Boston Travels: Enjoying Quincy Market
There is enough budget wise stuff to do in and around here to fill a day. Boutique window shopping, street performers, amazing food (or pack a lunch), and room for kids to leap and hop are just some of the attractions. Planning a trip to include Quincy Market (Faneuil Hall Marketplace)? Make it on a Saturday, bring shopping bags and include a trip to the nearby Farmer’s Market. There are good deals all day, but visiting at the end of the day is best for two reasons — you’re not toting fresh produce all day AND the vendors are more willing to deal, because they don’t want to tote that produce back home.
Also, the Freedom Trail passes by Quincy Market and the remarkably moving Holocaust Memorial is right there as well.
Photo credit: fuzzcat
Need cheap travel gear? Consider these contractor’s bags!
Always on the lookout for affordable travel tips, I was thrilled to find these sturdy, zippered bags normally used by plumbers and other contractors to keep their gear organized. Read more
3 Travel Items You Can Buy at the Pharmacy
Tired of spending big bucks on your travel supplies? There are many places to shop affordably for things the specialty stores overcharge you for. One place that’s often overlooked is your local pharmacy chain. Read more
Ten Travel Souvenirs You Can Make with Beads
Whether strung loosely for resale or on a tribal necklace, beads are fantastic souvenir items to collect on your world travels. What’s more, the travel souvenirs you can make with beads provide a fair amount of creative diversity. Read more
9 Adventure Travel Items You Can Buy at the Hardware Store
Need a cheap place to buy some gear for your first adventure travel experience? Hit the hardware store. Box hardware stores offer great prices on numerous items suitable for adventure travel enthusiasts. Read more
Six Exercise Tips for Travelers
Been on the road for months? Finding out the “get all the exercise you need by walking” plan isn’t exactly cutting it? Nationally known fitness expert Kathy Kaehler has a few exercise tips for travelers and professional nomads alike.
One of the biggest precision fitness challenges for long term travelers doing the backpack circuit is the lack of equipment. That, and those of us in a hurry are often stuck with food choices we might not otherwise deem appropriate for staying in shape. I recently had the opportunity to chat with first lady of fitness, Kathy Kaehler about strategies travelers can use to keep things toned up during long term travel excursions. Wish I’d known these before I let everything backslide when we were on the road for six months. Oh well, next time I’ll have a shot at being prepared.
Grab a sturdy wall.
While reviewing your guide book book, map or travel brochure in the morning. Grab a sturdy wall and put your back flat against it while you slide down into a sit with your thighs parallel to the floor. This is great for strengthening your legs and tush, and doesn’t cut into your fun time at all. Since you have to set your agenda every day anyway, working in these wall sits is a seamless and equipment free way to multitask when it comes to fitness.
Use your own body as a weight.
Doing push ups on the floor, or against a wall or chair uses the natural weight of your body to maintain muscle tone while on the road without equipment.
Find a chair.
This one’s actually two tips in one. Chair are available in even the most humble of hostels. Simply squeezing in some stand up / sit down repetitions is a way to get some lower body work done with minimal gear. For those wanting to take it to the next level, using the chair to do tricep dips by gripping the edge of the seat and pushing your body weight up and down provides great intensity for travelers who are gym deprived, says Kaehler.
Don’t forget the stairs.
This tip is also a two-fer. The first (and simplest) tip is to simply take them whenever possible, avoiding elevators. The other is to use the stairs as a free piece of gym equipment while on the road. Alternate descending the steps as normal, with climbing up them sideways. Do two sets, and alternate the lead climbing leg each time to provide balance in your workout.
Do you have any tips or tricks to staying fit on the road? Let us know in the comment section!
Kathy Kaehler is a celebrity fitness trainer, busy mom of three and passionate about involving children in the process of healthy eating and cooking. You can find more of her tips and advice at KathyKaehlerFitness.Com.
Related Reading – Frugal Fitness: Twenty-Five and Half Ways to Make it Happen, Free Classroom Fitness Program for Teachers and Affordable Inside Tips from a Celebrity Personal Trainer.
Other Helpful Posts – Adventure Travel Items You Can Buy At the Hardware Store, Ten Universal Travel Skills.
Unexpected Travel Uses for S Hooks
As much as I love using caribiners, sometimes they just don’t cut it. Either there’s no hook inside the bathroom door or shower stall, or the pole that you could otherwise clip it to in order keep your bag off the ground is too wide to accommodate your caribiner at all. While these issues don’t arise that much during luxury cruises or resort-style getaways, they sure come up during long term independent or adventure travel where going light and low budget is critical. Two ways to use s-hooks to your full advantage? Read more
Eco-Travel Hack: A New Use for Earth Friendly Dog Poop Bags
When reading Beth Whitman’s book on traveling to India, one particular tip popped out at me. For locations where the restroom’s infrastructure won’t handle toilet tissue being flushed down it, or if there isn’t a restroom at all other than the nearest privacy-providing bush, you will need to bring your own tie-up tote bag to secure your waste paper in. (And of course, you’ll need to have your own toilet tissue supply most of the time too.) Receptacles to toss your toilet paper into will often be overflowing or nonexistent. Tossing it into a bag you can tie up and tote back to your hotel for proper disposal is apparently key.
But what about those of us who are trying to support the reduced use of plastic bags? Well, in addition to regular trash bags, Perf Go Green has a product for roll out doggy doo bags as well. The come in a conveniently sized box with a dispenser slot. All of their bags break down into bio mass in anaerobic land fill environments with absolutely no toxic fume production. Love that! So if you are running into the “tote your own toilet paper” problem in India or other developing country, pick up some Perf Go Green dog poop bags. Problem solved.
Photo Credit: Perf Go Green
Sally’s: My Source for Backpack Sized Beauty Items
That’s right. I said it. Even when I go on adventure travel destinations, there are still a few basic items I need from the beauty supply store. Not only does the Sally’s chain come in handy for regular savings on overall health and beauty items, but it has a few goodies that fit my needs for reduced sized items while on the road. All of them are in the seventy-five cent to five dollar range. Curious to know what my top picks are? Read on.
Stainless steel, universal makeup pencil sharpener.
The diameter of these circular wonders is slightly less than a United States quarter. The depth is somewhere in the half-inch neighborhood. Not only do the plastic ones tend to crack and break after getting tossed around from one third world farm truck to another, the maximum number of eye and lip liner pencil sizes they can address is usually two. These little beauties (normally available near the cash register) have openings to fit all four sizes these types of cosmetics tend to come in.
Miniature travel tin of hair pins.
You’d be surprised what bobby pins can come in handy for on the road. Emergency zipper pull, impromptu paper clip, holding together curtain edges in an otherwise privacy barren hostel room, chip bag clip, page marker in a book, clothespin for thinner hand washed items, securing a head scarf when viewing certain religious sites, and of course creating hairstyles on the fly without a ton of bulk accessories. Think super model style poofy bang twists, French twist with a local flower tucked in for a night on the town or a partial braid down the top half of your head.
Miniature emery boards and four-way buffers.
These are the ones of the 3 ½ to 4 inch variety, and help keep ridges smoothed, bare nails buffed and ragged edges filed. They come with no packaging and are well under a buck each.
Neutral tone lip liner pencils.
If Walgreens isn’t having one of their three for a buck cosmetic pencil sales, you can pick these up affordably at Sallies as well. They can be used not just to line your lips, but to color them in and use with your finger to smooth on as cheek blusher.
High grade tweezers.
Eyebrows, chin hairs or the occasional splinter all need to be dealt with on the road. Get the strongest pair you can find and tuck them in your backpack.
Cuticle pusher.
I like the stainless steel variety with one flat edge and one pointed edge. They are great for getting debris from under your nails.
Miniature nail brushes.
These are great for getting your finger and toe nails clean in the shower, and also for doing some hand washing of socks and such while waiting for your hair to condition.
Baby sized nail clippers.
They still get the job done for grownups and take up minimal space in your toiletry kit. Hang nails happen. Be able to nip them in the bud when you are far away from a pharmacy.
For quicker trips, this list will get you a long way. If you are going longer, you’ll want to snag cuticle trimmers as well. This is my list of faves to pick up cheap for the road. What are your top picks for personal care necessities? Do you have a favorite place to get them affordably?
Photo Credit: Kate
Travel Hack: Making the Most of Machu Picchu
Photo Credit: Trek Hound
It’s one of the most coveted spiritual destinations and indigenous heritage sites in the world. Don’t you want to get the most out of it while you’re there? Read more
