Early Christmas Present for Me! Bom Natal!

I just bought myself an early Christmas present:

Ever since we started talking about going to Brazil, I have wanted to buy Rosetta Stone for Brazilian Portuguese.  Normally $400, I held off since it was so expensive.  Then, I got an email saying it was on sale for $250.  Hm.  Then 2 days later, another email saying it was only $240.  Still, I waited.  When I got another email today saying the price went down to $230, I decided that was a fair price and took the plunge.

Citizens of Brazil:  Be ready for me to come practice!

Necessities - Best. Sandals. Ever.

When you are traveling, good shoes can make or break your trip/excursion.  If you have a lot of walking to do on an upcoming trip somewhere warm (aka NOT Minnesota), and want great sandals for walking around in and still looking good, try Borns!

I bought two pairs of the Born Aberlin Sandals for my recent Europe trip, one in black and one in gold.  They are spendy on the Born site, but you can find them for a much lower price on other shoe websites like Amazon and Zappos.

 

Ladies, these sandals are cute, flexible, and slightly cushioned.  I walked around in them for hours without so much as a hint of a blister.  Did I mention how cute they are?  They can be casual for everyday walking around, and since they aren't flip flops, they are also acceptable to wear with a dress or skirt to a nice dinner.

 Even if these aren't your style, almost all Born shoes are very confortable.  I have purchased flats from this brand as well, which I loved.

Dudes, I can't personally vouch for the men's shoes, but a family member of mine swears by them.  Check 'em out.

Happy Walking!

Necessities - Space Bags

I never thought to use these until my most recent backpacking trip.  I bought a great backpack, only to realize it was bit too small to fit all that I needed to bring for two weeks.  Like a sign from the travel gods, I stumbled upon Space Bags 3 days before my trip.

Duh.  Why didn't I think of this before?  They were perfect.  In case you don't understand how they work:

1.  Put in clothes
2.  Seal Bag
3.  Roll bag to push air out
4.  Pack.

Voilà.  They shrink your clothing bulk down to take up half the space they did before.  It's genius.  Here is the brand I used, and I thought they were good quality for such a low price.  You can find them on Amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/Space-Bag-Vacuum-Seal-Storage-Bags/dp/B0009VCB5M

Necessities - Microfiber Travel Towel

One of my favorite must-have accessories is the Travel Towel.  Doesn't seem very exciting, I know, but it is one of the most useful purchases I have made for traveling.

If you travel frequently and are always looking for space saving items, a must have is the microfiber travel towel.  Super compact and lightweight, these towels dry extremely quickly and are still able to absorb as much liquid as a regular towel.  They can also be used for more than just a towel.  I have used mine several times as a blanket and as a makeshift umbrella. 

Mine has traveled with me for 10 years now through the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, twice through Europe and other trips, and the thing still looks brand-spanking new.   I use a MicroNet Suede Microfiber Towel (you can find them on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/MicroNet-Suede-Ultra-Compact-Microfiber-Towel/dp/B003V4MK28