Traveling with Vera Bradley Bags - My Recommendations

When I wrote about my decision to purchase a Vera Bradley Weekender bag for road trips, I didn't realize how popular that article would be. I guess there are many Vera Bradley fans out there! So, as a follow up, here is how things worked out.

We took a road trip through southern New Mexico. When we packed the car, handling the Vera Bradley bag was very easy. The handles are sturdy and, as I suspected, the pattern of the material did not show the road dust. I thought the fully packed bag was light enough for me to handle but felt a larger bag would be too heavy for me to carry.

My traditional suitcase with wheels is rather heavy empty, so carrying a Vera Bradley actually was lighter. The bag opens up to a full rectangle and so it is easy to pack.

When we arrived at the hotel in Las Cruces, the beautiful El Encanto de las Cruces, I took my bag and a few hanging clothes to the room. I didn't miss my wheeled suitcase at all!

Imagine my surprise when I placed the bag on the bed and found that the bed and room decor matched the Vera Bradley pattern... SunsetSafari. Now that was a coincidence.

More Vera Bradley on the Horizon
This little experiment went so well that I ordered the matching garment bag from Vera Bradley. Gotta cover up those clothes on a hangar with something stylish, right?

Check out the Vera Bradley Bags on Amazon.com

February 2012: New Travel Warnings for Mexico

I was recently in southern Arizona. While, in the past, I felt comfortable walking across the border at Nogales, on this trip I resisted the impulse. I have heard so many things that deter me from travel in Mexico, especially in border cities.

This month the Department of State issued an updated travel warning for Mexico.

(From the Department of State website) February 08, 2012 - The Department of State has issued this Travel Warning to inform U.S. citizens about the security situation in Mexico.General information on the overall security situation is provided immediately belowFor information on security conditions in specific regions of Mexico, which can vary, travelers should reference the state-by-state assessments further below.  This Travel Warning supersedes the Travel Warning for Mexico dated April 22, 2011 to consolidate and update information about the security situation and to advise the public of additional restrictions on the travel of U.S. government (USG) personnel.
Cnn.com summarized the warning:The travel warning urges Americans to defer nonessential travel to all or parts of the following 14 states: Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacan and Nayarit.
Travelers should also exercise caution visiting all or parts of Baja California, Colima and Morelos, it says.

Here is detailed safety information on Travel in Mexico from the Department of State.

Traveling in hot climates: Wear a special cooler - great gifts!

With my walking group, we've traveled all over the US during some pretty hot months. When we discovered neck coolers we were in 7th heaven! Now there are even more high-tech versions. But the important thing is to avoid heat stroke and dehydration. A good neck cooler will help cool you down while you travel, walk or hike. Neck coolers available from Amazon.com

Blog vs. Article: Am I a travel writer? I think I am!

I recently was informed that I wasn't invited to cover an event since I was a blogger. I looked over the Internet articles I had written on the subject of the event and found that they were not first person, personal comments. So I felt they were articles and not blog entries. And, they were not from this Blog, Travel Writer Rants and Raves.

I had a look at what Wikipedia had to say on blogs and found their definition:

A blog (a portmanteau of the term web log)^[1] is a personal journal published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete entries ("posts") typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. Blogs are usually the work of a single individual, occasionally of a small group, and often are themed on a single subject. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Travel Writer Rants and Raves is my personal journal of things I have thoughts or feelings about. I use it when I want to rant about a bad experience or rave about a good one. It is truly a blog.

I also write for Internet publications and, although I allow myself some first person comments, they serve mainly to represent my "voice" and indicate my recommendations. Each of these articles is published to provide information to the reader and not to serve as my personal journal:

Examiner.com
Phoenix Getaways - Travel
Santa Fe - Travel
Native American Jewelry and Art

Stripedpot.com
Articles

Please have a look and let me know if you see a difference between a blogger and a writer when it comes to Internet writing. And, am I right in assuming my articles are articles and not blog entries?

Trying Vera Bradley Bags for Travel

I'm trying something new for my upcoming road trip. I've purchased a travel bag and cosmetic bag from that fun and fanciful fabric bag company, Vera Bradley. Why? I'm finding my travels throughout the desert southwest can leave my bags dusty and dirty.

These bags have great designs that don't show the dust and... they are machine washable! That was a selling point for me. I can take the flat insert (which makes the bottom flat) out and wash the bag. I think I'll just dry it over a shower curtain rod rather than put it in the dryer.

And, they are quilted and padded. This will both protect the contents and make the bags easy to pack into small places.

I'll let you know how I do with this new find. Anyone else out there travel with Vera Bradley bags? Also, if this goes well, I'll be looking for recommendations on other sizes to buy. Advice is welcomed!

Check out the Vera Bradley Bags on Amazon.com