Travel: Things I Wish I'd Brought When I Got There

Sapa Rooms early in the Morning (Photo credit: Always at Home)

It is just the small stuff I wish I had...not the camera or even a dress for evening wear. When I travel I always wish I had some small item I left at home on purpose or didn't even know I needed. For example,

When we were in Vietnam last winter I saw beautiful sleeping bag liners in shop after shop. Honestly, I haven't camped for years and did not even know such a thing existed! But there they were in Hanoi...stacks and stacks of them. What do you use them for I asked my daughter-in-law and she shrugged her shoulders. Did I need one of those? Well, it turns out, yes I did.

When we boarded the night train in Hanoi for the long trip in a sleeping car, I took one look at the bed and shuddered. I get it now...that is why I need a silk sleeping bag liner!

An article on the Lonely Planet website reminded me that beds even in up scale hotels can be full of bed bugs and other critters/crud. A pretty little silk sleep bag liner would be so nice. Now I see that we can buy this item on Amazon and they are called Sleeping Bag Liners. Who knew!

Electronics are another thing...

I went off to stay on an island south of Cambodia. The island resort was a jewel set in a small village. I did not see why I should take my ipad or my iphone along...after all we had our computer and the resort said there was a hook up for computers. It did not occur to me that "wireless" means I can use my iphone AND my ipad. What was I thinking? It turns out that remote does not mean disconnected in any way.

Wash clothes...

The lack of a good cloth to wash my face and body will drive me crazy but it turns out the rest of the world just does without such a thing. In order to get one of those precious pieces of material I have paid extra in resorts and even bought small towels. It is such a simple thing yet in my world a necessary item.

When do those people eat and sleep? Bring information with you...

As I look back on all of the places we have been I can see that the single most important piece of information we needed was the sleeping and eating habits of the country we were visiting.

When we were in Spain I never did figure out when the people worked or what their breakfast time was. We ate Tortilla Espana every morning but we never were out when the Spaniards were.

Get that information before you leave home...the museums will be on the postcards in your hotel and someone will send you on your way. But if you want to truly enjoy a country, you need to sit down and eat with the people. Find out when they eat breakfast and evening meals.

Paper vs online...

The last time we traveled I bemoaned the fact that we didn't have a good paper map in English...I know you can go online and get directions but still I like the idea of seeing the big picture and being able to lay the map out in front of me makes such a difference. Whether you are in Saigon, Vietnam or Granada, Spain, the shape of the city and location of the rivers is important. How can you picture the history or commerce of a location without one? I am going to take one with me no matter whether I am on US Interstate 80 or driving between Malaga and Seville Spain.

Every travel website can give you a list of the latest and coolest travel gadgets. In fact here is a list I wrote. But has anyone ever told you to pack a wash cloth...I didn't think so.

I'm just saying!!!

b

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

How to be a 12 Month Snow Bird

Vacation Rental in Mexico I live around snowbirds 6 months of the year. I have heard those people say that they all want to live the "snowbird" lifestyle when they go home. But it just is not possible. They are isolated and cold. Social activities with friends and beautiful weather are greatly missed when they return to the realities of their "real" life. One couple I visited with lately returned to Florida this morning where they own a home. The woman is a nurse and works in the summer. They are not going home until May this year. It is too cold in Michigan in the spring so they are hoping to extend their good weather season by simply staying away. Besides that they love their Florida lifestyle a lot. Last week I visited with a woman that lives the snowbird lifestyle year around. No going home to the Midwest in the spring. They essentially vacation 12 month out of the year. And I thought their solution for avoiding unpleasant weather and keeping their lifestyle in...

If You Build It, They Will Come...Maybe!

It all began with a antique window in front of a local shop. It had been painted yellow, the glass was loose and all of the hinges and latches were gone. My old friend Betty would have approved...she would tell me it was just broken enough and damaged enough for me to drag it home. When my dear husband saw it, he wondered what he was meant to do with it. Imagine his surprise when he was presented with the plan to build a small neighborhood library exchange. It wasn't the first time he had heard me ask "How hard could it be?" Now it is six weeks later and we mounted the darling little library exchange on two posts in our front yard. I love it. Now the question is, will they come or has the time passed when people actually read something made of paper? Our association president stopped by and admired the box but left after telling me that he only read books on his Kindle. We will see. Would you bring a book and take a book? b+

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