Your dose of travel adventures!

  It’s no secret that I travel a lot. I’m usually traveling home to see my family, on a vacation or dancing at a festival somewhere around the world. One thing I do know is traveling on the road can be exhausting for your skin. Yes, men... I’m talking to you! We sweat, we break out, we get sunburn, our skin dries out and some guys chafe. It’s important for us to take care of our skin much like the ladies do. Therefore, I have comprised a list of products- from head to toe- that I use, not only at home, but abroad. In this article we are going to start from the ground and work our way up. For a different perspective, check out Britts Corner for her list of items for women. Feel free to mix and match things in Britt's Corner to what you see fit here.

 1) Shoe Pourri- Sometimes an excursion can get the best of your shoes. Some people sweat on their feet causing unwanted odors. Keep your shoes smelling their best with Shoe-Pourri. Let’s face it, no one wants to pack up smelly shoes after a trip. I purchased this on amazon and its been perfect. 

2) Comfy Boys- Is a deodorizing and anti-perspirant lotion for your sensitive area. Let’s not get into specifics on what area I’m talking about!  It keeps you dry and has anti chafing capabilities. Fellas we can now stop dumping a half pound of baby powder in our underwear. This product is easily found on amazon.

 3) Manscaped Trimmer-Is a compact, skin safe, no nick trimmer for all your touch up needs. This product is designed for your body and is safe to use both wet and dry.Visit manscaped.com for this product.

4) Brooklyn Body Scrub- Is  gentle exfoliating scrub that leaves your body feeling incredible. It also has moisturizing abilities, giving you a smooth feel after a shower. I purchased this on amazon.

5) JustJax tooth paste- Is a no chemical, no added sweetener toothpaste able to rid of bad breath and bleeding while whitening at the same time.  For stronger quicker results purchase the "C-Love" for your morning routine and the Charcoal for evening brushing. Pair these pastes with a tongue scraper for the fresh mouth feel you’ve been searching for. Remember to brush softly. I found this product on justjaxinc.com 

6) Beauty n Simplicity avocado oil- Is a revitalizing face oil to help with moisturizing and the elasticity of your skin. It's packed with vitamins to make your skin feel it’s best and keep you smiling. Don’t be afraid to apply it to the beard as well. I found this product on  linker.ee/beautynsimplicity and beautynsimplicity on Instagram.

7) Cologne Bars- This is a trick I've learned from a travel blogger. Instead of having cologne checked in your bag or having to covert it to a travel size carrier, you can purchase a solid bar cologne for use. I've found a few of these on amazon myself. I recommend you knowing your type of scent you like before purchasing

8) Green Leaf after sun care with aloe vera gel- This spay has got me through the brutal sun many of days. It's great for after care for sunburns. It's perfect for me on those hot caribbean beach and pool days. This product is best after your sun screen routine. I grabbed this on amazon as well. 

9) Lotion Bars- Now this is a trick I learned a few years ago. Instead of having another travel size liquid in your bag, grab a solid bar. They tend to save some space in your bag while doing the trick with keeping your body moisturized. I found a few on Etsy 

10) Biore Charcoal Face Scrub- Is the way to go after a long day. It pulls all the dirt from your face up and out as you wash it, leaving your face fresh and clean. Pair with the moisturizer after use. You can find this at local drugstores Walmart and amazon

- Buy travel insurance. If you're traveling during Covid-19 times it is wise-now more than ever-to look into travel insurance. Flights have been cancelled money has been lost. To avoid a big nightmare during this time, look into purchasing insurance that will protect you in case of delays or cancellations. Make sure your insurance covers you in pandemics, any form of crisis or "acts of God"

- Check if borders are open in your country. Depending on where you are, you may not be able to travel as lock downs continue. Be sure before booking your trip that you will be able to make it out of where you live. It would be a disaster to be all dressed up and nowhere to go.

- Check if your destination will accept you in their state or country. Here in the United States, we have been officially banned from Europe. However, some countries in the Caribbean are allowing US citizens. Find out quarantine regulations at your destination before your departure.

- Research the rules and regulations for your transportation (flights, buses, trains etc.) Most transportation companies are requiring masks. Some require  you to maintain distance between fellow travelers. Be sure to check with your transportation of choice to avoid fines in places that have stern regulations.

- Travel with sanitizer and Clorox wipes. Even if your travel is somewhere in your nation or day to day for everyday business. We must disinfect areas we will be in. Confined spaces and high touch points are essential. From shopping carts to your hands to your seat on planes or trains. Think about all the surfaces you touch and sanitize it. 

      Let's talk transportation. Plenty of travelers that I have spoken with tend to book with their plans set on flight and hotel only. However, this can be a costly mistake when embarking on a journey towards relaxation or adventure. What's sometimes looked over is the transportation from home to the airport. As well as the airport to the hotel. We must make it a point to consider all things in our holiday plans for it to run smoothly. After all, who doesn't want to get to their destination, drop their bags and get to a cold drink with an umbrella in it with ease. 

    When planning your travel, please check if your hotel has shuttle service to and from the airport. To take it a step further, ask if they have a schedule or if it's necessary to book a time slot for pick up.  If that service is not available, ask the hotel for an estimate on car service. Also, with car service providers like Uber and Lift, you may search the name of the airport you are traveling from, to he hotel you are traveling to, in order to get an estimate.   For those budget friendly travelers or transportation savvy folks, do not be afraid to search public transportation and even ask the hotel for directions. Plenty of hotel sites have transportation posted to make your travels that much easier. 

   From my personal experience, i've made the mistake of booking flight and hotel and being completely satisfied with my "cash on hand" budget. Once i've arrived at my destination, I would figure out how i'm getting to the hotel and realized how expensive transportation can be in some cities. A lot of that "cash on hand" started to diminish before my very eyes. Suddenly I realized that I had a lot less money than I planned on. Another revelation I had was that I'd most likely have to spend the same amount going home if I didn't come up with an alternate plan soon. Suddenly the various activities I was looking forward to started to seem less possible. I've since planned ahead and budgeted transportation as apart of my holiday and my "cash on hand" is now just for the fun times. I hope this helps you as you plan your next holiday. It has made a drastic change in mine.  

   I've been traveling back and forth to Europe and one thing that has helped me jump right in on the fun is the good old red eye. For those who may not know what a red eye is... It's a term used to describe night/overnight flights. For me, leaving out of the United States in the evening-night time allows you to arrive in Europe in the morning-afternoon the following day. The key thing that makes this successful is rest.

   Sleeping on a red eye is essential to making sure Jet Lag it eliminated. My best advice is to knock out right after they serve you dinner. If you feel like you may want to fall asleep sooner than that, by all means do so. It can only maximize your rest period. Doing so will allow you to wake up prepared to land refreshed. Also, with the time zone change, the earth's rotation and your flight direction being east,  it will be morning/afternoon by the time you land.  At this point you should have set your body's clock to line up with European time. Now you will be able to check in and get right to the activities you may have planned without a necessary nap time in the middle of the day.  Another part of this that will help you solidify you being acclimated to your new time zone, is not falling asleep before 10:00pm their time.  Resting after that time period can insure that you will wake up fresh for you next day right with everyone else. 

    Headed back to the USA? Take a nice long nap on the plane. Remember you will gain time headed west so the nap will recharge your battery for the extra time you will be up when you have arrived in the US. 

  1) Avoid loose fitting clothing- Tighter more form fitting clothing allows you to feel the items on your person. It makes it easier to notice if something doesn't feel right. Loose clothing makes it more difficult to feel if someone is doing wrong by you.

2) Place book bag & purses in front of you- The goal is to keep an eye on your personal belongings. your purse on your side or your bag on your back is a potential blindspot for yourself and it should be avoided  

3) Keep essential items in your front pockets- Things like passports, wallets, money and credit cards should all be placed in your front pockets. Leave your back pockets, which are is your blindspot, empty.

4) Be aware of your surroundings- Always keep your head on a swivel.  You want to see things coming as much as possible. People with a plan to take something from you are already watching you and your habits. If you are constantly focused on something that may be in front of you they can and will take it as an opportunity for their personal gain. 

5) Avoid close contact if possible- This may be extremely hard to do in some hot spot areas but it isn't impossible. Being aware of your surroundings goes well with this tip. Avoiding people bumping and knocking into you may help reduce the ability to ignore a potential pickpocket. The ability to see that someone may be close to you it will draw your attention to them. Thus making it harder for them to act. Avoiding close quarters will make it harder for them to complete the task without being noticed and may deter them from doing so at all.

  Excursions can take your cruising experience to the next level. There’s an endless amout of activities to do in each location you visit. The question is how do you choose the one that is right for you?


  First thing first is to select what type of experience you are trying to have while at that specific location. You want to make sure it flows with your trip and the plans for the entire trip. Some may want to break up the excursions with beach days or catamaran rides. Some may want to do hikes or ATV rides. Plan your holiday based on what you can handle.

  Now that you have an idea of what you’d like to do, plan your excursion around the time of your ship being in port. Try to give yourself an hour before the ship is scheduled to leave to be back in the port and on the cruise. Next It would be ideal to check when the excursion starts and check the duration of the excursion. If it doesn’t fit in the window spoken for above, it should be avoided.

  Try to plan your excursion with the cruise ship. Please note that it can be more expensive. However, the greatest thing about booking with a cruise ship is the ship cannot leave you. You are still with the company you cruise with and they are in constant communication with the ship to let them know your whereabouts. I will say booking outside of your cruise company can be a lot cheaper. However, if the excursion runs late there is a greater chance you can get left behind from the ship. If you are going to book an outside excursion please make sure it is an activity that is close by the port and you can control the time in which you leave to get back to the ship.

   Lastly, please read the reviews. Always check to see what people are saying about their experience on the same excursion you may be looking to do. There are some things that may sound good on paper but the customer experience is not up to par. If the reviews are great and it seems like it’s a fit, you will have a higher success rate in enjoying your excursion.

 1) Oyster Card- Having an oyster card will get you moving around the city with ease. You will have to purchase a card for a fee and then add the amount you wish to use for your rides. Purchase one at any underground station They can also be found in airports.

2) London Pass- I use the London pass to visit multiple locations during my stay. Locations such as: museums, churches, Tower Castle, Tower Bridge and Shakespeare's Globe. If you do multiple locations in a day, it may be a cheaper option than purchasing individual tickets as you go along. It shortens wait the times to little or no wait at all with the skip the line feature. 

3) The Underground- The best mode of transportation in my eyes. I made it from the airport to my hotel as well as 90% of my attractions via the underground.

4) Closings- Be mindful that most of the attractions close in the early evening hour. It will be wise to start your day bright and early.  I started my mornings at 7 am to make it to all the attractions I had on my list. 

5) Planning- To get the most out of your trip, try to plan your day in a specific area and do all the attractions in that part of town. It saves you money by avoiding multiple trips back and forth, from one side of town to another. For example: Winston Churchill Museum, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Palace are in the same area. Shakespeare's Globe and Borough Market are walking distance from each other. Also, Tower Castle and Tower Bridge are right next to each other.

Honorable Mention- There are 5 airports in the city of London. Find the best flight times, prices and which airport may be closer to your desired hotel or airbnb while making your travel plans.  I also used Uber and double decker busses for the in between routes that brought me the absolute closest to my desired locations. That of course is if the train stations were still a distance away.  

1) Research your trip. Find out what the social and polictical climate is like when it comes to LGBTQIA+ beliefs in the location of your desired travel. Decide if it is a place you feel comfortable traveling to safely 

 2) Safety First! Be alert for uneasy people in your immediate surroundings. Keep copies of your documentation incase of emergency. Always know where your country's embassy is and register with them during your stay with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).  Lastly, alert an ally of your whereabouts at all times. 

 3) Respect is key- remember you are a guest in someones country. Their customs and culture are prevalent. When traveling, the goal is to blend in to avoid any offenses. Some offenses are punishable by law. Be mindful of where you are... However, that doesn't mean forget WHO you are :)

1) Travel Credit Card- Let's face it, you have to spend anyway. Choose an appropriate card for you (that comes with plenty perks) and make it your workhorse. Pay for everything with that card and accumulate miles or cash-back that you can apply towards plane tickets.

 2)Bonus checks (any extra income)- Each year, there are two months that you see 3 checks in the month. Use that 3rd check and send it directly to the travel pool, savings, or bank. you could see hundreds if not thousands within a year.  

3) Online surveys- Airlines like JetBlue, Southwest, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta have opinion based surveys that allow you to accrue miles for your time. Sign up and do a few surveys a week and watch your miles climb.