pouch. Avoid handbags, fanny packs and outside pockets that are easy targets for thieves. Inside pockets and a sturdy shoulder bag with the strap worn across your chest are somewhat safer. One of the safest places to carry valuables is in a pouch or money belt worn under your clothing.

Bring travelers checks and one or two major credit cards instead of cash.

Pack an extra set of passport photos along with a photocopy of your passport’s information page to make replacement of your passport easier in the event it is lost or stolen.

Put your name, address and telephone numbers inside and outside of each piece of luggage. Use covered luggage tags to avoid casual observation of your identity or nationality. If possible, lock your luggage.

Consider getting a telephone calling card. It is a convenient way of keeping in touch. If you have one, verify that you can use it from your overseas location(s). Access numbers to U.S. operators are published in many international newspapers. Find out your access number before you go.

What to Leave Behind

Don't bring anything you would hate to lose. Leave at home:

• valuable or expensive-looking jewelry
• irreplaceable family objects
• all unnecessary credit cards
• your Social Security card, library card, and similar items you may routinely carry in your wallet.

Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home in case they need to contact you in an emergency.

Make two photocopies of your passport identification page, airline tickets, driver's license and the credit cards that you plan to bring with you. Leave one photocopy of this data with family or friends at home; pack the other in a place separate from where you carry the originals.

Leave a copy of the serial numbers of your travelers' checks with a friend or relative at home. Carry your copy with you in a separate place and, as you cash the checks, cross them off the list.

Read more....

For packing suggestions visit:http://www.ehow.com/how_5189_avoid-overpacking.html

NEW: women's travel adventure

Flavor of Crete:

Myths, Medieval ports & Mountain Villages
Discover the beauty of Crete, Greece's largest Island. Explore ancient sites & caves where the Great Mother goddess was once worshipped and the oldest convent on Crete with its 2000 year old myrtle tree. Sample local olive oils. Visit one of Greece's best wineries. Stay in traditional mountain villages and meet local artisans. Learn Cretan dancing and healthy island cooking and feast on traditional Cretan cuisine.

Dates: Sept 26-Oct 6

Early Booking Price: $3169.00 pp

Small group size

Tour details visit: wanderwoman.com/crete

The ultimate travel clothes and accessories for women...

Having the right travel clothes and accessories makes packing so much easier!















Best Travel hat: Tilley
When traveling be sure to bring a good hat. I love my Tilley! It's packable, light weight, and comfort... great for summer travel or travel to warm climates.

The ultimate women's travel pants by PrAna!
I just returned from hiking in Ireland and then rushed off to explore archaeological sites in hot, dusty Egypt and the best thing I packed for both trips was the Tenaya Pant by PrAna. These pants are a travel wardrobe essential! Quick drying, light, wrinkle resistant, comfortable and great looking.

Tenaya Pant

$68.00

Style: W4TENP309

Tenaya Pant - The ultimate pant for cool days on the wall offers abrasion-resistance, full stretch and a low-profile adjustable waistband. Stash extra protection or something to snack on between pitches in the cargo pocket.

Purchase online or at Maine Sport in Rockport Maine

Wherever you go don't leave home without a backpack which doubles as a carry-on and day pack for sight-seeing, hiking, biking, etc....
This stylish pack by Vectra is a good choice and is available in green and brown..sorry no orange.

Vectra Backpack - Womens

$80.00

Style: U6VECT309

Fit for a woman's frame, this backpack features a body-hugging design. Padded shoulder and waist straps ensure carrying comfort.

Purchase online at PrAna

Don't forget to pack your camera! For great shots with automatic and manual settings and a 10x zoom the CANON Powershot SX10IS is a smart choice. It may not be the smallest camera out there, but it's small enough and takes great photos...even from a moving bus. Whatever camera you choose...get one with a view finder (a feature hard to find in the newer compact cameras) so that on those bright sunny days when the glare makes it impossible to see your LCD screen you can still see what you are taking a picture of!

Culinary destination: Dublin Ireland!

Perhaps one of the travel world's best kept secrets is Ireland's gourmet cuisine. Ireland has a long culinary tradition; ancient cooking pits called fulacht fia have been found through out Ireland. These Neolithic and Bronze age pits are believed to have been used to boil water with hot rocks to slowly cook meat and other foods on festival occasions...could this be the origins of the Irish boiled dinner? BUT if you think of Irish cuisine as boiled dinners..think again...Irish cuisine has come a long way since the fulacht fia (although An Fulacht Fia in Ballyvaughan is most certainly a worth a visit). So if you are planning a trip to Ireland..be sure to bring a good appetite!

A few my favorite restaurants in Dublin Ireland are:

BANG CAFE on Baggot Street...trendy spot frequented by Dubliners. Try the scallops or Chump of Lamb or Mushroom Risotto. They serve lunch and have a pre-theater menu...
See menu

THE UNICORN on Merrion Ct off Merrion Row, just around the corner from Bang Cafe, offers delicious gourmet Italian cuisine. Lunch and pre-theater specials...
See menu

DAX, on Pembroke Street Upper, offers gourmet French cuisine, romantic atmosphere, and 140 European wines to choose from. Lunch & dinner..
See menu

PEPLOES WINE BISTRO on St Stephen's Green offers chic modern Irish cuisine at its best! Lunch, pre-concert specials and dinner 7 days a week...
See menu

EDEN in Temple Bar,at Meeting House SQ (a bit difficult to find), offers wild Irish game, such as duck, venison, etc and other delicious choices. The modern decor is a bit sterile but the food is excellent. Brunch, lunch and dinner...
See menu

CAFE EN SEINE on Dawson Street is a must see to believe...you'll think you've stepped into Fin de siècle Paris! Great spot to meet locals after work for drinks and meals. Not gourmet but worth a visit.

Please feel free to share your suggestions!

Live, Travel...and EAT!

Wanderwoman Cheryl Kerr’s new novel came out July 4, 2009

Photo of Cheryl enjoying sunset cruise in Santorini Greece

One of Eurynome Journeys’ recent Greek Island Adventure travelers, Cheryl (Kempf) Kerr, just publisher her second novel See Ya. To learn more about Cheryl and her latest book visit breakthroughpromotions.com and scroll down to her name.

You can purchase Cheryl’s book at http://chanterpress.com/.

Congratulations Cheryl!!!!

SAVE on Egypt trip: Room share opportunity!

Traveling solo?
But would rather not pay a single supplement?
Consider sharing accommodations with a roommate.

On this year's Egypt trip everyone, except two women, is traveling alone and we have an odd number of room share requests. So if you've always wanted to travel to Egypt and are planning to go alone..join Eurynome Journeys and a small group of adventurous women on a journey through amazing Egypt OCT 2-21, 2009!

The pace is leisurely providing time to "feel" Egypt and not merely run through it, yet we've included the major attractions and a few special surprises. Some days are full from the crack of dawn until after dinner, but others are free for optional activities or for rest and reflection. Since travel in Egypt can be rigorous we’ve selected very comfortable hotels (mostly 5 stars) that offer spas or other rejuvenating amenities, yet are close to shops, restaurants, and other attractions for those who want to explore. To visit Egypt and only see tombs and temples would give an incomplete picture of this fascinating country, so the tour also explores modern day life in Egypt, especially the lives of women.

Click here for itinerary and trip details

Choosing a Women-only Tour

In the past few years the number of companies targeting the female traveler has increased from a handful to thousands!

There are women’s tours out there for every interest from kayaking in the Arctic (burr!) and gastronomical adventures in the outback to high-end culinary tours. When Eurynome Journeys first launched its website www.wanderwoman.com in 1998, there were two or three other companies out there, one was outdoor adventure tours and the other two were more bus type trips visiting crystal and chocolate factories whose groups were as large as 25 women.

I love that women are now more adventurous and traveling! And it is great that here are so many different companies out there catering to us and our interests!

But deciding which tour to take can be a daunting experience.

Below are tips to choosing the right women's tour for you:

• First decide where you want to go and just how adventurous you want to get. If it is your first trip choose your home country or a destination that is not going to be too much of a culture shock.
  

For North American women Ireland, and other Western European countries are good places to easy into world travel.

• Choose a tour suitable to you level of fitness. Don’t sign up for a biking trip that entails 30 miles of biking a day, if you ride you bike 2 twice a year. It’s great to try new things, but be realistic.
  

• Next figure out your budget and the type of accommodations you are comfortable with.

Call or email companies and find out what hotels they use and look them up online. Hotels that are centrally located are best for doing a little exploring on one’s own. If you are accustomed to 5-star properties, you might not be happy in a small local pension. Or if you are looking for a more local experience a pension might be just the right type of accommodation for you.

• Ask about roommate opportunities to alleviate the extra cost of single supplements. Keep in mind sharing accommodations is NOT for everyone. If you have trouble sleeping or like to have down time, the single supplement might be a wise investment.

• Ask about hidden costs not included in the price: meals, transfers, tips for guides, air taxes, etc.

• Look at the website and photos, do the women look like the kind of travelers you would enjoy traveling with? What is the age range and fitness level? If all the photos are models rather than real travelers, the company is most likely a large cooperate operation cashing in on the trend, which doesn’t mean that it is not a good tour, it might be the right tour, but just be aware of what you are purchasing.

• Be sure to ask which professional organizations the company belongs to (i.e., ASTA, USTOA, IATA), an established reputable tour company should belong to at least one. If unsure contact the organization to find out if there are any complaints against the company.

• Request at least two or three references from past travelers. Call or email them with a list of questions: what they liked about the trip, what they didn’t like, would they travel again with the tour company, is there anything you should be aware of before committing, etc?

• Read the fine print! Understand cancelation policies and buy travel insurance-just incase!

• And remember, whatever tour you decide on, to bring your sense of humor and an appetite for adventure!

ASTA tips for female travelers: http://www.travelsense.org/tips/solowomen.cfm
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