Packing Thursday Traveling Tip

Packing, it's been my experience that regardless of where you go, most people over pack. Ask yourself several questions.

1. ..What am I going to be doing (what type of clothes are needed to accomplish this)
2. ..How long am I going to be there
3. ..What's the weather like
4. ..Are there laundry facilities there?

Answering those questions will truly help you.
Example...what am I going to be doing? Going to the beach, you're going to be walking and laying on the beach. What do you need? Sunscreen and bathing suit, and not much more. So, if you're in a hotel where you will eat out every meal, you need clothes for that. Is it fancy? Probably not, most beach places are pretty casual. Shorts, or summer skirts and tops are probably all that's needed. If you're in a condo and will be doing you own cooking, are you going to "dress for dinner"?
How long am I going to be there? Going for a week, you need maybe 2 skirts for evening with different tops, and maybe 2 pair of shorts for variety. A couple of suits so one can be drying while you've got the other one on. What's the weather like? Probably a beach trip is hot (though I took one that wasn't) Sweater sets are great, sleeveless for when it's hot, and a matching sweater if it cools down at night or you get cold in A.C. while dining out. Are there laundry facilities? If so, you can pack lighter and do a laundry mid week.

My suggestion is to lay out what you think you need on the bed, look it over; match sure colors blend so you can mix and match. If not make changes. Then when you satisfied, remove 1 full outfit and hang it back up in your closest. Think back, how many times have you come home and said I didn't need this or that while unpacking?

Pack a slightly larger suitcase then you need for your clothes, you'll have room them for purchases you make while gone. Be they gifts for friends and family or your personal souvenirs. Toss in a bag or two like these. These happen to be what I use grocery shopping, but one or two of these gives you a bag to separate things in your suitcase for the return trip, something to put your beach towel, sunscreen etc. if you're going to the beach or spending time at the hotel pool.

If you're flying, be sure and weigh your suitcase at home. Give yourself room to grow heavier so you're not charged for a heavy bag. Another good purpose of those bags above. You could use one for your carry on if you're over weight. How will you know if you're overweight at the hotel? Does your hotel have a workout room? Most do, so do condo's at resorts. There are scales in a work out room. Weight your bag the night before departure. Don't be caught off guard.

**Still having issues with formatting. Can anyone figure out why the numbers and or dots don't work here when I post on blogger? I see both when I type in draft form, I see both in preview form, I see neither when post is published. The same situation with the few times I've tried to use a linky. No numbers appear???

Historic Breckenridge, Colorado

Such a pretty little yellow church with a red door. Not a color combination you see everyday. Look how narrow the windows are, look closer (remember you can always click to enlarge pictures) and you'll see original leaded windows. This quaint little church is old. It's located at 100 North French Street in Breckenridge, Colorado. Walking around to explore I was taken in my this cute little building. Looking futher I've learned it was built way back in 1887. It's served the community is several capacities; which is often is the case histrically with churches. It was more then a church, it was a place people could come together.
Giving you a side videw. The Original building is the part you see in front, while the back portion is the addition. This church was moved from just across the street when they needed to enlarge it. It's been several different denominations from Episcopal to Baptist. This building was the first in Breckenridge to install electric lights back in 1891.
While the sign is a bit hard to read, you can tell it's listed on The National Register of Historic Places. Old, small and quaint perhaps; but it's still serving the community. It's not just a building to look on and consider it's place in history, it is a busy and thriving church in modern times.
A stone's throw away from the cute yellow church is this impressive Catholic Church, St. Mary's. This historic church was built in 1881 and is therefore a bit older than the previous church. The Bedll and Belfrey was added in 1899 and is original. A nice courtyard, pretty flower bed surround the church. They've added on a modern addition to the left of this which is really disappointing, as it looks modern and frankly out of place. I wanted to get pictures of the inside when I saw the door opened; but as I approached realized a wedding was taking place.
It also is listed on The National Register of Historic Places. My daughter attended Mass here on Sunday and said it was held in the new addition which was disappointing, as she too hope to see the inside of the historic chapel.
Another view of the quaint historic church. When you travel, go off the beaten path. Churches have historical been the center of communities, see what you see and learn.

Traveling on Tuesday with The Suitcase Packed

A brief word about a few changes here on the blog. I've reluctantly added comments being moderated after 14 days. I hate, hate, hate, comment moderation. Seems to me it slows down the whole process of blogging which is suppose to be interaction. Not just you and me (the writer of the blog and the commentors), but interaction among the commentors too. I ALWAYS read the full post and the comments...unless there's a huge huge number of them before commenting. I've noticed the fun blogs often have discourse between the commentors. Or people then visit each other. I love that and do it often myself. Spam lately has been an issue with Chinese and Russian comments, generally on older posts, so I've started to moderate comments made after 14 days. Hopefully that will help.

In the process I've learned blogger now has a spam filter. It's important to look at your spam filter to make sure what's there is infact spam. If something isn't you merely click publish. Some of the comments I may not have responded to sadly got there. They are now published and I appologize for them being delayed here on the blog, as well my response back to you; if in fact you asked a question. As I understand it using this filter will be like what we all do with our email. Sounds GREAT to me. Thank You!

And now for some fun, I've packed my suitcase and am going traveling...virtually with the follow me back Tuesday Meme

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Camping in Style

Resting after hiking a trail in The Great Smokies, hubby and I posed for a photo shoot. The hike down was hectic and dangerous. See those dark clouds above us, well they cut loose and one really doesn't want to be up high on a ridge with lightening and thunder. We hurried making our way down, but at the same time had to careful with the wet slippery trail when the skies let loose. I was really glad we had purchased good Camping Gear. Good hiking boots kept me sure footed so much more then a pair of sandals or tennis shoes would have in those conditions. When the wind kicked up and it got cold, I was able to quickly zip on the bottoms of my pants.
Having Quality Camping Equipment makes or breaks a camping excursion. Though this picture shows a bright sunny pretty day, the night before was something else entirely. We were camping out in Rocky Mountain National Park. We were dry and secure while others around us weren't so lucky. Some tents blew badly in the winds, some tent poles snapped making the tent collapse. Our Dome style tent with vestibule kept us safe, warm, and dry.
It's important to have the right equipment for the journey. Tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, air mattresses, stoves, lanterns, heaters, fuel, water bottles and purification systems needed for hiking, camping, fishing, and climbing can all be obtained though Camping Gear Outlet. When you have the right kind of quality equipment you really can enjoy the journey, you feel safe, you feel secure, you truly feel protected. Communing with Mother Nature is a wonderful way to de-stress in our overly busy lives.

Doesn't matter if you're going for a night or going for a week in the back country, you want and need quality equipment and tools to make your journey interesting, fun, and rewarding. And let's not forget clothes, yes even the right clothes can make a difference in your comfort. Outdoor clothing needs to be comfortable, strong and durable while also being purposeful. Don't over look the importance of food and the right tools and equipment to prepare it either. You don't have to be Eulle Gibbons and stalk The Wild Asparagus, you can eat pretty well if you plan ahead and purchase the right camping equipment for cooking a good hearty and healthy meal.

Flat Stanley and his cousin, Flat Joe

LOOK, he's here. I told you a few weeks back my cousin Joe was coming for a visit, here he is! I'm sooooooooo excited. I want to introduce him to you....People this is Joe, my cousin. Joe, these are all the people I've been telling you about.
Come on Joe, we'll unpack your suitcase later. We've got places to go, people to meet, and things to do. We'll make it an early night since you came so far; you'll be tired probably. Joe traveled special priority mail all the way from Summerville, South Carolina. He traveled 516 miles, wow. The car ride was 11.5 hours long.

He's telling me all about Summerville, sounds like a place I'd like to go someday. Summerville's called "Flower town in the Pines". Doesn't that sound pretty? He says it's pretty with flowers everywhere, but mostly Azaleas. People have Azaleas in their yards, but there's also planted in lots of public gardens. In fact there's an "official Azalea Park" that tourist come to visit every Spring. They have a farmers market on Sat. mornings with lots of wonderful fresh produce. Even though they're near Charleston it's a cozy town and not a busy busy hectic kind of place. They have lots of parks and plenty of recreational areas. They even have a large sports complex with lots of things to do.

When the little town was rebuilding after The Civil War, they were hit with an earthquake in 1886. But that didn't dampen the spirits of the neat people who live there. They continued to build a prosperous wonderful community to live and work in.
I'm gonna help Joe unpack and settle in now, but if you want to read more about Joe, look at his web address above. Be sure and come back soon, so you can read all about Joe's adventure here in Ohio with his cousin, Flat Stanley....that's me course!

And, don't forget you can read all about my other adventures HERE.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words!

We've all heard the saying "A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words", so regardless of the size or style of camera you use Don't Leave Home without It!

Is your camera fully charged? Do you have extra batteries and or a battery charger packed so you don't miss a special picture or memory because you're batteries are kaput? Do you have an usb plug if you need that for your computer, or an extra memory disc or stick?

Where are you packing your camera? Personally I like the camera in my purse or in my carry on bag even if I'm not flying. Why? You want it close at hand in case there's a photo opportunity before you reach your destination and get unpacked. Batteries add a fair amount of weight which can be a problem if you're flying. Two suggestions, use rechargeable batteries instead of lots of batteries to carry and throw away. Have one set charged and in your camera, a 2nd set charged and packed. When you remove the first set from your camera to put in the charger you still have the 2nd set ready to go. Or, if you use the throw away batteries; have one set in your camera and buy others as soon as you reach your destination instead of buying them at home and packing them. Yes, I know in most vacation resort locations you'll pay more for the batteries; but not as much as paying for a heavy bag.

I much prefer to be green and use my rechargeable style batteries.

Make sure you have your camera strap, either one for around your neck or one for your hand....and USE IT! Don't fall victim to a camera being dropped because you have a strap and don't use it, or didn't bother to put it on the camera when you purchased it.

When photographing your memories, enjoy yourself. Don't spend lots of time arranging people to get the "perfect" shot. It annoys everyone involved. Just take a picture and keep moving. I've heard people say (particularly those with a camera that needs lots of adjustments etc.) that taking photo's is time consuming, and adds stress to the vacation. Don't let it be, click and move on. Don't spent valuable time you could be exploring making sure everyone in your picture is standing in the exact location. Saving memories and sharing the fun is what you're trying to accomplish.
Read all Thursday Traveling Tips Here

Sunny Smiles in Cancun Mexico

When you first think of Cancun Mexico you think beaches and beautiful bodies, right? A beautiful smile completes the beautiful body and it too can be found with Cancun Cosmetic Dentistry in Mexico. Most of us really don't like going to the dentist; but how about combining a fabulous vacation in sunny Cancun with needed dental work. Wouldn't that make the whole experience totally different? Of course it would. Dental Tourism, bet you never thought of that; but you should. Why? You can have Laser Whitening, crowns, bridges, implants and denture work done for up to 70% off in a very modern facility while you enjoy time on the beach with family or friends.

Dentist in Mexico is easy, affordable, and can be tailor made to meet your needs. They have the ability to work with your insurance, have a fully functional lab right on site which means no waiting. They are proud members of The Medical Tourism Association, and have 20 years of experience in the field to offer you. Payments are easy with Visa, American Express and or Master Charge.

To aid you their website is complete with information regarding pricing, hotels in the area broken down into low, medium , high budget and luxury. You pick what's right for you. Additional information is available about travel and airlines. Still have questions be sure and check out the FAQ area, or make direct contact.

So smile, pack your swim suit and sunscreen.