Getting the most out of your Cell Phone and GPS when Traveling

Cell phones, we all them and use them daily; but they're not much good to you when you travel if you leave home without them being fully charged! How many of you have tried to reach a friend or family member for an urgent purpose while they were on vacation and not been able to reach them. People toss the phone in their pockets and purses without checking to make sure it is FULLY charged. Yes, I know most of us don't need to charge the phone daily; you might not reach your destination as planned (due to unforeseen delays) in order to plug in. You might reach your destination during a storm and electrical outage. No electric leaves you no ability to plug in and recharge.

• Fully charge your cell phone and your bluetooth before you leave home
• If traveling by car, use your bluetooth it's far safer than reaching for your cell phone
• Pack your charger for both your cell phone and your bluetooth in your carry on bag if you're traveling by plane. That way, if you're delayed you'll have necessary plugs and hopefully have the ability to plug in, if necessary
• Pack your car charger for your cell phone. If you're traveling by car this is a MUST. It can charge while your touring around and it doesn't rely on being near an electrical outlet. If you're traveling by plane, it's handy if you're going to rent a car as well.
• Add phone numbers to your hotels BEFORE you leave home. You don't want fumble around looking for a phone number should you need to alter your reservations. If you need directions to their locations you have the number at your finger tips.

The cell phone really is more then an entertainment piece, it is truly a tool--a safety tool at that. Add your emergency contacts to your cell phone BEFORE you hit the road.
GPS....love mine, and use it all the time. I feel safer having one. You can use them to find your way from point A to point B, certainly. You can also use it to find where to get gas, where to get food near where you are.

• Make sure your GPS is FULLY charged before you leave home
• Make your car charger. You can use it in your personal care or your rental
• Add the names, phone numbers, and addresses of your hotels, airports and wherever you know you'll be traveling ahead of time.
• Don't leave your GPS visible in your car. Put it in your purse, carry on type bag, out of site perhaps in the glove box. Leaving this visible in the car is an invitation to theft.

Remember, a GPS may not be aware of detours or new roads. Though there are GPS's that give you the updates; it's my experience it's not the model most of us have.

Flat Stanley & Flat Joe at a Leathers Playground

Silly Stanley, he and Flat Joe missed Friday Fun with Flat Stanley yesterday. They apparently were too busy having a good time to come and post and tell you all about it. Here they both are at Wickliffe Elementary Playground in Upper Arlington, Ohio. This is a very special playground you see. It was built in 1989-1990 as a community build. Everyone got in the act. First all the school kids told Leathers People what they wanted in their playground. The kids talked, drew pictures, and made models. Then a plan was drawn up by by The Leathers Team and presented to the parents along with the price tag. Fund-raising ensued and for a week everyone came together, students, teachers, parents, and neighbors in the community to building this fabulous playground. Everyone was involved in some manner. Some took care of tools, some carried work equipment to and from, others prepared food and drink to keep us workers going hour after hour, others babysat so parents could pound nails Follow us now and we'll show you this marvelous playground. Come on in through the gate where Flat Stanley and Flat Joe are....

Hang on Joe, it swings. That's pretty cool. See behind Flat Joe? Things of different sizes for different age kids to enjoy. Fun spaces to crawl and play hide n seek, places to climb, places to sit and read. Even a little stage where kids can perform.


Flat Stanley here walking on a rail, while Flat Joe is exercising on the rings. Look careful and or click to enlarge the picture to see Joe.
Walkways, Castles, benches, play phones, swings, and slides and more. Flat Stanley and Flat Joe had a marvelous time playing and learning all about this really cool playground; but you know what they thought was the coolest? People working together to accomplish good are unstoppable. Flat Joe of Joseph Allen's Designs, said it's just like all the people pulling together on The Bridge and Beyond, there they make a difference one stitch at a time, and here they built a playground one board at a time.

Joe's on his way home now after 4 fun adventures here with Flat Stanley. If you missed any of their fun, you can catch up here:
Not a ordinary playground
Traveling Buckeye Style
Flat Joe and Flat Stanley