Any Time, Any Where

Added today is a link on the left that allows you to enter a world city and find out the current time there. This link is courtesy of WorldTimeServer.com. Warning: this link cannot be used to look up a later time zone and make you believe you're not late for that flight.

Weather Look-Up

Look for the Weather Look-Up Links on the right. You can look up the weather for any city in the world. Courtesy of AccuWeather.com, one Look-Up is for U.S. cities and the other is for international cities. For best results, enter a city name for either Look-Up. This should help you plan for the likely immediate weather at your destination for such things as clothing choices. In case anyone is going to the south pole for the summer, you can look up the temperature there too (just enter "south pole" under International Weather Look-Up). By the way, if you enter "north pole" you'll be surprised where it takes you. NOTE: International temperature reading default is Metric (Celsius); Click on 'English' on the accuweather web page for Farenheit readings.

Also added to this page is the current weather and time in New York City, Las Vegas and Honolulu. The weather information for each city is updated every 30 minutes. Return to this blog throughout the day and you can read how the weather changes especially in Las Vegas where the temperature may vary by as much as twenty degrees. The little weather icon also changes to match the current weather conditions. One neat feature is the RealFeel temperature (what the temperature actually feels liks, factoring in variables such as humidity, vs the temperature reading). By the way, click on any of the three city weather readings for detailed weather conditions.

Wrinkle Freedom

Wrinkle Free Fabric Relaxant is a convenient product you may want to try out on your next trip. No matter how carefully you have packed your garments, there will always be wrinkles when you unpack at your destination. Wrinkle Free allows you to quickly remove wrinkles. Just lay the garment flat on the bed. Spray, smooth and you can then hang it or wear it. There is nothing like a freshly ironed piece of clothing but this is the next best substitute. The scent is powder fresh and can also be used as a spray starch substitute when using an iron. Not recommended for delicate fabrics such as silk. This item can be found at magellans.com. Available in two sizes.

Sweet Dreams are Made of This

You'll be probably getting your fair share of sweet dreams if you're ever fortunate to fly in the luxury of these premium first class suite seats. This is how the other side lives in the sky. For most of us, we'll be satisifed with seeing a picture of these seats and imagining the comfort. They can be found on United Airlines' overseas flights and provide the passenger with more privacy, personal space and comfort. It's a space where you can choose to work, sleep or relax while enjoying the latest in-flight entertainment and exclusive amenities. They recline to multiple angles or serve as a fully flat 6-foot, 6-inch bed.

Each suite has a 15.4-inch widescreen flat panel monitor with digital on-demand video (movies, TV), music and video game selections. It also includes a universal plug for laptop power, USB port, set of noise-cancelling headphones, iPod connector and multiple storage compartments for your laptop bag and other personal items.

But, you know, suite passengers probably still have to eat their meals with plastic sporks.

What Will They Think of Next

Found these two new products for sale online. Am very keen on trying them out. The first is a Padded Handle Wrap which serves a dual purpose. It gives your luggage a distintive look with its color (always helpful at the baggage claim carousel) and reduces pressure on your hands when lifting heavy bags.

The second is a compact Digital Scale. Most travelers return from their trip with heavy bags from shopping (of course with gifts for family and friends) and you just never know for sure if you have exceeded the weight limit requirement of your airline. This should help with the second guessing and save time and embarrasement at the airport. In addition you read the weight after lifting your luggage. This appears to save you the awkwardness of having to read the weight while holding a 50+ pound bag.

Will let you know in a later post if these two items are worth your while. Both items available at magellans.com.

Packing Tip

Three rules of thumb when packing:

- Half the Clothes
- Twice the Money
- Comfortable Shoes

In addition here are two additional rules:

- Comfortable Shoes
- Comfortable Shoes

Always think ahead of time about the clothes you'd like to bring by at least three or four days to a week. Then over the course of the next few days remove any items that you may not wear at all.

Regarding twice the money, think of it in all forms: Cash, Credit Cards or even travelers checks and when you'd likely to use each type of payment.

It cannot be stressed enough how important comfortable shoes are. Remember you should always be on the go if you're on a worthwhile trip and to have to buy a new pair of shoes cause your feet are killing you is just regrettable (and another thing to pack for the trip home).

Exchange Rates Up to Date

Ever wonder what a dollar is worth in London? Trying to figure how much you'll save by visiting Toronto? The problem is all the prices you find are in British Pounds or Canadian dollars. Try using an exchange rate calculator. I've been using an online one to let me know just how much LESS my dollar is going for in London. The website is x-rates.com. For your convenience, check out the Quick Links column on the right and click on CURRENCY CALCULATOR.

Quick Tip

No matter where you're going, it's always important to always pack these two very basic items:

1) Your sense of humor.

2) Common sense.

Problems and mishaps arise but dealing with them in a sensible manner will only help you make the most out of any situation.

Finding Your Travel...

Just thinking where to start. There are far too many subjects to cover on the subject of traveling. But here it goes. Perhaps the best way to begin is for each of you to think what is the purpose of your trip. Some of you will say, "Take a cruise" or "Go to Vegas". But actually the purpose is in the details:

- If you want to take a cruise, why? What makes the cruise attractive to you and what exactly do you want to do on the cruise.
- If you want to go to Vegas, why? Winning a million dollars is something nice to dream about but it isn't realistic. What exactly will you do in Vegas that will satisfy you even if you don't win the "million". If your purpose is to just gamble, that's OK too.

You could even go into more detail when finding your ultimate purpose for every part of a trip:

- If you want to go to Europe, where in Europe? You might say "Paris"
- If you want to visit Paris, what do you want to see? You might say "The Eiffel Tower"
- If you want to see the Eiffel Tower, what would make visiting this attraction satisfying to you? Maybe a photo of you with a view of the city behind you.

So ask yourself:

What do I really want to accomplish?
Do I have one or many reasons to take this trip?
What will make the trip satisfying for me?
Is this an investment I am willing to make?
Am I reasonable in my expectations?

If you honestly answer these questions, then you will definitely have the beginnings of a great game plan for a satisfying trip.

Times Square at Night (view looking south on 7th Ave & Broadway).

The first post. As an inspiration I thought it would be nice to start with a view of Times Square in New York City. It's one of those places when you visit for the first time you realize "wow" i'm there.