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It's that time once again...
I don't know about you, but I always try (note I said try) to start my shopping months prior to the holiday season. But it doesn't always work out. Mainly because I am super bad at just giving gifts to people as soon as I see them. Shop in October? Give them gifts in October. #Fail And honestly its like Christmas most days at my house anyway....I see something I like and I buy it. (My shopping philosophy in a nutshell, lol.) So I do try and pick up stuff all year long. But as I said, I buy a gift early and end up giving it early, then I feel weird not giving them ANOTHER gift in December...so its best for me to wait to shop, lol. But when you can find such awesome gifts for under $35USD why not make everyday Christmas, right? lol So here are a few things that I think would make excellent extra gifts for the 'hard to buy for' travelers on your list. These can all be found on Amazon and are affiliate links. But you know, I only share items I personally like with you. So can you get a nice gift for under $35 and still be ethical? Vegan? Is it good Quality? Sure! Take a look~
This is something most of us need. AND IT IS VEGAN! So not only will it be stylish, it's also good for our animal friends. And at under $25USD how can you go wrong? I actually have gone through a LOT of jewelry cases, looking for a well made one, one that's not too bulky or too large. This one is quite nice and will keep your gems and jewels organized.
Another thoughtful gift for a hard to buy for person...
This is a really nice yoga mat and perfect for taking on your next trip! Compact, but well made.
They will get years of use and think about you every time they do downward facing dog, WIN! This one is priced at $30.39 (Mine is shipping Monday, lol)
Unisex, vegan backpack! Its Approx. Dimensions are 32cm L x 34cm H x 15cmD/12.6 x 13.4 x 5.9 inches. It features good quality hardware, making it easy to zip, rust proof, and elegant. While it's not huge, it will hold your 13" Mac Book in style! At only $19.99 you should buy it in multiple colors! It would be great to use for shopping, or while out sightseeing and leave the heavy duty backpack for hiking. I ordered 3 so far as gifts.
You know I have to have a book or journal on my list!
I really like the concept of combining daily gratitude with a 365 day planner. You can log your travel info and have space to list your adventures and all that you are grateful for each day. In fact having the prompt to write something every day you are grateful for makes for a mindful and satisfying life. I like this planner a lot. (Mainly because I wrote it, lol)
There is room to doodle, write your thoughts and a few mandalas to color. Check it out here:
This one features a world map and each state in the United States is scratch-able So it's easy to see where you've been and where you need to go next. It's a nice gift for the travel enthusiast or adventurer. This one is larger coming in at 33¼ x 23½ inches and only costs $28.49 Another WIN!
So I hope this gave your some inspiration and ideas for the people on your list. If you take your time and really look there are so many awesome gifts out there! What are the most wanted gifts for your family? I'm working on another list of what I bought my son and Secret Santa at work. And I will be posting pictures of my backpack haul Tuesday-so stay tuned for that. See you at the airport- PS: I do make a (very) small commission off the links. This helps cover the cost of this blog and my travel addiction. Rome is calling me back today. It's been on my mind all day long. It's all I can do not to check airfare/book a trip today. Do you ever have that? Like suddenly you MUST go somewhere?? It did get me thinking, "How long since I was last in Rome?" I think it's been close to ten years. TEN FREAKING YEARS? How is that even possible?? I searched the blog and found some old, excuse the quality, pict from my most recent trip to Italy. I belive we spent a week in Rome. I'm pretty sure we also visited Naples and Pompeii on that adventure. That last trip was amazing! And honestly it was a life changer...but why haven't I returned? I think life just got in the way. Work, men, school, more men, more work, buying another house, more work, moving to France, moving to Texas, more men, moving again, more work, etc. you know the drill. And here we are 10 years later! OMG! Hmmm, I have no clue as to what brought this on. There are so many new places I want to visit, it's hard to find time to return to other countries. I don't count changing planes in a country as a "visit". Do you have bucket list of places you want to see? I have a few trips planned and few in the works for next year. I guess this is my nudge to add Italy to that ever growing list. It looks like 2018 is going to be a busy travel year! See you in Italy?? Carrying on from yesterday, this is Part 2 of common misconceptions about Autumn in America. (Read part 1 here) I've tried to break these down in no particular order, so you can start here or on part 1, so please grab that pumpkin spiced latte' and a warm sweater as we explore more misbeliefs about this season. Myth #8 Everyone is a Leaf Peeper! Leaf Peeper - tourist that comes solely to look at the foliage. According to Wiki, "Although colour change in leaves occurs wherever deciduous trees are found, coloured autumn foliage is noted in various regions of the world: most of North America, Eastern Canada and New England are famous for their autumnal foliage, and this attracts major tourism (worth billions of US dollars) for the regions." Do people travel just to look at the trees? Yes they do. Do they change colors all across the United States, nope. So plan your trip accordingly. Myth #9: Autumn means American Football! If you want to watch a live football match, err game, this is the time to visit. #10 American Thanksgiving is a horrible time to travel via the airports. #10 The Sunday and Tuesday before the Thanksgiving, and the Monday and Tuesday after it are the worst overall days to travel of the year. If you can't get out before the holiday, you'll encounter the lowest rate of delays on Thanksgiving day itself. Good Luck. All joking aside, visiting America during autumn is actually a great idea. The weather isn't as intense, and due to school starting back up, most places are less crowded. Off season means less people and more savings for you! The hotels and attractions will be better priced and the lines will not be unbearably long. #11/12 What actually is Thanksgiving Day and does it move around? Yes, it does. Now that you know when not to travel, check your dates if you are booking in advance. Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in the United States. It began as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, so the date does move around. #13 Corn Mazes are fun! Expect to pay between $11.99 to $16.00 per person (and more!) to wander around in a corn field with a bunch of screaming children hopped up on candy. (Rolls eyes) If this is your thing, then what a steal! If not, stay home and sip that pumpkin latte in peace. #14 You need to be in the states for Black Friday Deals. Okay let's break this down..the Saturday following Thanksgiving is always the traditional first day of the new Christmas-shopping season. Most people stay home and watch the Macy's parade and recover from Thanksgiving. The parade in New York City and it is Huge! The parade is always televised so you can watch while shopping on line. The stores across the country offer their first big sales of the new season on Black Friday. People line up overnight (sometimes) to grab the best deals. It is chaos and I advise you to skip it and stay home and shop from your computer. Also Cyber Monday is the following Monday and is usually just as busy, but you don't have to camp out. Did I miss any myths about Autumn? If so let me know and I will try and answer them in another post.
See you at the airport! When I travel people often ask me interesting questions about life in America. Autumn and all the traditions associated with it are especially mystifying to a lot of the world. So I thought I would do my best to address some of the more quirky aspects of this time of the year. Depending on where you live in the United States this isn't even a "real" season, lol. So grab your pumpkin spiced latte, light that pumpkin cream candle and follow me as we visit the 14 most common misconceptions about Autumn in America. "Autumn", according to Wiki, "also known as fall in American and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March (Southern Hemisphere), when the duration of daylight becomes noticeably shorter and the temperature cools down considerably." If it begins in September how can it be all about Halloween? Nope, misconception. There is more to this season than just Halloween! Read on to discover more... False. You are allowed not to love pumpkins. Although you will find pumpkin flavored everything, everywhere, from candles to body wash and of course that latte your sipping, it's okay to skip it. People consume way more pumpkin spiced stuff than you would think is humanly possible, but you are allowed to say no. It's not considered odd or rude to refuse a pumpkin cookie or drink. #3. You have to edit your wardrobe. Popular culture in North America associates Labor Day, the first Monday in September, as the end of summer and the start of autumn; certain summer traditions, such as wearing white, are discouraged after that date. WTF? It has it's own dress code? Consider this as also false. People wear any color they want. Although depending on where you live, people do tend to wear more "autumn palate" colors. Which sucks if they don't look good on you, but as I said people just avoid them and wear what they want. I am considered an autumn palate myself. (This usually means you have a lot of depth to your coloring with golden undertones. Like natural strawberry blonde hair, chestnut brown or rich red hair. See? Oe of those shades must be my true hair color, lol!) Autumn, especially in poetry, has often been associated with melancholia and depression. The possibilities of summer are gone, and the chill of winter is fast approaching. Skies turn grey, the amount of daylight drops rapidly, and many people turn inward, both physically and mentally. For this reason it has been referred to as an unhealthy season. Is it? No, of course not, although if you suffer from SAD, (Seasonal affective disorder, which is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons) this can be a difficult time. And you are bombarded by "Back to School" advertising, mobs of people at the mall and overpriced school supplies. Well sorta... Autumn also has a strong association with the end of summer holiday and the start of a new school year, particularly for children in primary and secondary education. "Back to School" advertising and preparations usually occurs in the weeks leading to the beginning of autumn and people take this time to shop for schools supplies. #5 ~ True. Everything is "Back to School" from sales to events. People want to squeeze in as much freedom as possible before returning to the confines of school routines. The sales are usually stationary items, like paper, pencils, etc. But also clothing goes on sale and the stores are generally mobbed with shoppers. #6 Autumn is all about the foliage! #7 Pumpkin (here we go again) Pie is all anyone in America eats! Didn't we already address this one under #2? Pumpkin pie is a tradition for Thanksgiving, but it isn't usually consumed all season long. What else do you think of when you hear "Autumn"?
Part two and another 7 common misconceptions will be up soon, so check back and enjoy that latte'! See you at the airport! I hope your having a good week. It's craziness like always here, lol. But even so, I took the afternoon off to unwind and enjoy the thunderstorms, soon it will be ski season and snowstorms. Simple pleasures are really the best...you know? Soft, fuzzy sweaters, a big cuppa hot tea, a good book and add the delicate smell of amber candles for a prefect afternoon. Today has been relaxing and life is good. #win I think I owe you about 6-8 book reviews by now, (true story) but instead of writing them up, I'm busy reading more books and shopping on line. #MoreGoodtimes If you follow me on Goodreads you know I've read 18 or so of my 25 books for the yearly reading challenge. I actually have read more, but I can't be bothered to update my file yet. I also have about 5,000 road trips to write up. We have been taking advantage of the wonderful weather and exploring the desert and surrounding towns. Also I have been fake baking and experimenting with new Raw Vegan dishes. Except more on that adventure very soon... Catch you later ~ |
Ms One~🌍 Welcome to My Adventures! 🌱 Foto Friday's
🗣️ Featured Blog Posts: Nature-Inspired Creativity: Overcoming Creative Blocks by the Bay: An easy way to overcome writers block. Plant-Powered Living: Raw Till 4 This an older post, but a great place to start it you want to eat healthier. "Life Lessons": Foto Friday: Glass & Light Join me in reflecting on the simple joys and lessons life brings our way. 🌟 Connect with Me: 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msoneworld4me/ 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/MsOneWorld4Me 📌 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/msoneworld4me/ Follow for Daily Inspiration 🚀 Upcoming Adventures: Stay tuned for my next travel destination and upcoming blog posts. Where should I go next? Share your suggestions! Share Your Ideas 📚 Book Nook:
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