Amy's Travel Tips!

Recently I was told I should write a book. Frankly, as flattering a comment as this is, I wouldn't have the foggiest idea what to write about. As I was leaving for a trip the next day, a friend offered a suggestion. "You should write a 'What NOT to Do Travel Book'," she said. Humph, I thought. Actually, it is a funny idea because I have had some doozy travel stories, though certainly not enough to fill a book. Yet.

With this in mind, I'll share some of my top tips (A.K.A. reasons to be grateful) when traveling:

1. Packing in advance does not necessarily mean you will remember to bring everything you need. My son packed his suitcase a good 24 hours before me and we forgot his swim trunks. I packed my items 45 minutes before we put the key in the ignition and I forgot nothing! Or, if I did, I haven't discovered it yet!

2. Should you arrive at your destination without something you need, you can almost always purchase it when you arrive. Thanks to Old Navy for our most recent quick, one-stop shopping jaunt for new UV shirts and swim trunks!

3. Should you discover the morning you are leaving for Paris that your passport expired several months prior, fear not. It IS possible to get a same-day passport AND make your evening flight. Even if it means driving to Philadelphia; talking your husband through your closet because, big shocker, you haven't packed yet; and leaving two cars in long-term parking to make it happen!

4. Should you ever arrive at Westchester Airport and realize your driver's license, and any other legitimate form of ID, is resting back at home, don't reach for the panic button. Be polite to the TSA agents because they are about to be your new BFFs. They will issue an immediate background check over the phone and ask you some basic questions (note to self, you can't ask your husband for help). If you pass the check you will feel like the luckiest person alive. Hell, maybe you are! You will be allowed to board the plane with your family and have a really great story to share with the relatives awaiting your arrival! And yes, this happened to me post 9/11!

5. FedEx is great for express shipping a driver's license, custom swimming ear plugs, or whatever else that's needed prior to the return trip home. It's quite possible that my parents now avoid my calls when I'm away in case it means they need to be put on another pronto postal mission!