Consideration was received for this post.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

When you travel as much as I do, you learn quickly that the less stuff you take along, the better.  I can remember my first trip to Ireland in 2002- I had a couple guidebooks, a notebook filled with ideas, a book of B&Bs with pages marked of places I might like to stay, a map with towns circled that I wanted to visit, a journal to jot down all my thoughts, and a camera to record everything I saw.

Flash forward to our trip to Ireland this year.  Gone were the guidebooks, notebook, B&B book, map and journal.  All I had was my phone and, of course, my camera.  On my phone was my trusted travel tool, OneNote.  I’ve been using OneNote to plan my vacations for nearly 2 years.  From beginning ideas and map images, to notes and thoughts I want to remember – it all goes in to OneNote.

My One Note Travel Planner

Above is my Ireland travel planner for 2013 (I also have one for 2012, as well as a few from conferences from the past couple years).  My design isn’t super fancy, but it works like a charm!  Because one subscription of Office 365 can be added to 5 devices, I was able to easily share planning to the laptop I use for travel as well as let my husband and cousin in on the itinerary – and even give them a chance to share their thoughts easily.

As we traveled, I used the OneNote app on my phone (I’m an Android) to check addresses, directions, visit websites and find phone numbers.  

One Note app on my Android Phone

Another really nice bonus that comes with Office 365- 60 Skype World calling minutes.  Due to the time difference, it wasn’t always a good time for me to call home when Doug could be at his computer.  With the Skype minutes, I could call his phone and not incur hideous roaming charges (as long as I had wifi).

OneNote has become my indispensable travel tool and I recommend it often.  The only drawback I have found is that it is not available for Macs (yet), though there is an iPhone app if you cross-mingle your devices.

Tips for Organized Travel with OneNote

It’s easy to use OneNote for all your vacation planning – and even your travel dreams!  

• Create tabs for flights, lodging, dining reservations, attractions you want to visit and your final itinerary.
• The “send to OneNote’ tool lets you quickly grab webpages and screenshots and insert them directly into OneNote.
• Within these tabs, you can create pages for each day, location or person on your trip.
• Make a packing list.  The handy check boxes you can insert are helpful for keeping track of what you have already packed.
• Keep your travel journal.  You can write notes, insert photos and even voice recordings so you won’t forget anything.
• Create a budget spreadsheet with Excel and input it directly into OneNote.  Editing from oneNote is easy- and it will save in the spreadsheet, as well.
• Save your plans to SkyDrive.  Then share the link with friends and family.  Anyone with OneNote can access the notebook.  And you can see who made changes as the author’s initials show next to their input.
• Use the OneNote travel template from the pros at Travel + Leisure magazine to help you start planning your dream getaway.

Win an Office 365 One-Year Subscription

I’m excited to be able to offer one reader a one-year subscription for Office 365 Home Premium.  This suite includes:

• The latest and most complete set of Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access.
• One license for the entire household to use Office on up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs or Macs, and get Office on Demand from any Internet-connected PC.
• An additional 20 GB of SkyDrive cloud storage, nearly three times the amount available with a free SkyDrive account.
• 60 free Skype world calling minutes per month to call mobile phones, landlines or PCs around the world.
• Future upgrades, so you always use the latest time-saving technology.
• Automatic save to SkyDrive, so your documents — and even your personal settings — are always available from virtually anywhere and on your favorite devices.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Full disclosure:  This is a sponsored post from One2One Network and Microsoft Office 365.  Consideration was received for the hosting of the giveaway and I did receive a one year subscription to Microsoft 365.  That said, I’ve been using One Note to plan my travels for nearly 2 years as well as the rest of the Office Suite for business and personal use for as long as I can remember.  

Do you have one of those hard-to-buy-for guys on your shopping list?  A guy who likes gadgets- or a geek who is never far from his smart phone?  I’ve got a gift idea for you!

The Parrot AR.Drone 2.0

Controlled by a mobile app – available for both iProducts and Android- the drone creates it’s own wifi signal, records video from front or bottom facing cameras, does flips and will scare the bejeezus out of any pets you might have.  It’s a win all the way around!

At $300, it’s not an inexpensive gift, but it is one that will surprise your gadget geek!  And the learning curve will keep him busy for hours!

You can order the Parrot AR.Drone from Verizon Wireless.  Check their compatible devices list to make sure your mobile device supports the app.

Some fun stuff…

Overview:

• The AR.Drone 2.0 is a remote quad copter controlled by your Smart Device
• There are 2 onboard camera’s. The front camera streams 720p high-definition live video to your Smart Device
• Fly, record and share your flight in HD and upload video to YouTube or Picasa
• Absolute Control flight mode
• Flip option enabled for advanced piloting
• Ultrasonic and Pressure Sensors provide intuitive controls
• USB and Wi-Fi flight video record options

Key Features:

• Fly, record and share via your Smart Device
• Social application and media upload with geolocation
• Absolute Control flight mode
• Flip option enabled for advanced piloting
• USB and Wi-Fi record options
• Altitude sensor – you set the limits
• Augmented Reality Gaming

Specifications:
–HD Camera 720p 30fps
–Wide angle lens – 92ins
–1GHz 32 ARM A8 processor
–800MHz video DSP
–1GB DDR2 RAM at 200MHz
–USB 2.0 High Speed Expansion
–Wi-Fi b,g,n
–3 axis gyroscope 2000°/second
–3 axis magnetometer 6° precision
–Pressure Sensor +/- 10 Pa
–Ultrasound sensors
–60fps vertical QVGA camera
–Total weight .83 LBS
–4 brushless motors
–14.5 watt and 28,500RPM
–Low noise Nylatron gears
–Software updatable

Things to note:

While we had hours of fun with this (no kidding!) I do want to point out just a couple of things:

• The indoor flying hull is very delicate- do not use it outside.  (really)
• There is a learning curve to using this.  And no instruction manual.  Take it slow.
• The battery drains quickly (of course it does- 2 cameras, 4 propellers and on-board wifi…  )
• We were loaned the Parrot AR Drone by Verizon Wireless.  We were not compensated for this post, nor do we get to keep this fun toy (which is too bad…  my husband has become very popular at work)

Chilly Day at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland

I’m asked- often- how my family can afford to travel as much as we do.  The simple answer?

We make travel a priority.

What exactly does that mean?  That answer is not quite so simple…

• It means that my husband works long hours when we are home so we can pay for our travels with cash and not credit cards.
• It means that my car is nearly 10 years old and has over 150K miles on it.
• It means that my girls clothes come from “Once Upon a Child” and not the mall.
• It means that we don’t have cable TV or DISH, we shop at Costco, and rarely eat out.
• It means that we stick to a very tight budget (al á Dave Ramsey).
• It means that we homeschool our girls to avoid conflicts with the school and the state due to unexcused absences.

Nothing about any of that is simple, or easy.  There are (many) days when I would rather drive a nice, new convertible than my old minivan that seems to need something repaired every time I turn it on.  But, the car payment that would come with it would easily pay for 4 trips to Ireland for my family.  And the days I just don’t want to make dinner… I have to force myself to think about eating at a pub overlooking the ocean and how much nicer that would be than a crowded, noisy restaurant here at home.

On top of that, we travel cheap.  In the US we drive instead of fly.  We travel in the “off season” when weather is less desirable and costs are lower.  We don’t eat in restaurants often when we travel.  We search for lodging that include free amenities like breakfast and wifi.  We don’t check bags when we do fly.  In other words, we don’t travel with luxury in mind.  Which is how I can take my family to a country not known for being a budget destination (Ireland) in June (high season), and make $2000 last for weeks 2 weeks and still come home with $600 in my pocket (costs included lodging, food, attractions, petrol, airport taxes, car insurance and a few souvenirs).

June 2012 at Clonmacnoise Monastic Settlement in Ireland

Meet… Plan… GO!

Have you been dreaming of a career break or extended vacation, but just don’t know how to make it happen?

Do you need that little push toward your dream?

Join me at Meet… Plan… Go! in Minneapolis on October 16.

The event will offer participants the opportunity to MEET inspirational speakers and like-minded travelers; get motivation, contacts and resources necessary to PLAN the trip of a lifetime; and start taking concrete steps forward to GO on that global adventure.

Tickets are only $20 and you will leave inspired, energized and informed – and ready to make your career break happen!

What is my role at Meet Plan Go?

Though I haven’t been notified of my “topic”, I will be leading a round table session on either budgeting or road-schooling.

Take a look at the Minneapolis speakers and panel- then buy your ticket and join us!

Not in Minneapolis?  You’ll find Meet… Plan… Go! events across the US!

Will you be attending a Meet… Plan… Go! event?  What is your travel dream?

I’ve long said that your children should tote luggage from the time they can walk.  Handling one’s own luggage is both a learning experience and a source of pride for young kids- as well as helpful for mom and dad!  And the luggage market has responded to that need with adorable bags that can be ridden or come in the shape of cuddly animals.

But once your child outgrows these adorable, miniature pieces of luggage, their choices became decidedly adult.  Full size carry-on bags can be a bit unwieldy for people under 5 feet tall, so I was thrilled to see that Trendy Kid addressed this issue with their new Travel Kool line.

Brenna, my 8 year old, took Chat ((-: for a spin this past weekend and pronounced it, “Really cool!”  At 17″ it wasn’t so tall that the handle was dragging down her arm, as can happen with a 22″ carry-on, and it wasn’t so large that it became too heavy.  She also really liked the colorful emoticons and we spent way too much time talking about what they all mean.

I really liked that Trendy Kid didn’t cut any corners just because this is “kids luggage”.  The hard outer shell is tough, and the interior has both a zippered compartment and a garment strap.  The telescoping handle is adjustable- just in case mom or dad has to pull it.  This is a bag that should last for years- until your teen is “too grown-up” for it.

Trendy Kid didn’t forget about the boys!  Check out Danger!  I can’t help but think that both bags would look really cool with destinations stickers added as your travels take your child from place to place…

Fast Facts:

Travel Kool 17″ Carry On Luggage retails for $69.99 and includes a 1 year manufacturers warranty.

•Cases made from ABS (hard shell light weight design) with polyester lining
• Lining with dividing pocket and zip compartment and garment strap
• Easy roll wheels and color coordinated with the case exterior
• ABS light weight structure to maximize on baggage allowance weight
• Hard shell for content protection
• Carry handle and retractable pull-handle conveniently adjustable for adults and kids.
• 17″ case size fits carry on regulations.

Disclosure: I received the Chat carry on bag to review.  I was not compensated for this post and all thoughts on the luggage are my own.  Some links may be affiliates links- which means that I receive a small commission if you make a purchase at the site (no additional cost to you!)  Please know that I only share information on products and services that I believe will be helpful to family travelers.