Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 147

Live and Learn: Honolulu

It's been a while since I've done a Live and Learn post, but I realized there are things I still learned on trips that I can pass on. I never really thought I would want to go to Hawaii. I'm not one for sitting on the beach or for places that everyone raves about because they enjoy paying money to lay on the beach and drink beers. Just because a place has a great landscape doesn't mean it will be exciting to me as a vacation destination. I want to do things. I don't hate the beach, but I ca...

Review: Skyroll Spinner Carry-on

Okay, so you probably already know that I have a collection of bags, including the original Skyroll garment bag. Any bag that’s going to make traveling easier for me is a plus in my book, so when I found out that they were making a new spinner case, I was definitely interested in checking out. A carry-on that also features a garment bag sounds pretty awesome, right? Skyroll was made for the business traveler who needs to pack professional clothing that doesn't get wrinkled. A garment bag is...

Fixes for Common Travel Problems Part 3

As my trip gets closer, I'm trying to think of everything that could go wrong and what happened on my last big trip that I wish I could do-over. I don't have a time machine though, so I have to look forward and figure out what I did wrong and how to fix it. It used to be that every time I went on a trip I got sick. Fun, right? Makes you wonder why I ever loved going on vacation. Once, I caught a cold, that turned into a sinus infection and then became a horrible ear infection from the cabin...

Get Free Tickets to Your Favorite Museums

On Saturday over 1,400 museums in America (and Puerto Rico) will be offering free admission all day. This is a great promotion and can save you big bucks whether you are on vacation or at home. It’s also the perfect time to get your kiddos some culture without having to dish out the cash when they may or may not let you stay long enough to get your entry money’s worth.









We almost always visit at least one museum on any trip we take. From the Museums de la Mitad del Mundo in Ecuador ...

Reveiw: Pacsafe Anti-Theft Citysafe GII 100 Handbag

So, I have a feeling that when many of you ladies travel, you don't want to look like a tourist. Sometimes you can achieve this easily enough and then totally ruin it with a bag. As you know, I have a variety of bags, all of which I love and use in different situations. Living in Portland, nobody really pays attention to what your bag looks like or what you wear, but most cities aren't like that. I have always been interested in the Pacsafe products and when faced with a choice of which bag...

10 Ways to Save Money for Your Vacation

Vacations are never cheap, unless you are driving and staying with relatives, though what the cost is on your sanity has not been scientifically proven. Not every destination is easily accessible and flying becomes a must if you want to go travel the world, or even the other side of the country. So, if you want to go on a real vacation, it's going to cost you. You can make it cheaper by using tips I give here on the blog (and in my books), but it won't be free, which means you're going to h...

Super Useful Travel Links

It's official: Tomorrow is the last day of summer. How can that be? It seems like it just got here. For many of you that means the kids are already back in school and you're happy to be done with summer vacation. Did you go anywhere? If you didn't, then it's time to start planning something for Fall or Winter. If you did, but still have some money left in the travel fund, the same goes for you. Tomorrow we'll be talking about how to save for your vacations, but today I want to share a littl...

What Are You Willing to Sacrifice to Travel?

Throughout the year, I make a point of taking a portion of each of my paychecks and putting it in a travel savings account. Depending on what's going on in my life, I might save more or less each month, but I use that money to pay for bits and pieces of my vacation, so we don't have to spend a huge chunk of cash all at once right before we leave. Other ways I save are by only shopping the clothing sales (I still buy good stuff, but not at full price), getting free salon services by running...

Your Guide to Tipping Around the World

In America, we are so used to tipping for everything, we
don’t even think twice about it when we go to restaurants or have services
performed, like getting a haircut. We just figure it into the bill. Tipping is
not customary everywhere in the world and in some countries it’s even
considered rude. So, where should you keep your money in your pocket and where
should you tack on a few extra bucks?





photo credit





Asia



China does not practice the art of tipping and
so no tips are expect...

5 Affordable Ways to Celebrate Fall

The beginning of Fall is my favorite time of year. The weather is lovely and there are still plenty of outside activities to engage in. You can still do summery things, but you also get the benefit of holidays events starting. I only lament that you only get a good three to four weeks to do everything before the weather starts to get too cold to be comfortable. There's only so much I want to do when I have to bundle up in nine different pieces of outerwear. I'm starting to get out and so so...