Round-the-World Cruise Packing Challenges Packing for my upcoming Round-the-World Cruise has brought some unique challenges. Not only will we be visiting hot and cold climates, but there are other considerations. For one thing, trekking through 22 different countries means we will be trekking through 22 different cultures. Offensive clothing varies The challenge is to dress comfortably without offending the locals. Every culture defines “offensive clothing” differently, so I’m doing careful research. In some places, this means that even if it’s 100 degrees out, I’d better make sure my arms, décolletage, and knees are covered – especially before entering places of…
Tag: cruise
A new type of travel journal When I travel, I often pack a glue stick and scissors so I can make a scrapbook journal using maps, tickets, brochures, etc. For my upcoming round-the-world trip, however, I’m trying something new (at least to me!) I’m going to create a digital travel scrapbook! Best of both worlds? I’m really excited about this! I usually end up with a paper scrapbook, a printed photo book, and a written journal for each trip. A digital scrapbook means I can easily incorporate my photos and travel ephemera directly into my written journal. Easy to share…
Writing research road trip… I’m posting this month’s IWSG post a day early because my hubby and I are taking off on a month-long road trip tomorrow morning! (So, I may be a bit slow to make the IWSG rounds, but I will do my best, bad motel WIFI willing!) As I’ve mentioned here before, Larry’s dad moved in with us last summer. We love having him here, but it all came about rather suddenly. Long story short, he has dementia and could no longer live on his own. So, we’re sending him up to stay with family on Long…
All’s Fair in Love, War & Child’s Play A trip to Venice, Italy got me thinking about the model train set I had as a kid, and how it taught me the meaning of scale. For those who have never played with model trains, they come in two different scale sizes: N and HO. HO is the larger of the two, with a ratio of 1:87.1, while N gauge ranges from 1:148 to 1:160. Because of this difference in scale, an HO caboose seriously dwarfs an N caboose when sitting side by side. Serious model train aficionados (i.e. adults) would…
For today’s Friday Photo, I’ve decided to post the most popular photo from my 2013 Instagr.am feed. (If you’re on Instagr.am follow me, @TuiSnider, and say hi. I will definitely follow you back!) Here’s the story behind the picture: My husband and I were on a tour of the Caribbean island, St. Maarten, when our group decided to stop by the seaside. As we stepped out of the van, the driver warned us that part of the area was clothing optional, so if we were offended by this, we should pay close attention to the signs. I’d never been to…
One of the first things people ask when I tell them I’m a writer is, “Where do you get your ideas?” I find this kinda funny, because to me, ideas are like spores; they are everywhere, but seem invisible until they suddenly pop up into your mind like tiny mushrooms. For instance, I recently wrote “Is Transatlantic Cruising Right for You?” for The Traveler’s Way. Where did I get that idea? From a conversation I had with a vacuum cleaner salesman.