Monday 5 List #7

I am home from my Caribbean adventure. Due to a terrible day of travel on Saturday I thought today's Monday 5 List should be travel tip related. FYI, American Eagle/American Airlines service was terrible in St. Croix USVI, the worst I've ever encountered in my years of travel. If you are visiting a remote location or an island with a small airport or limited flights I suggest using a different airline or at least know what other airlines or ferry services are available in case flights are cancelled, overbooked or delayed.

1. Pack your phone, computer and any other small electronic chargers in your carry on luggage. I was stranded at the airport for 12 hours on Saturday and had a 22 hour travel day, thank goodness I had packed my Blackberry and iTouch chargers in my purse. 
2. Pack snacks in your carry on bag. Airline food is notoriously terrible and extremely unhealthy. Pack a few granola bars, bags of nuts etc for those unexpected delays while traveling. Also, don't contribute to the water bottle epidemic. Pack a reusable water bottle and fill it from a water fountain in the terminal once you pass through security.
3. Explore options to resort food. I stayed at a beautiful resort where the only options for dining was the resort restaurant or bar. Expensive option for 3 meals a day for 7 days. The nearest town was a cab ride away which also wasn't economical. Solution: we visited the local small grocery store and stocked up on essentials to keep in our room which came with a mini fridge. Soda, pretzels, bread, peanut butter and jelly, tuna, yogurt, Twizzlers, beer and fruit. Saved us the cost of lunch every day and some breakfasts and was convenient for late night munchies.
4. If you are checking a bag, save yourself the inflated cost of purchasing items such as bugspray and suntan lotion at your destination, pack small containers of each.
5. Toss a few ziploc bags and even a garbage bag into your suitcase. If you have wet or dirty items or are taking back fragile gifts the bags can be used for separating them or protecting them

Happy traveling!