THE SUITCASE: BOON OR BANE

picture courtesy of viewwallpapers.com

I'm a world traveler. I've always tried to take the time to visit places while I travel whether it's for work or pleasure.  That said packing is one of the things I dread.  Ask any of my friends.  The night before the trip there is usually one calling me to chat and asking me "are you packed yet?"  My invariable answer is "ugh, not yet."  Not because I don't know what to take or I don't know what the weather is going to be like or I'm a huge procrastinator.  I'm not.  I just hate that physical act of packing.  I HATE, yes with a big ol capital H, to check my luggage unless I absolutely have to or if I'm on a direct flight AND on vacation. Yes I realize that is a lot of caveats. 

My reasoning is this...

1. It's a pain in the caboose if it gets lost.  You have to wait to talk to the people at lost luggage.  Let's be honest they are not the most happy people to begin with anyway.    

2. It often is damaged and man handled which leads to that inevitable bottle of something breaking open all over.

3. I have an ample bottom and chest so if my luggage doesn't make it where I am, it's hard to find emergency clothes.  Especially for a business situation. I've been forced to walk around a Wal-mart in Mexico at 8pm looking for toiletries and a clean shirt.  I was very popular the next day in my horizontal green pin striped low cut number.  Ugh!

Image courtesy of ebags.com

I can pack for a two week international trip in my carry-on.  I did buy a hard back suitcase three years ago from ebags.com and I've been in love ever since.  It gets banged around and damaged, but nothing inside has ever had problems.   It is a four piece set.  It is white with purple and pink polka dots.  I have never had anyone else reach for it.  I've had several comments of how smart I am to have such a distinguishing suitcase in the sea of red, blue and black.  See the picture to the left.  My luggage is of similar style and same set, but in my lovely purple!  Very durable and lovely spinner wheels that make it easy to pull around.  I use my carry on for a chair as well! The airports get more crowded every day with less flights and more people.  Always nice to have a place to sit and read.

Packing for any extended travel takes forethought and planning.  Trust me once you've done it a couple times it becomes second nature.  Here's my list of what I take.  After all these years the funny thing I've found is I almost always end up with 1-2 pieces I didn't need. 

The Suitcase List

1. Pants or a skirt, 2-3 of whatever you are comfortable in. I prefer to roll them up so preferably a material that is wrinkle resistant.

2. Shirts or Tops, 5-6 that can be layered or mix and match.  I rarely take anything that has to be ironed.  Mainly because this is not one of the skills I have excelled at in my long business career. I don't like to look disheveled so I go for things with a small percentage of spandex, lycra or polyester in them.

3. Undergarments, this tends to be personal choice, but I take one for each day and I can wash in the sink if necessary and hang on the shower rod.

4. Socks, I take varying thicknesses but generally one for each day of the week

5. Shoes, I wear my most comfortable pair of slip-ons in the airport and take a pair of flip flops for the hotel room, never know what is on that carpet or tile.  If I have to take my work boots I'll stuff my socks or underwear in them to take up less room. 

6. Add my 1 pair of pajamas.

7. My swimsuit, if there is a pool at the hotel I want to swim, although I often forget this blasted thing!

8.  Stuff those toiletries in there and you should be good to go.

Sometimes you just have to check your luggage no matter how much you try to keep your stuff to a minimum.  My biggest dread is standing around that carousel and waiting, waiting and waiting.  Watching all the other passengers walk out with their suitcases in tow.  I breath a visible sigh of relief and feel my shoulders lighten when I see a flash of purple as my suitcase falls off the conveyor onto the carousel.  When it doesn't, I start sweating, looking for my baggage claim ticket and hoping the lost luggage person has had a better day or that no one has been rude before me.

Picture courtesy of bucks.blogs.nytimes.com

Most airline lost luggage people are not that bad.  Just remember they are trying to do their job like everyone  They usually are by themselves, it's late and they are overwhelmed.  It pays to be polite, courteous, smile and speak calmly.  Getting hot headed in this situation will do nothing for you.  Make sure you always keep your baggage claim stub.  Security may not check it anymore, but the airline lost luggage person will need it.  Always have something identifiable on your suitcase.  A ribbon, a bright colored tag, something.  It helps them to notice your suitcase.  Make sure your luggage has your name, first and last, your address work or home, and your phone number.  They will bring your luggage to you if they find it. 

26 million bags get lost every year.  Don't be a statistic.  Make your bag visible, be smart and everyone will have a more positive experience.

OR do like I do carry on as much as possible!

SCOTLAND: THE CALL OF THE WILD (only a partial)

Scotland one of those great places that brings to mind scenic landscapes, castles and the Loch Ness Monster.  For others it brings to mind golf, heather, log sports that aren't quite right and kilts.  It is by far one of my favorite places to visit.  The landscape is greatly contrasting with it's rural areas, craggy highlands and large crowded cities. The temperatures in Scotland require a coat pretty much year round.  62° as a high and 32° as a low through out the year.  It rains about half the time.  Be sure to bring your umbrella as well.   

 

There is so much to see in the small 30,000 sq miles.  So take in as much as you can.  The few highlights that I have enjoyed.  Start with Edinburgh.  Edinburgh is the capital and the political center of the country.  The Edinburgh Castle overlooks the city sitting atop a rock.  The area it stands on has been inhabited by someone since the 9th century.  It has been home to royalty including Mary Queen of Scots.    The view from the Half Moon Battery and the Argyle Battery are breath taking as a brisk breeze reminds you of the North Sea close by.    

I'm struggling to find all my pics so bear with me as I add more to this! 

Sandi 

Weekend with Friends

No long post this week my friends.  Had company in town so I forwent the normal weekly writing for the normal run around the house and try to clean like crazy.  Forgive me and I'll be back this coming week with a post on Scotland!

S

Road Trip West (Part 2) - Memphis and Elvis

Late again... I know it's my own timeline but I dislike missing it.  Life has been hectic.  Hopefully next week I'll be back onto my Thursday night publishing.  So without further ado...

Photo by Craig Morris - Hernando De Soto Bridge

Memphis, Tennessee brings to mind barbeque, music and the King, Elvis Presley.  I couldn't go through Memphis without trying barbeque or stopping at Elvis's house.

My first introduction to Memphis is on I-40 the glorious Hernando De Soto Bridge.  With it's metal arches overlooking the Mississippi river it's almost a car stopper, but the police seem to frown on that.

 photo by www.jaunted.com

My first stop was a little barbeque place on the outskirts of Memphis.  Where I could buy my barbeque ribs by the bone.  They were amazing.  Tender, dry, perfect pieces of meat that melted in my mouth.  The place was a little hole in the wall, but totally worth the chance.  When the locals turn around to see who has just walked in and the waitress sits with you at dinner you know you are in a great place.   I ate more than a belly full of ribs and beans.  I spent the night in a Hampton Inn and headed to see Elvis the Pelvis the next morning.    

Directions weren't great.  You assume you'll see signs Elvis's house, but you really had to look for it.  Looking for ticket prices see  http://www.elvis.com/graceland/tours/tickets-reservations/default.aspx.  I took the self-guided tour with the headphones and toured the auto museum for $33 and change.  This included my $5 worth of pictures in front of the gates of Graceland.

photo by www.spinsouthwest.com

Along Elvis Boulevard across the street from Elvis's mansion is what I'd call the Graceland strip.  Buy a ticket to tour the King's house, tour the automobile museum, buy Elvis memorabilia.   I stood in line for almost an hour waiting to see Elvis's house.  Thankfully the couple in front of me were chatty.  A nice couple from Arkansas out traveling on their empty nest honeymoon.  I told them about my road trip and they gave me additional places to stop and in see in Arkansas next time I have a long weekend.

 As we made our way to the buses our pictures were taken in front of the Graceland gates.  These are interesting wrought iron gates with music symbols on them made specifically for the King.  The bus took us up the drive to the front of the house and dropped us off.  I was thankful it was September not so hot and humid.  The front living room had some ornate stained glass and all white sofas.  WHITE!!! And they still looked clean!

 I loved the purple bedroom.  I couldn't believe the carpets.  This house cost Elvis

They shuffled us through the all white living room.  Allowed us a brief glance and murmur about his death upstairs and we were hurried into the dining area then the kitchen and the famed Jungle room. No one is allowed upstairs out of respect for the King and his family. 

 The basement has three whole televisions and some odd yellow and monkey decor. It's said that Elvis liked to watch all the stations to keep up with the news that's why there were three televisions.  Three TV's would be nothing now!

 Out back is room for horses and a building with a large portion of Elvis's outfits from his performances, movies and life.   

At the right side of the house the family is buried and an eternal flame burns.  There's a seated area for mourners that still come in droves.  You have to wonder is the King secretly standing somewhere watching as well? 

My all time favorite story of this trip was my shopping excursion to the Harley Davidson store down the road from Graceland.  I have one of those little Voodoo dolls on my purse.  It's the Crybaby.  Protects you from emotional upheaval, or it's suppose to.  Anyway it was jingling all through the store and the salesperson was rather rude to me.  Well, until I went to pay and she asked me what the heck was jingling?  I told her "oh, that's just my voodoo doll."  She turned pale and took a full step back from me asking if there was anything else that I wanted or needed.   I thought it was odd, but realized maybe she believed in voodoo.

Memphis was a great stopping place and I only scratched the surface of the city.

Belated - THE ROAD TRIP WEST (PART 1)

My sincere apologies for the belated post this week.  The boyfriend and I took a break over the long weekend and just relaxed.  Including a few days off from writing.  Although, it was rejuvenating and fun, I hated to miss my weekly deadline. 

I was thinking of what the summer and the Fourth of July holiday means to me.  Obvious things come to mind, the appreciation of my freedoms, but also that freedom to travel wherever we want whenever we want.  We live in a country where states are bigger than most European countries.  We don't need a passport or need to speak a different language.

Just in the lower 48 there are multiple cultures.  That's one of the great things about our country.   It made me think about my solo road trip west.  From Florence, South Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I traveled one thousand seventy six miles over the course of three days by car.  In a 2005 Nissan Murano she was a very comfortable ride and sleep some nights!    Below is the route I took on my westward journey.  Cutting through the majority of the southern states.  

I started my journey in Florence with the mind that I wanted to see the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.  I am a motorcycle junkie and I'd been trying to get there for years.  This was a great time to add it to my trip.  I spent the night in Birmingham, Alabama at the ALOFT hotel downtown.  These are nice hotels not terribly expensive and in general really nice no matter where you go.  aloft.starwoodhotels.com  It was different, little to no service at the desk, but the modern room was comfortable with a lovely glass shower.  I slept well and got up the next morning heading for the museum.  

 As you enter the museum parking lot you would not guess that it's as large inside as it is.  It's 740 acres of land, and has a 2.38 mile racetrack that was in use while I was there.  The front of the museum is graced by these a bit odd sculptures.  Upon closer inspection of the plaque below you can understand the creators thoughts a bit better.  There is that rush when riding a motorcycle that is unlike anything else you do.  

 Toward the end of my tour I stood at the back windows watching the racers zoom by with distinct jealously.  

 The nice thing about the Museum is it's about history of all motorcycles not just Harley's, Indian's, Honda's or the Triumph's.  I saw and drooled over a number of the most beautiful motorcycles in the world.   Entry into the Barber is $15 but totally worth it.   There's 3 floors of motorcycles including the one's attached to the elevator shaft.      So hard to pick my favorite.  It ranged from 1912 Harley's to 2000 Honda's.  I walked around the museum for several hours.  I enjoyed a coke and a chat with a fellow rider in the small cafeteria in the basement.  Swapping stories about rides, road trips and which way we were headed.  This is the beauty of a road trip.  The different things you see and the normally very nice people you meet.   As a single female, I rarely have an issue, if ever have an issue. 

I'm going to include several pictures here and let the beauty of the bikes speak for themselves.  I highly recommend this as a place to stop on your way East or West.  For more information on hours and events check barbermuseum.org/. 

Later this coming week look for the second half of my road trip to Memphis. 

Thanks for reading! 

S