Today I have some tips about getting around when you travel. I download the associated app for whatever airlines I fly and join those frequent flyer clubs. This summer I used mostly American Airlines and Ryanair. If you like to make plans on the fly, this will save you so much time. Uber works in a number of European cities but it faces a lot of legal battles and regulations which are always changing. In Dublin, it’s linked to officially licensed taxis. The public transportation system is also generally quite good in Europe. I’ll download the Metro app for whatever major cities I’m traveling through. This summer I used the Paris Metro app and the LUAS app which is the light rail system in Dublin. Google Maps is my default navigator whether I’m at home or abroad so I’ll use that first to help me determine my local route. Then I’ll go to the LUAS app to get live schedule updates for the tram. And if the timing is off or I just want a faster connection, I’ll use Uber. I like the convenience of the in App automatic payment. If something happened and I was without cash or cards, I could still get around with my phone.    Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life to [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

I’m happy to report that an online passport manager like LastPass is a lifesaver at home and in my travels. I’ve used the Autofill features on my phone and laptop before but have always had hiccups when I switched to a new phone or maybe I’m using Chrome on my laptop and Safari on my phone and the password was only saved on one but not the other. And changing passwords was painful because it didn’t update everywhere. I finally hit my pain point when I launched a new business a couple years ago. I had to spend a bit of time adding all my major accounts. Now it’s easier to keep up with since I use LastPass at the same time that I set up a new online account. I also use the notes section to save my credit card info. If I’m making a purchase online while I travel, I can access everything I need even if I don’t have the card physically on me.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life to [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

You know that emergency contact line you fill out on forms? It’s typically a family member, a significant other or friend. If I’m traveling that person is probably asleep and not really able to help me. Turns out money solves a lot of problems and lack of access to it creates a whole host of new ones. I have the contact number of every credit and debit card I travel with programmed into my phone. I try to have some local currency ahead of my trip but have often times waited until I’ve arrived to withdraw cash from an ATM. This is so convenient unless your card is blocked. What if you need money to leave the airport? You get to the car rental counter and your card is declined. An unfamiliar attempt can flag the fraud protection algorithm to place a hold on the card. And if I need to submit a travel notice, I can easily take a few minutes before boarding to call the numbers that are already programmed into my phone. I don’t even need to dig the cards out. I also have all my frequent flyer membership numbers saved in my contacts to make spontaneous flight arrangements. These are actually the contacts I end up looking up most while I travel.    Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life to [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

The most important travel document you can have is your passport. It’s your responsibility to verify that you meet the entry criteria including visa requirements. Most international travel requires that you have at least 6 months validity after your departure and two blank pages remaining on your  passport. I always take a picture and email it to myself. My aunt recently misplaced hers the day before her flight back to the states. We called the US embassy in Dublin right away to get an appointment. She ended up finding it but the earliest appointment we could get was actually after her flight was scheduled to leave so she would have missed her flight. Ireland has some of the strictest entry requirements in Europe apart from perhaps Russia which requires an invitation letter. I was asked to show proof of sufficient funds, a return ticket, my accommodations and what I planned to do by officials in Ireland. You can be refused entry if you fail to sufficiently demonstrate your travel intent to immigration officials. It’s been the most aggressive line of questioning I’ve been subjected to from the roughly 20 European countries I’ve visited.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life to [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

When I’m traveling, I try to bring the smallest things that will still get the job done. In the case of a wallet, I use a slim cardholder that carries my ID, a debit card and my transport card which is really common in Europe. They call it the LEAP card in Dublin, an Oyster card in London, the OV chip card in Amsterdam. The card is pre-laoded with pay as you go credit to spend on public transit. It’s often the best fare available. I usually just keep my credit card in my phone case since I don’t take my purse to the gym and hate not being able to run to the store afterwards. In Europe, I run into plenty of situations that require actual cash and coins, bathrooms for example. So I’ve gotten use to having a coin purse in Europe. I also have a simple slim single zipper wristlet that I use to hold currency that I’m not using. This summer I mostly used euros but I also needed pounds for my time in the UK. Having the extra wristlet helped to keep me organized. In the past, I’ve also been able to separate my funds for the day from the rest of my cash. This was a lifesaver the one time I was pickpocketed by gypsies in Italy. They took my daily funds but thankfully I still had a small stash set aside.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life to [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

I use Bare Minerals makeup. It doesn’t make me breakout which is my biggest concern with cosmetics. I also like that I can travel with it since it’s all in powder form: the concealer, foundation, blush, eyeshadow, finishing powder, etc. But I hated having to dig through a makeup bag to find what I needed. Until I found the Lay&Go Cosmo Cosmetic Bag. It’s washable if something spills inside. And it lays out to about a 20” diameter. The lip around the edge keeps things from rolling off the counter into a toilet, wet sink or trashcan. It has elastic brush holders for my travel brushes and a small zippered interior storage pocket that I usually keep a pair of tweezers and some strips of double stick fashion tape to prevent minor wardrobe malfunctions in. And when I’m done, the drawstring closure makes it quick and easy to pack away.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life to [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

I used to carry all my travel toiletries including makeup in one bag, the Victorinox Lexicon 2.0 Truss Hanging Toiletry Kit. That was before all the airport security restrictions on liquids. It’s still in excellent condition which is a testament to that bag’s materials and quality. Even the hanging hook does not have one loose stitch despite carrying quite the load over the years. I used to just keep my liquids in a one quart ziplock in the main compartment but having to unzip the flap all the way to take the liquids bag out for TSA screening made it less appealing for a high volume of travel. I now have 3 bags instead of 1: a separate makeup bag. then a dry bag for solids like cleansing bars and deodorant, facial cleansing cloths, dry shampoo, q-tips, etc.. And a third super basic bag that basically fits a one quart ziplock bag for liquids in it, I keep that one in my personal bag for easy access and TSA screening. Once I pass security, I’ll toss it in my carry-on.    Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life to [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

I ask every hair dresser who cuts my hair what their advice is on keeping my hair healthy. They all say to wash it as little as possible. I had one hairdresser recommend only washing it once a week. I’ve gone from being a daily hair washer to twice a week. When I’m super active, it’s every other day. I use dry shampoo on the roots to help me bridge the gap. The only one I can recommend is the Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Powder. Sadly, I fear it’s been discontinued so I’m clinging to the last of this precious powder. The spray version of the same brand does not work well nor do any of the other aerosol versions I’ve tried. I’ve tried at least a dozen at all price points, no bueno. My other travel must have is a rockstar hair treatment. I discovered Nexuss Keraphix Damage Healing Treatment Masque last year and it’s fabulous. I can get about three treatments out of each packet. I’ll disperse a few packets throughout my luggage and have never needed to include it in the one quart ziplock liquids bag that TSA limits us to.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life to [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

If you open my cabinets at home, you’ll see an avalanche of skincare products. I love them all. But when I travel, I find that I need to be able to have the option to not check my bag which means limiting the amount of liquids I bring. I’ll often bring a Dove Beauty Bar instead of body wash. This also works great for hand-washing underwear in a pinch. This summer I switched to a bath bar from Whole Foods, one that I could read and understand most of the ingredients.    Ireland and most of Europe carry the brands I’ve become accustomed to but one of my favorite luxuries that I always manage to find space for are the Bliss lemon+sage french milled bars that the W Hotels carry.   During my recent 11 day tour through Europe where we were in a different hotel practically every night, I used the ROC Daily Resurfacing Facial Disks. I could easily get 2 uses out of each pad. Once to wash my face at night and then the next morning before checking out. These small substitutes help to make room for the serums, moisturizers, and sun block that I consider essentials.    Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life to [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

Last year in May of 2018 I visited Turkey for the first time. I discovered these lovely cotton Turkish towels in a rainbow of colors at the bazaar. I mustered up my bargaining skills and courage and went to bat for a few beauties. My favorite one is a thinner yellow striped one. If I have a little extra space, I make sure to include it. When I was caught off guard by cooler weather a few days in Turkey, I used it as a wrap. If I’m on a flight that is short of blankets, it does extra duty as a blanket. Even some of the private hostel rooms I stayed in this summer didn’t include a towel so it was nice to have my own. Since it’s thinner than the plushy ones at home, it dries quickly. It’s been my go to workout bag towel for drying off after a shower at the gym. I’ve also used it as a beach towel for hotter destinations. This summer I used it as a picnic blanket. I also travel with a velcro wrap and having both keeps everything neat and compact.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life to [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!