Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 25

How to Pack for a Special Occasion Trip

Earlier this month, Eric and I took a weekend trip to San Francisco to celebrate one of his cousin's weddings. It was fairly short, in that we flew in Friday after work and flew home on Sunday, but we were able to see everyone we wanted and party for an evening and eve got in some sightseeing.

I hate wasting time on a short trip with waiting for a bag to come out of the carousel and I always worry if my bag will make it to my destination, so I don't chance it if I don't have to. I'm also into sav...

How to Travel More Safely

We just came back from a trip where our car got broken into and some of our stuff was stolen, which sucks really hard, but things could have been worse and insurance will cover our things and the broken window. Things don't always go to plan on trips, and I'll be taking new precautions on future trips, but for now, here are some ways to travel more safely:

Photo credit
I hope all your travels are good ones where you stay safe and healthy. Stay tuned for more tips on how to keep your electronics se...

7 Things to Do On a Layover

Most people hate the airport, and I get it, but I also know it's a necessary part of a vacation, so I always love to explore new airports. I will plan what I want to do and where I want to eat at airports long before we even travel. I have Gate Guru downloaded to my phone, so I can see what art and other cool stuff there is at the airport. If you hate the travel part of traveling, here are ways to actually enjoy the airport.

Why do I enjoy the airport so much? It could be that we have one of the ...

Avoiding the Worst Part of Long Distance Travel

Long distance travel can be a pain. Depending on which way you travel, you lose time getting to your destination, or getting home, it's tiring, you  have to pack more strategically than usual, you need different things if you're going to an international location, and the worst part, it can cause jet lag, so you miss a good chunk of your trip. 

So, how do you keep from getting jet lag? Because there are ways of doing it. Here's how I go from a destination with an 8 hour time difference and immedi...

Why You Should Plan A Trip Right Now

Are you planning any trips right now? I have three on my schedule right now: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Toronto. Even when I don't have anything planned for months, I'm always planning trips, because it's fun for me and it relaxes me just thinking about being on vacation. 

So, why should you be planning a trip right now? Besides the obvious, that we all need to get away from normal life every once in a while, there are benefits to both planning and going on a vacation:

Problem Solving Skills ...

St. Patrick's Day At-Home Celebration

It's almost St. Patrick's Day, and you know what that means! Bars are going to start serving disgusting green beer and be packed with drunken revelers that announce that everyone's Irish on March 17th. As lovely as the Irish are, I'm not entirely sure they agree with all that nonsense, regardless of them doing similar things in Ireland for tourists.

If, like me, the thought of cramming into a pub with a million other people who are loud and don't understand personal space sounds like one of the w...

The "Riviera" of California

When we travel, we like to go places that regular travelers may not be interested in going. When planning our trip to Palm Springs, I scoured Google Maps to check out what things in the area might worth checking out. One of those things was the Salton Sea, which sort of promised to have some good photo ops and possibly even a walk on the beach. I was right, but also very, very wrong.

I didn't do any research outside of looking at the map, so on one of our days, we got breakfast, stopped in Indio ...

Planning Your Cheaper Summer Vacation

I know, some of us have finally just gotten out of winter, and some of you are still getting snow. Summer is the most expensive time to travel, with 75% of travelers going somewhere away from home June, July and August. This isn't always conducive to being a budget-traveler, especially if it's the only time you have to travel with the kids. 

Well, you're in luck! With my Summer ebook, you can learn all the tricks to getting cheaper deals on flights, food, fun and lodgings. How can you get the bes...

Hot Take: Palm Springs Is Better Than Los Angeles

Please don't get mad at me. I love Los Angeles, but what I don't love is spending 90% of my time in the car because everything is so spread out. While I adore Disney and all the quirky things that make Los Angeles unique, you can find the same vibe, minus The Mouse, in Palm Springs.   

So, if you were thinking about heading to Los Angeles for a quick getaway, unless you're going for something specific, like a show at the Hollywood Bowl or an Angels game, think about going to Palm Springs instead....

My Shortcut Trip-Planning Technique

I've heard from a lot of you that travel planning is your least favorite part of travel. What do you do? Where do you go? Where do you eat? How do you get there? Well, I have been using a shortcut for all of those for years. Wanna know the secret? It's Google Maps! I use it for road trips, I use it to plan my vacation days and I use it to navigate everywhere.

Chances are, you're already using Google Maps - I know some people use it even if they have Apple Maps on their phone - which means you jus...