List of Documents List all your credit card numbers, driver's license numbers, passport numbers, traveler's check numbers, confirmation numbers, and any other important information you plan to take with you. In the terrible event that you lose your wallet or it is stolen, you could easily cancel your credit cards and order new traveler's checks without panicking. Imagine being in Paris when you lose your wallet. What did you have in it? Do you know your credit card numbers by memory? Keep a copy with you, separate from your documents, and leave a copy with a family member at home. Once you return from your travel, put the list in your safe deposit box. Photocopy Passport When traveling overseas, carry a photocopy of your passport on you at all times and leave a copy of it at home with a friend or family member. It's a good idea to keep the original in a separate place, like the hotel safe. If you lose your passport when abroad, go immediately to the United State's Embassy. You will need a copy of your birth certificate or photocopy of your passport, as well as an additional piece of identification such as a driver's license. One family member should not carry all the passports for the entire family. A Day's Essentials Pack a day's essentials in your carry-on bag. Take what you would need to make it through one day - glasses, prescriptions, toiletries, etc. - just in case your luggage gets lost. If you wear contact lenses, you may want to keep your solutions and containers in the carry-on bag. If you wear disposable, pack a spare set just in case a contact lens gets torn. Wrinkle Free Roll up your clothes to reduce wrinkling, and it takes up less valuable space. Wrinkle-free items such as jeans, T-shirts, lingerie and sweaters can be rolled to save space and cushion heavier items. When using a hanging bag, put plastic dry cleaning covers (or large garbage bags) over each garment. This reduces wrinkle-causing friction between clothing. Tissue paper between garments in the suitcase will do the same thing. Be sure to pack tightly; leaving spaces or not filling the suitcase up will increase wrinkles. In the suitcase, keep clothing flat but alternate the directions of collars and waists. Hang clothes on hangers on the shower rod, run hot water into the tub, and keep the door closed to let them steam about 20 minutes. They will be slightly damp but will dry quickly. A small plant mister/sprayer may be used to spritz the clothes with a little water, shake and/or stretch out the big wrinkles, and hang the clothes in the closet or shower stall. Please note that this does not work with dry-clean-only rayons and silks, which may shrink or spot from the water, so read labels. This takes out some of the small wrinkles and softens the bigger ones. There are new wrinkle releaser products such as Downy Wrinkle Releaser which will help. Cross Pack Pack some of each other's clothing in each other's bags. If a bag is lost when traveling, you will have something to wear in the event that one bag doesn't make it. Packing Shoes Save those plastic bags the morning newspaper is delivered in. They are a perfect size to hold either a pair of women's shoes nested heel to toe, toe to heel, or a man's single shoe - LARGE size. Takes no room in the suitcase, and provides complete protection, even from damp shoes." Tape Always take a roll of strong tape with you when you travel. It can remove lint, seal bottles, repair a ripped suitcase, or even temporarily mend a hem. Film Bring twice as much film as you think you'll need. Any film that is 400-speed or less can pass through airport carry-on X-ray machines several times with no damage. However, the X-rays that airports use on checked luggage are much stronger -- so never pack film or your camera into checked luggage. Disposable Camera Buy an inexpensive, disposable camera for children who are old enough to use it. The trip is then photographed from the child's perspective. It will be a wonderful treasure. Easy ID To help identify your family quickly in airports or crowded places, dress everyone in the same colors. Avoid having your children wear shirts with their names on them because a stranger might call the child by name, and the child will think that they must know this person. In case a young child gets lost that is too young to state his name or the parent's name, a suggestion is to have some identification on their person such as an engraved luggage tag in their pocket, looped to a belt loop, or worn as a necklace. Business Card Pack a business card or name tag inside your bags including a cosmetic bag. Then if you accidentally leave it, there is a way for it to be identified by security. Extra Collapsible Duffel Bag Pack an extra collapsible duffel bag in your suitcase to bring back gifts and mementos you purchase. You might even pack an extra bag for dirty laundry too. Nylon Cooler Packing a collapsible nylon cooler can be invaluable when traveling. It is wonderful if you want to picnic, carry some cold drinks on a side trek etc. Use it like a tote bag or carry-on luggage. Use it when taking your own meal on a flight; have dinner while everyone else has peanuts and also manage to avoid the exorbitant prices that the food sellers in airports charge. Post Cards for Home "Wish You Were Here!" Before you leave on your trip, write or print out address labels for post cards. It will not only save you some time, but you will not have to worry about having the correct addresses on your vacation. Storing Suitcases If you are putting them away after a trip, you can prevent them from getting a musty smell by placing an unwrapped bar of soap inside. If you travel, save the small bars hotels and motels provide and use them for this purpose. Another idea is to place a sheet of Bounce inside the empty luggage before storing to prevent musty suitcases. I am told that Bounce Dryer Sheets also repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season. Chiggers Sulfur is great for chiggers, but it is not an every day product that you have handy. Try spraying deodorant around your ankles to prevent chigger bites. I am told that Right Guard works really well. 2-Way Mirrors When you are in toilets, bathrooms, hotel rooms, changing rooms, etc., how many of you know for sure that the seemingly ordinary mirror hanging on the wall is a real mirror, or actually a 2-way mirror? A 2-way mirror is when they can see you, but you can't see them. There have been many cases of people installing 2-way mirrors in female changing rooms. Especially a small privately owned boutique" or shop. It is very difficult to positively identify the surface by just looking at it. So, how do we determine with any amount of certainty what type of mirror we are looking at? Just conduct this simple test: Place the tip of your fingernail (if you don't have nails, then use a pen or similar object) against the reflective surface and if there is a GAP between your fingernail and the image of the nail, then it is a GENUINE mirror. However, if your fingernail DIRECTLY TOUCHES the image of your nail, then BEWARE... it is a 2-way mirror! So remember, every time you see a mirror, do the "fingernail test." GOLD NUGGETS Statues If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one fron leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds recieved in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes. Fall Foliage Why do leaves change color? Native-American legend says that the red leaves symbolize the killing of the Great Bear of the Heavens; the yellow leaves represent te cooking fires. It takes the right combination of weather and type of tree to result in the annual fall parade of colors. Leaves contain chlorophyll, which absorbs red and blue light from sunlight and reflects green light, giving leaves a green color. But chlorophyll is unstable and breaks down in bright sunlight. Another pigment found in many leaves is carotene, which absorbs blue-green and blue light, making the leaves appear yellow. Many leaves also contqain anthocyanins, which absorb blue, blue-green, and green light, making leaves appear red. During the summer, leaves produce sugar and the abundant chlorophyll makes them appear green. When the days grow shorter and the nights get cooler, the flow of nutrients to the leaf is interrupted, less chlorophyll is produced, and the green color fades. If the leaf contains carotene (found in birch and hickory trees), it will change to a bright yellow color. In trees like red maples, red oaks, and sumacs, the concentration of sugar increases in the fall. This sugar reacts to the anthocyanins, turning the leaves red. Plant scientists say the brightest autumn colors come if the fall weather is dry with summy days and cool nights. Dude Ranches The first dude ranches appeared in the late 1800's when cattle and horse ranchers hosted paying guests in their homes. These urban, impeccably-dressed visitors wanted a taste of the wild West. Condescending ranch hands called them "dudes," and the name stuck. Home | Group Tours | Disney Travel | Specials | Honeymoon Registry | Treasure Chest | Texas Traditions | America the Beautiful | Land of Enchantment © Copyright 2001 by Voyages of Discovey. All rights reserved. Web Site Designed by: