Tips on Travel Planning

I LOVE to travel, Planning your trip means everything. I have been on several trips around the world and the ones I took the most time planning were the most fun of all!!

• Get a map and start memorizing it. If its on land, check out the area and mark spots of interest,calculate the distance from hotel and note areas that will remind you, of where you are. If you are going to be on a ship get the ships layout and where your cabin is. When you get on that ship, everyone will be following you because you know where the heck you are going. You can Be The HERO.

• Only pack for carry on. I never bring a bag I have to stand in line and check on,you don't have to check anything or stand in big long lines, pay for fees, and possibly loose your valuables. I have two small bags I put everything in and bring it on the plane with me. I also pack a big light weight nylon bag for gifts and stuff I have bought to take back with me and check it in on the way home, if needed.
• Wear slip on and off shoes when it is time to get on the plane its nice and easy to take the shoes off and slip them back on when you are going through the security part. We went to Hawaii this May, I just wore flip flops and it worked great!
• Many stores will ship your purchases directly to your house. This saves so much when it is time to go home, you can also check with your hotel, have them mail it home for you too.
• If you are going overseas, try to stick with a friend when walking around and look out for narrow dark alleyways. Stay with friends, try not to go alone and keep your purse under your arm and put a rubber band on your wallet, so it cant "slip" out. Don't carry a lot of cash use your debit card. Never flash a lot of cash around. You will have a less likely chance of getting kidnapped or ransomed. Save the Rolex for a different vacation. Its not worth getting killed over. My husband owns one and there are times & vacations when he doesn't wear it. Especially Mexico.
• Do not go to a high pressure timeshare presentation to save money or get free stuff. Our friends practically had a knife to their throat for not buying one. You do not want to get hooked up with one of those money suckers. We own one and almost owned two, trust me they are so not worth it.
• Grab up the coupon books when you get into town. Its nice to get deals on dinner and drinks.
• If you are having a special occasion let the hotel know, Call and talk to the manager. I negotiated a free weekend for our wedding in Las Vegas! I guarantee you this tip has worked for me for years, You will get all the "perks". My husband and I received a free bottle of champagne on a flight for our wedding trip and one free night at a hotel in Vegas for our anniversary. For My birthday I received a free tour to the top of Diamond Head with a purchase of a snorkeling trip. Many businesses like to help make your vacation special so you will come back again. What have you got to lose?

HOT TIP: Volunteer vacations are Hot right now and prices are great! You can even go to Costa Rica and help out with the sea turtle conservation project helping endangered turtles. You can work with biologists to assist in studies of the sea turtles. Several travel companies feature this trip, goabroad.com is one of them. Exploration Vacations ; Gold panning in the wild west, Alaska, National parks Grand Canyon, River rafting, Yucatan, Crater Lake, Oregon, Arizona & Area 51. At student city.com you can earn a free trip, if you put together a a group of 16 people! Many upscale travel agents will give you free or discount travel for organizing a group for them. Spring break is always a great time to gather lots of friends together.

I am always open to suggestions and new Ideas. Please feel free to post your travel tips on here below.

Are you ready to go to help others and have fun? How about educating and helping out in parts of India? Currently there is only one doctor for every ten thousand people, there is a big need for public health and education. You can also help with counseling because women are still faced with a lack of human rights. The people of India are so nice and friendly, their culture right now is a lot like our era of the 1980's

Check out gooverseas.com

A wonderful new popular destination: Cottage Grove, Oregon is a friendly, beautiful town. It has painted murals all over the city, its very artsy and the city is famous for its covered bridges and wineries. A visit to the famous King Estates Winery in the town of Loraine, just west of Cottage Grove, is like a scene from the French countryside. The winery is at the top of a mountain and it looks like a castle, with a gorgeous valley below. A great place to stay in Cottage Grove is the Village Green Resort and Gardens The Village Green has a million dollar renovation that includes their famous Gardens. Next check out the Bohemia Mining Museum, there are a bunch of old miners there that can teach you how to gold pan, for less than 5 dollars. They can also take you to their claim and let you pan up at the Bohemia mining district, with reservations and a fee. You can also go it on your own to the free park too.