More Tips & Tricks
What I packed vs. what I wore on our Alaskan cruise
Fresh home from majestic Alaska, I'm sharing what I packed vs. what I wore on our back-to-back Alaskan cruise. We embarked in Seattle and sailed through the inside passage north to Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway and then headed south to Victoria before disembarking in...
What to pack for an Alaskan cruise
Need a packing list for an Alaskan cruise? Lucky you! Alaska is definitely a beautiful bucket-list destination where you’ll make memories to last a lifetime. In order to enjoy your vacation to the fullest from embarkation day on, you’ll want to be prepared. It’s never...
Celebrity Cruises embarkation day tips for smooth sailing
It's your Celebrity Cruises embarkation day, and you likely want tips for smooth sailing as you board the ship. After all, you've dreamed of this vacation for a long time and want to make the most of it. We've cruised with Celebrity 23 times and are happy to share...
Tips for your visit to The Pioneer Woman Mercantile
Planning a visit to The Pioneer Woman Mercantile in Pawhuska, Okla.? We have a home in Pawhuska and have put together this list of tips to help you make the most of your visit. As local residents as well as Airbnb vacation rental owners, we’ve had lots of questions...
How we plan to drive six hours without stopping at a restroom
For the first time in almost three months, we're going to drive six hours to our home in Oklahoma and we're not planning to stop at a public restroom. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, we've been self isolating in Nebraska. Ann has an underlying heart...
Cruise ship etiquette: How to not get labeled “that (annoying) guy”
Sometimes people amaze me. On cruises, most folks understand good cruise ship etiquette. Sadly, it seems that each cruise also has "that guy" (or gal) who sucks away the fun just by being there. You know who I'm talking about, right? There's always that one guy or gal...
Gifts for cruisers on your holiday shopping list
As regular readers of our blog know, we are avid cruisers, and simply love every minute we spend at sea. Cruising is a unique type of vacation, and there are some things we’ve found that really help smooth out the seas while we’re on board. We've put together...
12 tips for good elevator etiquette on a cruise
Elevators on cruise ships are constantly in use. Every single hour, elevators carry folks up to the buffet, and down to the theater. They are filled with kids heading up to the pool and adults going down to the bars, shops and casino. And we're here to attest, not...
Travel tip: What you’ll need to do laundry while traveling
If you're planning to be away from home more than a few days, and you don't want to bring every item in your wardrobe, you have to plan for laundry while traveling. We used to leave home knowing that somewhere down the line we'd find a laundromat and figure it out....
Travel tip: 5 uses for empty pill bottles when you travel
Looking for a use for those empty pill bottles you just can't bear to throw away? Well, we've got a prescription (ha!) for you. If you're like us, you keep empty pill bottles around because you know there must be a good use for these small, lightweight, secure and...
Seven tips for your visit to the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, Florida
The Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, Florida, is one of my all-time, favorite travel destinations. It has been since I was a kid. As you may or may not know, my family has had a home in the Florida Keys for as long as I can remember. My grandparents built it long...
Tips for your visit to Prosecco Road – #1 Hire a driver and local guide
If you like Prosecco wine, you'll love a trip down the Prosecco Road near Valdobbiadene, Italy. I promise you will. Our visit there this summer was one of our favorite and most memorable stops on our tour through Italy. We've wrestled for weeks about how to write...
![70+ things to do in Pawhuska [Part 2] after you’ve eaten at The Pioneer Woman Mercantile](jpg/pawhuska-part-2.jpg)
70+ things to do in Pawhuska [Part 2] after you’ve eaten at The Pioneer Woman Mercantile
Note: If you have not read #1-35 of the "70+ things to do in Pawhuska after visiting The Pioneer Woman Mercantile," click HERE first. 36. Get a refill on your pop at Handy’s If you’re working your way down this list, by now your cup is dry and you still have many more...
Travel Tip: Sometimes you have to go up to go down
Recently, we traveled to Chicago for a long weekend. We stayed on the 18th floor of the Palmer House Hilton, a beautiful, historic hotel in the middle of the loop located just a block from Millennium Park and the Art Institute. This 25-story hotel is a great place to...
How to pack gifts for a cruise at Christmas
Yes, it is possible to pack for a cruise at Christmas. I love giving people gifts. I truly enjoy picking out just the right things, wrapping them in color-coordinated paper, and tying them up with fancy bows and name tags. I couldn't imagine Christmas morning without...
20 Things I Always Take With Me
Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel weeks in America, so whether you're scrambling to pack a bag for a quick trip to grandma's house, road-tripping to see the big game, or flying out on a weekend getaway to an exotic island (don't we all wish), I thought I'd...
Travel Tip: Bring an Extra Bag or Eight
We've all been there, next to the hotel pool, debating whether to jump in or not because we don't know if our swimsuit will dry (it won't) before we have to put it in the suitcase. Here'a a tip: Pack an extra bag … or eight. Whether we are traveling to Europe for 14...
Travel Tip: Keep an extra toiletry bag packed at all times
One of the most frustrating things that has happened to me is arriving at a hotel after a long day's journey only to find that I forgot some essential toiletry item at home. Sure, I could run to the store, but it's late, and cold, and I don't really know where the...
Travel Tip #5 – Wrap shower caps around dirty shoes
I sometimes fret about my dirty shoes touching my clothing when I pack my suitcase. Typically, they are pretty clean when I leave for a trip, but sometimes get dirty during my stay. If I don't have time to clean them, I usually put shoes in a plastic bag (like the...
Travel Tip #4 – When cruising, book the spa on port days.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy a trip to the spa. I know a lot of men think the spa is "unmanly" but they only think that because they've never been there. Once you get a good, deep tissue massage with hot rocks, you'll put your pride aside and realize that the...
Travel Tip – Don’t forget to wipe.
We have a good friend who is an airline pilot. One night, while chatting, she revealed that airplanes are not as clean as you'd think. They typically look clean because they get vacuumed, but considering they spend very little time on the ground between flights there...
Travel Tip #2 – Put all of your cords in one see-through bag.
I nearly did not make it to our honeymoon. Seriously. Just minutes before (or maybe even several after) we were supposed to leave for the airport for a week-long honeymoon in paradise, I couldn’t find my camera’s charging cord. Not only was the camera cord lost, but I...
Travel Tip #1 – Use plastic wrap under caps.
Don’t you hate it when you return from a great vacation and find that your liquids and gels have leaked through supposed “leak proof” containers? We’ve tried lots of different travel bottles and tubes and some work better than others. But the guaranteed way to prevent...
Inspiring the next step on your journey