4th of July Weekend Getaway

The weekend before the 4th of July is upon us and that means a lot of people will be hitting the road for a fun filled weekend away from home.  Normally I talk about flying (and business), but since AAA is predicting record number of people hitting the road, I thought I would plan for a road trip weekend getaway.

I think dresses are the perfect way to travel.  To me they are more comfortable than shorts, jeans, or leggings.

This t-shirt dress is the ultimate in comfy, but cute travel.  Pair it with a some cute sandals and easy accessories and you're ready to hit the road.

When I buy a weekender tote, I look for something that is cute, functional, but sleek looking.

When I pack for a trip, I pick a color scheme and stick with it. Since this is a 4th of July Weekend Getaway, I decided to embrace the whole red, white, and blue.

Don't forget your hat and sunscreen, nothing says "fashion don't" like a blistering sunburn.










Watching the fireworks is my absolute favorite thing to do.  I love the music, crowds, and of course the fireworks!

This dress is casual enough that you can go sit under the stars and watch fireworks.  I would pair this with some wedges, because I think wearing wedges on grass is a lot easier than heels.











Travel day home is always my favorite, because no matter how many places I go, I always love coming home.  I chose a long skirt, tank, and cardigan for the drive back home for comfort.

Dining While Traveling

A little while ago I read a CNN article about women business travelers not liking solo dining.  The basic feeling is that most women don’t feel comfortable or may feel they look like an unwanted spinster if they dine alone.  To me that seems crazy because if a woman feels comfortable enough to travel on her own, then why would dining alone be outside her comfort zone?

Me?  I LOVE eating new foods, so eating alone doesn't bother me.  Don’t get me wrong I love dining with others, but the thought of dining alone doesn’t keep me in the hotel room while I’m traveling.

Eat Alone

One of the things I really like about traveling is eating locally.  Usually I’m gone for a week at a time, so I try to eat at a nice restaurant at least once per trip.  If I’m not sure where to eat, I will ask the concierge for a recommendation and a reservation for me.  Other times I will search through Yelp for a customer rated recommendation.  If I’m reading a really good book, I might take it with me, if not I will just sit on my own, enjoy my dinner, think over my day, and plot to take over the world.

On the days where I have more work to do in the evening, I will usually find a restaurant close to the hotel and eat there.  Depending on how much time I have, I might eat at the restaurant bar area (quicker service) or get a table. 

Facebook/Linked-In/Corporate Contacts

Is there a Facebook friend that lives or is from the same area you will be in?  Reach out to them to make an introduction for you.  I have made several new friends by having dinner with friends-of-friends from Facebook.  Usually they know THE best local place to go and you always have at least one mutual interest…. your mutual friend.

Use Linked-In and Corporate contacts to broaden your network circle and develop more business contacts.  Maybe you are going to Chicago and you’ve talked with some of the Chicago team on a conference call.  Reach out and see if they are interested in a dinner one night.  Strengthening relationships across teams is never a bad idea.

Invite for a Bite

I discovered InviteForABite.com through the CNN article I mentioned and of course signed up!  Invite for Bite is a website for women-only (this is not a dating site), who are traveling for business or pleasure and do not wish to dine alone.  You simply search for a dinner invite in the area you will be traveling and meet with other women travelers.  Don't be afraid to be adventurous and create a new invite for others to find. 

I posted an IFAB invite while I was in Dallas, Texas and someone actually responded!  It was great fun making a new friend.  We tried a new restaurant and realized we had a lot in common, work, family, kids, and of course meeting new people.  I look forward to more IFAB dinners and hope to see my new friend again.

There are many alternatives to dining while on the road and while its always safer in numbers, sometimes you need to strike out on your own to expand your comfort zone.

COS Review: Emergency Travel Kit

Normally I stay away from saying the dreadful words "Must Have" but in this case I absolutely mean it.

I'm always on the lookout for little travel kits that make my life on-the-road much easier.  So I was THRILLED when I found this cute little kit at the checkout line at Sephora for my roll aboard.

Its got everything a woman on the go (or road) might need from Mr & Mrs contained in a cute, easy to pack little case: Hairspray, Clear Nail Polish, Nail Polish Remover, Emery Board, Lip Balm, Earring Backs, Clear Elastics, Sewing Kit, Double-Sided Tape (good-bye loose hem!) Stain Remover, Deodorant Towelette, Pain Reliever, Tampon, Breath Freshener, Dental Floss, Bandages

For my case, I took out the clear nail polish and nail polish remover, because I get gel polish every two weeks.  I filled the space with a few bobby pins and called it complete!

They have kits for moms which includes mini crayons and playing cards, some for men which includes extra buttons and shoe shine wipes, and for brides which even include extra wedding bands (in case the ring bearer swallows the ring).

Any woman who has a desk, purse, or suitcase should have one of these and even though its early think about, these are perfect stocking stuffers.

Happy Travels!

Traveling Credit Woes

I travel a lot and just when I think I am a Pro, something happens that makes me re-evaluate what I carry. In this case it was my credit card!

I was recently out to dinner on a business trip, when I went to pay for my meal with my trusty credit card. The waitress comes back with a sympathetic expression on her face and whispers, "your card was declined".  I was embarrassed because I thought I had checked it before I left to make sure my last payment went through, but maybe I had forgotten.  So I gave her my debit card (I know you're not supposed to do that).  She came back a few minutes later that the debit card too was declined.  Now I wasn't embarrassed I was worried!!  One card declined is an “oops”, two cards declined means something is wrong.

Luckily I had the cash to cover the bill, but still two cards.... denied... not good.

I contacted the bank and found that because I've been traveling in and out of the country so much and some of the spending had been erratic (I shopped a LOT in several countries) they thought my card had been stolen and put a fraud block on it so they could verify some of the purchases.  I then learned they DID try to contact me on a couple of occasions, but since I generally don't answer the phone if I don't recognize the number (will henceforth drop this habit) AND when I didn't respond they blocked my credit card.

Well then why was my debit card blocked too?  Well it turns out many many YEARS ago when someone stole my debit card and wiped out my checking account, it took me a bit to get everything back in order and I checked an option somewhere on a form that said something like "if one card is under suspicion for fraud them block access to both" or something like that.  My reasoning was, since I carry I sometimes carry my debit and credit card in the same wallet then it’s entirely possible for someone to get access to both cards and its easier to just block them both in cases like this.  (BTW both cards are issued by the exact same bank, not sure if this option is available in all areas).  It is a great idea until something like this bites me on the butt.

The moral of the story is that 1) Carry enough cash just in case something happens to your cards 2) Fraud protection is a good idea 3) Have a card on hand from a different bank, but don't carry it in the same place as your main card.