What's Your Favorite Travel Quote?

travel |ˈtravəl|

verb ( travels, traveling , traveled ; also chiefly Brit. travels, travelling, travelled )

[ no obj. ] make a journey, typically of some length or abroad • [ with obj. ] journey along (a road) or through (a region) • informal (esp. of a vehicle) move quickly. • (travels) journeys, esp. long or exotic ones: perhaps you'll write a book about your travels.  ORIGIN Middle English: variant of travail and originally in the same sense.

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“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”  - Tim Cahill 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain  

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” - Confucius

“The journey not the arrival matters.” - T.S. Eliot 

“You don’t choose the day you enter the world and you don’t chose the day you leave. It’s what you do in between that makes all the difference.” - Anita Septimus

“From the floor of the ocean, the waves of the tide, a vacation awaits you far & wide”

                                                                                                  - Fortune Cookie

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”  - Jawaharal Nehru

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” - Seneca  

“The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them.”  
                                                                                                                                     - Amelia E. Barr

“There are good ships and wood ships,  ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships, may they always be!” 
                                                                                                                                                                     - Irish Proverb

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” -Lao Tzu  

“When preparing to travel, layout all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money”
                                                                                                                                                                            - Susan Heller

" The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." -St. Augustine

" I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list"
                                                                 - Susan Sontag

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” -Clifton Fadiman

“Paradise isn’t where you are, but who you’re with!”  -Unknown

"...travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living"
                                                                                                                                                     - Miriam Beard

“We may not have it all together...But together we have it all! “

                                                                                - Coots & Biddy’s Greeting Card


"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it"
                                                                                                                             -Greg Anderson

“It is the friends we meet along life’s path who help us appreciate the journey”                             

                                                                                                - Unknown

What’s your favorite travel quote?

One More Packing Tip Resource?

Want more information and website links on packing tips? Here’s an old blog article I wrote for our Mediterranean cruise. Some of you fellow cruiser may recall this information.Please feel free to explore and discover....

  

Cruise & Travel - Packing Links, Tips, Hints & Lists

http://davismedcruise2008.blogspot.com/2008/10/cruise-travel-packing-links-tips-hints.html

How to Pack Like a Pro...

As though it’s bad enough to be gone for just over two weeks, how about over a month? And unlike Roger who is totally content with wearing his “I Buy Japanese Sword T-Shirt” day after day. Yes, he has many of the “SAME” t-shirts, really

... Anxious, Nervous AND Concerned ---Panic!!! How do you pack for a 32 day Cruise and be dressed in style with at least somewhat of a “fashionista” appeal? Enough luggage for all my “gotta have’s” and still not have to spend tons of dollars on baggage fees?

You gotta start by being tough and creative! I’ve been working on accessorizing, picking my color scheme and know that you will need to bring only the essentials. I also decided that I should try for bringing outfits for two weeks and then planning to wear them again for the second two weeks.

As for dealing with the climate change from humid hot in Bangkok to the cold of Anchorage? Layers- Layers and Layers! Remember, same lightweight t-shirt while strolling humid streets of Bangkok can serve as a "Base Layer" during your sightseeing hike in Alaska! Heavy layers to a minimum wearing sweater or fleece as long as your lighter shirt closest to your skin will be a good option. Bring jacket on the plane so as to not take room in your suitcase.

Another saving space option is to rent your formal cruise wear on the ship. I recently posted a separate article on this option. Roger loves this service and its a big help to bringing your own formal wear especially for the men. For women, the options are limited and so I suggest you do your own ... Ladies , black dress or pants- different scarves, shawls, jewelry or other accessories. Shoes that goes with sundress and informal nights. Think Double duties, ok! Think tops to dress up or down.And yes.... Re-wear skirts, pants, shorts, skorts and dresses.

Lastly, you are in luck as the Diamond Princess has laundry facilities and they will also have laundry special sales during our cruise. So, plan to do laundry and bring the right outfits so you can plan to take advantage of this option.And here's another Carry-On Challenge - How to pack lightly for packing lightly by Independent Travelers .... 

This was a handy YouTube video for packing a suitcase. Thought you might be getting ready to add packing to your Travel 'Must Do' List.

Video provided by YouTube

International Certificate of Vaccination (Yellow Card)

The International Certificate of Vaccination" or Prophylaxis (ICVP) also known as "Yellow Card" is mainly required for proof of vaccination when going to or from countries that are at risk for Yellow Fever. However, it may also be used for recording all of your travel immunization.

This tool is approved by the World Health Organization as the official document verifying that proper procedures were followed in administering vaccination for foreign travel and is used to demonstrate receipt of required vaccinations for entry into foreign countries.

This small foldable "Yellow Card" as often referred to, is a paper document that is filled out by your health specialist and validated with date and an official stamp. This document easily fits within your passport which makes carrying quite convenient.

I cannot find anything that states we need to have it for our trip especially since you might be finding out that many of us will not be needing to get the Yellow Fever vaccination. However, if you are visiting your doctor for your immunization ask them to provide you this handy travelers' tool and have them fill it out with your vaccination. I even had CVS Pharmacy mark my influenza (flu shot) vaccine.

Just another travel tip which I learned from Alex... Thanks for the tip!

FORMAL NIGHTS .... TUXEDO RENTAL , Roger says ABSOLUTELY!

Since I was gathering this information for Roger. I thought I would also write up a blog to share this information with those who might be interested in considering the option to rent their formalwear to lighten their luggage.

Yes we are mainly talking about Men’s Formalwear. But there are minimal options for Women as well. At least it’s worth a peek?

Not an easy task to find. But let me start by sharing what I found on-line with Princess Cruises. The following information can be found under Princess.com > Booked Passengers > FAQ:Cruise Answer Place > On Board > Dining & Nightlife > Formal Wear Rentals   or just read this ...

“Princess offers formal wear rental on all cruises; this can be arranged prior to embarkation. Dress with an elegance and style that is perfect for all the formal activities on your cruise with Princess. Cruiseline Formal Wear delivers beautifully-tailored clothing directly to your stateroom.To order your formal wear, please visit cruiselineformal.com, call 800-551-5091 or 305-252-8572. For questions, email: custservice@cruiselineformal.com.”

The website Cruiseline Formalwear is a Formalwear company that caters to Cruise Ships. So when you go exploring on their website be sure you link on for “Princess Cruises” 

IMPORTANT NOTE: the website price list works for those for going on the 16 day cruise
but for those like Roger who are going on the 32 day cruise, read the following information I found on their website regarding those traveling beyond 21 days. Here is what you have to do:

“The prices listed on the web site are for single voyages of 21 days or less. Please call our Customer Service Department to obtain the correct pricing on your specific voyage (1-800-551-5091).  If calling from outside the USA or Canada, please call 1-305-252-8572, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. EST.” 

I noticed that they have a great selection of choices and I recall that Roger had used this same service on our Cruise on the Celebrity both for the Caribbean and for the Mediterranean. So I know that this service is very reliable.

And finally once you link on to the Cruiseline Formalwear for Princess Cruise’s Men’s Apparel Page on the right-hand side of the sidebar, very last item is “Measurement Guide”. Click on that and you can print up the page to take to have your measurements done at your tailor or for Free Men’s Wearhouse (Note: Roger is particularly fond of the inseam measurement, go figure!). 

I can’t wait to have Roger dress up...I wonder if you will recognize him without his “I Buy Japanese Sword T-Shirt”...and now you know one of the true reasons why Diana loves cruising.
Hope this helps.....oh one more final thing...16 Day cruisers have 3 formal nights and us 32 Day Cruisers can double that to 6 nights...I get 6 nights with no “I Buy Japanese Sword 
T- Shirts”...How I loooooove cruising....

REMINDER...MY PRINCESS-CRUISE PERSONALIZER

Just a friendly reminder that Alex would like for you to get your MY PRINCESS/CRUISE PERSONALIZER completed and filled out. Please complete this no later then Friday,
March 15, 2013.

This will allow her time for her to review your information and work on any follow-ups as needed. This is very important as you will not be able to get your cruise documents if you
do not have this information completed and on-line for her to access. If you need assistance, contact the 800 Princess Cruise line (I have used them and they were very helpful) or contact us and we'll do our best to help you.


Photo provided by Princess Cruises

RFID CREDIT CARD FRAUD

RFID CREDIT CARD FRAUD.....IMPORTANT SAFETY PROTECTION

Did you know that many credit card, debit card and yes even your identification cards and passports too, are embedded with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) that contain both personal and financial information. With many of us on the go through airports, tourist areas and shopping destinations. Identity theft can become an easy access with anyone of us. 

To take appropriate steps to protect yourself. Please take a moment to view the 6 minute YouTube Video and also to explore how you can protect yourself with RFID wallets, pursues

backpacks and other accessories that are available through various links I have listed for you below. 

Kelly and Lien, you might want to seriously take advantage of your winning Cruise Orientation Door Prize and think seriously of protecting your information with your Amazon Gift Card. Congratulations on being the big winners!! 

Magellan Travel

http://www.magellans.com/small-bags-and-wallets/small-bags-and-wallets-rfid-blocking

Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A1036592%2Ck%3Arfid%20blocking

Travel smith

http://www.travelsmith.com/ProductSearch?storeId=10057&catalogId=10057&langId=-1&firstAnswer=&searchTerm=RFID+CREDIT+CARD+BAgs&externalSearch=false&historyString=1361688383512%257CsearchTerm%255E5%255ERFID%2BCREDIT%2BCARD%2BBAgs&currentSortOption=Relevance&sortBy=ProductSearch%3FstoreId%3D10057%26catalogId%3D10057%26langId%3D-1%26firstAnswer%3D%26answerPerPage%3D%26historyString%3D1361688383512%25257CsearchTerm%25255E5%25255ERFID%252bCREDIT%252bCARD%252bBAgs%26action%3D6%26entryID%3DNA%26currentSortOption%3DNA%26externalSearch%3Dfalse&answerPerPage=100&answerPerPage=100

Video provide by YouTube

25 WAYS TO WEAR A SCARF & MORE

Some of you have been asking me how do you plan your wardrobe for a 32 day cruise? One of my secret is to coordinate my outfit by bringing black/red/yellow/pink/blue top (stay away from white as it picks up drips from your fine dining on the cruise). Add and exchange with either black pants, black skirt, black dress AND THEN accessorize, accessorize, accessorize with your scarves, jewelry, belts. Your combo of outfits are multitude!

Here is a video that fellow cruiser and fashinista Karen Vaughn shared with me. 25 ways to wear a scarf or in our case one (1) scarf and 25 new cruise outfits? Thanks Karen and YouTube!

Buying Foreign Currency: Get More Bang for Your Buck

Here’s yet another article I came across on Independent Traveler on buying your foreign currency before your trip. Just be sure you allow enough time to get your money. 

Also, at our cruise orientation luncheon,  fellow cruiser Stella stated she got her foreign exchange currency at her Credit Union, might be worth an alternate check to your bank if you belong to one. We’re getting closer to our bon voyage time....

Buying Foreign Currency: Get More Bang for Your Buck

http://www.independenttraveler.com/blog/?p=7030

Photo provided by: Flickrs.Photos8.com

CRUISE ORIENTATION LUNCHEON FOLLOW-UP

What a fun time for sure! Everyone arrived promptly at Capital Seafood at Irvine Spectrum. The restaurant had set up a beautiful private room for our group which was absolutely perfect. There were two family style dining tables which seated: Alex Kuncio, Ted Rodriguez, Angie & Lien Burgh, Michele Lovenduski, Bob DiNunzio, JoMary & Michael Murphy, Scott & Liddy Paulsen, Wendy Brown, Kelly Feldman, Stella Hacker and of course Roger Davis and me, Diana!. In addition, our friend Russell Cobb was in town and joined us as a guest.

Roger opened the Luncheon by doing a quick welcome, introduction and spoke about how the orientation luncheon will proceed. Our thanks to Allan and Charles from Capital Seafood who assisted with this luncheon and set-up our menu with a focus of our visiting ports of call countries which included: Assorted Variety of Dim Sum (Hong Kong), Filet Mignon Skewers and Pickled Vegetable (Thailand), Honey Walnut Prawns (Hong Kong), Capital Filet Mignon Cubes (Vietnam) Singapore Shrimp Vermicelli (Singapore), Pea Leaves with Roasted Garlic Sauce (Hong Kong), Sesame Fire Shrimp (Hong Kong), Chef’s Special Fried Rice (China) and Roasted Peking Duck (Beijing) and Mango Pudding was provided complimentary of Roger and Diana. Also, to satisfy the sweet tooth, Stella brought a huge platter of homemade cookies to share with everyone, including the restaurant staff. Thanks Stella!

After we all pigged out on a delicious lunch. Roger once again opened up the orientation and introduced Diana and Alex to facilitate the cruise orientation. Diana highlighted that the group started out with 50 deposited guests and now have 25

as it’s current list. 24 are confirmed to be going and Stella is currently on a wait list in hopes to get on the 16 day cruise. The 32 Day Cruisers are: Roger & Diana, Rocky & Peggy, John & Lucy, Cristin & Mike. The 16 Day Cruisers are: Alex & Ted, Scott & Liddy, Jo Mary & Michael, Michele & Bob, Linda & Bill, Angie, Lien, Wendy, Kelly, Marsha, Patty & Stella.

Diana continued by extending her appreciation for all the guest writers in supporting the Cruise Connection articles in the blog. She also stated that currently the blog has 72 published posting articles and that her last article will be posted on Sunday, April 7th.

Additional topics Diana presented were on distances of Port of Call & Destination City on this cruise, Embarkation Day and to allow plenty of time, Inquiry as to who plan to celebrate their birthday, anniversary on this cruise & to be sure to note this on your on-line My Princess/Cruise Personalizer, as Princess is very good about acknowledging their guests. In closing her presentation, Diana and Roger distributed their “Thank You Gifts” to each cruiser and Diana then did a show and tell of each item in the packet. 

The “Thank You Gift” included: an embroidered group Polo Shirt that needs to be brought on the cruise as we will be coordinating a group photo on the ship, a portfolio that Diana recommends you use to compile all your cruise documents and information, a group removable personalized door label you can decorate, then stick and add a pen & post it notes for others to leave a message on your cabin door, a Rummy Card Game Set with instructions & Score Sheets for playing on the ship with others in the group, Name Tag Holder & Leash which can also be used on the ship to hold your ship card while on board, a Starbuck’s Living Earth App card which can be loaded with your port of call destinations (She also showed how the app actually worked on her iPhone , iPad & Roger’s mini iPad) and finally your own personal chopstick to practice using before the trip. Other handy ideas and tips were shared and discussed among the group during lunch and the presentation.

Alex was next. She handed out everyone in attendance their passport which had their

approved China Visa. Also Alex distributed and discussed the Pre-Post Cruise Tour Package and as well as the shuttle arrangements between the airport & hotel as well as discussion on embarkation/debarkation transfers between the hotel & ship for 16 Day Cruisers.

It was brought up by Alex the importance that each cruisers complete the on-line My Princess/Cruise Personalizer information. Alex has offered to print and compile the cruise documentation and luggage tags for everyone as long as they have completed My Princess/Cruise Personalizer. 

Alex stated that the majority has been assigned to 2nd seating dining option. She also requested if anyone had a special cruiser that they wanted to sit by for dinner to be sure and notify her as she will be setting this up with the cruise line. Also if you had special dietary needs to also contact her directly so she can assist with this as well. 

On the 16 day cruise there will be 3 formal nights which means for 32 day cruise there will be 6 formal nights. Roger shared that Men can go on line and rent tuxedos which is his favorite cruise service. Diana will research this and plan to post a blog article shortly. The group discussed ideas for formalwear as well as appropriate day cruise wear in visiting temples and other sites in port. Alex, stated you can go on line at Princess.com and download a copy of the Cruise Answer Book which was packed with information. Diana also shared that there was already a blog articles posted about My Princess and Cruise Personalizer as well as a great PDF icon under each Ports of Call which was a pamphlet highlighting information about each visiting port. Well worth the time & effort to

print-up for your reference.

The Cruise Orientation went over about 30 minutes from the scheduled time however the event closed with the door prize raffle opportunity. The winners of Roger and Diana’s raffle prizes were: KELLY who won a $30 Amazon Gift Card for usage on RFID security travel essentials or other related items, LIEN also won a $25 Amazon Gift Card, SCOTT who won a $15 iTunes APP Gift Card and MICHAEL won the Door Label Assorted Decoration Kit. Alex’s Innovative Travel Raffle Items were won by: ANGIE, Deluxe Chopstick Set/ Pre-Cruise Packet Holder/Calendar & Tote Bag, JOMARY  won the Deluxe Chopstick Set, Postcard Set & Tote Bag and finally STELLA won the Chopstick & Postcard Set.

Everyone left with a full belly, gifts galore, cruise information, acquaintance of fellow cruisers and an enthusiastic spirt of excitement as we all realized how soon our embarkation date was approaching. Thanks to one and all for joining us at this kick-off event and yes we look forward to seeing you on deck!