Three Dumb Things People Do To Mess Up Their Trips (Apologies, Dr. Laura)

You're stoked about your vacation. It's way overdue, and this time you're sure things should go without a hitch. But wait...Yes, many great travel experiences are full of serendipity. However, too many curve balls can mess up a trip royally. Here are three things to avoid before you even leave home:

1) The "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" Syndrome

Of course you love those lavender stilettos and new snorkeling fins, but will you really use them on your hiking trip to Austria or your cruise to Alaska? When in doubt, leave it out. Your luggage can be your vacation ball and chain, keeping you from enjoying free and easy travel. It's a pain to pull a muscle, miss a tight train connection, fork out luggage surcharges, or spend hours tracking down a checked bag lost en route, all because you allowed your heavy luggage to hold you hostage. Less is more. Trust us!

2) The "I Didn't Get Around to It" Trap

Time is indeed the most precious of commodities in today's fast-paced world. We need to take our vacations to restore balance, to feed our hearts and souls, and to escape from routine. Besides, vacations are good for health. Yet far too often, our time off becomes just a P.S. in our lives, relegated to the back burner of life's priorities until the very last minute. That's when the trouble starts. A little planning and a handful of research go a long way to ensuring a fairly smooth trip. Don't fall victim to "Before we left, I just didn't have time to...a) reconfirm our flights, make sure our seat assignments are still intact, and print our boarding passes b) make copies of the hotel and car rental confirmations c) check our passport expiration dates d) confirm whether or not we need a visa for the country we're visiting e) make sure that special museum is open the one day we hit the city f) verify rail schedules to see if the day trips are really doable from our base town g) read the weather forecast for our vacation spot h) ask the neighbor to collect our mail, water the plants, check our house in our absence, etc. Save yourself the stress. A trained travel agent can help you. Make a short list of what to do and what to know before you go. Start checking things off little by little. Then you'll be able to kick back and enjoy your getaway worry-free.

3) The "I'll Sleep Longer, Eat Better, Drink More H2O, Exercise More When I Get There" Myth

No you won't. Start now. It's probably not a smart idea to pull three back-to-back all-nighters before a long flight to New Zealand, or even a shorter one to L.A. for that matter. Rest up before you go. Break in those cool new shoes. Your feet will thank you for it. Run around the block and briskly go up a flight of stairs with your packed suitcase in tow. It's a quick fitness test. Get in reasonable shape several weeks before you head out. Start hydrating days before your flights. Sure you might have to get up from your airplane seat more often, but drinking plenty of water is great for your skin. It helps you beat jet lag and keeps you regular too. Yep. A rested, nourished, fitter person is usually a more content, easy-going traveler, and a heckuva lot more pleasant to be around in transit and on vacation. Now, let's see if WE too can just practice what we preach next time we leave home! :) Happy travels.

~Ann Lombardi & Wendy Swartzell

The Trip Chicks®

www.twitter.com/thetripchicks

On the Sneak in Switzerland

We Trip Chicks always say that the best vacations are packed with serendipity. Ok, I admit. Together, my business partner Wendy and I are a solid travel team, but me solo? For some strange reason whenever I set out on my own, I always seem to attract more than my fair share of (mis)adventures worldwide. This time, on a visit to the peaceful Swiss countryside, I was itching to prove everyone wrong. Yes, for once I'd have an incident-free holiday in the heart of Europe.

At the end of a taxing bike tour to the Czech Republic, Wendy dutifully headed home with our cyclist group while I made a beeline for Switzerland. I was sure it'd be an ideal refuge for my travel-weary bones. And anyway, how could I possibly pass up that tempting farm vacation program in the catchy Swiss Tourism brochure? Never mind I was an American city-slicker. Visions of creamy chocolate, contented cows in rich green pastures, Edelweiss, and pristine glacial lakes swirled in my head. I deserved a break. So, I rushed in the Zurich booking office and plopped down the finder's fee. Then I scooped up my host family's address and hopped a train to the country for a taste of rural life.

Rolf and Ruth Springer welcomed me into their 400-year-old farm house nestled high in the hills of a tiny village, a stone's throw from the German border. And the farm? It was the place of tourist dreams: happy dairy cows with huge bells and over-sized udders, and a lively menagerie of horses, pigs, sheep, hens, goats, cats, and pooches. There were rows and rows of cherry and apple trees bursting with fruit, manicured gardens full of organic veggies and homeopathic plants, and each weekend, the best homemade hazelnut carrot cake this side of the Atlantic. "Idyllic?" There had to be a better word. I'd died and slipped through heaven's pearly gates.

The worn wooden floors with secrets of centuries creaked musically with every step we took in the old house, especially during midnight kitchen raids. Bowls of homemade honey yoghurt, pitchers of fresh cider, and crunchy loaves of bread were impossible to resist. Oooh, that bread....Mondays and Fridays were hands down my favorite days of the week. Just like Swiss clockwork promptly at 9 a.m., the heavenly scent of fresh wholegrain loaves baked in the wood-burning oven began to float lazily through every room.

I had found my "inner farm girl." Quite frankly, I didn't even miss usual creature comforts like central heating or private bathrooms. Dear Mom and Dad would have been so proud. I quickly mastered the evening task of stoking the fire in my very own bedroom furnace and heating the nifty mini-pillows stuffed with cherry pits. On the brisk early September nights, they kept my feet toasty under a fluffy goose down quilt. "What a perfect way of life," I smiled each night as I drifted off to sleep.

Well, life was pretty close to perfect...except for one ever-so-slight annoyance. The otherwise normal Springers were hell bent on ironing, pressing anything remotely resembling fabric. Their obsession included the meticulous ironing of every piece of clothing worn by their army of children: 14 of the rascals to be exact. Naturally, I got stuck with the dreaded chore. Who ever heard of ironing farmer denim coveralls destined for work in the stall, or heaven help us, bed linens? Now this was going way overboard with the Martha Stewart thing! To my credit, I never once complained. Channeling my grandma, I reminded myself that hard work builds character.

One afternoon on a gorgeous autumn Tuesday, I plotted to finish my ironing duties in record time. "No more numb hands and fingers for me today!" I thought. Nor was I about to stay cooped up in the house with such beautiful weather beckoning me outside. I sang tunes from "The Sound of Music" as my ironing picked up speed. About halfway through one massive pile of clothes, something caught my eye. I spotted three pairs of the fanciest, skimpiest men's underpants I had ever laid eyes on. Maybe you California folks might know the kind I'm talking about. But in the deep South, no red-blooded American male I know would be caught dead wearing a pair of tiny, low-rise Euro-style briefs. And that black nylon mesh, like a net ready to snare a big catch of fish, for jockey briefs?? No way! Definitely off limits for studly Southern guys.

I immediately guessed the fancy underwear had been hidden inside the festively-wrapped birthday present a giggling Frau Springer had given her hubby a few days before. Sure, I might be a domestically challenged city gal, but still I realized instinctively these underpants were special. It was plain as day to me they weren't meant to be ironed. Carefully folding all three pairs in the precise Swiss manner I had been taught (in thirds, with the fronts facing up), I gently put the undies at the far end of the ironing board. The picture of concentration, I felt pleased at how much I now knew about the fine art of household chores.

Next came Leo's turn. He was the family's always playful, borderline hyperactive St. Bernard. Somehow I sensed that dog exactly knew whenever he bounded in out of nowhere, he'd scare the bejeevers out of me. With impeccable timing, he succeeded once again. This time was tragically different. The ugly scene that followed is forever emblazoned in my middle-aged mind. Mein Gott! I'd knocked over the scalding iron! And bull's eye...it had hit the prized skivvies dead center. I froze in sheer horror.

A dense cloud of billowing, stinky gray smoke jolted me out of my shock. My first impulse was to bolt. Regaining my composure, I managed to unplug the hissing iron. Then I sprinted to the kitchen to grab a spatula. Frantically I began scraping the bottom of the smoking metal menace. After five minutes of panic and furious scraping, I realized it was hopeless. A sticky glob of melted charred nylon was plastered underneath the iron. Even worse, the underpants were welded together at what used to be three distinct crotch areas.

Then and there, I made a very wise decision. I decided not to breathe a word of the minor mishap to Frau Springer. I could always confess to her later, but the timing had to be right. A far safer strategy would be for me to wait until after I had purchased a brand new iron along with three pairs of skimpy underwear. The hunt in a neighboring village began. Thankfully, Lady Luck took quick pity. Within 48 hours of my little accident, I scored identical replacements. Somehow I just never got around to fessing up. Why spoil a vacation? Ignorance is bliss. My two weeks on the farm whizzed by.

The last day of my stay, while I reminisced and packed my bag, there was a knock on my bedroom door. It was Mrs. Springer, holding a pink box inscribed "To Ann, our unforgettable American visitor." Touched by the surprise farewell gift, I unwrapped the package. The family's present to me was a colorful scrapbook decorated with pictures of alphorns, cheese wheels, St. Bernards, and hardy farmers in traditional Swiss costumes. I peeked inside the album. On the very first page, Mrs. Springer had thoughtfully placed.... a sketch of a smiley-faced iron engulfed in smoke...and a neatly-glued black chunk of Herr Springer's fried underpants.

~ A true tale by Ann Lombardi

The Trip Chicks

You too can have an adventure like this! For info on farmstays in Switzerland and worldwide, check out:

http://www.bauernhof-ferien.ch/

http://www.wwoof.org/

www.helpx.net/

Sleeping Pretty on a Beer Budget

In spite of the gloom and doom naysayers who insist this tough economy means far fewer North Americans will travel overseas in 2009, "The Trip Chicks" are determined to prove their predictions otherwise. Forge ahead in planning that vacation of yours. It's way overdue and well-deserved! Here are but five of our favorite alternative accommodations at rates that just might put a smile on your face. You'll not only keep more money in your pocket but will make a few great globally-minded friends to boot.


1. FARMSTAYS - Be a paying guest or lend a helping hand and stay free.


A. http://www.wwoof.org/

In exchange for pitching in on an international farm in one of 20+ countries, receive room, board, and the chance to experience real organic farm life up close.


B. http://www.takeabreak.com.au/Farmexperiences.htm (Australia)


C. http://www.farmholidays.com/ (Austria)


D. http://www.farmholidays.de/e/ (Bavaria - Germany)


E. http://www.agriturismo.com/?l=eng (Italy)


F. http://www.dutch-farmholidays.com/ (Netherlands)


G. http://www.truenz.co.nz/farmstays/ (New Zealand)


H. http://www.bauernhof-ferien.ch/englisch/index.html (Switzerland)



2. HOSTELS - From castles and former convents to more rustic digs, many of these budget accommodations are no longer just for the under 25 set.


A. http://tinyurl.com/8la3s2 (Go Nomad's list of worldwide hostels)


B. http://www.hostelbookers.com/


C. http://www.hostelz.com/


D. http://www.hihostels.com/ (Hostelling International's membership-only club)


E. http://www.hostels.com/ (Almost 27,000 listings and no booking fee)


F. http://www.hostelworld.com/



3. APARTMENT RENTALS - Just last month we stayed in a fully-furnished two-bedroom Black Forest apartment overlooking a medieval square in Germany. The price? A mere 34 Euros a night for two of us!

In addition to our list of the rental apartment finder services below, be sure to google "____________ tourism" (fill in the blank with the town or region you'd like to visit). On the official tourist office sites under the "accommodations" or "lodging" sections, you can find some amazing deals. To broaden your internet search, trying using the words for "tourism" in other languages too. (i.e. "Tourismus" in German; "tourisme" in French, etc.) Go to http://babelfish.yahoo.com/ to translate from English to the target language.


A. http://rentalo.com/


B. http://www.homeaway.com/


C. http://www.interhome.com/ (likes working with your local travel agent)


D. http://www.vrbo.com/ (Vacation Rentals By Owner)


E. http://www.wyndham-vacations.com/ (Formerly EVRentals)



4. PAID MEMBERSHIP HOSPITALITY CLUBS - Fill out an application, pay a fee to join, and receive a directory of "open door" hosts all over the world.


A. http://www.womenwelcomewomen.org.uk/ ("5 W" was founded by Brits to promote international friendship among women, but some hosts open up their homes to the husbands and children of members too)


B. http://www.usservas.org/ (Since 1949, the mission of Servas has been to foster world peace through people-to-people homestays among its pre-screened members.)



5. TRAVELER WELCOME NETWORKS FOR FREE - The first two online travel hospitality resources attract more of the younger crowd; however, if you are open-minded and adventuresome, any one of them could be the key to your successful globetrotting on the cheap worldwide.


A. http://www.couchsurfing.com/


B. http://www.globalfreeloaders.com/


C. http://www.hospitalityclub.org/



That'll do it for today. We'll be back soon with more money-saving travel tips and tricks for your next getaway. Until next time, happy travels!


Ann Lombardi & Wendy Swartzell
The Trip Chicks
Passport to Adventure, Inc.