As we are about to embark on Carmageddon 3: Headed For The Hills I have been asked to present a preview of our preparations. Some ‘travel tips’, if you will.
* We always try to book a hotel with a pool & hot tub (reason being: we are old and walk a lot. This is a great way to loosen the joints & muscles and provide some non-weight bearing aerobic exercise. The swimming pool scene from “Cocoon” comes to mind). As well as a room with a microwave, fridge & coffee maker. (we can do an amazing amount of simple prep with just these things. I also always bring a 1 cup pyrex pourable measuring cup, a refillable water bottle, 2 insulated reusable coffee size thermos cups & a small cooler or cooler bag.) Must bring food items for me are: Starbucks Via instant coffee, Mini Moos (shelf-stable little 1/2 & 1/2s), Justin’s All Natural Almond Butter packets. We always ask if they offer a military or AARP discount. (If you are an AAA member or a government employee or teacher there are discounts available too.) I always Kayak the hotel I am considering before calling to book & then ask them if they can beat the best rate on Kayak. They often will. Don also gets some rewards through Expedia which we will use when available.
* When we rent a car like we are doing for this trip, we always rent from a location close to an airport. ( we have 2 SUV type gas guzzlers & after doing the math what we will pay for the rental we will break even in gas + save the wear and tear on our vehicles, which are older) Picking up from an airport location as opposed to our local rent a car office saves a bundle of cash. I guess rates are lower due to their airport volume.
* We pack pretty light. If I am flying I always carry on my luggage. We invested in some great hard-sided carry on size suitcases with 360″ swivel wheels. I bought them on sale, on line through Kohl’s also using my 30% Kohl’s reward and Kohl’s Cash. They retailed originally for like $250 each & I spent like $50 each with free shipping. For shorter trips I use my huge Land’s End Canvas zipper top tote. I always bring a small, flat backpack & $1 WalMart rain ponchos.
* We always pack a multi-port USB & standard outlet surge protector in a foldable travel size. Some hotels don’t have enough outlets for us to charge our phones, camera, laptop (Don’s) & Kindle Fire (mine). I bought each of my kids one of these as a Christmas present this year. They LOVED them.
* I always check out deals on Restaurant.com for the city I am planning to visit. For Asheville, I found a $25 gift certificate for a top rated tapas restaurant I was interested in for $10 (with no alcohol restrictions!)
* 2 Apps I like when travelling that I have on my phone are: Field Trip & Triposo. Both are free, informative & fun! I also usually download a field guide or travel book for my destination on my Kindle.I use Evernote to store photos & notes for the blog. We also have a ‘white noise’ app that I use to help us sleep.
So, here we are ready to roll tomorrow.
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