Little Black Guidebook

I found this article on NY Times website on Expert Tips on Taking Better Travel Photos. I’m a point and shoot girl myself and usually delegate the photo taking duties to hubby who is an expert at taking shots of the two of us in front of things using his really long tall guy arms. This particular article is geared towards those with DSLR cameras, but there is a tip at the end for those of us with point and shoot cameras.

[via http://lifehacker.com/5302575/be-a-better-photographer-on-vacation]

Oh and here is another one on taking great panoramic photos. These are definitely cool ways to remember your vacation.

I’ve been creating my own maps on Google maps forever, making my own little guidebooks of Salt Lake City forever. Now Google  has rolled out its City Tours feature for planning and navigating itineraries.

Currently a Google Labs project (read work in progress), City Tours helps “identify points of interest and plan multi-day trips to most major-cities.” To build your tour, just enter the destination city, and City Tours automatically maps out a plan with activity suggestions for each day. The site also suggests how long to spend at each place and clocks the walking distance between destinations. (keep in mind Google maps walking distance feature is still in Beta so its a work in progress) My favorite feature is that you can edit the sights, and change the date and length of your visit.

The site is still very much in lab status so I’ll keep making my own guidebook maps and pasting them into my little black Moleskinefor now, but this is a great step in the right direction. Check out City Tours for yourself, then let me know what you think.

pia jane bijkerk has the loveliest of blogs and a recent new book too. But since this really isn’t a design blog, I haven’t posted about her before, even though I love both her blog and book. What finally tipped the scales was this post on Irish Tea Brack. I don’t know how she feels about sharing her images here so I won’t post her image here, but click over to her post to learn how to not just drink tea, but make cake with it! Instead I leave you with an image of a tea cup I’d use to sip tea while I ate my tea soaked cake. Have a cup, it revives you!$14.95 Sontu from Crate and Barrel.

I got back from Mexico last night.  Only 12 pounds of luggage, a personal best. I ran into this post today on 10 Simple Tips for Becoming a Carry-On Traveler. It was mostly the standard stuff, but I haven’t seen it coming from a traditional guidebook like Fodors before. Guess the baggage fees are making everyone think about carrying on.

1. Know the rules and limits for carry-on bags.

2. Measure your bag correctly.

3. Wheels are not always best. – Or if you ask me, wheels are rarely best, unless your just a business traveler who uses cabs. I prefer to go green and use public transport even when I could travel this way though.

4. Ditch the liquids. – Ugh, I hate quart size ziplocs  now.

5. Limit your wardrobe. – Color coordinate!

6. One pair of shoes. – I would say 2 + flip flops for showers/beaches.

7. Pack carefully. – I like packing cubes better than the bundle method which requires me to unpack every time I get anything out of the bundle.

8. Plan on doing a bit of laundry.

9. Don’t take the extras. – Always take a pashmina or a jacket, you will not want an I love San Diego sweatshirt because you’re cold in the air conditioning. I agree with the rest though.

10. Leave some of the electronics at home.

Get out everything you want to take, put half of it back and make sure everything goes with at least 2 outfits.

I liked this article “Best Travel stretches” Via Weightwatchers.com. I have my own little routine of retorative yoga poses for my hotel room and toe scrunches (ala Die Hard), but the following are great as well — adapted from Zeer’s Travel Yoga. These ones are a little different from what I normally do as you actually do them while you travel. Ignore the strange faces, your back will thank you for it. These saved my back this weekend after too much time on a plane.

Loosen up pose
Try this one while waiting in line to check in or board your flight. Place your hands on your hips with your legs hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Make wide, full circles with your hips. Next, place your hands on your lower back, fingers pointing downward. Tighten your buttocks and stretch your upper back backward. Breathe and relax into the stretch.

Friendly neighbor pose
Here’s the perfect stretch when you’re stuck in a seat for hours. Sit near the edge of your seat with your arms on the armrests, holding the sides with your hands. Gently stretch your chest up and forward, and tilt your head slightly backward. Relax and breathe into the stretch.

Crossed leg twist
While sitting, cross your left leg over your right. Place your right hand or elbow on the crossed knee. Gently turn your body to the left and look behind you. Switch legs and twist the other way.

Shoulder rolls
If you’re driving this summer, you can ease some of that tension when you’re waiting at a traffic light or stuck in traffic. Raise your shoulders to your ears, hold, breathe and then drop. Roll one shoulder and then the other in wide circles in both directions.

Benn Watts photography is inspiring me today. Pictures like these really make me want to up the ante on both the weight loss and travel fashion fronts. Now if only there was a way to look this pulled together with less than 15 pounds of luggage.

One of these days when I have a huge collection of teacups I’ll have a mad hatteresque tea party. I’ll bring out all of my favorite cups, teas and goodies and treat everyone. The last time I did something like this was on my 13th birthday with my Mom’s china and all of my girlfriends and our American Girl dolls.

Photo from Anthropologie.

Mexico/San Diego Wedding+Army

Hubby will also be taking three pairs of shoes, but that’s because he flies out directly from San Diego only a few hours after the wedding for a week of Army duty. All of his clothes have to be washable and reusable because he can’t check a big bag, schlep it to Mexico and back and then jet off for training easily. He’s trying to go carry-on only with wedding clothes, a week of Army clothes and a laptop, which is quite difficult with how bulky those uniforms and boots are.

He packed his REI Adventure pants, which as he said “If I made it through Italy in August, I can handle Mexico.” He’s also bringing a Horny Toad button down shirt which he can sink wash and wear over again if necessary if he has any free time in the evenings after duty. I’ll probably be bringing his one wear only pretty wedding clothes back with me. His other lightweight favorite is his Marmot Ion windshirt which folds down to the size of a handful of Kleenex and really is the perfect layer for planes and humid climates where all you need is a little extra something to keep the air off of you and not a heavy jacket. I tried talking him into using his Army PT shorts as swim trunks, but he said he’s not allowed to use US Army uniform items while in foreign countries.

So there you have it, my no-wash Mexican weekend and his carry-on only 10-day Army packing list.

The US State Department Travel site for Mexico reads like a travel brochure of reasons not to visit the country. Here’s an excerpt:

“The greatest increase in violence has occurred near the U.S. border.  However, U.S. citizens traveling throughout Mexico should exercise caution in unfamiliar areas and be aware of their surroundings at all times.  Mexican and foreign bystanders have been injured or killed in violent attacks in cities across the country, demonstrating the heightened risk of violence in public places.  In recent years, dozens of U.S. citizens have been kidnapped across Mexico.  Many of these cases remain unresolved.  U.S. citizens who believe they are being targeted for kidnapping or other crimes should notify Mexican officials and the nearest American consulate or the Embassy as soon as possible, and should consider returning to the United States.”

Needless to say there are some fabulous deals to be had there between the violence and swine flu. I’m not recommending anybody go to Mexico without preparing though. We’re going this weekend for a family wedding right across the border, you know, that area SPECIFICALLY mentioned as being one not to go to.

After reading this I found it ironic that my Google Reader had the article: “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good Travelers?” waiting for me only a day later. I particularly liked the bit where the author said: “If we are ever to bridge the gaps that divide us and if we strive to make the world a slightly less frightening place, then surely our only real option is to continue to see it firsthand, come what may.” Exactly my thoughts.

Just because a place is perceived as dangerous does not prohibit you from traveling there, you should just make your own choice and make a well-informed one. Chris of The Art of Nonconformity traveled to Iraq for goodness sakes, I can head to Mexico for the weekend. So people, get off my back about telling me how dangerous Mexico is with the same tone of voice that people usually reserve for things like expounding on the evils of high fructose corn syrup. I get it, I did my research and I’m still going to watch my uncle get married come Saturday.

Ok, ok, I’ll put down my book and enjoy the outdoors. Can I take it with me in the canoe though?