Tips For Summer Travel

Tools You Can Use

 “IT’S SUMMER AND TIME FOR WANDERING” ―KELLIE ELMORE

Photo from Summer Previous Vacation _Out On The Ocean

Summertime Travel

June 21, 2015 marked Summer Solstice and summer has officially begun. Many of us here in Southern California have been experiencing extreme heat upward of a 100+.  That's enough to make you wanna get away and escape to cooler temperatures. 

Here are few helpful sites and articles just in time for summer travel.

Packing, Pets, Postal, and More

Try not forget essential items will travelling.  Thank you Pinterest for this comprehensive printable list via Dans-le-Townhouse blog.

Are you travelling out the country? Mashable website lists 5 Smart Apps for Currency Conversion

Who will take care of your pets while you are away? Check out Pet Boarding Finder for a licensed and insured professional near you.

Stay organized and make packing simple with 28 Brilliant Travel Hacks by BuzzFeed

Also, don’t forget to put your mail and newspaper delivery on hold. Our friends over on the CNET website offer helpful tips.

Tourist make easy targets.  Best Western offers excellent Travel Safety Tips.

Wishing each you a safe and memorable summer. I hope you find the above information useful, and remember to share other helpful links with Illuminated Living community in the comments.

Thanks for Reading.

5 Moments Of Inspiration

Bright Spot

Life Lessons

You can always find inspiration and bright moments if you open your heart to encouragement.  While on our Disney Dream Cruise vacation there were 5 inspirational moments that warmed my heart.

You Are Only As Old As You Allow Yourself To Be. The family and I went indoor skydiving, and an 82 year old grandmother was a part of our group.  The way she seized the experience was such an inspiration. She was the best diver out of our whole group. I gave her a high five and told her “You Rock”. She said, yes I am going to tell my grandkids “I Rock”.  

Casting Your Cares Aside Allows You To Dance Through Life. One night on the ship was themed “Pirates In The Caribbean”. All of the families dressed in pirate themed attire and attended a live show, and afterwards danced the night away.  For the small span of time everyone indulged their inner whimsy and let go of their everyday cares. Innovation happens when we allow ourselves to imagine.

Nothing Is Impossible. We attended a live magic show by master illusionist Kyle Knight & Mistie. Imagine what could be if you opened your mind to the possibility. "The only limits we have are the ones we put on ourselves."

 

Our faith is shown to the world in our everyday actions. While dining at breakfast one morning I overheard a family of 8 praying before their meal. The matriarch of the family led the prayer. Thanking God for provision and safe keeping. The way the family held hands and bowed their heads in reverence exemplified their sincerity. It wasn’t that other families didn’t pray prior to their meals, but there was such an anointing dawning from this particular family. I am sure they didn’t know, or care that I would find the act encouraging. They were simply doing what the bible instructed.

Preferential Treatment Isn’t Your Fault, But What You Do With It Is Your Responsibility. Often times in life people may treat you with preferential treatment for one reason or another. While swimming with the dolphins the staff began to treat my family with preferential treatment. As an African-American woman I am more than familiar with the syndrome described in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Instantly, I began to do what I could to encourage the staff to make the experience all-inclusive. Privilege should be a platform for social change, not members only club.

 

No matter where life may take you, always remember to look for points of inspiration.

21 Days of Contagious Gratitude | Day 11

21 Days of Contagious Gratitude

Day 11 - I am grateful for safe travels.

Thankful for the protection of myself and my loved ones as we travel across God's great earth.  I am thankful for all that did not happen.  As we begin to kick off our holiday traveling season let us not forget to give praise for travelling grace.