Prepare for That Unwanted Travel Companion – The Flu

When the snow flies and frost covers the ground, thoughts of getting away to a warm locale invade many a travelers’ mind. Unfortunately, with winter travel there’s no escaping flights where dry, recycled air is present and close capacity with other passengers present a goldmine of flu and cold viruses. So, how can you prepare yourself for winter travel and steer clear of the flu bug while still partaking in the vacation you crave? Follow these tips for added confidence during your next cold-weather trip:  

Get Vaccinated – According to this week’s FluView report, while activity levels vary across the country, nationally influenza activity is elevated and continues to increase across most key indicators.¹ It may seem like a no-brainer to get vaccinated, but the truth is, many people choose to forgo a yearly flu vaccine. If you get the flu vaccine at least two weeks before you travel, you may be less likely to become ill.

Start Healthy. Stay Healthy. – A few days before you are scheduled to leave on your trip, start taking immune support tablets and make sure your diet is healthy. Eating right and maintaining a healthy body are two key components to making your body less susceptible to getting sick. Get your flu vaccine before you go to reduce your risk of catching and spreading the flu.²

Don’t Touch your Face – On any given day your hands will come into contact with thousands of germs. While you’re traveling, that number can skyrocket. All it takes is your hands coming into contact with your face for those viruses to spread. Try to avoid touching your face, mouth, nose, and eyes to reduce the chances that those germs will get into your system and make you sick. Make sure you pack a small bottle of hand sanitizer in a size that’s less than 3oz so you can carry it on the plane.

Wash your hands – When you were growing up, your mom likely told you to wash your hands before every meal. Turns out mom was right. Washing your hands throughout your travels  could reduce your risk of getting sick from germs you’ve come into contact with, and help your fellow travelers by stopping the spread of those germs.

Do what you can to safeguard your health up front, and with the right precautions and a little bit of luck, you can be on your way to thoroughly enjoying your warm-weather vacation – without getting sick. Do you have additional travel tips to stay healthy while traveling? We’d love to hear from you. Comment below.

¹http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/summary.htm
²http://www.cdc.gov/Features/WinterTravel/

From La Befana to Krampus: Famous European holiday traditions. Which is your favorite?

If you travel during the holiday season, perhaps you’ll see one of the many unique ways in which people celebrate the holiday season around the world. From The Legend of La Befana in Italy to keeping an eye out for Krampus in Germany, here are a few of the truly individual ways cultures around the world celebrates the holiday season.

The Legend of La Befana – Italy
She flies over the rooftops of Rome, delivers gifts to children and receives Ricotta cheese in return – since she has hardly any teeth. In Italy, the holidays are all about La Befana, the legendary Good Witch of Christmas.¹

Legend has it that La Befana flies over the rooftops of Rome on her broom, and brings gifts to the good children and coal to the bad ones. Since pagan times she has been celebrated as the “aging Mother Nature” in ancient Roman winter festivals. Today, the best place to meet La Befana in person is in Piazza Navona, Rome’s lively square where the Christmas bazaar known locally as the Befana Market is held.

A Very Krampus Christmas – Germany
He’s making a list, and checking it twice – but it’s definitely to find the children who have been naughty – not nice. This list miser is far from the jolly guy in the red coat. His name is Krampus, and as scary as it may sound, he is a beast-like creature from old German folk tales. Legend has it that during the holiday season, Krampus seeks out and scares children who have been particularly naughty. This mythological character can be seen roaming streets in Germany during annual holiday parades, where the character is brought to life through people in costumes.

Santa Lucia Day- Scandinavia
In Scandinavia it’s all about lights and candles on the morning ofDecember 13.  Santa Lucia Day, as the day is known, ushers in the holiday season when the eldest daughter of each family dresses in white, places a crown of candles on her head and then, walking barefoot, serves breakfast to her parents.² This tradition, which is hundreds of years old, is in memory of St. Lucia, a Catholic saint, who, during her lifetime, was famous for carrying food to persecuted Christians hiding in dark underground tunnels. She wore a wreath of candles on her head to light the way as she carried her baskets of provisions.⁴

Cake is King in France
Galette des Rois, or the “Cake of Kings” is a tradition in France that dates back to the 14^th century. During the days that follow Christmas, the French line up at their local bakery to buy “Galette des Rois” – pastries of different varieties. Inside some pastries, a lucky few will find a porcelain trinket. The finder of the trinket not only wins the pastry prize, but a paper crown that adorns the pastry spread.

St. Nick’s Day
Remembering those in need is always a good rule of thumb around the holiday season, and those in England (and many other parts of the world) do just that on St. Nick’s Day. This Holiday, which is celebrated on December 6^th each year, begins with a parade through Canterbury, England followed by music, dancing, hymns and prayers.³   St. Nicholas was born during the third century in the village of Patara, Turkey. After his wealthy parents died, he was left an inheritance which he used to help those in need. Today St. Nick’s Day is celebrated around the world and is associated with gift giving and personal generosity to those less fortunate.

Whether you plan to travel the world this holiday season or enjoy international holiday traditions through the reading and sharing of these stories, we want to hear your favorite holiday tradition. Please post here.

¹ http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/sweet-holiday-traditions-in-europe.html?id=9817977

² http://goscandinavia.about.com/od/christmastraditions/qt/saintluciaday.htm

³ http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/england/

⁴ http://www.livinginseason.com/spirit/who-is-santa-lucia/#hide

How to Keep the “Happy” in your Holiday Travel

Do thoughts of the fast-approaching holiday season bring a smile to your face? Or does the thought of holiday travel planning bring more stress than you care to think about? If you’re like me, you’ll take all the helpful tips you can to make your holiday travel as stress-free and as simple as possible. Here are some tips to keep the “happy” in your season as you head out for holiday travel.

The Bad Date
Many of us have been there – we show up with hope, only to be disappointed. No, we’re not talking about your high school prom date. We are talking about the worst dates to travel during the holiday season, and coincidentally the worst dates are usually the weekend right before a holiday.¹ The best days to travel? Try on the holiday itself, whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years Eve. ²

Book Early, Save Money
Traveling over the holidays but not psyched about spending a ton of money on airfare? The old adage “early bird gets the worm” holds true for flight booking. It’s wise to book at least a month or more in advance of your expected departure date if you want to get the best deals. A great way to simultaneously compare airfare for the best price is to use an airfare aggregator site.

 Book Early, Save Money
Traveling over the holidays but not psyched about spending a ton of money on airfare? The old adage “early bird gets the worm” holds true for flight booking. It’s wise to book at least a month or more in advance of your expected departure date if you want to get the best deals. A great way to simultaneously compare airfare for the best price is to use an airfare aggregator site.

Go Crazy for Carry On
Looking for ways to make your travel experience go smoothly? Try packing a carry-on for each member of the family. You’ll be able to arrive at your departing gate more quickly and can avoide the hassle of waiting for your checked luggage upon your arrival. Plus, carry-on luggage often costs nothing as compared to checked luggage which can cost over $25 per bag.

Shop Online & Ship
Looking forward to airport security carefully scrutinizing and even unwrapping each gift you packed in your suitcase? We didn’t think so. Eliminate the hassle of traveling with gifts by doing holiday shopping online and have each item shipped to your final destination.

Lots to Lose in Parking Lots
What one word can describe airport parking ramps during the holidays? Mayhem. If possible, have a friend drop you off at the airport to avoid congestion and delays getting to your departure gate.

Ship Gifts Home
Gift giving is a great holiday tradition for many. But, once the merriment has passed, how do the gifts get back home? An option for some might be to pack an extra, empty suitcase. But why lug around the extra bulk (and pay for yet another piece of checked luggage)? Ship all of your gifts home to save you time and hassle.

Do you have any holiday travel tips you’d like to share to help make travel go more smoothly for others this season? Share them below!

Planning holiday travel? Handy packing tips that add convenience to your trip.

Let’s face it – planning and packing for holiday travel can be stressful, but when you add in the bulk of cold weather clothing and complication of bringing holiday gifts and packing for the whole family, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. The answer? Simplify with these cold weather packing tips:

Solution for Bulky Clothes
As the weather cools down, most of us love warming up in our favorite, warm sweater or sweatshirt. But, these bulky items can be hard to pack. Be smart about packing and bring items that can be worn in layers and mixed/matched with other items so you don’t need to pack as much. Rolling these types of clothing also helps them to better fit into the limited space of a suitcase.

A Word About Boots
Love them or hate them, cold weather often calls for bringing boots to your destination. If you pack them in your suitcase, use the inside to store undergarments, toiletries and other small things. Or, if you can, wear the boots while traveling to avoid them taking up space in your suitcase.

 A Dual-Purpose Coat
It’s big and bulky but needed to keep us warm in cold weather. While a winter coat is a necessity and may take up a lot of room in a suitcase, try taking it with you on the plane and using it for a pillow or blanket during long flights.

Tis’ the Season for Treats & Eats
Though the TSA allows pies and cakes to be brought on-board, the best advice might be to leave the baking until you arrive at your destination. Baked goods are subject to extra scrutiny and screening which may hold up the security line even longer. The same words of advice apply when traveling with gifts – either buy them at your destination or mail them to your destination. If you must travel with them, leave them unwrapped because TSA officials will need to unwrap any gifts for screening.

Skis and Winter Sports Gear
It’s no secret that most airlines charge for checked bags, so are you sure that bringing your skis and sports gear is a better idea than renting them? Consider saving yourself money and hassle by renting gear when you arrive at your destination. As an added bonus, renting gear may allow you to try out new or different styles.

Ship Items
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to free up room in your suitcase is to ship overly bulky items to your destination. This works particularly well if you are returning from a stay with newly purchased items or gifts. One word of caution: Because shipping isn’t without error, the items shipped may best be ones that you can “live without” in case something happens to your package en route.

What are your holiday travel and packing secrets?

Tips for Planning Multigenerational Vacations

By Diana Rowe – Traveling Grandmom

With the U.S. population becoming more mobile than ever and many children moving far from home after leaving the nest, distance has separated many families. Although I’m fortunate to have two daughters and two grandchildren who live nearby, I’m no stranger to separation with one daughter in Boston and another in Oregon with my remaining three grandchildren.

Almost three years ago, I joined the multigenerational family travel boom and planned a tropical vacation to Playa del Carmen, inviting close family and close friends ages 2 to 62. We were hooked and followed up with another Mexican beach vacation last summer. I’m counting the days until we travel together again in 2013.

Over the past decade, multigenerational travel has progressively become more important and popular. In 2011, a Preferred Hotel Group study reported that 40 percent of U.S. leisure travelers (20.8 million people) took a multigenerational trip in the previous 12 months. Family moments are increasingly precious and rare, and uniting the clan together for a shared vacation creates unforgettable memories.

Coordinating memorable family vacation requires extensive planning and compromise. What’s the family travel planner to do-and how do they plan a trip for diverse family personalities at destinations that offer something for everyone without breaking the bank? Click here to find out.

Tips to “Stay Adventurous”

by Craig Zabransky – Stay Adventurous

When we take vacations we smile. We laugh. We have fun. We enjoy our time away from daily routines. Travel also includes activities a bit outside our comfort zone. We tend to be more adventurous on holiday. Even on the plane ride home we vow to make changes to our routine; we vow to live differently. And although we have the best of intentions, before long we fall back into our old patterns, into our old routines. Adventure is left for the next vacation.

I’ll admit I’ve lived out this pattern. I’ve returned to my desk job with a more adventurous attitude only to find the changes didn’t last. So I’d count the days until my next trip and the chance to fully feel alive again. It was only after a two-week adventure sailing the Greek Isles that I once and for all decided to keep to my promise and live a life of daily adventures.

You may say that’s easy for a travel photographer and writer. “But” I hear you saying, “How can I do that? I am not leaving my job.”I say it’s easy to start, click here to see how you can tap into your senses and live that adventure every day.

Great Emerging Travel Destinations and Tips for Traveling

As adventure travelers search for destinations more off the beaten track and under the radar, some countries traditionally perceived as less safe for travelers are becoming more and more appealing. These emerging travel destinations are often just out of political unrest and usually the neighbor of a much more tourist-friendly country. They also offer bragging rights for adventure travelers, who rank destinations like Laos, Lebanon and Nicaragua high on their bucket list.

And, rightly so. Laos, the landlocked country between Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, has an eclectic French culture interlaced with the island feel from the luxury villas on the Mekong River. Lebanon’s capital city, Beirut, attracts travelers interested in culture, religion, food, clubbing, and the beautiful sandy beaches with their diverse history. After thousands of surfers and honeymooners alike began flocking to Costa Rica, Nicaragua is now becoming the go-to Central American country for adventure hungry tourists who want to see the rainforest, hike in active volcanoes and hang ten without the crowds.

But don’t let the beauty of these countries and your own adrenaline get the best of you. They are emerging destinations for a reason and, as a traveler; you need to take precautions to make sure your adventure is with your travel excursions, not your safety.

For six tips for traveling to emerging destinations and to read more, click here!