Touted as an extreme sport and a performing art, people simply take their ironing board to an extreme and/or remote location and iron.  Although many of us are just hearing of this craze in the last couple of years, it’s been around for a while.  It was invented in 1997 in England by a man who decided to iron in his garden after a hard day at work.  In 1999, he took an international trip around the world to promote the sport.  Now, through more media attention and a growing number of enthusiasts, the sport has it’s own international extreme ironing contest (in which the quality of ironing affects 50% of your score!).  Extreme Ironing teams even have their own sponsors like Rowenta, the German iron maker, who sponsored a trip in 2004 to have the inventor of the sport tour the US.

Have any of you tried this tongue-and-cheek extreme sport?  If not, does it inspire you to plan your next vacation a little differently?

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It is one of my favorite movie monologues, and if you recognize it, the chances are pretty good you’re a baseball fan, and are enjoying the beginning of a new season of America’s favorite pastime.  The quote, of course, is from James Earl Jones’ character Terrance Mann, in the 1989 classic Field of Dreams.  The message, though from a fictional movie, could not be truer.  Over 70 million fans flocked to major league games last season, and the popularity of the sport is among its highest ever. Another famous line from that movie is “If you build it, he will come,” and in Minnesota, where we are located, they built it.  Brand new Target Field opened for our home town Twins, and fans welcomed back outdoor baseball for the first time in 30 years.  I have been to a few games since the season opened, and have found some items that we carry here at Luggage Pros to be very convenient accessories when heading to the ballpark.

Rick Steves Civita Day Pack

Most teams allow fans to bring in a smaller bag (subject to search), and this day pack works perfectly.  It’s small and extremely light weight, which is a must when maneuvering through crowds.  I use it to bring some snacks for the kids, a light coat, sun screen, and even my kids’ baseball gloves .  .  . ok fine, my baseball glove.

Kiva Convertibles Convertible Poncho

So, I’m sitting at the game, and then something happened that I had not previously experienced while at a major league game; water started to fall from the sky.  Confused people rushed for the concourse to avoid getting wet.  Not me.  I had done some research and learned that this does sometimes happen in open air stadiums.  I pulled out this handy Kiva Poncho.  How great is this thing?  It folds down into its own self-carrying pouch.  I felt like James Bond.  In hindsight, I probably should have brought one each for my wife and kids.  It’s a mistake I won’t be allowed to make again.

Victorinox Lifestyle Accessories 3.0 Automatic Umbrella

If you’re not a poncho person, this will work as well.  The carrying case provides convenient storage, and it is very easy to use.  Just be sure not to block the view of the people behind you when the game is being played!

Lewis N. Clark Antibacterial Towelettes

It is a known fact that my six year old son can wave down a cotton candy vendor a half a stadium away.  When that happens, and he is allowed to get some, anyone within a three seat square area is in danger of ending up with cotton candy on them.  I bring these as a courtesy, to pass out while I apologize, and also to pry his hands off whatever they happen to be stuck to when he’s finished.

Lewis N. Clark Eye Mask and Ear Plugs

Sometimes, the Twins play other teams from the American League Central Division.  If you are a fan of one of those teams, and they’re playing the Twins, you will probably need these. Bah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha (evil laugh).  Sorry, I couldn’t resist. It’s my nature.

Have a wonderful summer at the ballpark!

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Roxy Luggage Jet Set 26″ Wheeled Upright

If you are looking to get noticed, this is for you.  Roxy creates some of the most unique, fashionable luggage on the market, and with this piece, you will not have a problem finding your luggage on the airport turnstile.

Titan X2 Flash 19″ International Carry-On

This small, durable carry-on is offered in a number of bold colors, and maneuvers beautifully in crowded areas.

Burton Travel Bags Wheelie Double Deck

Here’s a great bag for the guys.  This bag just plain gets the job done so you can get to your destination and start the festivities.  It has tons of room, and even has a detachable laundry bag in case you want to bring your Mom back the perfect gift (not recommended).

Timbuk2 Ballistic Checkpoint L 25″ Wheeled Bag

This is another very stylish, durable bag that provides ample opportunity for organization.  Plus, it has interchangeable skateboard wheels.  Really.

Heys USA XCASE 20″ Carry-On

This extremely light weight carry-on is offered in a variety of colors, and has a very friendly college student price point; allowing more funds to be used on other important items on your trip, like cold beverages.

Sometimes it’s the small things that make a trip enjoyable, like bathing suits, and when you’re on spring break, having the right travel accessories is critical.  Here are a few that you probably don’t want to leave home without.

Eagle Creek Pack-It Products

Eagle Creek makes a ton of packing organizers in numerous sizes to help even the most unorganized packer.  That would be me.  I encourage you to check out their line to find exactly what you need.  Trust me, our customers swear by these products.

Travelon TSA Approved 1-Quart Zip-Top Bag With Plastic Bottles

You definitely don’t want to get in trouble with the TSA, so if you want to carry-on liquids, this is the perfect product. 

Victorinox Lifestyle Accessories 3.0 Boarding Pouch

The one thing you don’t want to mess around with when you’re on spring break is losing your personal information.  This holder will help keep your information organized and together.  Obviously, when you’re in another country you are always going to want to have your passport handy, but even if you’re close to the border, it’s not a bad idea to keep your passport with you in case things get out of hand and you end up in another country.

Lewis N. Clark Water Seals Medium Multipurpose Pouch

This item is definitely worth it if you’re going to be on the beach, which I hope you are if you’re going on spring break.  Water, sand, and electronics don’t mix well, and taking this small extra precaution could save you considerable frustration and money.

Pacsafe TravelSafe Secure Portable Safe

When I was on spring break, my camera was stolen out of my hotel room.  That was bad enough, but this was back in the film days, and my Mom had used my camera for my brother’s 10^th birthday.  That film was still in the camera.  So now, we have no actual photo proof that my brother turned 10 years old, although I’m pretty sure it still happened.  This loss, however, is still periodically brought up to make me feel guilty.  Again, sorry Mom . . . geez.  If you take nothing else away from this blog, please do yourself a favor and buy this and use it.  Think of my poor 27 . . . or 26 year old brother.

Finally, I’m going to risk sounding old and say that spring break, while incredibly fun, can also be dangerous.  When I was younger, my Mom used to tell me that I thought I was “invincible” and that nothing bad could happen to me.  At first, I thought she said “invisible,” and I was really happy, but that’s another story.  Anyway, looking back, she was right, and I was lucky.  Sometimes bad things do happen, and while I’m not going to go into spring break safety tips, I am going to provide this link to some great tips put together by Dr. Daniel Y.C. Fung, of Kansas State University.  It is well worth your time to read through them before you leave. 

From all of us at Luggage Pros, have a relaxing, fun, and safe spring break!

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My Daughter’s Favorites:

Lug Hearts Trip Puddle Jumper Overnight/Gym Bag 

I could see this one coming a mile away.  I would have been truly disappointed had she NOT picked this bag.  The combination of hearts and her favorite color, purple, drew her to it like a magnet.  I was heartened to know that I really did know my daughter.

Dooney & Bourke Zebra Collection Tear Drop Hobo

I do not know my daughter very well.  This caught me by surprise.  When I asked her why she picked this one, I was met with the all too familiar eye roll, and was informed: “Dad, it’s fashionable.”  She’s nine.  I am in so much trouble.

Inventive Travelware “mine!” Luggage Strap, Handle Wrap and Tag Set

She didn’t want one of these sets.  She wanted about twenty, and planned to use them to: “Keep my brother out of my stuff.”   I told her I was impressed with her thought process, but as a long-time member of the ALBS (Annoying Little Brother Society), I could guarantee that it wouldn’t work.

My Son’s Favorites:

Disney by Heys 18″ Disney Carry-on – Cars

The Cars movie was huge for him, and we watched it a couple times.  Which part of it would you like me to recite, line by line?  I wasn’t sure he was still into it as much, but this proved to be too flashy to resist.

Rimowa Topas Aluminum Cabin Trolley

This is another surprise entry.  When asked why, he said: “It would be so awesome to keep my Batman stuff in here!”  I could not argue with that logic.  It is very sleek looking, and very Batmanish. 

Inventive Travelware Remember – Train Luggage Tag

He likes trains.  He didn’t care about the “remember” part of it, and didn’t know what he would use it for, but he likes trains.  If we carried a luggage tag with a giant insect on it and the word “butt,” I guarantee you his choice would change.

So there you have it; my kid’s top six Luggage Pros products.  As a warning to others who may want to try a similar list, you should be very specific when explaining to your children that just because you asked them to pick out their favorite items, doesn’t mean you are going to buy those items for them.  It was a lesson learned the hard way for me.  At the end of the day, I took two thoughts with me at the result of this blog.  First, I need to start saving for my daughter’s teen years now, and second, it really would be cool to keep my son’s Batman stuff in that Rimowa trolley!

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Given the global concern over the threat of terroristic actions on flights, the TSA’s restrictions regarding the amount and type of liquid a passenger is allowed to carry on a plane are certainly understandable.  While this may be an inconvenience for those with gel shoe inserts, or those who get caught trying to carry on their souvenir snow globe, the technology is apparently not far away that will bring convenience and security back to liquid hording travelers. 

     According to a recent article I read on The Engineer Online, German researchers at the  Forschungszentrum Jülich are working on an advanced  system that can quickly identify dangerous liquids in passenger luggage.  The procedure uses electromagnetic waves that are able to reflect a substance’s internal molecular structure to provide detailed information about its identity.  Although other similar substance identifying technologies exist, there are certain limitations which this new method has overcome.  What is even more amazing about this technology, if that’s possible, is that it will do this within one fifth of a second.  I’m a pretty patient person, so I would be willing to wait up to two seconds for this process to happen, but one fifth of a second is simply remarkable.  In fact, in the time you have taken to read this, they could have identified roughly 150 substances.   

     While this technology is not ready for current use, head researchers believe that it could be available for widespread use within the next five years.  I think more than anything, this should be extremely encouraging for travellers to see how these type of technological advances are continuing to be developed to offset the threat of terror and make our airline travel safer and more convenient.

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Here is the point that I am trying to make.  Alcohol on flights doesn’t cause problems, its people that drink in access and become roudy and obnoxious that do.  I have been on my share of domestic, charter, and international flights and haven’t seen the serving of alcohol cause any problems.  Now consider the fact that I have been on several spring break flights – flights where you would expect wild college kids to go crazy and overboard with the alcohol…but they didn’t. I am not a huge drinker, and generally don’t drink on shorter domestic flights.  However, when flying longer international flights, I like knocking back a few strong cocktails because it helps me fall asleep, and sleep through the flight.  Now I don’t know about you, but when I sleep, I don’t get annoying, violent, or belligerent.

Mr. Elliot writes that alcohol hightens stressful situations, and that on a plane its harder to ignore or get away from a beligerent drunk.  He also mentions that alcohol at higher altitudes is much more toxic/intoxicating than at ground level.  This is true, however a simple reminder of this for people will likely solve that problem.  Most average people aren’t on the plane to get wasted, especially since getting drunk on a plane is generally a very uncomfortable situation.  I would be ok with limiting the number of drinks that each person can have, although then you run into the problem of weight and tollerance.  I think that flight attendants should act like bar tenders – they should cut people off before they push themselves over the top.

One more thing – even we did stop the serving of alcohol on flights, it wouldn’t solve any of the issues, because the people that do want to be drunk on a plane still will be.  Their are airport bars which serve alcohol, and don’t forget about the duty free shops which sell alcohol for cheap.  Also don’t forget, airlines are struggling as it is, taking away alcohol, one of their revenue sources, is probably not going to help the situation.

I am very interested to get our readers take on this one.  Please reply with your comments.

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"To tip or not to tip"

To tip or not to tip, that is the question.  Or better yet, how much to tip.  Whether you are travel frequently or seldom, for business or for pleasure, or any combination of the above, you have probably had this dilemma.  This becomes a problem especially when traveling internationally.  In the U.S. we are pretty much used to the commonplace 10% – 15% minimum gratuity, however in other countries this can vary up or down.  And what about those dreaded doormen, porters and maids?  In this post I will give you some pointers that  I have gathered from my travels.

• When arriving to a new destination, make a quick detour to the airport info kiosk and ask about tipping practices/customs in the area.  Otherwise make a quick stop at the hotel concierge and ask the same question (don’t forget to tip him/her as well)
• Have a separate stash of “gratuity money” available in small local denominations.  This way you don’t have to worry about getting change back (some waiters tend to “forget” to bring it back), or about not having enough money for a tip.
• Whenever tipping, its best to err on the side of generosity – think about it, these people are preparing your food, cleaning your room, and ferrying you around from place to place…all things you want done well, and generally you get what you pay for.
• Most countries outside of the U.S. include a service charge in your bill, but its still a good idea to give at least 5% over the top.
• In most Asian countries, Japan and China in particular, gratuities are not common place.  In bigger cities its a good policy to leave 5% – 10% more, but otherwise they generally include a service charge and don’t expect to get anything on top of that.
• If you are ever traveling in a country with a corrupt government/social system, try to avoid paying bribe “gratuities” if you can.  If you are forced to bribe your way out of a bad situation do so, but otherwise just walk/drive away.

These are just some general guidelines for you, but as mentioned above its a good idea to ask the locals when you arrive, because every place is a bit different.  Check back next week, for a more detailed region-by-region synopsis of tipping policies.

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