Freda's 10 Travel Essentials Tips / and Hacks

My Top 10 Travel  Essentials Tips / Hacks

Traveling is one of my top adventure and things that I enjoy doing, For me its fun and adventurous to discover and explore new places while traveling both locally and to other world wide destinations. I was talking to my daughter this week about some of the fun places that I have traveled to over the years and realized that there were still some great destinations that I still want to discover some right in my own backyard. some of my favorite places to explore when I travel are local restaurants, bakeries, food trucks and beach bars where you can find locals enjoying their city culture through food. 

Below are 10 of my top travel tips and hacks that I use when I get that travel itch. I hope you can use a few or all on your next trip
1. Book Early: Early booking offers you the best bang for your travel bucks. Also, you might get better upgrades on rooms and dining and transfer options if they are available,

2. Book with a Travel Agent: It's great to have a travel agent in your corner. A travel agent works with the supplier, they have inside knowledge of your destinations, they will guide you through the travel process of booking, flights, accommodations, at the best price for your travel budget. They will have the best knowledge of your destinations, flights, packages, and your all your travel needs. The internet or other travel booking site might save you a few bucks, but who are you going to call when you lost your passport or miss your flight? Your travel agent is there for you 24 /7. I highly recommend my friend Linda who has over 30 years experience as a travel agent and operates “ Travel To the Caribbean blog” http://www.travel2thecaribbeanblog.com 

3. Book packages: I find that vacation packages offer you the best bang for your travel bucks, Most packages include accommodations, meals, transfers, and sometimes local excursions and tours. With rates starting from low $799 PP for a 4 day 3-night vacation.

4. Keep it Simple: When packing for travel my motto is to keep it simple, Wear flip flops for your flight it’s easy to take off to go through security and comfortable to wear ( Pack a pair of socks in your carry on just in case it gets cold). I love black or navy yoga pants or other black knit slacks they are easy, wrinkle free and lightweight plus they go with almost anything and you can dress them up or down. Don’t forget to pack plain T-shirts, If you need a blazer wear it on your flight along with your jeans if you must have one. Leave the jewelry at home. (You could buy some locally made jewelry at your destination to spice up your outfits and on your return give them away as gifts). If you must carry jewelry use a pill or contact case to store your smaller items such as earrings. A back pack is a travel must, great for safety, with lots of space and compartments, they are easy to carry, and are great as a carry-on.

5. Fold your clothes inside your suitcase you will be able to fit more in your suitcase, Also keep outfits together you can roll a t.shirt together with a legging and scarf. Keep some fabric softener sheets in your suitcase to keep everything smelling fresh and clean

6. Buy Travel Insurance: Shit Happens!! Your vacation which took you months to plan and a large amount of your money, can be ruin if the unthinkable happens, losing your baggage, missing your flight, getting sick while traveling, or some other natural disaster beyond your control can cause you to lose all the money you spent to book the trip that you might have spent a lifetime to take. Including your reservations and tickets. My advice to you is purchase travel insurance when you book your vacation. Speak to your travel agent about this important protection when you start planning your trip.

7.Use a Roll up Tech Case for all your Cords and head phones, Now in the age of Tech we can nowhere without our phones, ipads, and other tech gadgets, and they can be a nuisance when they get tangles. I find that a roll up tech case works great for keeping all my tech cords together free from tangles and within easy reach.

8. Carry An extra Copy of your passport: Always carry a copy of your passport and keep it in a safe place away from your other items. ( Back pocket, inside the under sole of your shoes in your camera bag,) You just never know when you might lose your bag or the unthinkable happens. Carry extra copies of your credit card leave one at home with a trusted friend or family member also copies of your passport.


9.  Keep your medicine within easy reach by filling a pill case with any medicine that you will need and label them should you need them in an emergency 
 

10 . Travel with Groups: One of the best ways to travel is to travel with a group, Family members, friends, co-workers make great groups.  You will save a lot on your travel cost since you will be sharing the cost with others in your group including meals, excursions, etc. It is also safe if it's the first time you are traveling or visiting that destination especially if there is a language barrier.

One of my favorite quotes by Mark Twain.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things

that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail

away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails
Freda Gore
Caribbean Culinary Tours & Vacations
http://www.caribbeanculinarytours.net 
http://www.caribbeanculinaryvacations.com


　

　

Starting Over

Hi Friends its been a while since I have posted on Island Soul Blog, I have been focused more on my other blog caribbeanculinary.blogspot.com.  Lots have happened during my absence. My three babies have grown up and and two is now living on the own, my daughter just finished high school a year ago and fingers crossed might start college soon. In the meantime I am enjoying the freedom of more time doing things that I love, like traveling  cooking, and writing my cookbooks, I have since written two and is now working on my third one, gardening, decorating, and antiquing, I am also working on preparing and eating more healthy meals as I try to keep my blood pressure under control. These photos are of my travels this past year.

Hosting a cooking Class Holland American Cruise Lines

 Curacao Boast some beautiful local buildings,and coffee shops where you get to sit and enjoy some of the islands cultural activities

This past year we sold our house in TN and bought a small cottage in SW Florida. Its really a Manufactured home but I prefer to call it a cottage because it sounds more chic ha ha, Call it what you like I love it and is having lots of fun fixing it up and working in my garden, I am planning to plant a country garden with the hope of using lots of recycle items including some car tires that I saved from the dump that I plan to paint and use as planters  I will be posting some pictures of my progress in other upcoming posts. And by the way if you have a small cottage like mine let me know what you are doing we could swap and share ideas feel free to comment below.
I titled this post "Starting Over" because I for one I am sometimes always starting over, I consider myself to be an overachiever and sometimes take on more that I can chew.  But I believe we all do that sometimes, My hubby who is the total opposite has to remind me that I can say no. when someone ask me to do something that I know I don't have the time or resources its okay to say no, I am not a bad person If I say no. So I am learning now to be comfortable with who I am and not try so hard to be a people pleaser. I can remember growing up and I always wanted everyone to love me, I did for others and I gave but for the wrong reason I was searching for love in the wrong places and from the wrong people. As humans God created us with a inner vacuum that only he alone can fill, I have seen lots of people not living the life God called them to live because they looked to the wrong people and things to filled that vacuum or void in their lives.
  Its amazing that as I get older and more steadfast in my walk with God That I know without a doubt That God has a great plan for all his children, and he is not hiding it from them nor is it a secret. His word said in Jeremiah 29 :11 For I know what plans I have for you said the lord, Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Gods plans for his children is already set in place, Even before we came into this world God already had a plan for our lives it was already in place. All we had to do was believe and trust him.
 So in starting over What I know for sure is this I don't have to go in the back of the line ( God does not tell me Freda you messed up so you

need to go to the back of the line and start over) no he allows me to continue on the path just where I was before, He allows me to continue on my walk with him and if I messed up on the way all I have to do is repent of my sin, ask for his forgiveness and continue on the path he has already carved out for me to walk ( his plan for my life)
 My prayer in the upcoming months is that Gods will and purpose will be active in your life. Don't miss out on his plan for your life because Surely Goodness and Mercy shall follow you all the days of your life. Psalms 23:6

Just Ask !!

 

This morning as I was about to enjoy my regular cup of coffee. I realized that I had used up the last coffee yesterday and had forgotten to buy more. I was a bit disappointed with myself. A coffee drinker most of my life, my love of coffee goes back to my childhood days growing up on the island of Dominica. Back then we grew and harvested our own coffee beans and roasted and brewed our own blend. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee always brings back great childhood memories.

Today however I had to settle for tea. So I found my box or raspberry flavored scripture tea bags. ( These are the tea bags which has a bible verse printed on the paper tag of the bag) I Just love the way God got my attention on my bag tag the verse was from Hosea 7:15 They lie there sleepless with anxiety, but won’t ask for help (TLB). Today I need to hear that, sometimes we forget that God is always there to help us no matter what we might be going through. The trials of life sometimes seems to come at us in full force and crash down on us as an avalanche. We some times feel hopeless and helpless and might at times think God is not listening, or just don’t care about our problems. I often times only go to God with the big things or try to work it out by myself and seek God when things don’t go my way. Isn’t it amazing that the creator of all things, who knows all things and gives all things is right there by our sides to help us through all we go through.

Since retiring from my full time job to work in my travel business. I have days when I worry about the bills to be paid, the success of my business and the well-being of my family. However this reminder in the book oh Hosea tells us, all we have to do is ask for help. Because my friends nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Romans 8 :39. All we have to do is ask. We see in Luke 11:9 Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be open to you. What I know for sure is this God never get’s tired of us asking.

With his love: Freda Gore / Island soul

Transformation " A Changed Room"

Good Morning to all my friends and anyone reading this blog. As I sit here to write I ask myself where did the time go? I started this blog 5 years ago when my Friend Amy was diagnosed with Cancer. I have over those years become extremely busy with my other blogs and my home based business and have not posted on this blog for a while. To my friends and readers I do apologize for that. I commit to continue posting uplifting God based posts, that I hope will share the love of Jesus to all. Just a quick update my friend Amy is now doing well please continue to pray for Gods continued healing on her health and to draw closer to Jesus.

   
A little in what's going on in my life this week. This week I am working on painting my daughter Christine's room. The color she choose was gray and even though it was not my favorite choice (I prefer earth tones). Something about the color gray all her friends are painting their room gray am I missing something? Anyway I volunteered to paint her room gray and to say the least it's work, however I am enjoying it and with her help we are making great stride. Its amazing what a little paint can do.You can begin with a bland spotty, dirty walls or in our case a cream off white color that is not your favorite color and after adding a coat of your favorite color your get this amazing transformation. I  read the book by Moll Anderson " Change your home Change your life and one of the things she said is " That our home is a reflection of who we are" of our inner self. As I paint Christine's room and I witness this transformation, I also witness a new change coming to the room and as I watch and listen to Christine as she comes up with more ideas with how she wants her room to look, I also see her inner self coming through. I will be sharing the contiued room transformation in the upsoming weeks.
 Looking at my own life especially my former life when I was lost in the world of self and sin, Gods love and forgiveness came into my life in the form of Jesus blood shed for me, and like a tin of paint transformed my life,totally and completely. However my transformation is still in progress so continue to follow me on the journey. Lets share, pray, cry, and laugh together you are invited!!

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Finding your voice

Did you jump out of bed today happy and full of joy to start your day?. In other words are you honestly happy and fulfilled at work or at home. some of us do things out of habit, maybe just for a paycheck, it could be expected for us by others, sometimes we think there is no way out and our backs are up against the wall. Maybe it has to do with our culture.
I know for me growing up in the Caribbean I did what was expected of me I did what my parents did. I followed in the paths of my family business. My Mon and Dad were both Bakers. I worked in our family bakery and after high school to choose a career I went to Culinary School and became a Chef, and later a Culinary Instructor and found my passion was really teaching.
how do we find our own inner voice or inner self. The Things that makes us sing, brings us joy and satisfaction something we will do even there was no paycheck.
We must never forget that no matter where we are in life God has a plan for our lives. In the bible book of Jeremiah 29;11 God said For I know the thoughts( plans)that I think towards you says the Lord Thoughts (plans) of Peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
God wants to give you a voice a voice of you own, A voice that will take you to your destiny.
Do you have the courage to listen to him and step out by faith and find your inner voice. Please pray the following prayer today and every day.

Prayer: Father God this morning I see the new life you want to give me. I see new doors that you are opening for me I accept new opportunities that you are sending my way . I surrender today and I am leaving all the old things behind me, And I thank you for moving me into my God given purpose in Jesus name Amen

Finding your life Purpose Contest

Enter our finding your life purpose contest and win two book.
1st Book"Why not You" 28 days to Authentic confidence by Valorie Burton
2nd Book "The Purpose Driven Life Journal" By Rick Warren

Tell us in a short paragraph of the steps you are taking in living and fulfilling your life purpose. This could be in the form of a new venture, A new career move, or any changes you have made that has put you on a clear path to fulfilling your life purpose.

Steps to Letting Go

When God calls us to leave the things we a familiar with, ( or comfort zones) we most ofter find ourselves in some of the most difficult times of our lives, It seems that all of hell brakes loose. sometimes we even find ourselves questioning weather we heard from God or not.

As we see in Ruth and Naomi situations. We sometimes have people talking about our choices, when we take a stand to follow Gods leading. Ruth also had to go and glean wheat in the field after the reapers of Israel to keep food on the table ( She had to do something beneath her or humble herself to receive Gods promise and purpose for her life)

however it is during those times of hardships and us humbling ourselves that God does his greatest work. It was during Ruth time in the fields, that the owner of the fields "Boaz" noticed her.

No matter where you are in life sometimes you have to become like Ruth and step out of your comfort zone, you also have to humbly yourself this might open the door to hidden gifts that you might never knew you had before. Enter our finding your life purpose contest.