Airplane travel during the height of the holiday season can be tough enough, but when you’re traveling with young children it can make the whole trip seem not worth the trouble.  Here are a few tips that will make flying with family a lot less frustrating and more fun for everyone.

1. Do plan in advance. Make lists of what you’ll need for each family member and check it off as you pack. The last thing you need is the added anxiety of forgetting some essential item or having to run out at the last minute to buy more diapers.
2. Don’t assume that you’ll be able to buy whatever you need at the airport. Have a supply of baby wipes, diapers, and bottles or juice boxes in your carry-on before you leave home. Reasonable quantities of formula, baby food, breast milk, and juice are not subject to the TSA’s 3.4 ounce carry-on limitation and do not have to be in a quart-size zip-top bag.
3. Do make sure you have enough supplies and medicine in your carry-on to get you and your child through a day or two of lost luggage.
4. Do bring toys to keep your child occupied during the flight. But don’t bring things a baby or toddler can bang on the tray table or seat back to annoy your fellow passengers. And don’t bring toys with too many tiny pieces that can get scattered and lost or toys that make al lot of noises or beeps. Soft toys or a coloring book and crayons are good options. [Read more →]

Want to travel like a Pro? Wonder what the secret is for the traveler who never seems to get flustered when everything is going wrong? Whether you are flying out for business or pleasure, these tips that are proven to help you have a better trip!

In this video from my interview with “The Look’s” Maggie Rulli I tell you:

1. How to be prepared in case things go wrong. Doing this will give you piece of mind for your trip.

2. What you should never leave home without.

3. What you should always do once you step on airport property.

4. What will make YOU a standout for that last minute (free) upgrade to First Class. And you will never hear this from the airlines.

5. What I always have in my suitcase that makes me feel at home.

Now that most people are taking their vacations, I am often asked for my advice on how to deal with post-vacation transition. Whether you’ve been away for a week or a month, you want to make it as easy and effortless as possible to get back to the reality of your everyday life.

That means just a bit of planning before you leave so that there are no unpleasant surprises (or forgotten errands to complete) when you put the key in the door and all you want to do is relax. Here are 5 things you can do to make that re-entry as seamless and stress-free as possible.

1.   Let’s face it, the end of a vacation is harsh enough. I think that there is nothing better than to come home to a “stocked” clean house and fresh sheets. Take care of all those  errands that are tempting to put off like going to the dry cleaner, grocery store, and shopping for essentials. Its so much easier to come home (and off Cloud 9) when you know that you don’t have a huge TO DO list.

2.   Make sure you leave food that will keep in the freezer, refrigerator, or cupboard so that you have something in the house to eat if you arrive late at night, if your flight is delayed, or you’re just too exhausted to shop. Also, toss anything before you leave that will expire in your absence.  I always leave milk in the freezer (sounds weird, but it defrosts perfectly) so that I have it the next morning in my coffee. [Read more →]

Summer is here—the height of the season for visiting friends in the country or at a beach house. Whether you’re a mother sending her teenager off for a weekend with a friend (and friend’s parents) or you’ve been invited to the boss’s house for the first time, unless you’ll be staying at a grand manor house with a full staff of servants, the rules of good guesting are pretty much the same for everyone.

1. Never arrive empty-handed. That means, bring a house gift (Dean & Deluca has great gifts baskets like the one above). Depending on the circumstances, it could be anything from some nice wine to a basketful of gourmet goodies to a lovely scented candle, or, if you know your host and his or her taste well, a decorative item for the home. Your gift doesn’t have to break the bank but it needs to show that you’ve put some thought into what might be most appreciated.
2. Be neat. Keep your belongings to yourself and your room neat and tidy. Whether it’s your shoes, your sun tan lotion, or your glasses, it belongs in the space you’ve been given, not left around in the common living area. And whether or not you’re in the habit of making your bed, hanging up your towel, and generally cleaning up after yourself when you’re at home, now is the time to adopt those habits—even if it’s only for the duration of your visit. [Read more →]

When is a vacation not a vacation? When you’re just as stressed as if you’d never left home! Here are 7 tips for making sure that you do recharge and don’t waste your vacation time dealing with unnecessary stress.

1.     Tie up loose ends. Make sure you don’t leave anything at home to nag at you when you’re away. That can mean anything from paying the bills that are coming due to leaving your home neat and tidy. No one wants to come home to overdue bills, an unmade bed, or a refrigerator full of food past its prime. We’re all different, so be sure you take care of whatever “business” would otherwise be stuck in the back of your brain while you’re trying to relax on the beach or take in the beauty of the Taj Mahal.

2.     Don’t over-schedule. Give yourself some time to switch gears. We all seem to think that the second we leave home we will automatically shift into full relaxation mode. But it doesn’t usually work that way. So if you go with the expectation that it will take a couple of days to unwind, you won’t wind up stressing about not being instantly unstressed.

3.     Make up your own mind. By all means do your research and get advice from your friends about what to see and do in your vacation destination, but don’t let their information limit your spirit of adventure. You just might discover that there’s a museum or a restaurant or some kind of activity nobody mentioned that sounds interesting to you. Don’t cross anything off your list just because it wasn’t recommended. Go for it. Otherwise you could be missing out on what turns out to be the highlight of your trip. [Read more →]

Family vacations are right around the corner. Traveling with a small child, the elderly, or the disabled can make the whole process a bit more stressful than it already is for other people, but there are ways to make it easier for everyone involved.

1.     Book a direct, nonstop flight. Whenever possible, its bets to go directly to your destination even though it may cost a bit more. That way you won’t have to worry about missing your connecting flight or even finding out that it’s been cancelled, thus putting you in the uncomfortable position of having to camp out in an airport. And if you do have to make a connection, be sure to leave plenty of time (at least a couple of hours) in case your initial flight is delayed or just to get to the next gate, or, in some cases, to a different terminal. The goal is to keep the stress level as low as possible for everyone.

2.     Depart early. Try to book the first flight out in the morning the plane is more likely to already be at the gate (having arrived the night before) and, therefore, your flight is less likely to be delayed.

3.      Sit up front. Reserve seats as close to the front of the plane as possible. Not only will you be less affected if you should run into turbulence but also you’ll be among the first to debark.

4.     The best seat… Try to book an aisle seat for anyone who has a mobility problem so that they’ll have less trouble if they need to get to a restroom. Children, on the other hand, will probably enjoy sitting by the window and looking out at the sky. [Read more →]

It’s true, flying these days can feel stressful and beyond complicated. But there are things that you can do to make your trip more (or less) comfortable, depending on how well you plan.

Just a little foresight can make the difference between a great restful flight and one that leaves us frazzled, fatigued, and disagreeable. Here are 5 easy tips that I have learned that work best to make travel more organized, efficient, and enjoyable!

1.     Be early. Honestly, the place to start is at home. Leave way more time than you think you need to get to the airport and through security. Make sure you have the time to deal with the worst-case scenario—an accident that backs up traffic on the highway or a really long line at security (this just happened to me, at 5:30am there were at least 40 people in wheelchairs in line ahead of me). You don’d want to start out your trip nervous and stressed out. Being relaxed before you get on a plane will help you have a better flight.

2.     Dress for security. You always hear this one but its true. Dress in a way that prepares you for a speedy trip through security screening. That means, don’t wear a belt (if you need one, put it in your bag and put it on after you go though security), shoes that tie, jewelry or a watch—all of which you’d have to remove at the check point. I put my watch and jewelry in a zip-lock plastic bag in my purse so that the TSA needs to go through my handbag they won’t get separated and I will be able to retrieve them easily once I’ve been cleared. I wear shoes or boot I can kick off easily, and I start the undressing and the sorting process well before its my turn to load up the TSA plastic bins. [Read more →]

When you’re traveling with a group of people, whether it’s an organized tour or just a couple of friends, it’s no longer all about you. You’ve signed up to be a member of the team, and you all need to play nicely together. Here are 5 things you should keep in mind to make sure you do your part.

1.     Thoughtfulness begins before you ever leave home. Make sure you pack at least a couple of changes of clothes in your carry-on so that, if your luggage is lost, the entire group won’t be inconvenienced—particularly if you’re traveling to a location that isn’t likely to have a wide selection of shops.

2.     If you take medication, don’t pack it in checked luggage, and be sure to carry a large enough supply to carry you through an unexpected emergency so that your problem doesn’t become the problem of the group. If your return is delayed for any reason from bad weather to an unexpected disaster—natural or otherwise—you may not be able to refill your prescription, so make sure that you don’t run out. [Read more →]

Vacationing with a friend (or 2) can either be great fun or the end of a beautiful friendship. The best way to be sure it’s the former is to have a heart-to-heart chat beforehand and be honest about your preferences and expectations.

Then you can negotiate if necessary and avoid conflict when it’s too late to do anything about it.

1.     Pick a destination you’ll both enjoy. If you love the beach and your friend is a culture vulture who hates the sun, you can still find a place with something to satisfy both of you—so long as you plan in advance and agree that you’ll each be free to go off on your own for at least part of each day. This can actually be a great thing, because, when you get together at the end of the day, you’ll be able to share your separate adventures over cocktails and dinner. But if you love solo exploration and your friend simply can’t be alone, it isn’t going to work. So do get it all out in the open in advance.

2.     Agree on your travel style and budget. If your friend loves nothing but the best and you’re pinching pennies, there could be trouble in paradise. Decide in advance on an accommodation that will be comfortable enough for your travel companion and not too pricey for you, and agree to one or two “splurge” meals or events. If you can’t do that, you probably shouldn’t be traveling together at all. [Read more →]

The old saying about “all work and no play” couldn’t be more true. If you give yourself some time to recharge your batteries while traveling on business you’ll probably be working more efficiently and smarter.

Here are 5 easy suggestions that have worked for me.

1. Try to work in a few vacation days before or at the end of your trip to relax, recharge, and do some of the fun things you couldn’t do while you were working.

2. If you don’t have an early breakfast meeting, get an extra hour of sleep (being rested will ultimately make you more productive) or order room service. I find that it can be such a luxury to have a delicious meal, a paper, and some extra quiet time. You’ll have more time to prepare for the day ahead and, when you do, you’ll feel so relaxed that you’ll be ready for anything. [Read more →]