I was recently asked this question and I thought of sharing it here in my blog…

Backpacking: What is the best advice you can share about backpacking through Europe?

• I would use the train system in Europe. You can get passes that can take you though several countries. It is efficient and inexpensive for as much as it allows you to see.
• Bring money and a credit card.
• A copy of any medication prescriptions, eyeglass prescription, doctor’s names and phone # or medical information a hospital or doctor might need if you needed medical attention.
• Have a plan for where you want to go.
• Leave a copy of your itinerary with someone at home and let them know if you are making any changes to it along the way.
• Keep your money in two different places. Make sure it is secure. Check out my free printable packing list for tips at www.boomerandseniortravel.tv
• Spend time getting to know places. Don’t just run from one place to another trying to see everything. Experiencing a place in a little depth will make it more memorable.

We love working and we love our vacations but we seem to like to take our work with us on our vacations. This is another example of how integrated we are with our work. I know that I take mine with me. My favorite vacation down time is to work on articles or organize photos of the trip I am on for my website and show.

One of the great joys in my life is my grandkids. Of course like yours they are the cutest in the whole world. I have grandma & grandpa camp each summer. They get to come and stay with grandma without their parents and we cook, do crafts, go on field trips, go hiking, play games and build a lifelong close relationship with them. That is the upside the downside is some of them live so far away that getting them here is an issue. The ones that are far away I either fly out and then drive their van with them across the country and then their parents fly in at the end and pick them up and drive them home or I fly out get them and then fly back with them. There is no grandma and grandkid airline discount. Why is that? Some are still too small to fly alone. We have travel games that we play and we get a hotel half way with a pool. I have a map for them with things to find on the way; 10 cows, 5 blue cars, a broken down car, a semi that will honk, a Mc Donald’s sign (ice cream,) a park with swings (we stop,) a dog, 5 sheep, etc. We sing songs and talk about them. I have to say it, I love the movies in the car. Bless whom ever came up with that one. At least the proverbial are we there yet only comes at the end of the movie not every 10 mins. It also cuts down on the “he hit me, she hit me” sessions. They stay 2-3 weeks. This is a really special time for all of us. They start packing their bags months in advance. We have to keep reminding them when it really is. Isn’t that cute. Some of our favorite times is at the beach. We love building sand castles. They try to build them like the sculpted ones that I show in my videos.

San Francisco is a place where there is so much to do that you would need a couple weeks to fully experience it. There are many ways to see San Francisco. Some of the most popular are by car, on the famous cable cars, and various tour companies that provide narrated tours. Try something different and see San Francisco by bike. You can rent them and even ride over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. Sausalito is another close interesting place to see, shop at and have a dining experience next to the water. One of my favorite shopping sprees was in Sausalito where my husband bought a piano purse for my daughter.

Most frustrations in travel occur when the traveler is delayed, late or put in an embarrassing position. There are many ways to avoid this. As you can see from this info graphic most of the frustrations shown here are either from going through customs or security checkpoints. I think most people are nervous that they will be stopped or get in trouble for something that they did not know they were doing wrong.

Just the mere fact that the passport officials look at you like you are a criminal and the images from movies of them detaining people and putting people in prison is frightening. I remember when we were going with our teenagers through the Paris airport that they detained our son and made us get on the plane. We were terrified. It was good that we had explained to our kids to always cooperate with the officials and stay calm. They checked his backpack and then let him go. But those few minutes were a lifetime for us. Now, we arrange ourselves so that we are the last to go through the checkpoint so that we can be where the children are if they are stopped.

Checking your passport to be sure that there is six months or more left on your passport will end most of your worries about clearing the passport stations. If you have any trouble there are people in the airport that will help you.

Check out all the new apps available to help you in your travel. They will suggest restaurants with ratings and visitor comments, attractions near you, even tell you who will be visiting in the same city and airport and hook you up.

I love cloud computing because I do have access to all my data and everything that I would have on my home computer at any computing location that I am at. I carry a computer notebook so that I can hook up securely where ever I have internet access.

Most frustrations can be eliminated with proper prior planning. You can enjoy your vacation with little frustration or fear if you get the right information before you begin your trip.