Pack Like a Pro!

Is packing your bag the most frustrating part of preparing for your vacation? Follow a few easy tips that will have you packing like a pro!

1. Roll your clothes. When you roll clothes, they take up less space than when you fold them. The best items to roll are skirts and pants.

2. Use layers of tissue paper for delicate items such as evening clothes. Items rolled in tissue paper tend to get less wrinkled.

3. Don’t overpack. This makes it more difficult for security screeners at the airlines to go through your bag. If they have to remove items, you run the risk of having something damaged.

4. If you’re flying, place items such as toiletries (in the approved 3 oz. size) in plastic bags for easy handling.

5. Traveling as a pair or group? Each person should place a change of clothes in someone else’s bag, in case their luggage is lost.

6. When packing a backpack, place the heavier items, or things such as dirty clothing on the bottom, and the lightest items should go on top.

7. Pack medication, paperwork and one change of clothes in a carry-on bag. Again, this saves you from being stranded without the essentials if your checked bags are lost or delayed.

8. Pack shoes in shoe bags. This keeps other items in your suitcase from getting dirty, and keeps the shoes from getting scuffed.

9. If you are flying, leave about a half-inch of space in bottles of liquid. This will keep the bottles from bursting due to changes in cabin pressure on the plane.

10. Plan on doing a lot of shopping while on vacation? Then pack one smaller suitcase and nest it inside a larger one. You can put your purchases inside the larger suitcase for the return trip.

8. Pack your laptops or other communications gadgets. This helps you communicating with important persons like online trading broker or your colleagues etc.

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Finding the Basic Restaurant Supplies for Our Catering Business

Recently I went into business with a friend. We started a new catering company that focused on serving organic food and promoted ourselves as an eco-friendly company as well. We did this for multiple reasons. One reason was that Studies have shown that people seek out green businesses and also return to them. Plus we knew that having a green, energy-saving kitchen would help us save money on utilities like power and water. When we first started this business, I did not have much experience in the restaurant industry. I had worked as a server and bus boy while in college but I never really paid much attention to the inner workings of the kitchen or to how the business really functioned.
Now as someone who would be involved as an owner, I knew that I needed to learn more about the restaurant supplies we would need for our kitchen. I also needed to learn this fast as I would be the one doing most of the purchasing. The first thing I did was to go online and do a little research. Luckily, I found a great website online that not only had a lot of great information but they also had great, wholesale prices on equipment and supplies. I knew that we would need new dishwashers that used less water in order to fit into our new green business model. Plus, we needed to find some new ovens and ranges along with some energy efficient food warming equipment and commercial microwaves. Besides these large items, I was able to read up on and find all the various skillets, braising pans and serving equipment we would need. With this information and with all the restaurant equipment we already had in stock; we were well on our way to getting our catering business off the ground.

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Traveling with Larger Pets

A Labrador Retriever in the snow.
Image via Wikipedia

Some people take their pets everywhere, and this includes those who have pets that will not fit into a large purse or other small carrier. Some people think nothing of taking their 100-pound German Shepherd or Labrador Retriever with them when they travel.

Surprisingly, although it may seem like a lot of trouble to travel with larger pets, it can be fairly easy. The important thing to remember is that the pet will need plenty of room to move around. Therefore, if you do not own a large pick-up with extra cab space or a covered bed, or a sports utility vehicle or crossover vehicle, you may want to consider renting one when you take a longer trip.

Remember, going on a longer trip will be different than just running around town. Your pet may be comfortable enough in the car for short rides, but longer ones will be different, and it will need room to stand up, turn around, stretch, and otherwise “work the kinks out.”

The next thing to check for is pet-friendly lodgings, especially those that accept larger dogs. (Many motels and hotels have a size limit; others don’t.) If you are traveling on a budget, you can simply set a price range for your lodging expenses, and start contacting hotels and motels in that range to inquire about their pet policy. You’re bound to find one that will welcome your larger pet, especially if you’ve trained it well.

Larger dogs can also be harder to take care of medically while on a trip, so consider getting a pet insurance policy that covers medical issues even while on the road.  This ensures you’ll be able to afford the proper care it needs to make a full recovery.

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Don’t Let Lost Luggage Be A Travel Nightmare

Luggage carousel at Ben-Gurion International A...
Image via Wikipedia

It’s every traveler’s nightmare. You get off the plane, walk over to the baggage claim and you are left with nothing. No matter how many times that luggage carousel goes around and around, your luggage isn’t going to appear. Somewhere between point A and point B, your luggage took a detour and is now sitting miles away from where you are. Usually this type of scenario could ruin a whole vacation or business trip. However there are many helpful tips that a traveler could use to avoid allowing lost luggage to ruin a vacation.

The first tip is to not panic. Starting off a vacation in a panicked state will usually cause many other events and things throughout the vacation to go wrong. So if you find yourself with lost luggage; take a deep breath, calm down and then handle the situation with the airline. Most airlines, if they know where your luggage is, will try to get your luggage to you within 24 hours. They will even send it to your hotel so you don’t have to pick it up.

Another helpful tip is to utilize what resources you have. Inquire what items the hotel can provide you. Many hotels provide toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs and other products to those that might have forgotten to pack these items. Take advantage of what the hotels offer and pick up the items that you will need while on vacation. For items that cannot be obtained from the front desk of the hotel, make a quick stop to a local store. Many vacation hot spots have 24 hour stores where travelers can easily pick up essential items that might have been in that lost luggage. If you are unsure where to head to pick up these items, ask the front desk. They should be able to direct you in the right direction.

Next time you find your luggage lost remember to not panic. Just take some of these helpful tips in mind and you’ll be able to relax and enjoy a wonderful vacation because you successful avoided a vacation nightmare situation.

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Travel Tips: Preventing Delays With Airport Security

Airport Security Playmobil
Image by nedrichards via Flickr

No one enjoys going to the airport. There’s long lines, possible delays and just the added stress of traveling in a plane. No matter how much you hate flying or going to the airport the absolute worst part of flying has to be airport security. For the very lucky few, airport security is a breeze. There’s very few people waiting, your bags are checked and you are on your way to waiting for your flight. Not everyone is as lucky as those travelers. Here are just a few tips to helping a traveler get through security a bit quicker and without any delays.

Be prepared. There is a list of all documents, IDs and other information that will need to be presented at security check point. Do not wait till the last minute to start rooting around your backpack for your ID or worry about where you left your boarding pass. Have all these out and waiting for when it is your turn in security will help avoid any type of delays.

Plan ahead with carry on items. Every traveler that flies on a plane will have to go through airport security. Even the pilots go through security. So plan ahead for the security check point. Make sure that all items are packed according to flight guidelines and that you are following all the rules. It is a good idea to check ahead of time to see what the rules are and that you are following them. Not following the carry on rules is the number one cause for security delays. When you don’t follow the rules, security has to screen you, your carry on and any other items you may have. This wastes your time and other travelers time as well.

Airport security won’t be going away any time soon. When you travel make sure that you are fully prepared for the security checkpoint and you’ll experience the least amount of delays possible. Remember being a prepared traveler will save you time and frustration!

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