Travel Tip #1 -- When planning airline flights, be sure to check one way fares vs. round trip fares. Many times we've found it cheaper to book one way to our destination and book another one way back home. Sometimes you'll even have better choices for connecting cities, departure times, etc.
Even booking late, Mary K managed to spend less on her one way ticket than we spent on half of our round trip ticket to Seattle!
Friday, 9/21
As we continue with our blog, you'll see many travel tips -- ideas we've gleaned from years of travel -- and we'd love to hear your ideas, too. Just comment in our blog and let us know!
When preparing for our trip, there are several tips we use:
Travel Tip #2 -- We only use a carry-on luggage with wheels (be sure the check the size allowed by the airline you're using). We also carry a large satchel-type bag that our purse fits in...remember you can take l carry-on luggage and l personal item.....the satchel is our personal item but holds much more than your purse. You'll save the expensive check-baggage fee and you'll also save time in picking up your checked bag....and crossing your fingers that it's there! This trip is lasting almost 3 weeks and we have only the carry-on luggage and the satchel bag -- it can be done and we'll show you how!
1) We always roll up as many clothes as possible -- you'll be amazed at the room you save.
2) Put a fold-up duffle bag or a cloth shopping bag with wheels in your carry-on luggage. It
takes up little room in your luggage, but you'll be happy to have it, especially if you like to
shop (we love to shop!) and will bring vacation souvenirs home. When you pack on your
last day of vacation, you now have 3 pieces of luggage (if our next tip...disposable clothing...
doesn't free up enough room for souvenirs)! You will have to check your carry-on luggage,
which still gives you 2 "easy travel" bags to fill up and carry on! Check out our carry-on
luggage photo to see how easy you can travel through the airport with all of your luggage!
Travel Tip #3 -- We believe in "disposable clothing"! This is one of our favorites tips and it works
wherever we travel, even on our trips to Europe! Honestly, don't we all have shirts, slacks, etc. (yes...even underwear) that are well-used and ready to be tossed?! Well, throughout the year, keep a box or basket handy at home where you can toss these items (label it "travel clothes") and you're ready to pack for your next trip! Wear these "disposable" items, on vacation, and then just toss them! With each "toss", you've just freed up another space in your suitcase for a souvenir! Of course, not all of your clothes will be "disposable"...we bring our favorite clothing items (for all occasions) that we would never "toss", but those "disposables" are one of our best ideas!
Saturday, 9/22
A couple of things to remember when you're at the airport:
Travel Tip#4 -- Before going through airport security, be sure to take off any jewelry and belts. Security usually requires jewelry, belts, etc to be removed. It saves time at security, to tuck your jewelry in a pouch at the top of your carry-on so you can easily retrieve it as soon as you exit security.
Travel Tip #5 -- If your flight is delayed for 3 or more hours (Mary K was stuck in Atlanta) you're entitled to a meal ticket from most airlines.....but you have to ask for it!
Back to our vacation....at the Palm Beach Airport, we thought we saw someone we recognized....a guitarist with a rock band? an actor? It was driving us nuts!! Then we thought of the song, "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places"......and the movie "Urban Cowboy" and realized the stranger was Scott Glenn, the actor! (He was the bad guy in the movie but looked pretty good to us!) Keep your eyes open in the airport....you never know when you might see someone famous!
We arrived in Seattle and stayed at the Marriott Courtyard and quickly changed clothes to attend Dick's reunion. Lots of old friends, good food and beverages -- what more could we ask?
Sunday, 9/23
Sunday we left our Marriott Courtyard Hotel near South Center (very nice, by the way, and convenient to the airport) and drove to Seattle to get on the ferry to Bainbridge Island and on to Poulsbo.
We're staying at the Poulsbo Inn (as we do every year) and it's become our home away from home. The staff is wonderful -- Courtney and Leona at the front desk are so friendly and helpful -- the breakfast in the morning is great (waffles and biscuits & gravy.....yum) and we're comfy in a suite with full kitchen, 2 queen beds and tv in the bedroom and sofa bed and tv in the nice-sized living room. We especially like the wall heater in the bathroom which not only makes the room toasty after a long shower but leaves the mirror shiny -- no condensation and no constant wipe-downs!
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