I know it has been a while since I have last written. I’ve been on many adventures since then – France and England again, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and across the U.S. – so I hope you’ll pardon my absence.

I visited Crater Lake, Oregon last week. It was beautiful, but dense fog and smoke from forest fires enveloped the mountain tops.

Since people always ask me how to travel, I wanted to write a quick post with the travel items I couldn’t live without, as well as other tips I’ve developed on my journeys. These are meant principally for international travel, but some can also be used for domestic trips, too.

Here it goes:

1. Buy a backup battery for your phone. These range from $10 to $80, and they’ll hold one or two full battery lives, depending on which you select. It’s pretty simple: you charge it, then you hook up your phone to it using your USB or lightning cord that comes with your cell. You can use your phone while it’s charging and it will still have another full battery left to use. I’ve had great success with Anker products. It’s always comforting to know (especially in a foreign country) that you’ve got plenty of battery life left, especially on a long day.
2. Use a passport wallet. I’ve got a big purse, and there’s nothing more terrifying than thinking you’ve lost your passport in that black hole of a bag when you’re overseas. My passport won’t fit in my typical wallet, so I’ve invested in a passport wallet. For years, there haven’t been many options that weren’t bulky or impractical for carrying any place other than around your neck (and let’s be honest, that looks ridiculous). But never fear! Now, Etsy, Amazon and others have loads of chic choices for the savvy traveler. You can typically fit your passport, ticket, reservation confirmations, credit card and even a hotel key. Here’s one I just bought.
3. Buy a foreign SIM card. First of all, do not travel without a wireless plan. I know many people who think they can just hop on WiFi somewhere to check emails or communicate with loved ones. But for me, I prefer the security and accessibility of using my phone overseas. You can sign up for an international travel plan with your provider, but a much cheaper option is to buy a re-loadable SIM card and swap yours out for it when you arrive overseas. America is notorious for its pricey phone services, so you’ll be pleasantly surprise that you can get much more “bang for your buck” internationally. I use the JT Telestial SIM card, which connects to local networks for data and talk, no matter where you are. There’s a modest fee to set-up the SIM card, and you can recharge it on the Web, on their mobile application or via text, and you can also use their online portal to check how much data or how many minutes you have left. I typically pay between $50 and $150 to use my phone pretty freely for a week or two when I’m traveling. It’s well worth it. Continue reading →

Most air travelers grudgingly accept the mounting inconveniences of the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), from taking off our shoes to highly restricted possession of liquids in a carry-on, conceding that the agency is merely trying to keep Americans and visitors safe from the ongoing threat of terrorism.

Now, the TSA will add further complications to boarding an airplane — this time, in another country.

Yesterday, the TSA announced that in order to travel to the U.S. from select airports in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the airport of departure must check all electronic devices, including mobile phones and tablets. To submit your belongings for the required screenings, all battery-powered devices intended for carry-on must be operational.

Continue reading →

Greetings from Washington! I’m back from my Canadian adventure (more on that later), and I’m already planning my next trip. This time, I’m heading back to London to see the sights, visit friends and watch my beloved Arsenal take on Manchester United at Emirates Stadium.

I’m going to have three or four days in the middle of the trip to explore outside of England, so I’m crowd-sourcing to determine where I should go. Here are the parameters:

1. It must be accessible by affordable transportation. Examples of these include: Ryan Air, Easy Jet, EuroStar, Virgin Trains, etc.

2. It must be safe for a twentysomething female to visit alone.

3. It must not be below freezing during the winter.

So, send me your ideas and details of why I should visit! I’ll post the best ones here and give you all the credit, of course.

Hey, y’all!

Welcome to Geaux Places: A Travel Blog. Here, you’ll find tips, reviews and itineraries based on my travels across the U.S. and the world.

About me? By day, I’m an overextended political operative based in Washington, D.C. By night, I’m a twentysomething who’s making her weekend plans or charting the course for her next big trip.

This is my first attempt at blogging for reasons unrelated to my day job, so I hope you’ll bear with me as I learn how this crazy thing works (and by thing, I mean “the Internet”). I look forward to sharing my experiences with you, as well as learning from other travel bloggers about how it’s done (and getting trip ideas of my own!). Please do drop a line!

So, as we say in my home state of Louisiana…

Laissez les bons temps rouler,

Ellen

P.S. If you’re wondering about the blog title, “geaux” is a funny way to write the word “go” if you’re from Louisiana. Here’s some history on that.