8 ways to avoid or reduce airline baggage fees

BY:  Jessica Wrobel

I must admit that when it comes to travel I tend to pack too much stuff.  For me planning ahead and knowing what I will need or not need to bring with me when traveling tends to be a big challenge and I pack too much stuff every time.  This past week I was needing to fly to New Hampshire from Phoenix, A.Z. and decided I didn’t want to pay the extra baggage fees that United was going to charge me.  I thought, maybe I can find a way to pack less and rather than check luggage, bring a smaller carry-on with me on the plane.

How was I going to pull this off?  I’ve never packed so light for one week before now so here laid the challenge...  However, I was up for the challenge.  Being that I love to research and put my resources to the test, I began to ask around and research online to see what I could find out about packing tips. I got a lot of response from others and found some excellent online resources when it was all said and done.

If you're at all like me when it comes to packing fora trip then you will enjoy learning about these excellent packing tips:

1.       Mailing is cheaper than airline fees.  If you have to bring extra luggage but you’re trying to avoid or reduce baggage fees, consider mailing some items to your destination.  The mail can actually be cheaper than the fees airlines will charge you to check your luggage.  And you won’t have to lug it all through the airports during travel.

2.       Wearing Layers or extra clothing like a sweater onto the plane will help to reduce what has to go in a suitcase.  You might be packing a few pairs of shoes and a pair of sneakers for example, in which case I’ would recommend you wear the largest pair of shoes onto the plane and pants instead of shorts to reduce the amount of space you will need to fill in your luggage. Make sense? (Especially if you are just packing a back or small suitcase to carry-on the plane.  This will really make a difference.

3.       Pack interchangeable colors so you can mix and match your clothing easier and then you will be able to pack fewer cloths by eliminating having too many options to choose from.  Choose pants, shorts, shirts, and shoes that match each other.  Then if you’re anything like me you will have an easier time choosing your outfits each day on your trip and have had packed A LOT less!

4.       Back packs are great!  Remember that you can pack extra items that do not fit into your small suitcase into your backpack like toiletries, extra clothing, or whatever you still need to bring.  Remember that you are allowed to bring a small suitcase no bigger than 45 inches, a personal shoulder bag / backpack or laptop case, and a purse onto the plane.  You’d be surprised what you can do with a little creativity.

5.       Rolling your items has been a well known method for packing and saving space.  It has also been said to reduce a lot of wrinkles in your clothing.  However, the truth is cloths still do end up wrinkled even when they are rolled.  But it does save space!

6.       Use the “Bundle Method”. Watch this short video – fewer wrinkles than “rolling your items” and you will pack more. Click here to learn more about the "Bundle Method"

7.       Space Saver Bags are a great way to cut down on space up to 3 or 4 times more than you normally could fit without these bags.  https://www.spacebag.com Click here to learn about Space Saver Bags

8.       Traveling with liquids can take up space.  If you are not going to check a bag you will have to reduce the size of your bottles of liquids by quite a bit to be allowed into your carry-on.  For most women and some men bottles of hair gel, shampoo & conditioner, hairspray and other liquids come in a larger bottle and normally can be packed in your checked luggage without any problems but if you are going to just travel with your carry-on then you must pack smaller bottles of liquids.  The rules of the airlines says you must not pack a bottle of liquid that is more than 3 oz in size and if you combine your bottles of liquids they must not equal to more than 1 liter.  If you are only traveling for 1 week chances are a 3 oz bottle of shampoo will be plenty.  You can find 3 oz travel bottles at places like Wal-Mart or anywhere that sells travel accessories. But, if you are going to be traveling someplace for longer than a week then you might want to consider purchasing some of your toiletries when you arrive at your destination.

Hopefully you got some very useful tips here and I wish you Safe Travels!

Jessica Wrobel

GET TRAVELING

“More than just affordable travel”

info@gettraveling.net

www.gettraveling.net

Exploring the Desert

South Mountain – Phoenix, Arizona
South Mountain has been mentioned as the largest city park in the world. At nearly 17,000 acres it certainly covers a lot of ground, although it isn't a park in the sense of grass, and playgrounds, and lakes, and ducks, as one might think. South Mountain Park is a desert mountain preserve.

I decided to hike this mountain for the first time and made some truly interesting discoveries. There are more trails on this preserve than you can count. Some easy open trails always populated with locals and tourists and other trails that you don’t want to go alone because you’d be lucky to see a person who could help you if you fall off a cliff or get too cooked by the hot Arizona sun and need a little rescuing. I was told in the summer time people are carried out of the park from heat exhaustion upwards of 15 times a day. You don’t want to under estimate the brute strength of Mother Sunshine in Arizona during the summer months.

While on the trails I met some really nice gentlemen who were a wealth of knowledge and shared so much about the South Mountain Preserve with me. In fact I got a red alert warning about this plant during my hike from these men. They told me they senses heat. So if you get close to it, it will then shoot out it's pricklies at you and there is no getting them out. The big ones have hooks on them much like a fish hook. I received this information from and older man who experienced the wrath of this plant first hand. He said it took a year for the prickles to work its way out of him. (Note to self... Stay very far away!!)



This park is great for biking, hiking, Picnics, Barbecues and Parties, Trail Rides, & scenic drives. There’s stone forts as well as Petroglyphs with Native American carvings, and so many more fascinating sights to see!

The best time to go hiking in Arizona is in the spring time. Summer is way to hot. Although many people do hike in the summer – you better be sure to bring PLENTY of water. You will be no match for the dry air and hot sun if you don’t take proper precautionary steps.

Jessica Wrobel
GET TRAVELING
"More than just affordable travel"
(603)692-4676
Info@gettraveling.net
www.gettraveling.net

Here's what I'm up to.

Hello my friend,

I want to take a moment to share with you all that I’m up to. In about a week I am getting on a plane to head to Arizona. Never been there before so this will be an entirely new experience for me. I will be connecting with a friend who lives out there. Spending time in Scottsdale, Sedona, and Grand Canyon. I am so excited for all of these new experiences! It brings me alive just thinking about it.

I expect to experience growth within myself, new discoveries, research to add to what I am planning to do in my travel business this year, fun, relaxation and rejuvenation, laughter, and so much more.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because you are my friend and I am here to serve you is how I see it. The approach I have with my business and as a travel agent is to show you how to truly rejuvenate this year. “What it is your soul truly wants and/or needs” is my mission to guide you to it. Let me be your guide to the spiritual places in the world as they will offer you support in rejuvenation, self discovery, wonderful community and so much more.

Vacation should be about rejuvenation. It should empower you more within yourself and it should provide the means to show you a way to connect with yourself so when you return home back to your life with your family, job, friends, and opportunities to create in the midst of this you should go home with an uplift of energy that sets your vision and heart on fire putting you on a higher platform to help propel you toward what you truly desire for yourself and who/how you want to be in the world.

This is truly my loving invitation for you to dream bigger in the area of YOU. Start seeing yourself as a beautiful flower blossoming as the spring sun begins to heighten this season around all of us.

This is the time to live your dreams and the time to get in touch with yourself in a bigger way. This supports self discovery. And self discovery supports living your dreams. And living your dreams equals authentically sharing your special gifts with the world around you with inner passion.

So let me be your guide to the places in the world that will rejuvenate you and help you connect more within yourself which will support the beautiful blossoming flower within you all year long as you work toward your BIGGEST dreams in 2011.

www.gettraveling.net

Why do we love to travel?

When I look through a travel magazine I get excited every time. I see many places I want to go that interest me. My hair stands up on end and I get goose bumps from the excitement I feel about the thought of going to different destinations.

When I sit idle for too long I start to feel Stagnant. Then all production I am working on is no longer getting my 100% because I am not operating at my full capacity. This is one reason why I love travel. It gets me out of that place when I get there. The stimulation gets my energy circulating again and makes me feel like me again. It brings out new creative pathways from within me and it helps me to develop a little more within myself every time. But, best part of all is I come alive in a thrilling way and living takes on a whole new meaning for me.

If you are looking to awaken yourself, recharge your batteries, stimulate your creativity, and so much more, then contact me. I take pride in handling your travel and bringing you the highest level of results to allow you the freedom to live with excitement that keeps you feeling like you.

Jessica Wrobel
Get Traveling
"More than just affordable travel"
www.gettraveling.net

Knowing When To Reach Out For Help.

Just the other day I was contacted by a good friend who was in the process of travel from South Carolina to Boston with a stop in Chicago in between. He began to explain to me, he was flying in late at night and had to be to an appointment in Boston at 9am the next morning. He proceeded to mention that he was still going to have to get a rental car, hotel, and somehow find time in the morning to find a Staples nearby where he could go print off some materials he was going to need for his 9am appointment. And let's not forget time to sleep in between all of this!

All this and more needed to be accomplished somewhere between 11pm and 8am and as I was listening to him going on about his position I politely interjected with "Let me at least take care of the car rental for you. It could alleviate a lot of time and I can help you get a much lower price for that car rental. Let me help you." He proceeded to continue talking as though what I said didn't register probably because his head was so cluttered and he was so exhausted in the middle of waiting to get on the next airplane. So I repeated myself again and as he heard me more clearly he agreed to let me help him. He said he would call me when he landed in Chicago and I said "Okay I'll get to work on it for you right away."

By the time we spoke again once he reached Chicago where he was switching planes and heading to Boston I explained to him that I lined up a car rental. I searched multiple car rental companies to locate the best price and availability for what he needed. This saved him hundreds of dollars and all he had to do now was go pick up the rental car. His exhaustion was beginning to kick in at this point making him so relieved that he had one less thing to do. I also explained to him that he would be able to keep the car longer while still paying less than all the other rental companies by far. This was greatly benefiting his situation.

It didn't cost him any money to utilize my time, resources, and assistance. It made his travel experience a lot easier and helped save him money! Just remember this next time you are in the midst of travel. Think about these services and how my good friend benefited by them. Then just imagine how you can benefit as well. "I am here to make travel easier on you."

Please visit our website for a list of additional services by clicking below:

WWW.GETTRAVELING.NET

Planning a Vacation or Trip? Save money, time & effort

Are you looking for ways to increase time?

Do you struggle to find adequate help when dealing with your travel needs?

Are you always searching for the "best deal"?

I work with travelers to help solve problems like these.

While eighty percent of travelers today are booking travel online and utilizing the World Wide Web for the convenience it was designed for, they are actually sacrificing a bigger importance than they even realize.

The internet lacks strong customer service and can’t compete with the valuable services that a Travel Agent always has and always will provide. With the Internet you are on your own from the beginning stages of planning your vacation to the final stages of your return home when you book online.

Imagine you’re on your vacation or a business trip and a problem occurs. Your flight is cancelled, you have been seriously injured, a hurricane hits, or maybe the booking was incorrectly created by you or the vendor and now you’re stuck feeling like you have to deal with it, so you do. Many issues that take place with travelers today can be resolved with the knowledgeable assistance of a Travel Agent that otherwise would not be possible.
A Travel Agent will stand in your corner and go to bat for you when you experience an issue. This is part of the service you get when working with a Travel Agent. Yes, they help you plan, advise you, answer questions, and steer you in the right direction too. So, let a Travel Agent help with your next trip somewhere and assure that all the pieces are there and fitting properly. Let’s assure you have the best time possible.

So many people today are learning more about the many wonderful additional services provided by Travel Agents. With the awareness growing quickly, more people are going back to working with Travel Agents and finding that they are enjoying their vacations far more than if they just booked online. GET TRAVELING (www.gettraveling.net) combines the best of both worlds by providing more options, resources, and solutions than anyone else.

So whether you are looking to book your travel online or have it handled for you, contact me for a service that fits your needs.

If you wish to gain more information on this much needed additional service, please contact me by any option listed below for more questions and information.

Jessica Wrobel
Travel Agent / Owner
GET TRAVELING
“More than just affordable travel”
(603) 692-4676
info@gettraveling.net
www.gettraveling.net

St. Pete FL and John's Pass near Tampa is a place to see!

So who has been to St. Pete, FL and Johns Pass? It is beautiful down here and so much to do! A must do while your down here is to take a ferry to Shell Island, a beautiful uninhabited barrier island with White sand, warm water and shell strewn shorelines! Explore the island and collect a treasure of beautiful shells and sea artifacts. Not to mention you can take home all the shells you can carry for free!