Organize for International Travel

The cruise ships are getting ready to depart from the Norfolk harbor and there are some good deals on air travel to foreign destinations. So, if you plan to vacation outside the United States, add these things to your checklist:

Passport and other identification documents

Travel schedule and monetary equivalent table

Entry documentation for your destination

Medication needed for your trip, in the original container

A list of contact numbers for medical and personal emergencies

Receipts or registration paperwork for new electronics (computers, cameras)

Valid drivers license

If you purchase art or jewelry on your trip, keep receipts handy.


Add clothes for the climate, personal necessities, and your favorite credit card and you are ready to take off.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

PREPARE FOR ROAD TRIP WITH A TODDLER

We are getting ready to take a thirteen-hour trip-with a three-year-old. So my thoughts have turned to preparation for traveling with a toddler. This actually takes more preparation and organization than traveling with a baby or older child.

First there is the comfort factor. Is the car seat a good fit and is the cover pliable enough to not chafe or rub? Is the stroller portable enough to take up minimum space and will it allow the child to sit comfortably. Our little linebacker’s wide shoulders made this a challenge. Part of comfort is keeping the little darling well hydrated and supplied with healthy snacks. So pack water, juice and snack favorites in an accessible container. After eating and drinking thoughts turn to keeping him clean and dry, so a supply of diapers, pull-ups or underpants also need to be nearby. A changing pad, portable potty or child’s folding commode seat make comfort stops easier for everybody in the traveling party. It is a good idea to stop every hour or two to stretch legs and check on bathroom needs.
A supply of tissues, wipes and paper towels to mop up any messes round out the comfort items.

Next comes the safety factor. Car seats should be safely installed and fastened according to directions. The child should remain safely buckled in the car seat while the vehicle is moving. When it is time to get out of the car, a tether that fits loosely around the child’s arm and a caregiver’s arm provides freedom and puts limits on how far a child can roam. Nothing substitutes for carefully watching the little one at all times. Even with vigilance, it is hard to keep up with the energy level of a toddler, so bring a few childproofing items for your room. A child safety doorknob cover and a latch lock a couple of items that will come in handy. A night-light may give the child a level of comfort in a strange place and allow him to sleep more comfortably. If the place you are staying does not have a suitable bed, you may want to take an air mattress or sleeping bag. Some manufacturers make toddler size air mattresses with inflatable rails for restless sleepers. A first aid kit should be in the car to handle any minor mishaps.

Do not underestimate the need for entertainment. With short attention spans, toddlers need a variety of toys and games to keep them occupied during a trip. Some good travel toys are Colorform sets, water coloring pens and paper, and talking books. A DVD player can entertain with favorite videos and a supply of sing-along favorite songs will provide some interactive time with the traveling party. Interactive games like Seek and Find (find a cow, find a school bus, find a flag) keep a child entertained during long driving periods. Consider wrapping a few “surprises” to pull out when the going gets rough or to reward for good behavior. A ball for tossing during rest stops can help burn off some energy before returning to the car.

Then there is the usual. Enough clothes appropriate to the climate, medicines, and a favorite comfort toy or item. While you are at it, pack a good sense of humor and the knowledge that if you forgot it, you can probably find it to purchase.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Tips for Organized Packing

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is a song many will be singing in the next few weeks. Others will head for a destination holiday that includes sunny climes or fun winter activities. No matter where you are going, travel these days poses a host of problems. Carefully thinking about what you really need and organizing clothing and personal items for convenience, easy portability and access can minimize many of them.

It starts with planning and takes into consideration where you are going, how long you will be gone and what activities are planned while you are at your destination. Once you have those particulars in mind, gather the clothes you will take with you. Some of the best advice I have been given is that once you have decided what to take, put a third of it back in your closet. Cull out those items that don’t fit a selected color palette (usually neutral tans and browns or black or blue). Retain a few accessories to add pizzazz and splashes of color to to your basic wardrobe. Make sure you have comfortable shoes, serviceable undergarments and necessary toiletries, emergency products and prescription drugs. Many packing lists for travel by different modes of transportation and different destinations can be found on the web. Some of them are:
www.onebag.com
www.traveltime.org
www.backpackeurope.com

Once you have gathered the items you are taking with you, it is time to pack your bags. Make sure the bags are sturdy and close securely and they are a weight you can lift from the car, the airport carousel or haul upstairs at your relatives house. Fewer bags are better. There is limited space no matter where you are going and, unless you have personal porters, it is a hassle to lug around multiple bags.

You now have another decision to make. How will you store your clothes in the bag? Will you roll, fold or bundle? Rolling works well for t-shirts and flexible fabrics. Jeans, on the other hand, may take up more room rolled than they do folded. As a general rule, minimize wrinkling in soft-sided luggage by rolling and packing tightly. In rigid frame luggage, fold or use the bundle method. The bundle method minimizes the number of folds, thus potential creases, and has some of the cushioning value of the roll method. Bundling involves laying clothes across the suitcase with larger items on the bottom and then folding them tightly around a core bundle of clothing and accessories. A thorough illustrated explanation of packing using the bundle method can be found in The Packing Book by Judith Gilford available at www.amazon.,com.

Check off the items on your list as you pack and tuck a copy in an easily accessible place in case luggage is lost. It also will serve as a handy reference when you evaluate the usefulness of the items you chose to take with you and refine your list for future excursions.

Remember to keep prescription medications and travel documents, and other absolutely essential items with you at all time. If luggage is lost or delayed you do not want to be without these necessities.

Make travel easier by:

• Consulting expert sites for lists and travel tips
• Taking as few bags as you can
• Making a packing list and checking off items as you pack them
• Using a packing method that helps maximize space and minimize wrinkles
• Keeping the packed weight of bags to a level you can comfortably lift and tote
• Refining your packing list after each trip to eliminate things you did not need and add things you wished you had included.
• Rolling with the punches when the unexpected happens

Happy wanderings!

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Organized Travel with Zip Lock Bags

I just returned from vacation- a week at the beach with extended family ranging in ages from fifteen months to eighty-four years. We all had a great time and I came home wandering how I ever traveled before the invention of zip lock bags.

When I was packing to go, I put anything I thought might leak into those bags. Fingernail polish, make-up and other toiletries found a home as well as lens cleaner and suntan lotion. Jewelry and socks were stuffed into bags. And then I discovered the Big Bags! Perfect for packing the towels and linen we needed for the rental cottage. We just stuffed the used dirty items back in the bags to cart home to wash. Those big bags come in three sizes from ten quarts to twenty quarts and are great for toting an extra set of clothes for the kids or for separating wet swim suits from dry apparel. I have decided to store clothes in them this winter. They will take up less space than cartons or boxes. They even have a handle that makes them easy to carry.

The young mother in the group uses zip lock bags to organize her diaper bag and that sure makes it easier to change the baby’s diaper or find a snack or pull out a clean set of clothes when accidents happen.

Now that I am back home, it is time to go to the grocery store and stack up on the staple items. The first thing on my list is zip lock bags in varying sizes.

An Organized Car

The local television station reported that fifty-eight million Americans will drive greater than fifty miles this Memorial Day week-end. That did not impress me much since, for many years, my round trip commute to work was greater than fifty miles. But no matter when we travel or where we go in our cars and trucks, SUVs and campers, we have ample opportunity to collect and clutter. When I was commuting seventy miles to work, one of my favorite colleagues loved candy bars and chips. I knew that whenever he picked me up, I would hear crackling sounds when I took the passenger seat. That was because his idea of cleaning the car for our road trip was to stuff all of the discarded wrappers under the seat. I gave him a car litter basket for Christmas one year and he surprised me by actually using it. He said he did not know that such a thing existed and hated trying to tack down a bag to dispose of his trash. He did not become a neat-freak but he no longer littered his front seat with wrappers.

Many of us spend a good part of our life driving to work, running errands, chauffeuring family. According to Kelly Quigley, author of Time Well Spent, The average car owner spends five hundred to one thousand hours per year behind the wheel of his car. That is a lot of time! During that time we access stuff to support our activities, we accumulate stuff as we run our errands and we discard stuff as we open and unwrap. The problem is that, in a car, we have limited space to stuff our stuff. Front seats, back seats, trunks and cargo holds can become cluttered, unsightly areas where it is hard to find what we need

This can become particularly troublesome when you embark on a road trip with a car full of family or friends. So, with summer travel just around the corner, we thought this would be a good time to share some of our favorite products for organizing your auto. There are some nifty products on the market that sell for less than twenty five dollars

To stash your trash try the Trash Stand by Case Logic. It is weighted so it won’t slide or slip, is leak proof and has a cover so you can hide the mess. With dimensions of 8"x5"x8" it fits nicely on the floor or between the seats. It even has a hidden compartment for storing valuables. The same company also makes a litter chute that hooks onto the headrest and is convenient for the back seat. It has a self-closing lid and empties from the bottom for easy trash removal. Another product is the Kids Trash Bag that hangs on the head rest, is leak proof and has an outside mesh pocket that can hold wipes and tissues.

There are also several items that will help you tame front seat clutter.

The Seat Caddy by Lewis N. Clark has an insulated cup holder, CD sleeves a zipper pocket and adjustable compartments. It closes to conceal contents and fits under the passenger seat when you want to tuck it away.

The Mobile Office sits on the seat beside you and has compartments for your cell phone, ipod, laptop, books and other paraphernalia and a hard top tray that prevents objects from rolling off and gives a surface for writing.

The Over the Seat Organizer by Creekside has compartments that hold various objects and can easily be turned to the back of the seat when you pick up a passenger.

If you fumble for your cell phone or glasses the Case Logic Catch All is a perfect size for cell phone, gas receipts and sun glasses. It has an adjustable arm that hooks into the air vent.

There are also several good back seat organizers for kids who are old enough to face forward in their car seats. These organizers also work well for older folks who want to keep things neat back there and do not need to access the items while driving.

The High Road Kid Organizer fits on the back seat and can be zipped up and carried with the attached shoulder strap. It is tall enough for kids in booster seats and has identical pockets on each side so two children can share. It buckles to the seat belt to keep it secure. The Backseat car organizer has a dozen pockets to hold small toys and games and fits over the back of the front seat to be within the child’s reach. The Car Organizer for Kids has a top sturdy enough to draw on, adjustable dividers and outside pockets.

Highroad and Case Logic both make child seat organizers for the littlest passengers. They fit securely underneath the car seat to protect from spills and mishaps and have side pockets to hold comfort items.

For the adult traveler, Lewis N. Clark Insulated Seat Back Organizer features a large insulated compartment to store hot or cold items and adjustable fasteners that double as a shoulder strap if you need to remove it from the car.

Keeping miscellaneous items stable in the trunk or cargo space is easy with a collapsible crate or tote. The Trunk/ Cargo Storage Bag measures 17"L x 10"W x 11"H and has a zip close top. This can be used for road hazard items or other necessities. The Creekside Organizer Tote opens to organize groceries or other items and folds flat when not it use and the Solutions Cargo Cooler has the additional feature of a built in water resistant cooler.

These and similar products can be found at the following web sites:
www.Solutions.com
www.ebags.com
www.DrivingComfort.com

Treat yourself to an organized automobile and enjoy the ride.

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net