Check out Debby’s latest Travel Column:The Bahamas
Now for some fun from Sally….Exam results part one
Apparently real answers to exam questions!!
In the Office
A secretary is often a Director’s private concern.
Previous tempting work is an advantage
The word processor has a ‘cursor’ for when the secretary makes a mistake.
If a partner cannot pay his debts, a court with order a bayleaf to eject him from his house.
Sometimes in an office a person throws a spaniard in the works.
Ooh la la
Je suis fiance. C’est la guerre – I am engaged to a gorilla
Saucisses – Saucy girls.
Name a French winter sport – Bog-slaying
The Louvre is a well known night-club.
The French National Anthem is called The Mayonnaise
Music Appreciation
Elvis Presley was a more refined pop star than Bill Haley. Many of the rock stars were idles to the youngsters. Today there are different categories of pop from ‘sole’ to ‘punk’
Wogan’s Fly of the Vuldukeries
The Dance of the Sugar Prune Fairy
Bikini’s Madame Butterfly,
The baboon is the lowest woodwind instrument.
Crushendo – an orchestra for everyone to join in.
Source Howlers by William Cooke and illustrated by Mike Gordon Published 1988 Used copies are available on Ebay and Amazon.
Thank you for joining us today and we hope you are leaving with a smile on your face.. Debby and Sally.
Firstly, some funnies from Debby Gies and an old friend who has donated his observations on life for our enjoyment followed by some funnies from Sally.
D.G. Writes is where you will find an archive full of wonderful posts across several subjects including writing tips, social issues and book reviews.
MEN ARE JUST HAPPY PEOPLE
This needs no explanation – and is a fun read, no matter your gender.
Men Are Just Happier People! What do you expect from such simple creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don’t have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress – $5,000. Tux rental – $100. People never stare at your chest when you’re talking to them.
New shoes don’t cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend. Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Two pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck. You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one pair of shoes – one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can ‘do’ your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache. You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes. No wonder men are happier!
NICKNAME If Laura, Kate, and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah. If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Bubba, and Wild man.
EATING OUT When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it’s only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back. When the girls get their bill, outcome the pocket calculators.
MONEY. A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs. A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t need but it’s on sale.
BATHROOMS A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel. The average number of items in the typical woman’s bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.
ARGUMENTS A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
FUTURE A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
MARRIAGE A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t. A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change, but she does.
DRESSING UP A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail. A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.
NATURAL Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed Women somehow deteriorate during the night.
OFFSPRING Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears, and hopes and dreams. A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY. A married man should forget his mistakes. There’s no use in two people remembering the same thing! So, send this to the women who have a sense of humor …. and to the men who will enjoy reading.
My thanks to Debby and her friend for sharing this with us.
A Priest was being honored at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish. A leading local politician and member of the congregation was chosen to make the presentation and to give a little speech at the dinner.
However, he was delayed, so the Priest decided to say his own few words while they waited:
‘I got my first impression of the parish from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen a television set and, when questioned by the police, was able to lie his way out of it. He had stolen money from his parents, embezzled from his employer, had an affair with his boss’s wife, and taken illegal drugs. I was appalled. But as the days went on I learned that my people were not all like that and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people.’…
Just as the Priest finished his talk, the politician arrived full of apologies at being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and gave his talk:
‘I’ll never forget the first day our parish Priest arrived,’ said the politician. ‘In fact, I had the honour of being the first person to go to him for confession.’
Moral : Never, Never, Never Be Late!
Thank you for joining us today and we hope you are leaving with a smile on your face.. Debby and Sally.
How many science fiction writers does it take to change a light bulb?
Two, but it’s actually the same person doing it. He went back in time and met himself in the doorway and then the first one sat on the other one’s shoulder so that they were able to reach it. Then a major time paradox occurred and the entire room, light bulb, changer and all was blown out of existence. They co-existed in a parallel universe, though.
How many mystery writers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Two. One to screw it almost all the way in, and the other to give it a surprising twist at the end.
How many screenwriters does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Why does it *have* to be changed?
How many cover blurb writers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A VAST AND TEEMING HORDE STRETCHING FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA!!!!
That old Genie joke again…
A woman was walking along the beach when she stumbled upon a Genie’s lamp. She picked it up and rubbed it, and lo-and-behold a Genie appeared. The amazed woman asked if she was going to receive the usual three wishes.
The Genie said, “Nope … due to inflation, constant downsizing, low wages in third-world countries, and fierce global competition, I can only grant you one wish. So … what’ll it be?”
The woman didn’t hesitate. She said, “I want peace in the Middle East. See this map? I want these countries to stop fighting with each other.”
The Genie looked at the map and exclaimed, “Gadzooks, lady! These countries have been at war for thousands of years. I’m good, but not THAT good! I don’t think it can be done. Make another wish.”
The woman thought for a minute and said, “Well, I’ve never been able to find the right man. You know, one that’s considerate and fun, likes to cook and helps with the housecleaning, is good in bed and gets along with my family, doesn’t watch sports all the time, and is faithful. That’s what I wish for … a good mate.”
The Genie let out a long sigh and said, “Let me see that damn map again!’
Thank you for joining us today and we hope you are leaving with a smile on your face.. Debby and Sally.
Now for a few cheerful words on the subject of aging from Sally
Changing perspectives
Some 15 year old girlfriends decided to meet for dinner. They discussed where to eat and finally agreed on McDonald’s next to the Sea Side Restaurant because they only had $6.50 between them and Bobby Bruce, the cute boy in science class, lived on that street.
10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 25-year-olds, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because it had free snacks, there was no cover charge, the beer was cheap, the band was good and there were lots of cute guys.
10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 35-year-olds, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because the combos were good, it was near the gym and if they went late enough, there wouldn’t be many whiny little kids.
10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 45-year-olds, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because the martinis were big and the waiters wore tight pants and had nice buns.
10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 55-year-olds, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because the prices were reasonable, it had windows which opened (in case of hot flashes), the wine list was good and fish was good for their cholesterol.
10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 65-year-olds, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because they had an Early Bird Special and the lighting was good.
10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 75-year-olds, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because the food wasn’t too spicy and it was handicapped accessible.
10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 85-year-olds, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because they’d never been there before.
Thank you for joining us today and we hope you are leaving with a smile on your face.. Debby and Sally.
For the last two years D.G. Kaye, Debby Gies has taken us on vacation all around the world from Arizona to Malta, on cruise ships and by air. This will be the last Travel Column, but have no fear… Debby will be returning in 2020 with a brand new column that showcases one of her other areas of expertise, relationships in all their glory. I am excited and I am sure that you will find the series both interesting and helpful as we navigate our way through these sometimes tricky elements of our lives.
Look out for Debby’s introduction post in the New Year….
For this final Travel Column Debby is going to share three winter resorts that are popular during the ski season but also have activities for all the family, including someone like me who does not trust two short planks down a mountainside at 60 miles an hour… I prefer waiting at the other end of the slopes at the Gluhwein (hot red wine) stall…..
Take it away Debby….
Thanks everyone for setting out on this last trip of the Travel Column series and I am very excited to be back next year with my new column, and looking forward to plenty of discussion on the subject of relationships.
There are a great many wonderful ski resorts in North America and in Europe as well as slightly further away in New Zealand. I have selected three that are wonderful places for the whole family including non-skiers. If you are thinking about a ski vacation then you might find this site very useful as it covers resorts around the world: Ski Resort Information
I am of course going to begin in my home country.
Canada, British Columbia – Whistler Blackcomb gets five out of five stars by multiple users on the site.
The Whistler Blackcomb ski resort is very family and child friendly. There is a separate Family Zone on Whistler Mountain and multiple Whistler Kids children’s areas distributed throughout the ski resort. The Children’s Adventure Park, the Big Easy Terrain Garden and the Tree Forts are very popular up on the mountain. Families are very well cared for at Whistler. For the bigger kids, there are many events as well as the Ziptrek (a zipline flight over Whistler). Special packages offered for the whole family round off the offering.
I think that this video gives you a brief idea of what is available courtesy of the official Whistler resort
Additional activities include snowmobile tours, Fire and Ice spectacular displays from professional skiers, and ice track with bobsleigh, a Scandinavian Spa and ziplining.
The resort has accommodation, bars, restaurants and if you would like a spectacular cocktail with a view… then visit the Umbrella bar looking out across the snowy landscape and stunning mountains.
From UK to Vancouver: 10 hours – Flight time to Whistler: 37 minutes or Drive Time: 2 hours. From Toronto: 5 hours From US East Coast: 6 hours From US West Coast: 3 hours.
Exchange rate as of December 16th.
Canadian $1 will cost you 57p Sterling and 68 cents Euro
Now something closer to home for those of you who live in the UK and would like to ski closer to home.. The Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland has been a skiing destination for the last fifty years and they have the advantage of opening early in the season using factory made snow on the beginner slopes to get newbies to the sport up to speed (pardon the pun) before the main season begins.
“We offer 30km of ski runs, 10 lifts, a fully maintained freestyle park. The snowsports season typically runs from December through until April, but this varies from year to year depending on weather. You don’t have to have your own ski or snowboard equipment either, because you can hire everything you need with us.”
Apart from skiing there is also snowboarding and back country touring on skis or snowboards.
There are five ski centres in the Cairngorm Mountains and you can find out more about them from this helpful site: Finding the Universe
There is no accommodation at the resort but there are plenty of options in Aviemore and you can find details here: Aviemore Trip Advisor
The Caingorms are an all year around resort with hiking and climbing in the summer months… Here is a taste of what you can expect during the ski season courtesy of OutandAboutinScotland
Clearly there are ski resorts closer to home for North Americans, but typically tourists go to Europe and the UK in the early summer until the fall, however you might like to rethink that and do a ski tour of Europe instead and add Aviemore to your stop. Glasgow airport services all the main European capitals including Geneva which is a 2.5 hour flight and there are some very cheap flights.
But for those living in the UK and Ireland, having this on their doorstep must be great.
Flight times
From Toronto to Glasgow: 7 hours – Drive Time to resort 2.5 hours – Train: 2.5 hours (scenic route). From US East Coast: 7 hours From US West Coast: 11 hour From Gatwick to Inverness: 1.25 hours – 30 minutes drive.
Exchange rates as of December 16th.
US $1 will get you 75p Sterling Canadian $1 will get you 57p. One Euro will get you 83p.
And last a ski resort in the United States which is also a year round destination of lovers of the outdoors. And with luxury homes to rent on the shore of the spectacular Lake Tahoe, and with resort hotels, casinos, great food and entertainment on the doorstep, it is a wonderful place to vacation. (And I know that Tahoe is Sally’s favourite place having visited in the spring, summer and winter).
I think that this video says everything about Tahoe which includes its all year round activities, not just the terrific skiing. Courtesy of Expedia
Accommodations
There are plenty of options from large lodges on the lake to condos and resort hotels, prices do vary throughout the year and you can find some great deals during gaps between the main vacation months. You can explore all the options: Tahoe Accommodations.
Restaurants
You will never go hungry in Tahoe with a wide range of ethnic and North American restaurants to choose from: Eating out Tahoe
Activities for non-skiers
There is plenty to do if you do not want to hit the ski slopes, from Blackjack and a visit to an art gallery to a cruise around the lake, there are also wonderful shows in the evenings at the casinos with top headliners: Winter activities
How about this for a ride of a lifetime courtesy ofHeavenlyMtnResort
From the UK with 1 stop in Los Angeles or San Francisco– 14.5 hours Drive Time from Reno 1 hour 20 minutes (shuttles available) From US East Coast – 5.5 hours From Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe airport – 54 minutes – Drive Time 7.5 hours. From Toronto to Reno – 4.5 hours.
Exchange Rate as of December 16th.
£1 Sterling will get you US $1.34 Canadian $1 will get you US 76 cents 1 Euro will get you US $1.11
I hope that you have enjoyed this snowy vacation adventure with me and look forward to seeing you in 2020 with my new column…. Debby
About D.G. Kaye
Debby Gies is a Canadian nonfiction/memoir author who writes under the pen name of D.G. Kaye. She was born, raised, and resides in Toronto, Canada. Kaye writes about her life experiences, matters of the heart and women’s issues.
D.G. writes to inspire others. Her writing encompasses stories taken from events she encountered in her own life, and she shares the lessons taken from them. Her sunny outlook on life developed from learning to overcome challenges in her life, and finding the upside from those situations, while practicing gratitude for all the positives.
When Kaye isn’t writing intimate memoirs, she brings her natural sense of humor into her other works. She loves to laugh and self- medicate with a daily dose of humor.
I love to tell stories that have lessons in them, and hope to empower others by sharing my own experiences. I write raw and honest about my own experiences, hoping through my writing, that others can relate and find that there is always a choice to move from a negative space, and look for the positive.
Quotes: “Live Laugh Love . . . And Don’t Forget to Breathe!”
“For every kindness, there should be kindness in return. Wouldn’t that just make the world right?”
When I’m not writing, I’m reading or quite possibly looking after some mundane thing in life. It’s also possible I may be on a secret getaway trip, as that is my passion—traveling.
The author married a man who is twenty years her senior. At the time of their marriage, she did reflect on what could or would happen in the future as the relentless march of time took its toll, but she loved Gordon so much that she decided to grab the happiness and job life was offering her.
I found this book particularly interesting because my mother is ten years older than my father. My mother has always been “young” for her age and my father a bit “older” for his. They are now 80 and 70, respectively, and it has been interesting to watch the changes to their relationship and lifestyle. Ten years is half of twenty years, so such a big age gap does seem rather overwhelming to me and I was curious as to how the couple managed their life together now that they were both older. It turns out that they manage very well indeed, and I found this memoir uplifting and even inspiring.
The author addresses all sorts of aspects of married life, many of which are relevant in any marriage, regardless of the age of the spouses. I learned a lot from her thoughts and ideas, in particular, the idea of counting to ten before speaking in rage and never saying anything deliberately spiteful or hurtful. I have heard this message before, but never understood it quite like this. I am going to take this lesson learned forward in my life especially in my relationship with my one son, who is so like me we often fight like cat and dog.
The information covered in this book about living with a senior and travelling with a senior is useful to anyone who spends time and travels with parents so it is all very relevant and useful. I is also interesting to note how the author manages medications and illness with her senior husband.
This is a great book with numerous important messages that can be enjoyed and appreciated by people of all age groups looking to gain the best from life and relationships.
My thanks to Debby for all her great posts in the Travel Column series and look forward to seeing you again for the start of Debby’s brand new series beginning in 2020.
Although technically we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK and Ireland, that does not mean we cannot appreciate the opportunity it offers to formalize our thanks to those who help and support us. I fully appreciate that Smorgasbord Blog Magazine is a collaboration between myself and a number of key contributors who add their experience, support and wonderful content, to entertain and inform readers who visit.
Between now and Thursday I would like to say a special thank you to four of the monthly columnists during 2019 who have added such colour, flavour, insight, humour, adventure and music to my life and to yours. They create new content each month which I know takes a great deal of time. Something as busy people they do not have in abundance.
The first is D.G. Kaye (Debby Gies) who has been writing the The Travel Column for the last two years. Debby has taken us to the Caribbean including Cuba, St. Thomas and the Bahamas. To the United States to the dry heat of Arizona, and shared with us the warm welcome and sunshine of Mexico.
In the last year, Debby has also joined me in the twice weekly Laughter Lines, sharing images she has foraged from various online sources, and also we have discovered she has rather a thing about parrot videos!
Outside of Debby’s blog duties, she is also amazingly supportive, always dropping by each night to read the posts and share across social media. When I take a break, she will make sure all is okay on the days that I am absent and that the posts are boosted regularly. What a great blog sitter and worth her weight in gold.
She accomplishes all of this for me but also for many other bloggers, and if I was to say ‘hands up’ all of you who are in receipt of her kindness I am sure I would lose count.
As a blogger at D.G. Writer Debby furthers her support to others with author interviews, a weekly book review, reblogging of other people’s posts, and sharing writer links from around the community. We can also all benefit from some of her well thought out and delivered ‘rants’ against injustice and sloppy government, saying many of the things we might agree with but not necessarily have the guts to share.
As a non-fiction and memoir author, D.G. Kaye has a commonsense, practical approach to the problems in life so many of us have faced in the past or do in the present. From relationship issues with parents, overcoming traumatic events, facing a time in life that every woman has concerns about, or overcoming the stress of packing for a holiday, Debby has strategies to cope. I have read of Debby’s books and they are on my ‘favourite’s shelf’ in my office.
We have never met in person, but one day we will. That is a given, as after five years of keeping in touch on and offline, reading each other’s posts and books, chatting via messenger most days, and supporting when things are a bit tough for each of us, we are very good friends.
I hope that if you have not as yet met Debby, that you will head over and follow her blog and social media, and that you read her books.
Coming up in December – The Travel Column is going to take you to the most exciting winter sun and sport destinations…2nd and 16th December.. don’t miss it..
And next year there might be something new for you to enjoy here on Smorgasbord from this talented writer. (no pressure then Debby!)
About D.G. Kaye
Debby Gies is a Canadian nonfiction/memoir author who writes under the pen name of D.G. Kaye. She was born, raised, and resides in Toronto, Canada. Kaye writes about her life experiences, matters of the heart and women’s issues.
D.G. writes to inspire others. Her writing encompasses stories taken from events she encountered in her own life, and she shares the lessons taken from them. Her sunny outlook on life developed from learning to overcome challenges in her life, and finding the upside from those situations, while practicing gratitude for all the positives.
When Kaye isn’t writing intimate memoirs, she brings her natural sense of humor into her other works. She loves to laugh and self- medicate with a daily dose of humor.
I love to tell stories that have lessons in them, and hope to empower others by sharing my own experiences. I write raw and honest about my own experiences, hoping through my writing, that others can relate and find that there is always a choice to move from a negative space, and look for the positive.
Quotes: “Live Laugh Love . . . And Don’t Forget to Breathe!”
“For every kindness, there should be kindness in return. Wouldn’t that just make the world right?”
When I’m not writing, I’m reading or quite possibly looking after some mundane thing in life. It’s also possible I may be on a secret getaway trip, as that is my passion—traveling.
It’s not often I get to read a book by someone who understands what it is to be tethered to a mother with NPD. So often we are asked, “why did you not just walk away?” This author did leave home at 18, but that did not prevent her mother from interfering in her life and when she eventually went no contact she was overcome with guilt. It didn’t matter that her two brothers and a sister also shared in the abuse, rarely physical, but mental – which believe me is far worse. I could resonate with the words on every page, and if you have a mother who just does not seem to love you, then this is a must-read.
Debby Gies has been scanning the airwaves for videos to share… here are some more that she has come across.. ..D.G. Kaye Writer Blog is where you will find an archive full of wonderful posts across several subjects including writing tips, social issues and book reviews. I have mornings like this too – uploaded by The Liberators International
D.G. Kaye, Debby Gies, is on her summer hiatus from the travel column, and is busy writing her next book. In the meantime, I am repeating one or two of her earlier posts, and this one is very important. There is much to prepare for to ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday including insurance, luggage security, extra fees for exclusive holidays. Debby has all that covered and more.
Preparing for a Safe Trip
For today’s edition of Travel Talk, I’ve prepared a list of important things to do to prepare yourselves for a snag-free travel experience.
Important Tips to Consider When Booking a Trip
Travel Insurance– Don’t leave home without it! Always make sure to purchase travel insurance before leaving your country (or province for fellow Canadians). We don’t plan on mishaps, but they surely do happen. In many countries, particularly the U.S., if you need medical care and don’t have travel insurance it can easily cost you six-digit figures for medical aid. A few hundred dollars for insurance is worth the peace of mind.
Price Checking – Do your homework when booking a trip. Compare prices on various sites and with airline packages.
Check for Discounted Rates – Most hotels worldwide and car rental companies offer further discounted rates for seniors, members of CAA or AAA (Canadian Automobile Association and American Automobile Association). Remember to ask for those discounts when booking!
Keep on Price Checking – Once you’ve booked a trip in advance, do an occasional price change check. Many companies will honor a price drop if you spot it and will re-adjust your price. Before I went on my last cruise I went on their site to check some packages and noticed a sale on cruises. I saw my same cruise and cabin category listed for $500 cheaper, months after I booked it. I called my cruise rep and got the $500 deducted off the price of my cruise!
Resort Fees – Always inquire at time of booking a hotel if they charge resort fees on top of the initial price. Don’t get caught by surprise! Many U.S. hotels, in particular, are now charging approximately $33 per night extra just for bogus resort fees. Some companies hide them or make no mention of them until you get to the hotel. A one week’s stay in a hotel can run you an extra $230 just for fees, based on a one week stay. I found this out twice by surprise – once while I visited a hotel in Vegas where I was comped with a free 5-night stay, but still got snagged with daily resort fees. And once when I booked an all-inclusive air/hotel trip to Arizona with Air Canada, only to find out that the secret resort fees weren’t part of the all-inclusive. After I booked the trip, I called the hotel in Arizona to inquire about their facilities and that’s where I found out about the additional fees. You can read the article I wrote about this incident HERE and how I rectified it with the airlines.
What are Resort Fees? – Once upon a time when you booked a hotel you had to pay separately to access Wifi, park your car in the hotel’s lot or to have access to their gym facilities. Many hotels decided to put a ‘resort fee’ in place tacked on to your daily bill to use these amenities. Maybe it’s fair if we drive our cars or rent a car for our destination or feel ambitious to work out at the gym during a vacation. Wifi was often complementary in many better hotels, or it could be purchased at a much cheaper fee than the resort fee. It is also always available free in hotel lobbies. But now many hotels have lumped all the amenities under one umbrella whether you have use for it or not. And that’s what stings. I know when I’m on a short vacation I don’t have a car to park and I’m a little too busy to spend hours daily in a gym. Patrons should be given the choice of what amenities they choose to use and not be charged on a one price basis. Just sayin’.
Rewards– I always recommend booking with a site or airline that allows you to use reward points with. These rewards are often accrued from various credit card companies, Air Miles, or through loyalty programs that offer special pricing when cashing in your bonus rewards.
Check Reviews– If you’re wondering what a particular destination has to offer or how other patrons rated: a property, restaurants or city sights for your chosen destination, visit sites such as: Tripadvisor, Yahoo or Google search for the place you’re interested in and read reviews from others. Reading reviews from past visitors can give you a better feel of what you can expect.
Check Exchange Rates– Do a check on the currency you’ll be needing for the country you’ll be visiting. Believe it or not, you will often get a better rate for your money at a bank in the destination you’ll be visiting. Just make sure to purchase approximately $200 in the currency of the country you’ll be visiting before leaving home for immediate cash needs for taxis, tips or even for a coffee until you can get to a bank once you’ve arrived. And beware – only exchange currency in hotels if it’s dire. Hotels will always give you a lesser rate than a bank.
Pack Smart
Protect– Purchase a package of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) credit card and passport protection sleeves. These jackets for your credit cards and passports are inexpensive and are important to secure your personal information from hackers who have the ability to scan your cards and passports from a distance and steal your personal and banking information. In fact, I keep all my credits cards in these jackets even while at home.
And always addluggage tagsto your bags for easy identification and in case the airlines lose them.
TSA Locks – An added step of protection for your luggage is to purchase TSA locks. These locks for your luggage are made with the capability that TSA officers or customs officers have a master key or combination for these locks. If they wish to inspect your luggage after it’s checked in, they can do so without breaking your lock or damaging your suitcase in the process (which of course happened to me a few times before I learned about TSA locks).
Travel Scales– Invest in a good hand-held set of travel scales to weigh your luggage before heading to the airport and home again. Knowing that your luggage is within the airline’s guide for weight allowance can save you a lot of agro and cost from being surprised at check-in at the airport that your luggage is overweight and having to open your luggage for the public to view while you go mad trying to move things from one bag to another, or from having to pay steep overweight charges. (Nope, I’ve never had to pay overweight charges yet, but I have been in that humiliating situation where I’ve pulled my suitcases apart publicly to move around articles between bags to avoid those charges. That was when I invested in my travel scale.
Valuables – Never pack your money or valuables in your checked luggage. Besides the danger of possible lost luggage, sadly, there are plenty of dishonest airline employees who steal from luggage. This warning also applies to digital devices such as: laptops, phones, cameras, which should all be in your carry-on luggage. I also never take expensive jewelry with me on a trip, but pack whatever jewelry I’m taking with me in a jewelry roll and keep it at the bottom of my purse until I get to my destination where I then keep all my valuables in a room safe.
Prepare for Weather Change – When traveling, wear layers of clothing if you’re leaving a cold climate and going somewhere warm. It could take you awhile once you land to get settled in your holiday rental where you don’t want to be sweating until you can unpack. In winter, when I travel to a sunny destination I’ll usually wear a T-shirt with a thick fleece hoodie. This idea not only allows me to shed the hoodie once I’ve arrived, but the hoodie keeps me warm on the often, freezing cold airplanes. For same reasons, I like to slip a pair of sandals into my carry-on bag to change into once I arrive somewhere warm.
Last, but not least– Make sure you leave enough time to get to the airport on time. Take into consideration weather and potential traffic delays when gauging your departure to the airport. For cruisers, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND traveling to your port’s destination city the day before the ship leaves and pre-booking a hotel for that night. Again, anything can happen if you leave home the day of your cruise – particularly, weather, but often mechanical mishaps with the airplanes that cause long delays. Be safe, not sorry!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of Travel Tips and will take these steps into consideration for your next vacation. If I’ve missed anything here and you have something to add, I’d love to hear from you in comments.
Another wonderfully informative post from Debby on how to prepare for and be safe on your holiday… much more to come as the Travel Column returns on Monday September 2nd 2019.
About D.G. Kaye
Debby Gies is a Canadian nonfiction/memoir author who writes under the pen name of D.G. Kaye. She was born, raised, and resides in Toronto, Canada. Kaye writes about her life experiences, matters of the heart and women’s issues.
D.G. writes to inspire others. Her writing encompasses stories taken from events she encountered in her own life, and she shares the lessons taken from them. Her sunny outlook on life developed from learning to overcome challenges in her life, and finding the upside from those situations, while practicing gratitude for all the positives.
When Kaye isn’t writing intimate memoirs, she brings her natural sense of humor into her other works. She loves to laugh and self- medicate with a daily dose of humor.
I love to tell stories that have lessons in them, and hope to empower others by sharing my own experiences. I write raw and honest about my own experiences, hoping through my writing, that others can relate and find that there is always a choice to move from a negative space, and look for the positive.
Quotes: “Live Laugh Love . . . And Don’t Forget to Breathe!”
“For every kindness, there should be kindness in return. Wouldn’t that just make the world right?”
When I’m not writing, I’m reading or quite possibly looking after some mundane thing in life. It’s also possible I may be on a secret getaway trip, as that is my passion—traveling.
Debby has written a book about her travel adventures – Have Bags Will Travel
About the book
D.G. Kaye is back, and as she reflects on some of her more memorable vacations and travel snags, she finds herself constantly struggling to keep one step ahead of the ever-changing guidelines of the airlines–with her overweight luggage in tow. Her stories alert us to some of the pitfalls of being an obsessive shopper, especially when it comes time for D.G. to bring her treasures home, and remind us of the simpler days when traveling was a breeze.
In her quest to keep from tipping the scales, D.G. strives to devise new tricks to fit everything in her suitcases on each trip. Why is she consistently a target for Canada customs on her return journeys?
D.G.’s witty tales take us from airports, to travel escapades with best friends, to reflections on how time can change the places we hold dear in our hearts. Her memories will entertain and have you reminiscing about some of your own most treasured journeys–and perhaps make you contemplate revamping your packing strategies.
I laughed out loud at many of the author’s experiences of the perils of traveling. Going through security and customs. Aisles too narrow to avoid smacking seated passengers in the face with your carry-on. Her hilarious airplane bathroom “ritual”, which is something a lot of us perform. (Or perhaps it’s just me.) Which brings me to the section on germs. I laughed as much over Kaye’s descriptions as I did over the memory of doing many of these same things. I love her decision to call germaphobic compulsions “a lifestyle as opposed to a disorder”.
The latter half of the book is filled with anecdotes of trips taken and shopping done. While I’m not a shopaholic (actually, I avoid going to stores), I still got a chuckle out of the author’s antics. And I can relate to the lure of vacation shopping—it’s a powerful force. Unfortunately, I can also relate to being the one passenger consistently being pulled over at customs. Every time. Everywhere I go. It’s become part of my traveling routine and a joke in my family.
The chatty and conversational writing style makes this a fun read. If you’re taking a trip, make room in your carry-on for this.
Welcome to the Sunday Interview- Human in every sense of the word.
As humans there are five main senses that we rely on to navigate through this world. And there is one that we all possess but do not necessarily use all the time…
Sight, Hearing, Touch, Taste, Smell….Sixth Sense.
You can choose to write about one sense or all of them, including that elusive sixth sense we have clung on to from the early days of man.
This week’s guest is no stranger to most of you joining us this morning. Non-Fiction author D.G. Kaye (Debby Gies) has been writing the Travel Column on Smorgasbord for the last year, enticing us to travel to wonderful destinations, to be safe and to get the best from our vacations… She has also become the Comedian in Residence, joining me a couple of times a week in a quest to bring a smile to your faces.
Image pixabay.com
My Sixth Sense – IAS (Inner Alert System) D.G. Kaye
My sixth sense superpower is my inner warning signal, urging me to take a pause and pay immediate attention to an occurrence. The delivery method to this sense is through my stomach. When something isn’t right, this messaging system is almost always never wrong, the knots within, feeling like twisted intestines, take hold.
I do believe many of us have an inner alert system, flagging us to pay extra attention to a wrong-doing or danger. We have only to recognize these inner warnings so we may act on them. It’s important though to assess what we are feeling to help identify what exactly isn’t sitting right with us. Is it a feeling of unease or just plain fear? If you aren’t well versed on being able to decode these warning issues, then perhaps this isn’t your superpower. But for me, I’ve never been led astray when my twisted insides are trying to get my attention.
Now, truth be told, my radar alerts are almost always warnings portending to something bad coming. It’s quite possible my intuition knows I don’t require a happiness warning, as pure joy is what comes naturally when elated. With me, it’s a message of doom that stirs within. My intestines are like my Achille’s heel.
Through the years and decades, I’ve sadly had too many of these awakening moments, and I’ll share here just one incident to demonstrate how this feeling transpires. This IAS (inner alert system) is something I can’t really explain, but I know its presence well.
This incident stays with me till this day and was a confirmation to myself for the first time that I was able to receive premonitions.
I was twenty-five and living in my same cozy apartment I’d lived in for some 7 years by this point. I sat in front of my vanity table putting on the finishing touches of my makeup to get ready for work when I felt a sharp pull on my heartstrings and an uncomfortable twisting of my insides. I put down the lipstick and leaned back in my chair as unexplained tears began spilling down from my freshly mascaraed eyes. I didn’t question what I was feeling. I knew instinctively the weird feelings I was experiencing had nothing to do with my own health. I knew something was wrong with my father.
I darted out of my chair, heading to the phone to call my father, and before I could pick up the receiver I was startled by the ringing of the phone. I made note of the time – half past 7, and everyone knows calls coming in at that time of the morning aren’t usually good news.
My sister’s voice greeted me when I picked up. Before she got past saying hello, I interrupted her with panic in my voice, asking her what’s wrong with Daddy? She didn’t even bother asking me how I knew, but replied by telling me our father was rushed to hospital after having a massive heart attack – the first one before the one that would eventually take his life at age 55, and second health scare after having a stroke 10 years prior.
My intuition (sixth sense) has never lied to me. I sometimes feel as though I’m a receiver for gloomy warnings. But then I sometimes wonder if I didn’t receive these messages, would I be better off with the element of surprise? It doesn’t make me a winner either way I suppose, but if I had my choice, and as it seems the way this works with me, forewarned is forearmed.
My thanks to Debby for sharing her sixth sense with us. I believe we all possess this ability to lesser or greater extent, and it is a very powerful and sometimes life saving gift..
About D.G. Kaye
Debby Gies is a Canadian nonfiction/memoir author who writes under the pen name of D.G. Kaye. She was born, raised, and resides in Toronto, Canada. Kaye writes about her life experiences, matters of the heart and women’s issues.
D.G. writes to inspire others. Her writing encompasses stories taken from events she encountered in her own life, and she shares the lessons taken from them. Her sunny outlook on life developed from learning to overcome challenges in her life, and finding the upside from those situations, while practicing gratitude for all the positives.
When Kaye isn’t writing intimate memoirs, she brings her natural sense of humor into her other works. She loves to laugh and self- medicate with a daily dose of humor.
I love to tell stories that have lessons in them, and hope to empower others by sharing my own experiences. I write raw and honest about my own experiences, hoping through my writing, that others can relate and find that there is always a choice to move from a negative space, and look for the positive.
Quotes: “Live Laugh Love . . . And Don’t Forget to Breathe!”
“For every kindness, there should be kindness in return. Wouldn’t that just make the world right?”
When I’m not writing, I’m reading or quite possibly looking after some mundane thing in life. It’s also possible I may be on a secret getaway trip, as that is my passion—traveling.
Books by D.G. Kaye
One of the recent reviews for P.S. I Forgive You on Goodreads
My month of memoirs continues with an autobiography by D. G. Kaye — ‘P.S. I Forgive You: A Broken Legacy.’ Although not quite a series, this is the second book by the author as she explores the impact of a narcissistic mother on her daily life. I read this before bed last night, and all I can say is that some people are dealt a very unfair hand in life. That said, it’s amazing to see how wonderful Kaye is handling all that she went through in the last ~50 years. What a great (but painful) read!
Imagine growing up with a mother who seems to intentionally cause pain for her children. The oldest of four, Kaye spent years letting the woman treat her horribly. In this introspective and emotional autobiography, we learn how and why she tolerated it. The memoir kicks off by letting readers know that the author’s mother has passed away, and this is the story of how she handled the decision whether to be there when the woman crossed over. Sick for many years, touch and go at times, it seems like every possible painful opportunity was taken to cause trouble for this family. It was heartbreaking not just because of what they went through but because you really want this to turn out to be a positive story.
In some ways, it does turn out that way… in death, you are often released from the troubles of the past. Not quickly. Not immediately. Not entirely. Kaye suffers to this day because of the trauma she went through. Emotional pain can be far worse and impacting that physical pain. Seeing how the author connects with her siblings and her aunt helps provide a sense of love and hope for her future. Kaye has a phenomenal way of sharing her past with readers… we feel as if we are there, but one thing is for sure — we were not. That… is fantastic writing.
There is a cathartic honesty in her writing style as well as how she processes the events of her life. On the outskirts, it might seem simple: (A) She’s your mother, you should stay and respect her, or (B) She’s been evil and nasty, you need to run away and forget her. Nope… Kaye fully provides the wide spectrum of all the scenarios that ran through her head, some positive and some not-so-positive. How do you make such a decision? Only a strong person can thoroughly see through the minutia to determine what’s best for both the victim and the victimizer (I might’ve made that word up).
If I could reach through a book to hug someone, this would be the prime one for it to happen. I’ve felt these emotions tons of times before when an author creates a character who suffers… but when a real-life woman shares the truth and the pain she’s gone through, it’s a whole different ball game. If you have a high threshold for reading about someone’s emotional suffering, I suggest you take this book on… it might give you the perspective you need to help others.
Thank you for dropping in today and Debby would love your feedback… and if you feel that you are in touch with your human senses, why not share them with us in your ownSunday Interview
This blog feature amusing and heartwarming stories about our late Leonberger dog Bronco, as well as other Leonbergers. It also has a lot of information about the Leonberger breed, the history, care, training, Leonberger organizations, etc. I also wrote a Leonberger book, which I am featuring in the sidebar.
The resort has accommodation, bars, restaurants and if you would like a spectacular cocktail with a view… then visit the Umbrella bar looking out across the snowy landscape and stunning mountains.
Smorgasbord Blog Magazine 