Security Check Points

When we travel whether it is by plane, train or ship you have to go through security check points. Now don’t we all love going through them? Or not. It is probably the biggest nuisance when you travel. Besides having to go through the awfully long lines, you have to take out all your liquids, such as hand sanitizer, lotion, mouth wash and perfume! Not to mention if you have a water bottle or a drink at hand, they force you to throw it away as well. Then, after all these steps, you get to the metal detectors and…. beep! You are wonder why you beeped because you took off your belt, shoes and jewelry, but somehow you still managed to beep!

Well there are a couple of tips that you can follow to make this whole process smoother.

When you start to get ready for the day that you are traveling make sure you wear something comfortable that doesn’t have any metal on it and you don’t wear a lot of metal jewelry. Whatever you do decide to wear that day make sure that it is easy to take off and put back on. Like slip on shoes, easy belts and bracelets to take off! Then ensure you put all your liquids in your large suitcase, instead of your carry on and any hand sanitizers, small lotions and little perfumes you have in your purse, take them out and leave them at home.

If you take care of all these little things before you travel I can almost guarantee that your day of traveling will be a lot smoother and you won’t have to be pulled aside to be checked for metal things or have to take out all your liquids. They are small things, but it will save you some time and stress, especially, if you have kids!

When you take your next vacation, whether it is by plane, ship or train remember to follow these small tips and your day of travel will be a lot smoother. 

Hotels inside of Malls

For those shopaholics out there, hotels located inside malls are the best! You can shop until you drop, stay at the hotel inside the mall and then wake up the next day and do it all over again! It is convenient because the hotel is situated inside of the mall!

Now let’s really talk about the convenience of a hotel that is located within a mall! First of all, when you go on vacation one of the things you must do is shop for souvenirs, clothes or anything; especially, us ladies! We have to go shopping while on vacation, so the convenience of the hotel being inside of the mall is perfect because all you have to is walk from your room to the mall! Secondly, it is convenient for eating. When you go on vacation sometimes it can be a little difficult to find somewhere to eat. When you are staying in a hotel that is inside of a mall or connected to a mall you can simply walk down to the food court and eat there! Not only is there just one place to eat, but you have a couple of choices, whereas, in some hotel locations, there might only be one restaurant nearby. Thirdly, you have constant entertainment. If you feel like doing something or going somewhere, all you have to do is take a couple of steps to the mall! You can window shop, actually go shopping and buy things for yourself, you can go get a bite to eat or just walk and talk!

If you have a family, staying at a hotel in a mall is perfect for you. The food is easily accessible and it is probably what your kids are used to, plus they have numerous options! You can walk them all over the mall, so by the end of the day they are wiped out plus tired and your and your spouse can have some alone time. The best part is, if you forgot to pack a sweater, socks, underwear or even some shirts for your little one, you are a couple of steps away from getting whatever you little one needs!

Next time you go on vacation, especially you are the type that like to be near the hub and shopping centers, think about staying at a hotel in a mall! There are many hotels in malls or connected to malls all over the United States.

How Much Is Too Much Luggage?

Remember the “good ole days” when you would travel and did not have to pay for your luggage? It seems to me that nowadays charging for luggage has become a trend in the travel industry. This new trend has affected travel and what airlines people choose to fly. Baggage fees can range from twenty dollars to fifty dollars per bag and as much as seventy-five dollars if your bag weighs over fifty pounds. The fifty pound luggage standard has definitely affected some women when it comes to packing their luggage, especially considering what we pack when they travel. Ladies, you know we always over pack when we travel. If it is a weeklong vacation, we take shoes for two months and close for six months! We like to have options when it comes to outfits and that is why we over pack!

Well now it is not that easy to over pack because of these limitations! There are several ways that you can pack without out being overcharged and still taking all the clothes that you want for your special trip! First of all when you pack you should plan your outfits in advance. Figure out what you are going to wear every single day of the week and make sure it is something that you like to wear and it’s comfortable. Then, you should pick one pair of shoes to wear with each outfit and sometimes you can wear a pair of shoes with more than one outfit. If you want to take more shoes than you need, put all your shoes in a small carry-on luggage, because usually there is no charge for the carry-on luggage and it gives you more space in your bigger suitcase. Another great tip you should follow is to take a big purse or an extra bag with you, just in case your luggage is over fifty pounds. That way you can take out a pair of shoes or pants and stick them in your big purse or extra bag that you took and you won’t be assessed the charge for your luggage. When you take a big purse you can also stuff some snacks, like: cookies, chips and candy. Taking snacks is a good tip because some airlines don’t feed you or the food won’t be enough and if you want to buy more food, which is quite expensive! This will help you save money if you have kids because you can entertain them and they won’t go hungry!  

Next time you travel by plane, consider these things to help you save money and get the most out of your flight to your special destination!

A Great Place for Family Vacationing

When families begin to research where they are going to vacation, there are many things they take in to consideration. Usually, families think about the area. Is it safe? Is it a family friendly area? Are there a lot of available family activities in that area? Can I get a good value and are there discounts on attractions for my family? Many questions are asked, especially, if you are traveling with kids. A great family friendly area to go with your family is Central Florida. Central Florida is filled with numerous fun family attractions! For starters, you have Disney World! What more family friendly place is there? Disney World is the mecca for family fun and attractions! They have four different parks; Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom! Disney World recently expanded and added the new fairy tale park with princess attractions for your little girls called Fantasyland. Other great family attractions are Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. They have a new Harry Potter ride and many fun things to do for the family. There is also Busch Gardens where you can see exotic animals, view awesome shows and get on all the cool rides! Go on a sea adventure at Sea World! Sea World is fun place to see how sea creatures live underwater, you get to feed dolphins and watch a live Shamu show! There are also other attractions that you can do like Old Town, which is like a fair, there is Fun Spot, where you can go GoCart riding and there is Wet N’ Wild a fun waterpark for the family. Don’t forget to stop by Wonder Works and all the restaurants that are attractions as well like Pirates Dinner Adventure and Medieval Times. With all this fun family stuff to do you have to come to Central Florida! Next time you plan your family vacation, make sure you plan it in Central Florida!

The Evolution of Hotel Beds

In the beginning we had beds with very primitive design and before beds we probably slept on the floor of caves with animal skins to keep us warm. The first were simply boxes with some sort of stuffing such as hay or straw and certainly wouldn’t have been as comfortable as we know beds are today. The Egyptians are well known for their luxurious style beds. They were raised wooden structures, often ornately carved with plush cushions and covers to adorn them. Why were they raised? To keep dry, to keep out nasty creatures, to make getting out of bed easier – you name it!

The rich and prosperous in the medieval era had extremely plush beds and bedding. The beds were generally of a larger size than today’s standard double bed, they would have a mattress stuffed with either hay or feathers and other such materials. Some bed consisted of a wooden frame with rope or leather supports, they would then place a mattress of feathers or other soft filling covered in some type of fabric outer. But for the simple and humble peasant a bed would have been a mattress stuffed with hay or straw and placed on the floor.

The Victorian era like so many other revolutions saw the very first sprung mattresses. They were packed with iron springs and feathers and were extremely heavy to lift. Each morning the mattress would be turned and beaten, the servants would then pull the mattress tight. This daily routine was to prevent bedbugs from getting into the mattress and causing infestation.

Mattresses have changed dramatically throughout millennia. We have seen therefore mentioned straw and feather filled mattresses, those with springs and cotton coverings. But we have also had mattresses filled with water, the first of which can be dated back more than 3600 years before in Persia. The water bed as it is known didn’t really take off until the 1960’s when we saw the invention of vinyl, making the mattress more stable and less likely to burst.

Hotel Beds are not just about the mattress however. It is also about pillows, duvets and sheets. We have a yearning to slip into a crisp clean linen covered bed with plush and comfortable pillows. Our beds are more that a piece of furniture to us, they are where we dream, rest and enjoy our lovers company.

When we stay away we want to know that our bed for the night is just as comfortable as the one we sleep in at home. Hotel beds have changed just as much as the beds that we have in our own homes. We expect them to be soft under us and the covers to be clean and warm. Of course it often depends on the value of the room you’re staying in but with the importation of sublimely soft Egyptian cottons and high thread counts we can only expect the best our money can buy.

The best test for any new bed is that of jumping on it, playing pillow fights if you must and checking out the 

creek value of your new bed! With all this in mind a hotel reservation and get yourself under those sheets and start testing! 

Famous Hotels And Meals From Movies

Movies are one of the best ways to be entertained. Have you ever loved a movie so much that you want to live it out? You often can. Many of the movies have been set inside hotels that really exist. You can also get some great meals by watching movies. Sometimes, you can watch a movie and instantly be hungry because they make it all look so good. All you have to do is pay attention to what they are eating – and some epic dishes have come out of movies over the past 100 years.

Famous Hotels and Destinations Made Famous by Movies

Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California
The hotel that Julia Roberts stayed in when she was a prostitute in Pretty Woman. The charming bellhop would hold the door open and the general manager taught her how to eat at the dinner table.

Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, Florida
This hotel was featured in Goldfinger, where James Bond helped to uncover a mystery. A bond girl was found dead inside the hotel – and was covered in gold paint.

Serendipity is a restaurant in California
Also the title of a movie starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. A couple meets, falls in love, and then separates, convinced they will end up together again one day if it is truly meant to be.

Timberland Lodge, Oregon
This location was the home of The Shining – Jack Nicholson had spooky things going on in the movie here. It is a popular lodge for skiing and snowboarding and not the least bit creepy.

Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, CA
 The movie Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe used this 120 year old hotel as the backdrop for the hotel. It was ideal for being Prohibition era – though interior scenes were not shot inside the hotel.

Vertigo Hotel in San Francisco, CA
The Vertigo Hotel was the location for Hitchcock’s Vertigo. They lived inside the hotel, which was called the Empire Hotel when it was being filmed.

Forks, Washington
Ever since Twilight made it to the big screen, tweens flock to Forks every year, dragging their families behind them. The town has embraced their Twilight mention and offers an array of tours and other things to do.

Central Park

Some locations are used across countless movies. Just look at Central Park. There have been movies that have used the Central Park benches and the carriage rides for countless movies. Many of the movies that you know and love have used big cities like Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles as backdrops – and you may not have even known it.

Home Alone 2 was filmed almost entirely in New York. Ernest Saves Christmas was filmed in Orlando. Any movie that you find was filmed somewhere – and you can visit some of the locations that you have seen. In some instances, you can even stay in the hotels where the stars walked across the lobby floor and touched the same banister on the staircase that you will have the opportunity to touch.

Famous Meals Made Famous by Movies

Whenever you go and see a movie where there’s a food scene, you pay attention. It makes you hungry. And then because of that movie, you end up wanting to eat that same food. Some food has been created entirely as a result of movies while others are simply remembered from making an appearance in a movie.

Meatballs, anyone? Lady and the Tramp may be a Disney animated film, but it can make you crave spaghetti and meatballs just at the sight of the movie poster.

Brooklyn style pizza, folded in half. Anyone from New York will tell you this is how you are supposed to eat pizza. Tony Manero (played by John Travolta) shows you how to eat it in Saturday Night Live. He piles two slices on top of each other, folds them in half, and eats then single-handedly.

Crème Brulee with a spoon. When you watch Amelie, you want crème brulee – and when you have crème brulee, you want to watch the movie. The way she ate the dessert even made it to the movie poster.

Food of the Godfather. Al Pacino recommends “try the veal” and to this day, there are people all over the U.S. taking this advice. There are also plenty of people who take the advice on the dessert, too. They “take the cannoli” and leave the gun behind. Everyone has to have priorities.

Abe loves chowder. Once the Abraham Lincoln movie came out, more people were looking for oyster chowder since it was a favorite of the president. Many restaurants and food websites delivered by adding it to their menu or offering up a recipe.

Raisin Bran makes a comeback. In the Silver Linings Playbook, Bradley Cooper asked for Raisin Bran for dinner. Wouldn’t you know, there are now diners adding this cereal to their dinner menu in order to pay tribute to the movie.

Regardless of whether you are looking for someplace to stay, visit, or eat, you can rely on your favorite movies to provide you with inspiration. Almost every good movie has a location that is real, even if the name is changed for simple purposes. Look at what your favorite characters eat and what they do. It’s likely that you have found yourself eating many of those same foods – or wanting to do some of the same things that they have done.