Indie Places

No matter where you travel to, chances are you’re going to buy some sort of souvenir or gift.  Much of the time, you’ll be able to fit these purchases into your luggage, but sometimes, you may find that you’ve either purchased too much or have been given too many items (such as from a business meeting) to fit in your baggage.  In this case, you may have to ship some items home.

Now you have to decide what you want shipped.  If you’ve attended a business meeting and have items that will be needed right away when you return, you may actually have to ship some of your personal items home.  This could actually include some of the clothing you took on the trip.  In that case, select the items you won’t need right away.  This might include formal clothing, or it might include things like shoes.  You may also want to ship any souvenirs you purchased.

On the other hand, if you were on holiday and bought some rather large items or bought a lot of stuff, you might need to ship these things home.  Make certain none of them are items you’ll need within a couple of weeks—shipping can take a long time unless you pay extra.  Generally, your hotel can tell you where to go to ship things.  Some hotels on luxury holidays can even ship packages for you.

If you’ve travelled overseas, be ready to pay.  Shipping across an ocean is not cheap, and it takes longer.  If you’re shipping breakables, you may need to pay extra for insurance, plus you’ll want to make certain they are packaged well.

Occasionally, you may need to ship items to your destination, especially at business events.  In this case, contact your hotel first and make certain you know where to send it and how to properly address the package.  Make certain you mail the package in plenty of time so that it will arrive before you do.  You don’t want to get there only to find that the important items you needed are stuck in the mail.

Venice’s Canale Grande, or the Grand Canal, is the main “street” of central Venice.  This canal forms an S as it follows an old riverbed.  The Grand Canal begins at the Tronchetto parking garage, a huge parking garage.  One thing you should know about Venice: there are no streets in the city.  If you’re driving a car, be ready to haul your luggage to your hotel—there’s no on-site parking unless you’re staying in one of the hotels in Venice is on the outskirts of the city.  Within Venice, it’s all walkways and canals.

The Piazzale Roma transportation centre is located at Tronchetto, and from there, you can grab a boat on the canal.  It’s around 4 kilometres long, and there are a number of different routes on the canal.  If you’re looking to see the entire canal, take the No. 1 from the Piazzale Roma and ride to San Marco.  This is an especially beautiful trip at night when everything is lit up.   This boat trip is a great way to relax after dinner, plus it makes frequent stops along its 40-minute trip from one end of the canal to the other.

While riding down the Grand Canal, you’ll find a number of sights to see.  You’ll actually go under three different bridges.  If you want, you can always journey along the side of the canal yourself and walk over these different bridges.  You can cross the Ponte di Scalzi, the Rialto Bridge, and the Accademia Bridge as you wander along the waterway.

If you want something a bit more private, gondolas also traverse the Grand Canal.  They’re a bit expensive, of course, but they’re also incredible romantic.

Going on holiday with young children can be stressful, especially if your children start to misbehave.  However, there are several things you can keep in mind when planning your trip and during your trip that can make this stress disappear. Before you book your transportation or your lodging, check on the prices for young children.  Some allow those under five to travel or stay for free.  Others have a reduced rate.  You’ll want to take this into account when figuring your budget and when making your reservations.  Be certain to always mention your children and their age when asking about rates. When you pack for your children, you may think giving them their own little pieces of luggage will make them feel more grown up.  However, it may cost you a bit more.  You may have to pay for each of these checked bags, no matter what their size.  If you’re on a budget, consider packing your children’s clothing with your own if possible.  Sometimes, you can use one larger bag instead of two smaller ones and actually pay less. Once you arrive at your destination, you should make certain that you’ve got some activities planned that your children will enjoy.  This doesn’t mean you have to go to theme parks, but it does mean you should sit aside some things that your kids want to do.  This might include going to a children’s museum, visiting a zoo, or going to a shopping centre.  To decide on these activities, talk to your kids when planning your trip.  You never know—they may really enjoy going to a concert or play with you, but they might not.  They may really not want to spend the day at the zoo, however, so you should get their opinion before deciding on what to do.

If you fly regularly, you know just how annoying it can be to lug several heavy bags through airports and hotels.  How many times have you found yourself pulling several heavy rolling bags or having two or more bags over your shoulders?  To avoid the potential aches and pains that come with heavy luggage, here are some ways you can cut down on your packing. Don’t over-pack.  If you’re not going to need a really nice outfit for anything, don’t take one.  Avoid any clothing that you’re only taking “just in case.”  If it’s not necessary, it should stay at home.  Likewise, women should only take a small amount of makeup and jewellery. Purchase small travel-sized toiletries.  You don’t need to take a large bottle of shampoo for only several days or a week.  If you can’t find your brand in travel size, you can buy small bottles and fill them from your larger bottles. Think of the various ways you can mix and match your outfits.  You can often wear several different shirts with one pair of trousers.  One nice jacket can also go with different outfits, as can an over shirt.  You can also wear your jacket on the plane so it doesn’t take up room in your luggage. If you don’t mind spending a bit of money, you can always purchase toiletries at your destination and then throw them away when you leave.  Your hotel may supply soap, shampoo, and conditioner for you to use so you can leave that behind if you like. While these tips may not save you much space individually, if you combine them all, you’ll notice that your bags weigh significantly less.

After a long flight, the only thing most people want to do is get to their hotel (or wherever they’re staying) and rest.  However, before they can do that, they have to pick up their luggage.  This means standing around with many other people while the various bags move around on the conveyor belts.  Finding your luggage can be like finding a needle in a haystack, though.  To make this task easier, here are a few tips. Buy baggage that isn’t a standard, solid colour like blue, brown, or black.  While these are the most common colours for suitcases and other bags, buying bags with a print design or brightly coloured bags can make them easier to spot.  Of course, there’s always the chance that another traveller will own a leopard print suitcase, but at least you’ll be able to narrow down the bags to only a few. Another way of recognising your luggage is to tie a brightly coloured shoelace or other piece of material to the handle.  While this generally works, however, there’s always the chance that your identifying marker will come lose in transit and fall off.  Some airlines, too, do not like long, dangling strings or streamers hanging off of bags.  You may have to remove the item before you can even check your bag. A simpler way of doing this is to add stickers or use fabric paint on your luggage to add an identifying mark.  You can take some coloured electrical tape and wrap it around the handle to add a unique mark to your bag, or you can use fabric paint and make a design or other decoration.  Just don’t paint your name on your bag—it’s never a good idea to advertise your name for safety reasons.