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Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Travel Tips From a Novice

Just a quickie post since I'm leaving on Thursday and won't post for a minute.

I'm not a person who travels a lot (and y'all know how I hate flying), but I have done my share. I thought I would pass on a few tips that I've learned over the past several years. (NOTE: Things change so none of this is written in stone.)

  • Image result for packing luggage meme pinterest
  • Check here to see what the rules are about what you can and cannot take on your flight!
  • If you can, try to get luggage where the 2 main pieces match closely in size. Most airlines give you the same weight allowance for both bags (if you are given the option of 2 bags). This time, I get 50lbs for each of my 2 bags (for which I'm paying a very reasonable fee) and I was able to make the best use of every pound. 
  • Make sure to "try on" your luggage and carry-ons before you leave. Make sure you can handle the luggage solo (should you have to) and that you are comfortable with the weight of your carry-on items. Can you hold or wear it all without straining your hands or body? Can you walk quite a way holding it all? Can you easily access your money, tickets, and other essentials? True story: I once found myself at DFW, trying to balance one piece of luggage on another because I  had started out with a travel partner who got sidelined during the return trip. It took forever to find a porter to help me out.
  • If you are going for an extended stay somewhere (or if you are going to have a lot of excess luggage), it's cheaper at times to use USPS's Flat Rate boxes and mail things ahead. It's fast, insured (to a point) and you can even request items be held for pick-up.
  • Invest in empty bottles and containers from the "dollar" shelf at a store. You can take a lot of essentials (shampoo/conditioner, lotions, etc.) by using the containers and tucking them throughout your luggage. Much easier to tighten up your packing space with smaller containers. 
  • To save room in bags, you can tuck some things (like your containers from above) into socks or shoes,
  • Never, ever pack your essential medications in checked luggage. You might get stranded at a layover, or your luggage could simply get lost or delayed. I had an aunt visit once and we ended up taking her to the local air base to get an emergency replacement of a daily med that was lost with her checked luggage. Her luggage was located - three days after her flight landed.
  • Always keep a bit of cash on hand - but also keep a debit or credit card handy. Some (if not most) airlines don't accept cash for in-flight items.  If you don't have (or want a credit card), get a re-loadable Visa or MasterCard. These are available at most big box stores. (By the way, these cards are great for buying things online or applying for trial versions of services.)
  • Unless necessary, don't dress to impress. That was fine when air travel was a major, major Image result for air travelluxury. These days, you might get stranded somewhere or have to jog half a mile to a gate. Dress for cleanliness, comfort, and neatness. Comfy footwear is essential! If you do make the mistake of wearing tight shoes on a plane (or train, or long auto ride) do not take them off. Your feet might swell and then you have to get your dawgs back into those already tight shoes. (Trust me on this one.  I had a bad experience thirty years ago that I only was able to laugh at about 5 years ago...)
  • Keep baby wipes, talcum powder, and deodorant in your carry on - even if you have to get the teensy-tiny trial/travel sizes. Again, you don't know what kind of delays you might run into. Baby wipes are good for freshening the body or, in some cases, getting small stains or lint off clothing. Talcum powder helps keep your body cool and fresh-smelling. I like to dress in layers when I travel (maybe a cami or t-shirt under my outer top) and I will dash the powder in between the layers to keep me comfy. 
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  • If you happen to have extremely long (or multiple) layovers, you might want to look into paying for a day pass to an airline club room. I detail my experience with one in this post. Well worth it if you are traveling at a personally stressful time or just want to treat yourself.
  • Ladies, keep a bandana or headband or some hair clips in your carry on. You might start out having a good hair day but there's nothing like some unexpected stress to ruin that achievement.
  • I also suggest not wearing a full face of makeup. Makeup can be drying. The canned in-flight air is drying. It's better to do a little touch-up just before landing on the last leg of your flight. You might want to dab Image result for creative packing meme pinterestyour face with a wet towel or napkin to keep your skin happy.
  • Enjoy the layovers. Don't just people-watch; try interacting with other travelers. Of course, you want to be careful, but how often do you get a chance to spend time around people from so many different places? 
  • Image result for air travelIf you are a loner and want to kill time on layovers (or onboard), you can see if your local library has electronic reading/listening services for mobile devices. Make sure to fully download the books for offline use. (I use the Overdrive app to borrow audiobooks from my local library. After downloading the app, all I needed was my library card to sign in an.) You can use the Overdrive app on PC as well as mobile devices. Check a previous post about the app.
  • Use the bathroom at every layover if you can. I don't know about you, but once I get on a plane, I don't like to leave my seat. Depending on your location, you're bumping and squeezing past other passengers coming and going. Image result for airport meme pinterest
  • This last tip is one that I am only half-sure about but it's always worked for me so I wanted to share it: Try to download the app for whichever airline you're traveling with. Whenever I have done this and gotten an electronic boarding pass, I've usually been given the wonderful, delightful gift of TSA Pre-check. I'm not sure if it's because of the electronic pass or the credit card tied to my ID and ticket, but it is lovely. I know that you can apply for and pay a fee Image result for tsa precheckto get the luxury of pre-check, but I don't have the budget for that. Only once did my pre-check status get ignored and I didn't mind at all because it was during a high-security alert. So, basically, I'm not sure how I got picked for the pre-check so I can't swear how it works. I'll see tomorrow when I do my check-in via the phone app.
For some of you, these tips are ho-hum but, for a lot of people, travel is not an everyday thing. I hope that these tips help make your next flight easier.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I get ready to head out and into a new chapter of my life.

Peace
--Free

Friday, June 09, 2017

**REVIEW** Noosa Yoghurt

(NOTE: Yes, I am supposed to be getting ready to leave next week and shouldn't be using this time to post to the blog. Thing is, blogging is soothing for me. I need some serious soothing right now. In this post, you will learn about something else that helps make me happy.)


Spicy but offset by the dairy, so...

Remember I told yall that I don't want to be that "big" gal on the plane next week? I'm seriously trying to eat healthy right now. The thing about me is, bad stress takes away my appetite. Positive stress, though, turns me into a nibbler! I've been doing too much nibbling the past month. This week, though, I've been drinking lemon/lime water with flaxseed gel. It does block the appetite, but a girl still has to eat.

Enter... Noosa

One day soon, I plan to train myself to really, really like eating cottage cheese. For now, I am totally in love with yogurt - or, "yogurt", per Noosa spelling.

I've tried so many brands of yogurt that I can't remember them all. A few years ago, I fell in love with the texture of Greek yogurt. Still love it. Noosa is an Austrailian unstrained yogurt that is somewhere between "traditional" and Greek (where Greek is strained and has more protein and, to me, is thicker/richer textured) yogurt. What I like about it are the flavor combinations. (By the way, I just checked and saw that another site agrees about the cross of traditional and Greek consistency!

The other day, I actually tried a very, very thick yogurt from Siggi's. It was, in my opinion, almost too thick. Also, I chose a berry mix flavor and wasn't crazy about that particular taste. What I would like to do is use a plain version of Siggi's (or another Icelandic yogurt) in a food dish because the texture would be perfect for that. (You can check Wikipedia for the different types of yogurts.)

But let's get back to Noosa.

Like I said, what I like most are the favor combinations. So far, I have tried most of them. My top flavor pick is the one I first started with some months ago: Strawberry-Rhubarb. Oh my yum, is it good!


For a while, I was only checking for the flavors at Walmart, which is where I found my all-time favorite: Key Lime. They also had Pumpkin (yuk!!!), Blueberry, Raspberry, Peach, Lemon, Honey, Vanilla, and Plain. I tried the Lemon and the Raspberry but kept going back to the two faves.

Then...

I went into the local Carrs-Safeway (where I rarely shop because, well, I'm on a tight budget and Walmart is cheaper) and fell into Noosa heaven.



Now, I'm not usually one to even get near anything do do with a hot pepper - let alone a habanero or  serrano! But these yogurts.... SO good. There is the heat but it's moderated enough by the dairy that, by the time you get the flavor (and heat) of the peppers, your mouth is being cooled down. I like both but the Blackberry Serrano blend is probably my favorite. Today, my niece and her hubby tried a couple of the spicy flavors and gave them a thumbs up. They call the spicy mixes line "Sweet Heat". Perfectly true. I can't wait to try these:



Overall, Noosa has so many flavors, it's going to take me awhile to try them all:


AND these are not all the flavors, believe it or not.

These are some of the newest:

These 3 are amazing!


This is what Noosa has to say about its ingredients;

What’s the secret to amazing yoghurt? It’s simple: whole milk, a touch of honey, and purée made with real fruit.

This is what Noosa looks like opened and unstirred.

Can eat it stirred or not...

I have tried eating the yogurts stirred and unstirred. I like to stir the ones that have spicy flavors but, sometimes, I will eat the Strawberry/Rhubarb without mixing it. Depends on my mood.

Nutrition-wise, Noosa is a bit heavy on the sugars and fats, according to some sources. (And I'm mad that I didn't get to review samples like this person did a few years back! LOLI guess it depends on what kind of nutrition you look for in your personal diet. Since I was (and will definitely again be) doing a Keto-based diet - heavy on fats and low on carbs - the sugar bothers me but not for my carb-up days when I carb-cycle. Also, just about, anything can be bad for you if you don't practice moderation. As a treat, I prefer Noosa to ice cream, candy, chips, or soda. Right now, since I'm pretty much on a diet of citrus water and yogurt, I'm good with the calories in Noosa. If I could stick to the Plain and Honey flavors, I'd be ahead of the game.

For more detailed info, check the FAQs for Noosa. They even give the recipe for the Blueberry flavor so you can see the ingredients used. You can also find a coupon on the site.

Finally, this is what caught my eye when checking for how "healthy" Noosa is. This is right from their site:

"noosa yoghurt is made with milk from happy cows never treated with rBGH. Our delicious purées are built on a foundation of all-natural fruit, always picked at the peak of ripeness and pureed to luscious perfection. noosa yoghurt is a great source of calcium and protein, and contains live, active cultures, and probiotics (often called good bacteria). Probiotics are living organisms that help maintain balance in your digestive tract, boost your immune system and replenish the other good bacteria in your body."

So, if you were looking to try a new brand or find some awesome flavors, I think you should grap a coupon from the site and give Noosa a gho (you'll get that joke if you read the FAQs!)

Peace
--Free


P.S.: I started writing this post earlier in the week. When the niece and nephew came in from Arizona today, I picked up more Raspberry/Habenero and (first time) Pineapple/Jalapeno. All three of us like the Raspberry better. The Pineapple is nice but is very mild with a lot less heat than the other spicy flavors. I still the that, of the spicy ones, my favorite is now the Blackberry/Serrano.