Do you have a "travel" drawer?

If you are Coast Guard you know the motto is "semper paratus" and if you are not, I'll save you the trouble of googling it to tell you it means "always prepared"....oh yes, we do have a new traveler who previously taught Latin...so you can disregard my assistance!

Following the theme of preparation, I'm posting these items as some of the best, practical gadgets you can have with you on any trip.  I've started with Budget Travel magazine for their expertise (and photos) and then sprinkled some of my own suggestions here. More details on a future post.

I suggest you create a travel drawer in your dresser, or place an organizing box in your linen closet, or at least designate a tote bag, where you can always find these items, so you won't be making a last hour mad dash around the house (or jaunt to Target) to complete your packing. 


My travel drawer includes the items mentioned below, plus these:
passports, 
leftover foreign currency, 
Dramamine, 
small zip pouches for foreign coins, 
RFID pouches/wallets so credit card numbers can't be 'swiped' (find these at AAA offices or online at TravelSmith, Amazon, or Rick Steve's website), 
a small flat "travel" wallet, 
around the neck and waist wallets, 
blank packing checklists, 
TSA luggage locks, 
luggage weight scale thingy, 
plastic corkscrew (metal won't make it thru security for carry-on luggage), 
inflatable neck pillow,
ear buds,
luggage tag holders,
among other odds and ends.

Click this link for the full content on how these items can come to your aid: 
Budget Travel: 8 items to pack that you probably don't

1, 
Mini surge protector....and of course a European adapter for overseas.

2. 
A bandanna or two...inexpensive to pick up at Michael's Arts & Crafts.

3. 
Did you happen to see Amazing Race where one couple duct-taped their bumper back on the rental car so they could continue the race? Yes, the DH credited his wife for the save.

4. 
One of the "best" ideas...coffee fill-up at the hotel breakfast buffet for taking along on the coach.

5. 
Good on the plane, Good everywhere.  I also like the Lavender wipes from Whole Foods.

6. 
Squeezable for every last drop...and I write on mine with black marker so I don't forget what is what.

7. 
Hook these all together and place in a snack-baggie.

8. 
Beginning of trip: empty tote bag  End of trip: carry-on, I prefer one with a zipper or drawstring pull to keep pick-pockets at bay.

Just for you...my personal recommendation for your reading pleasure!

Although our journey is still months away from this posting today, may I suggest you immerse yourself into the heart and soul of Prague, with these paperback recommendations!

Historical fiction, easy to read, and bit more "chick lit" genre than what I would generally suggest for a coed group, but hey, can't everyone can have fun anticipating a trip to the far-flung cities of Prague, Vienna, and Budapest?

As I read these books I can visually see a movie as a blend of Harry Potter and Raiders of the Lost Ark with a dash of romance.  Trek thru museums, take in a Bellini at the Four Seasons, review great art, cherish the secrets of castles, be reminded of Beethoven's life...all are drawn from the real Prague.  Learning history has never been so much fun. If this doesn't get you ready to explore this city, I don't know what will: you'll just have to keep reading my blog....here we go again!

Let me know how you like these books.  

You can comment here, or send me an email, or by gosh....pick up the phone!  

Read City of Dark Magic first, 

then follow with the sequel City of Lost Dreams. 

Magnus Flyte is the pen name of two women writers.  Enjoy!

        

Here's what Publishers Weekly had to say in their review:
Cleverly combining time travel, murder, history, and musical lore, this is a breezy, lighthearted novel. Sarah Weston is researching her Ph.D. in neurological musicology in Boston when a letter arrives summoning her to Prague. Maximilian Lobkowicz, the heir to the ancient Lobkowicz fortune, is planning to turn the family palace, located within the Prague Castle complex, into a museum; Sarah's job will be to establish the relationship between one of the first Lobkowicz princes and Ludwig von Beethoven. Sarah is warned that Prague is a threshold to dark magic, passion and violence, and she suspects that mysteries await. And how. A little person gives Sarah a pill shaped like one of Beethoven's toenails that allows her to move through time, encapsulating many centuries. She not only sees Beethoven but also several of the dead Lobkowicz princes; Tycho Brahe, the 16th-century alchemist; and also Nico, who was at that time called Jepp and is now 400 years old. Plucky, impulsive, and reckless, Sarah is determined to discover the identity of Beethoven's Immortal Beloved, and time and again she's a hair's breath from death in dangerous situations. Tensions rise when Sarah's Boston violin pupil, 11-year-old blind musical prodigy Pollina, arrives in Prague and warns Sarah about forces conspiring against her. Complicating an already tangled plot, an evil senator from Virginia with the U. S. presidency in her sights schemes to kill anyone between her and some incriminating letters she wrote to her erstwhile lover, a KGB officer, while she was CIA. In a story that abounds in mysterious portents, wild coincidences, violent death, and furtive but lusty sexual congress, Flyte (the pseudonym for TV writer Christina Lynch and Meg Howrey, author of Cranes Dance) also offers a veritable guide to Prague that includes such historical references as Rabbi Loew's golem, the Golden Fleece, the Holy Infant of Prague, and a vault under St. Vitus Cathedral, where Sarah and Max find themselves in a tense denouement that promises a sequel. 

P.S. I love these cover designs too.
Karen

Travel Insured Group Deluxe Plan

Insurance Coverage

This DELUXE plan is provided for groups only, which means it is not calculated by age, but rather discounted by the fact we have over 10 persons travelling together on the same tour.  

   NOTE: If you paid your travel insurance premium of $300 within the 14 days of your deposit being processed, you will have any pre-existing conditions covered by this insurance, which is a good thing if some ailment from your past cause you to cancel prior to departure or during the trip.  

   AFTER 14 DAYS: You can purchase this group travel insurance any time prior to April 2015, and still be covered for medical, loss of personal baggage, and emergency services (such as evacuation and repatriation).  The only difference need for cancellation either before or during trip due to a pre-existing condition would not be covered. The price of the policy is the same at all purchase dates.

   DECLINING the Group Policy: Should you decide to decline the policy, or purchase an individual policy you may do so, however a waiver must be signed and be on file with Unique Travel Events showing we have offered you this policy prior to payment in full on the tour.

In January 2015, each group plan traveler will receive their own policy number.  Please keep these important papers and be sure to have a copy in your carry-on luggage (not checked).  Here's the coverage on this plan which is underwritten by the United States Fire Insurance Company. The company is rated A (Excellent) by AM Best Company 2013.

Trip Cancellation                Trip Cost  

Trip Interruption                 150% of Trip Cost

Trip Delay - 6 hours                                 $      750 ($150 per day)

Baggage/Personal Effects                         $    1,500

Baggage Delay - 24 hours                        $       400

Accident & Sickness Medical Expense       $50,000

Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation      $250,000

Accidental Death & Dismemberment         $25,000

Coverage for tour, flights, and up to 10 additional days of travel   INCLUDED

Worldwide Emergency Assistance Services   INCLUDED, 24/7

  * Travel Assistance Services such as ID Theft Recovery and Emergency Cash advance, provide additional security and      convenience at no extra cost.

Here's what NOT covered:

"Benefits are not payable for any loss caused by or resulting from: breakage of brittle or fragile articles, wear and tear or gradual deterioration; confiscation or appropriation by order of any government or custom's rule; theft or pilferage while left in any unlocked vehicle; property illegally acquired, kept, stored or transported; Your negligent acts or omissions; or property shipped as freight or shipped prior to the scheduled departure date."

About Trip Cancellation:

All cancellations must be reported directly to Unique Travel Events within 72 hours of the event causing the need to cancel, unless the event prevents it, and then as soon as is reasonably possible. If the cancellation is not reported within the specified 72 hour period, the Company will not pay for additional charges, which would not have been incurred had you notified Unique Travel Events in the specified period.  If the event prevents you from reporting the cancellation, the 72 hour notice requirement does not apply; however, you must, if requested, provide proof that said event prevented him or her from reporting the cancellation within the specified period.

General Limitations and Exclusions:

You will receive the precise wording on these items which are not covered -

Riding, driving, or participating in races, speed or endurance contests

Mountaineering (scaling when pick, ropes, etc. are required)

Skydiving, hang gliding, bungee cord jumping, scuba diving or deep sea diving

Piloting an aircraft, or learning to fly

Cause as a result of being intoxicated or from any controlled substance

These are the fundamentals of the policy, with more details contained in the certificate of insurance you will receive personally.

Karen

PS>

TRAVEL INSURED WINS TOP WORKPLACE AGAIN IN 2014

Travel Insured again named one of Best Places to Work in Connecticut by the Hartford Business Journal.

Prague - Our hotel: Art Nouveau Palace Hotel

I can't tell you how HAPPY I am to present the 

Art Nouveau Palace Hotel 

as our last lodging accommodations on this journey.  

But I'll try!  A great location in Prague.

Click here to be inspired: "Happy" by Pharrell Williams

From the hotel's website, a bit of its history:
"The Art Nouveau Palace Hotel Prague embodies one of Prague's most precious architectural treasures. The hotel is located in the very centre of the city - just on the borderline between historic Old and New Towns
The revival of the hotel in 1989 marked the beginning of the most successful and famous period in the hotel's more than a century long history. The Art Nouveau Palace Hotel Prague has become the choice of many world renowned figures during their visits in Prague. Among the most famous guests were presidents, industrialists and world famous music, movie and sport stars. These include, among many others, Henry Kissinger, Giscard D'Estaing, Miguel de la Madrid, David Rockefeller, Carl Hahn, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Alain Delon, Miloš Forman, Dick Francis, Whoopi Goldberg, Lenny Kravitz, Mick Jagger, John Malkovich, Gina Lollobrigida, Cher, Uma Thurman, Steven Spielberg, Rolling Stones, Metallica, Scorpions, Roxette, Led Zeppelin, Pelé, Alberto Tomba and Bobby Charlton."








Corner View of Exterior in evening


Marble Baths


From Priceline.com comes these notes:
 Conveniently located in the historical city centre, just a few steps from Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square, shopping areas and the State Opera.

Guests can enjoy free access to the hotel sauna and free Wi-Fi access in the lobby and hotel rooms.

Each of the deluxe and executive rooms is elegantly furnished and equipped with complimentary coffee/tea facilities, a safe and Italian marble bathrooms. (most rooms renovated in 2014)

Hotel Palace's Gourmet Club Restaurant is listed among the city's Top 10 Restaurants in the Michelin Guide.

Rick Steves on BUDA

Rick Steves gives a quick 4 minute overview of the BUDA side of Budapest.

Click the link below to watch! Enjoy!
Rick Steves on Budapest


Matthias Church


Fisherman's Bastion


The Great Market in Pest


Cafe New York (in Budapest)


Gellert Baths