Why I Shop at Trader Joe's Before I Travel

 

You may be surprised to hear that I hit Trader's just before I travel overseas. I love to load up on goodies to take on my trip. Come with me on my travel haul before my international trip!              

Travel Cosmetics Nuggets

When I tell people that I am a "carry-on only traveler, the first question they ask is, "What about all of your cosmetics?" A friend's husband once told me that if his wife was only allowed a carry-on, she would leave her clothes at home and fill the bag with beauty items!

This is the one area where I constantly have to use self restraint. Because beauty items are small, I'm always tempted to throw in "one more thing." I have to remind myself that unless I am going to a remote third world country, any place I go will have beauty items I can buy there. And it's so much fun to come home with special items that I find in another country!

I also had to come to the realization that traveling is about what you see, not about who sees YOU. Do you really want to spend an extra half hour attending to your makeup in the morning or do you want to see the Eiffel Tower?

Here are the basics that I always bring when I travel: (nothing larger than 3 oz, of course!)

Trip Report: My Solo Trip to the Amalfi Coast (again)


I flew from Trieste to Naples via Volotea on a rainy, cold Sunday in May, Mother’s Day in fact. I had just finished my second Rick Steves tour, this time two weeks to Eastern Europe. Most of the tour was blessed with daily, constant rain and temps of 40-50 degrees. Even with the rain, I walked a lot, but the cream cake and goulash were literally weighing me down. I was ready for the Amalfi sun and a lighter cuisine.

Trip Report: My Sicily Solo Adventure/My First Rick Steves Tour


Trip Report--Sicily 2018 
Rick Steves Tour 
Journal of My Solo Adventure to Sicily May-June, 2018

How to Tan Like a Floridian

There are certain things you should know about Floridians before you go to Florida.

First, let's define "Floridian."

A Floridian is someone who actually lives in Florida year round. People who live in Florida only in the winter are called snowbirds.

A Floridian is someone who moved to Florida before they turned sixty. If you move there after 60, you can own property, have a Florida drivers licence, and be a permanent resident, but you are NOT a Floridian. You are a retiree.

Magda from Something about Mary  lived in Miami but was NOT a Floridian!

If you are under 60 and you moved to Florida because you made a ton of money, say, being a pro golfer, basketball player, or selling your book, and you want to avoid state income taxes, you are only a Floridian if you actually live in that big mansion in the gated community.

A person who was born and raised in Florida, but now lives elsewhere, is definitely a Floridian.

Every area of the country has its own way to identify the non-natives from the natives. New Yorkers can spot a local from a tourist in a New York minute. It's not just the way they hail a cab or cross the street, it's a certain attitude unique to New Yorkers.

Floridians are the same way. There are subtle ways to spot a true Floridian.

Here are three basic rules on how NOT to stand out as an outsider in Florida.