Holiday ideas – Page 4 – Travel Smart With Jodie

Relieve holiday travel stress

Instead of living with headaches or muscle aches caused by travel stress, slot in some spa time

Whether it is for fun such as ski slopes or sunny sands or to visit family, your holiday trip will likely include stress hazards.

They may be airport hassles, crying toddlers a seat away, late trains, weather delays or road construction.

No matter what the cause, the result can be tight neck and forehead muscles, headaches or back pains.

Instead of living with it or taking two aspirins and not calling the doctor in the morning, slot in some spa time.

Family and friends may sympathize with the pain but you and they will have better togetherness time if you feel well. And that is the point of spa treatments today.

Time in a relaxation room at Peninsula Chicago's Spa by ESPA is part of the stress relieving experience

No longer considered an indulgence, spa experiences are typically categorized as wellness treatments.

Many resorts and vacation destinations feature spas. However here are a few I have personally experienced and recommend.

The Peninsula Spa by ESPA

You don’t have to stay at a Peninsula Hotel to book a spa treatment there. ESPA combines Oriental, European and Ayurvedic approaches. Because I live near Chicago, I book treatments at the Peninsula Chicago. But the hotel and its Spa by ESPA are also in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beverly Hills, New York, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai and Manila.

Burke Williams Spa

If traveling to San Francisco, San Jose or to Los Angeles or Orange Counties, lucky you because there is probably a Burke Williams Spa near your destination.

Joya Spa

A spa experience at the Joya Spa at Intercontinental Montelucia Resort and Spa, Scottsdale, AZ is a vacation. You don’t have to stay at the resort to use the spa. However, you may have to book a session before leaving home because local spa enthusiasts have found Joya.

Coldwater Creek Spa

Maybe the idea that a popular woman’s apparel store also has a spa may dissuade some people from trying it. But I have repeatedly gone to the one in Southlake, Texas for a pedicure that is pure bliss. The problem is there are just not enough Coldwater Creek Spas. There are two in Texas and on each in California, Oregon, Illinois, Colorado and Florida.

Pack and travel lighter this holiday season

Throwing everything from the closet into a mega suitcase is a hard habit to break but holiday travel nowadays calls for smarter packing

You may think you need six pairs of shoes when visiting family or heading to a holiday destination. Maybe you think people care if you wear the same sweater twice.

Think again if you would like to lighten the holiday travel hassle.

Before switching from general features to travel writing, I really did throw five pairs of shoes into my suitcase and wore my comfy gym shoes on the plane.

I used to stuff stuff into a check through bag and a carry-on

I also brought clothes changes for every day and every evening. Of course I had to bring a large suitcase that I checked through to my destination or wrestled with into the car trunk and up the stairs of B and B’s.

By the way, even if my room was on the first floor of a B and B, it typically had stairs up to the entrance. And even if my plane arrived on time, I had to wait way too long for the suitcase to appear on the baggage carousel.

What a difference the change of writing assignments made.

I didn’t realize I had changed so much until I packed for a recent Washington DC trip and threw, well folded, everything into a carry-on that could fit into the overhead compartment.

For me it was no longer a big deal because I hadn’t used a large suitcase in two years.

The realization that I changed came however, when my husband pulled out his mega-sized bag and I asked, “why?”

“Because I need two suits and a sports jacket,” he said. He was attending a four-day conference where he had to speak one day, while I was doing my travel thing around the capital.

After rethinking what he had to pack (the two suits) and wear (the sports jacket) he saw he could fit everything into his carryon as long as he also took a small travel bag for books and the 3-1-1 bag.

Packing habits can be hard to change but after packing lighter once, you may also change. When changing planes, it is also nice to know you have what you need instead of worrying if you and your bags will ever meet again.

Here are some tips to lighten the load and stop worrying where you suitcase is.

1. Coordinate your outfits so you don’t have to pack more than two pairs of shoes. Wear the bulkiest third pair on the plane or in the car.

2. Limit slacks, shorts or skirts to two to pack and one to wear

3. Women can use tops for costume changes with different teddy’s and tees but should look for ones that are wrinkle free or hang out well. Jewelry also changes a look but don’t travel with favorite or most expensive jewelry.

4. Men also use different colored dress shirts and ties or casual shirts for different looks.

5. Instead of a purse, women can bring a Sac or other sling-over-the-shoulder bag to carry items that don’t fit into the small suitcase. Pills and make-up should go into this bag. Pack a dressy purse or neutral one.

6. Men will find that a small sports bag will carry items not packed into the small suitcase.

7. If presents are an issue remember that TSA does not want them wrapped so best is to mail ahead instead of packing them unless traveling by car. If returning with presents, mail the bulkier ones back home.

Finally, a new online travel magazine is running a holiday list of items that make travel easier. See the items at Striped Pot.

Happy Holiday Travels

The choosing and care of your holiday tree

Start a family holiday tree choosing tradition and find out how to care for your tree

Probably you are not looking for a tree quite as large as the 70 foot blue spruce that was donated by a McHenry County, Illinois family to Chicago as the city’s tree in Daley Plaza.

A 70 foot blue spruce from McHenry County now stands tall in Chicago's Daley Plaza

However, if you live in the Chicago area chances are there is a tree with your family’s name on it out in McHenry County. That is where corn and farm stands bump up against orchards and plant nurseries and a USDA report listed the county’s growers as harvesting more trees than elsewhere in the state.

At McHenry’s Richardson Farm in Spring Grove you can do more than merely search for the perfect tree. You can turn it into an experience.

Ride out to the trees and have fun finding just the right one. Cut yours down and hitch a ride back to have it shaken, baled and receive twine to tie it to your car. Oh, and be sure to have a donut and cup of hot chocolate or coffee before you leave.

Start a family tradition of finding and cutting the perferct tree

“Coming here is a family tradition,” says Carol Richardson who explained that families return there every year for their tree. “It’s the entire experience: going out in the wagon, choosing a tree, looking around for a wreath and sipping hot cocoa.”

However, before choosing be sure the tree will be happy in your household and look its best when most important.

Here are a few guidelines from Carol Richardson and from the farm’s website:

Before you head out, take a look at the photos and tree descriptions

Some trees have a longer life after cut than others. If set on getting a tree with a short cut life such as a Balsam fir or Norway spruce wait until a couple of weeks before Christmas to cut it. Also, ask or look for signs that recommend trees that last from Thanksgiving through Christmas.
After bringing your tree home make a fresh straight-across cut (not diagonal) about ½ inches from the original cut and immediately put the tree into water (warm is better the first time than cold.)
A water reservoir stand is best for the tree’s life but it still should be periodically checked so you keep the water level up. Some houses are drier than others which changes water evaporation time. Also trees drink water at different speeds. You can slow evaporation by placing the tree away from direct sunlight or a heating vent.
More guidelines

Richardson Farm, 9407 Richardson Road, Spring Grove, IL 60081 815-675-9729 For more tree farm locations see McHenry County or call McHenry County Convention & Visitors Bureau toll-free at 888-363-6177.

(Chicago tree photo courtesty of City of Chicago and trees at Richardson Farm courtesy of Richardson Farm)

Five ways to flavor your family holiday visit with fun and flair

Whether in or out of town, the next family Thanksgiving or winter holiday get together is also a chance to record old traditions and start some new ones.

Best, is to ink in some of the suggestions on the calendar so the holiday does not jump up before you are ready. Early November is not too early to start your planning.

Wreathing the Lions at the Art Institute of Chicago is a day after Thanksgiving tradition that includes several family activities

1. Cell phone cameras are OK but if you want a high quality photo to save don’t forget to pack or have on hand a decent point and shoot camera. Some of them, such as Casio and Canon have movie capability. Digging into the turkey or ham, curling up on sofa or floor to play a board game or gazing at a tree or menorah lighting are memorable moments when someone says oops, who has a camera?

2. Add a new place to check out or a new activity to try. Sure it is tough to squeeze in research time before everyone comes or before you leave for the visit, but just adding a new adventure each year adds an element of excited anticipation. Chances are there are new exhibits at a museum you haven’t visited for ages, a nearby town that celebrates the holidays Dickens style, a forest preserve to hike or a family show, musical or ballet to see.

Trains, lights and miniature landmarks are an annual holiday tradition at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe

3. Seek an agency that is collecting gifts or food and where to bring the items. Family members can add the items to their shopping lists and increase the season’s joy by sharing.

4. Start a new tradition of trading reading material or recommendations during the visit. It will give people something new to read on the way home or even during down time while visiting. Donate finished reading material to libraries and senior centers.

5. No question holiday time is also eating time which makes it a good excuse to try a new restaurant. The place may even become a new family tradition. Consider ethnic eateries, breakfast places and some that are outside the neighborhood or town. Definitely make a reservation.