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You are here: Home / Archives for Travel / Vacation

What To Wear On A Flight: Your Next Trip Sorted

November 16, 2022 by Wendy S

flightPhoto by Killian Pham on Unsplash

When it comes to flying, throwing on any old outfit and hoping for the best isn’t always an ideal strategy. Sure, modern planes are super comfortable, but it’s not like you’re just taking a trip on the local bus. When you fly, you’re always on an adventure, whether you’re travelling for business or pleasure. Therefore, you need to be prepared.

Don’t worry, though, if you’ve never thought about this before. This post is here to help. In it, we take a look at some of the things you’ll need to wear on a plane to make the trip a breeze. Let’s take a look.

Plenty Of Layers

Imagine you’re flying from Lapland to Lagos. The temperature differential is enormous at any time of the year, probably over 30°C. 

That’s why it’s a good idea to pack plenty of layers. You never know when you’re going to feel cold, and when things will be absolutely baking hot. 

Beware of flight transfers. Aircraft air conditioning doesn’t always regulate the temperature perfectly, particularly if the new plane has been sitting on a hot runway for several hours before you board. 

Good items to take along with you include shawls, wraps, cardigans, and sweatshirts. If you get too hot, you can take layers off and keep them in your hand luggage. Remember, aircraft air conditioning systems can feel a little cold to some people, particularly if you are sensitive. 

Loose-Fit Clothes

Blood clots in the legs are a risk for passengers who spend a lot of time remaining absolutely still in aircraft seats for a long time. That’s why it’s a good idea to wear loose-fitting clothing. You want to ensure that you impede your circulation as little as possible.

Pay particular attention to tightness around the ankles. Ideally, these should be free from obstruction so the blood can easily travel back from the feet. 

Wear Slip-On Shoes

When you’re running to gates and trying to find your seat in narrow planes, the last thing you want to worry about is tying your shoelaces. Stooping down to tie wayward laces could actually be a hazard. 

For that reason, slip-on shoes make sense. And while they might not be the most stylish, they are certainly practical for the airport experience. 

Take A Scarf With You

Take a wide scarf with you on the plane so you have something that can transform into either a shawl or a blanket. If you sleep in your seat, you’ll notice that your body temperature drops significantly so you’ll want something to keep you warm. Choose a sweat-wicking fabric if you can, meaning no nylon. 

Slim Backpack

Look for a slim backpack for all your carry-on essentials. You want something with plenty of room for a laptop, headphones, and a shawl, but that won’t get in the way when you are trying to find your way to your seat. 

These days, there are plenty of brands offering slim backpacks exclusively for travel purposes, so take a look and see what’s available. Look for bags with pouches for the specific items you travel with. 

T-Shirt

When it comes to flying, you don’t want to wear anything too fancy. A simple Nike t-shirt will suffice. You can save all your elegant outfits and dresses for when you arrive at your destination. You want something that can cope with food being spilled on it during turbulence and you can easily wash when you arrive at your new location. 

A Warm, Neutral Outer Layer

Even if you are travelling between tropical destinations, it’s still a good idea to take a warm outer layer with you. Gates next to air conditioning vents can get pretty chilly. 

Look for something neutral that won’t make you stand out. Also, go lightweight. You don’t want to feel even more burdened than you already do. 

A Jacket With Pockets

Lastly, if you have a lot of luggage, you’ll want to take a jacket with you that has a lot of pockets. This way, you can load it up with a bunch of trinkets and avoid hand luggage weight limits. 

Just be sensible with how you load it. Fill pockets with small but heavy items that people would usually carry around with them. Don’t try to fit your laptop between the seams. Security probably won’t appreciate inventiveness like that. 

Today, there are numerous high-quality jackets on the market with plenty of external and internal pockets to choose from. Most have pockets large enough for the biggest smartphones and standard airline tickets. 

Filed Under: Life, Travel, Vacation Tagged With: clothing, fashion, flight, travel, trip

Travel Essentials to Take to Hot Climate

May 23, 2022 by Wendy S

travel essentials

Photo by Craig Adderley from Pexels

When travelling to a hot climate, you often need to take extra precautions to ensure that you stay safe and comfortable throughout your trip. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few essentials you should definitely pack for your next trip to a hotter climate than you’re used to. 

Merino wool

This might sound strange to some people, but Merino wool is great for just about any climate It keeps you cool in hot climates and warm in cool climates, so you should always pack some wherever you go.

Moisture-wicking underwear

Moisture-wicking underwear will keep your most delicate parts dry and comfortable no matter how hot it gets. So, you can explore your vacation destination without having to worry about freshness or getting any itchy heat rashes which can be oh so annoying.

Eye drops

If you are prone to getting dry eye, then it is a really good idea to take moistening eye drops to hot climates with you. Hot weather is a particular trigger for dry eye, and as you know, it can get pretty irritating and uncomfortable, so you really don’t want it to ruin your vacation. That’s why you really should not forget to pack eye drops. 

Sunglasses

Sunglasses will also help to protect your eyes, this time from the damaging effects of the sun’s rays.

Water bottles

Taking your own water bottle with you will encourage you to keep dehydrated. Just bear in mind that, in some countries, tap water is not safe to drink, and if that is the case, buying bottled water throughout the day is likely to be safer.

Cotton clothing

Not only does cotton clothing enable your skin to breathe, so that you are less likely to overheat, but it dries very quickly. So, if you get hot and sweaty, you can wash and dry your clothing in no time at all.

Lightweight shoes

Your feet can get really hot in a warm climate, so it is a good idea to pack sandals, along with a good pair of lightweight sneakers or trail shoes, depending on what kind of activities you are likely to be getting up to.

Lots of sunscreen

Of course, one of the most important things you should pack when travelling to a hot climate is sunscreen. Lots of it. You should never be out in the daylight hours without having lots of sunscreen on. The risk of being burned is so very high that you absolutely cannot afford to skip even one application.

It might be a good idea to also pack some alive vera gel because, if you do get burnt, it will help to soothe your pain significantly.

A sun hat

A sun hat will help to stop you from overheating, prevent your head from burning, and provide you with some much-needed shade when you’re on the beach, so be sure to bring one along.

With these essentials in your suitcase, you can be sure that you’ll have a safe, comfortable, and most important of all, fun time, on your next hot climate vacation.

Filed Under: family, Life, Travel, Vacation Tagged With: essentials, travel

Summertime is Quality Family Time!

July 21, 2017 by bigdaddy

Each year, we try to maximize the amount of time we can in our trailer trailer, affectionately known as the #SilvaBulletRV.

Last year, we took an amazing trip down to Florida with our trailer. The girls really wanted to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando. We are all huge Harry Potter fans, so when they asked, we all got really excited.

A post shared by bigdaddykreativ (@bigdaddykreativ) on Sep 14, 2016 at 6:45pm PDT

Next thing you know, we are planning our trip. We decided to tow our trailer down, and make it an extended 3 week trip. By doing so, we were able to visit places we had never been before, and see some of the great places in the US along the way.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Jul 31, 2016 at 1:32pm PDT

The trip south

We booked 3 campgrounds on the way down. Our first campground was Wally World in Loudonville, Ohio. We had stayed at this campground before, and absolutely loved it. We stayed at Wally World for 2 days.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 1, 2016 at 6:36am PDT

Volunteer Park Family Campground in Heiskell Tennessee was our next stop. We stayed there for one night.

Our third stop was Southern Trails Resort in Unadilla Georgia. We stayed there for one night. While there, we met people from our home campground in New York State. Such small world!

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 6, 2016 at 5:38am PDT

Florida!

When we arrived in Florida, we stayed for 3 nights at Ellenton Gardens in Ellenton. It was a small RV park with an awesome pool.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 31, 2016 at 7:03pm PDT

We visited friends, and spent some time at the beach on Anna Maria Island. One of the best beaches I have ever been to. The kids loved it there!

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 9, 2016 at 7:58am PDT

Our second destination in Florida was Sherwood Forest RV Resort in Kissimmee. This was a beautiful park, and would be our home base for the time we spent going to and from Universal Orlando.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 10, 2016 at 10:37am PDT

Universal was awesome, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter did not disappoint.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 10, 2016 at 9:18am PDT

It was time together we will never forget!

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 18, 2016 at 9:27am PDT

The trip home

The first campground we stayed at on the way home was Barnyard RV Park in Lexington South Carolina, where we stayed for 2 days. This was less than an hour from where Wendy’s cousins live, so we were able to get in a visit before we left.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 19, 2016 at 5:29am PDT

Our next destination was Fort Chiswell RV Park in Max Meadows Virginia. The scenery was stunning! We were in the mountains, so cell reception was not the best… but none of us cared.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 20, 2016 at 2:37pm PDT

Our last 2 nights were spent at Rocky Fork Ranch Resort in Kimbolton Ohio. Wendy and the girls got in some geocaching while there.

All hands on deck

As you can imagine, with an itinerary like this, we needed all hands on deck. Wendy and I shared the driving, and the girls helped in every way they could. They helped cook meals, clean up, and pack up the trailer.

When we arrived at a campground, they helped put the wheel chocks in, set up the stabilizers on the trailer, and unpacked the trailer. When it was time to leave, they helped with clean up, and the reverse order of set up. Having all hands on deck makes easier work for everyone.

A post shared by bigdaddykreativ (@bigdaddykreativ) on Aug 8, 2016 at 1:08pm PDT

Quality Family Time

21 days on the road + 5517kms traveled + drove through 11 States (New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania) = Quality Family Time.

While it was tiring at times, I wouldn’t have passed up this opportunity for anything. We love spending time together as a family, and this was the perfect time to do it.

A post shared by bigdaddykreativ (@bigdaddykreativ) on Aug 3, 2016 at 5:23am PDT

As well, we couldn’t have done this trip without the organizational skills and superb planning of my tag team partner for life!

If you are thinking of taking a road trip, be sure to check out Furkot to help with your trip planning. It helped keep us on track, and gave us a very detailed itinerary.

Cheers,
Big Daddy

Filed Under: Blog, Camping, family, fun, Life, RVing, Travel, Vacation Tagged With: florida, orlando, Quality Family Time, road trip, RVing, Universal Orlando, vacation, Wizarding World of Harry Potter

What an amazing summer it is going to be!

July 14, 2017 by Rachel Kreativ

My amazing Summer started off with a trip to Montego Bay in Jamaica! It was awesome, but I will leave that for another post.

I’m so excited for the rest of the summer! So far, I have been hanging out with my friends and having a great time. We’ve gone to the park, the mall, and the movies. We saw the new Wonder Woman movie… it was amazing!

A post shared by bigdaddykreativ (@bigdaddykreativ) on Jun 28, 2017 at 5:49am PDT

Volunteering

I volunteered at the grade 8 grad with my Dad, and my friends Lauren and Ben. I handed out programs to the parents, while Lauren helped with audio. Ben helped back stage. My Dad was taking photos for the yearbook, which he also designs.

This week, I am also volunteering at my church’s VBS summer camp (Vacation Bible School) with my friends. I haven’t been to VBS in a couple of years, as we usually are away camping, but this year, we came back just so we can go.

A post shared by bigdaddykreativ (@bigdaddykreativ) on Sep 12, 2016 at 1:57pm PDT

Another Amazing Summer at Niagara’s Lazy Lakes!

Tonight, we will be heading back to the #SilvaBulletRV at our home campground Niagara’s Lazy Lakes (in Lewiston, New York) for the weekend. We’ll get a couple of days of relaxing at Lazy Lakes before heading off to Ohio with our camping family! I am so excited to be spending a whole week with them at Wally World in Loudonville, Ohio.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 1, 2016 at 6:36am PDT

Wally World in Ohio!

Wally World is one of my favourite campgrounds. There is so much to do around there. They have an activity complex a few minutes down the road with go-carts, high ropes and low ropes courses, a mini golf course and lots more. You can also rent canoes, kayaks, or tubes to float down the Mohican river.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 16, 2015 at 9:25am PDT

A couple of years ago when we were camping there, I canoed 7 miles down the Mohican River with Mom and Lauren. The end point is right by the campground, which is really convenient. Dad followed our journey in the truck and took some awesome pictures.

Another one of my favourite things is visiting the Amish market near the campground. When you walk in, it’s like you just walked into bakery heaven. The awesome thing is that everything there is homemade. I especially like the apple butter and the ice cream.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Jul 10, 2015 at 9:08pm PDT

Camping at Lazy Lakes and Bronte Creek

After a week in Ohio, we will be heading back to Lazy Lakes for a couple of weeks, then a week at Bronte Creek Provincial Park, and then the last two weeks of my amazing summer will be at Lazy Lakes.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on May 22, 2016 at 10:44am PDT

At Niagara Lazy Lakes, there are two pools and a playground. But we always have things to do, whether the weather is good or it is raining. We have lots of games to play, movies to watch, and colouring books. We also have Storm, who loves our attention all the time, and loves to cuddle and run around.

We also get to spend a week camping at Bronte Creek Provincial Park, which is close to our house. We have only been there to visit the petting zoo and play at the activity barn. We have never camped there, so I am really looking forward to spending the week there.

A post shared by bigdaddykreativ (@bigdaddykreativ) on Jul 1, 2017 at 7:29am PDT

The most amazing summer ever!

This is going to be the most amazing summer ever, and the best thing is I get to spend it with the best people in some awesome places!

Cheers,
Rachel

Filed Under: Blog, Camping, friends, fun, Life, munchkin, RVing, Travel, Vacation Tagged With: amazing summer, Bronte Creek, camping, Lewiston, Loudonville, Niagara's Lazy Lakes, Ohio, rachel silva, rachelectrik, RVing, summer, vacation, Wally World

Let The Summer Begin!

July 7, 2017 by Lauren Kreativ

My favourite part about the summer is spending time with friends and family! In the summer we go camping in our travel trailer. It’s called the #SilvaBulletRV.

A post shared by bigdaddykreativ (@bigdaddykreativ) on Sep 12, 2016 at 1:57pm PDT

Camping is so much fun because we get to see our camping family. We have become very close with some friends at our campground. They are just like part of our family. I am so excited for when we go to Ohio because I will get to ride in a go-cart by myself! Ohio is going to be so much fun because we are going with our camping family. I am so excited!

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Jul 23, 2016 at 11:48am PDT

l love to go to the park and play with my friends at camp. Going swimming at the campground’s pool is so much fun. I get to make big splashes when I jump in! Swimming is the best this year because I can go to the pool with friends, and not have to have Mom and Dad come with me. I never swim alone, because it is not safe.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on May 29, 2016 at 10:16am PDT

Summer break is awesome because we don’t have to do any school work! Lots of popsicles and freezies for all those hot days. Even if it rains, we still have fun! I like to ride my bike and go on bike rides with my friends!

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on Aug 10, 2016 at 10:39am PDT

Last year in the summer was lots of fun. We went to Universal Studios! I went on a few of the roller coasters!

We went to 3 campgrounds on the way to Orlando. While in Florida we stayed at 2 campgrounds. We stayed at 3 more campgrounds on the way home. We were so excited to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was amazing! We tried some Bertie Botts every Flavour Beans, Butterbeer, Frozen Butterbeer, and Chocolate Frogs. We had lots of fun at Universal Studios.

I cannot wait for the rest of the summer. We have a lot planned. It’s going to be so much fun!

TTFN,
Lauren

Filed Under: Blog, Camping, friends, fun, Life, peanut, RVing, Travel, Vacation Tagged With: camping, kreativcamper, lauren silva, RVing, summer, swimming, travel trailer, vacation

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mapsgirl@gmail.com

Why “mapsgirl” ?

Wendy is a cartographer! She draws maps!

When not mapping, Wendy is also a mom to two daughters. They are the inspiration of this blog. Passionate about child passenger safety, Wendy was a certified Car Seat Technician in Ontario, Canada from 2008 to 2020. [Read More …]

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