See recent posts by Avital Andrews @avitalb avital.andrews@smartertravel.com PinterestFacebookTwitter (Great way to protect your luggage and home! Thanks to Smarter Travel for this one: Lorna) Many travelers think that encountering bedbugs is purely bad luck. While it’s not your fault if you do have a run-in, there are proactive things that you can do—and specific items that you can pack—to prevent bedbugs. Because while the itchy bites are bad enough, they’re hardly the only

We talk about the need to address bullying in schools but it seems we forget that bullying takes many shapes and forms and occurs in all age groups. When we generalize a generation or a race, religion, or ethnicity, we lump people into a category and dishonor individuality. There are times we rush to judgment about someone's behavior while overlooking the specific circumstances of their life. And there is the tendency for people to put themselves down creating feelings of

by Mindy Schrager in Mindy's Blog Throughout our lives there are many transition points, but the personal significance of each event varies by person. For some people, milestone birthdays serve as transition points; for others events such as graduation, starting a job, getting married are when life shifts occur. I can still remember a memorable transition point for myself when I turned eighteen. I was at the swimming pool and a lifeguard yelled – adult swim, everyone under ei

We certainly live in unusual times, don’t we? When the news headlines are filled with fear and uncertainty, it’s easy to be thrown off keel and get into our heads. But the elders have taught for thousands of years that personal evolution doesn’t occur without a little ruckus, just like new seeds won’t sprout unless the soil is churned. There are many real challenges in the world, and as we try to wrap our heads around them, it’s important that we remember to do so with mindfu

There are times when I find myself reading the comments that people leave in response to print news items. While some articles elicit notations of sympathy or encouragement, more often than not they become the starting point for finding the negative, focusing on one side of the story, and a litany of nasty commentary. At the same time, they remind me that we can quickly change to a positive perspective. I was at a store when the cashier made a mistake in ringing up the person

10 Garments to Protect Your Stuff Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon See recent posts by Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon sgreavesgabbadon@smartertravel.com AddThis Sharing Buttons above PinterestFacebookTwitterAddthis48Share Pickpocket-Proof Clothing: 10 Garments to Protect Your Stuff written for Smarter Travel. (Check out their website) Nothing sours a trip like having your belongings stolen by a pickpocket. But chances are, if you travel frequently—or just happen to be unlucky—a sticky-fingered