Laurie's light travel travel tips

This article initially appeared on Examiner.com Almost summer and you and your sweetie are headed to Bora Bora - good for you! Problem is, he's given you an hour's notice because he got a special deal on Priceline and the flight leaves from Burbank tonight. Yikes. Don't sweat it. Spontaneity is the heart of being alive. Okay, maybe that doesn't apply to packing, but even so, relax. You can do this. Here's how: (1) Make a list You especially need your list when there are only minutes to spare before you leave the house. See items following for what to add to the list. Other items to consider: sweater(s) even if you are flying to the Bahamas; sunglasses!; travel pillow; slippers for the plane (especially for long flights); three t-shirts, one of them oversized; rainproof boots and jacket; tennis shoes. And DO NOT forget your passport if traveling abroad, or driver's license if flying domestically. (2) Pack your Baggie before you get to the airport! Pack yo...

The following article was first published on Examiner.com Feb. 6, 2016. New Englanders looking for a sustainable travel destination should consider San Francisco. While yes, the carbon footprint of the flight is great, you can offset that; and if you're lucky, you'll fly the eco-friendly and fun Virgin America, the first domestic airline to offer such offsets. San Francisco: where does one begin? It's this examiner's hometown so there is bias, of course, but arguably, in a state known for its environmental awareness and activism, San Francisco sets the bar. But where do you stay? There are several options, but for anyone looking for the quintessential  San Francisco experience, only one hotel will do: Stanford Court. Nestled atop Nob Hill just steps from Union Square, the 393-room hotel is close to many modes of public transportation (BART, Super Shuttle, buses), and accessed by cab, Uber, or by, yes, cable car. Staying here you'll enjoy a charmed visit as y...

Climbing aboard the opulent Classic Harbor Line's new Manhattan II battery-powered lightweight wooden schooner out of Chelsea Piers felt cinematic. I had been having a rough month, and the buoyant jazz cruise was just what I needed. Classic Harbor Line is a national company boasting turn-of-the-century style schooners and motor yachts that sputter out of New York City, as well as Boston, Newport, Rhode Island, and Key West. Its PR person tells us that the line offers the ideal alternative to "typical sightseeing boat tours" in part because of its eco, wind-powered sailing feature. He also claims this is the only eco schooner in the world! Beyond the green features including beautifully polished hardwood flooring, the divine jazz by Sound Waves, and the yummy cheese perfectly paired with Sauvignon Blanc, was the fine time out on the bow of the boat. Sure, the scardy cats - okay, a little mean of me - might not have welcomed the ups and downs on the bobbing blue Hudson a...

Had enough of His Orangeness? Overwrought with angst that the Republican nominee is spewing vitriol we would scold our middle schoolers for? That's why you need a Trump-free vacation. First, turn off the TV in your home and crank up Bach. Nothing serves as an anecdote to ugliness as classical violin music. Second, go to Expedia and book your vacation. Here are some tips: • Think remote islands, countries, and villages • Think campgrounds, beaches, other natural settings • Grab your passport, SPF 30, iPod, and best friend Then turn your cell phone OFF, put a vacation message on your Gmail and work e-mail accounts, hire a cat sitter, water the plants and GO! After a day away from the "news" about Trump, you'll be surprised by how much better you feel! No one is insulting anyone at the cabana. That eagle you spotted on your hike didn't call anyone a loser. Your boyfriend complimented you for your brilliance, and didn't insult you when you said you'd gained f...

You know how they say you never know what you have till it's gone? I'd like to add that you don't know what you have until it's almost gone. In a few days, I have to leave the tri-state area and head South. I'm looking forward to some Southern hospitality, events in NOLA, and the return of the What-a-Burger, but overall, I'm not ready to leave. That's why I decided I'd give Connecticut and New York another lap around the track. I'd go back to favorite spots and seek out the new. Yesterday, that mindset led me back to the Met. The exhibit "Manus x Machina" did not disappoint. I'm not going to explain the exhibit here, except anecdotally, sharing that the 3d printer-tie-in to modern-day designs was nothing short of extraordinary, even for a 10-year-old boy who happened to be with me. I was touring the museum with him, a former tutee, and his big sisters, who joined me from Brooklyn. He particularly seemed to love an image of 3D print...

When I went back to San Francisco at Christmas, I was expecting a crush of techies jostling for cafe space or elbowing me out of the BART. I predicted one long gloomy trip as I struggled to relate to millennials or Gen Zers too focused on their smartphones to notice they were tripping over my Birkenstocks. Hey, I don't really wear Birkenstocks (not that there's anything wrong with that), and it was too cold and rainy in the Bay Area to have worn them anyway; but apart from that, I sensed that the Old Guard was still very much in the power position in my city. Take, for example, my cabbie in Pacific Heights. I'd just left a very classy hotel I'd reviewed , and after a bad experience on the trip was sharing my concerns with him. We ended up talking about the changing face of the newspaper business in the city, sharing names we both knew, and then laughing our way into the Richmond. I didn't have a ton of money for a tip, but clearly, this Old Guard San Franciscan w...