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My favorite travel purses – in a short round up video!
Whether you want something compact for essentials, hidden pockets, and can carry even a water bottle, I’ve got you covered. These picks are ideal for Europe trips, cruises, carry-on travel, and staying hands-free while keeping your valuables safe.
OF NOTE, my NUMBER ONE PICK, the Metro Scout Deluxe is discontinued since I made the video! NO!!! The next two that I would consider from MZ Wallace is this cross body small Camera Bag and their #1 best seller, the Crosby Sling.
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Top tips for Paris Travel in 2026. A comprehensive list of what to know before you go! A few things have changed since we last went. Here are some useful tips:
Apps I highly recommend downloading before you trip:
Citymapper – helps you figure out the best way to get from A to B either by foot or with metro or bus lines. I know Google Maps can do this too, but I felt like this map was far superior
Bonjour RATP or Il de France Mobilites. These apps are for the Metro and train. You can buy the pass online. That said, we purchased ours in person as we struggled at the time buying online. We went up to the ticket counter and spoke to a person and purchased it. I suggest buying the weekly or daily pass for the metro, for all zones. Now, for the weekly pass, they consider “weekly” Monday-Sunday. You will need to figure out what is cheapest for you.
We did use the Bonjour RATP a lot to figure out when the next metro trains were arriving, and fastest metro routes from A to B.
G7 Taxi – I used this to arrange for a driver from airport to our hotel. I did this back at home in the states. I put my flight in ahead of time and had a prearranged time. I chose to do this because I could choose a larger vehicle with a car seat. You can also use Uber, but I don’t know if you can plan ahead of time like I did above.
I strongly recommend you watch videos from Les Frenchies on YouTube. They have so many helpful videos that are up to date about getting around in Paris!
>>MUSEUM TICKETS AND RESERVATIONS<<
Many years ago you did not need to purchase tickets in advance to see St. Chapelle. Well, now you do (or you can wait in a long line like we did). Here is a link to purchase them (I believe it is also included in the Paris Museum pass, below).
If you plan to visit many sites in Paris, I strongly recommend that you purchase the Paris Museum pass.
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Carry-on packing list for Europe summer travel. Learn what to pack in a carry on for Europe, including essentials, outfits, and space-saving tips.No checked bags!
One of my most popular posts on my blog is what to pack in a carry on. In that post, I specifically focused on what goes in the carry on bag that you store under the seat in front of you. Today, I am sharing capsule wardrobe with clothing list that I put in my carry on. I tested this out myself recently as we went on a Mediterranean cruise last Summer. We were gone for two weeks.
Here is my packing list, copied straight from my saved notes:
Sandals – a pair that can stand lots of walking and you can wear to dinner.
Lululemon jacket – wear on plane, this jacket I like because it also has a hood that rolls away and is lightweight.
Cotton sweater or long sleeved white linen shirt-wear on plane, I went with a white linen shirt but if you are going to cooler environments, I would bring a neutral cotton sweater
1 pair of Pajamas
8 underwear pairs – so you can wash 7 pairs and wear one
8 pairs of socks
Farm Rio skirt and top – I wore a similar set pictures, I could mix and match the skirt and top with my shorts or tank tops.
Hat – I chose a baseball hat, just choose one that is small and can pack away
*The key to packing light is to bring the minimum number of shoes. Shoes are heavy and bulky. They take up lots of space. I recommend only two pairs of shoes. I don’t recommend only one pair, as it is nice to switch out your shoes as your feet get tired (or blisters, ouch!) after so much walking in the same pair all day.
*Check the weather the night before you leave at your destination. I ditched my jacket last minute as I saw it was going to be 80+ degrees every single day when we were gone. It was a good idea. I just wore my scarf and linen shirt in the cooler morning.
*Do not bring things “just in case.” For instance, you end up really needing an umbrella, buy one there. You can find cheapo tourists ones from street vendors.
*Try on all of your outfits and take pictures of them. If you have an iPhone, you can use your finger to hover over the picture, copy, and paste it into a note. That way you have a visual list of every single day of what you are going to be wearing!
*What luggage do I use? International size carryon. As for the luggage itself, it is expensive but I only use Tumi. I also adore this Tumi one they just released, if you want a hard shell. They are excellent, we have had them for years without any problems. I see many other people buy cheap luggage and then end up with broken wheels, etc. If Tumi is out of your budget, the next one I would consider buying is Away. That said, I have never used them so I cannot speak for the quality myself, but they have many positive reviews.
*You will need to do laundry. You will either need to do it a laundromat, through the hotel or or crusie, or in the sink. We pack these detergent sheets in a Ziplock and do laundry in the sink.
What do I carry in my smaller carry on that I stow under the seat?? CHECK OUT THIS POST HERE! I have updated it for 2026!
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Are you driving with children from the Bay Area or Sacramento to Los Angeles or San Diego and looking for a place to let them play and get their wiggles out? Let me share with you the best stop of them all – Bravo Farms! They have two locations. One is located on 99 and one is located on I-5. The location is about halfway between LA and Bay Area. PS – not a paid article, I just wanted to share this tip because it really fantastic, especially for kids!
I-5: Kettleman City exit 309
Highway 99: Traver exit 106A
They have bathrooms, a playground, a shop for snacks, restaurant, fudge and cheese shop. They have animals! Traver location has Tesla chargers (I don’t recall if Kettleman city location does, by I do know there are other electric vehicle chargers nearby).
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I have been on the hunt for a lightweight travel stroller for my preschooler. Needless to say, I am sick of lugging my UppaBaby Cruz V2 (the new V3 version it out) around. It served us well for when my daughter was smaller, but now I need something lightweight. Even though she does do a lot of walking now, I am finding that on longer walks or when it is very hot out, she really wants to be carried. She is now too heavy and big for me to carry for extended periods of time… so enter: the Bugaboo Butterfly 2! While this is a review for the Bugaboo butterfly 1, they have just discontinued it. The difference between the 1 and the new 2 is they added a small back pocket, slightly bigger wheels and more adjustments allowed in the seat position. Otherwise it seems it is the same stroller and has all of the features that I love!
I spent countless hours trying to decide on the best lightweight travel stroller. I watched every YouTube video I could find, read every article and every internet review. I ultimately chose the Bugaboo Butterfly because it looked like it could hold the tallest, heaviest child AND go in the overhead bin in many airplanes. I am trying to max out how long I can use this stroller – hoping to get through ages 4 and 5 years old with this stroller. The color we chose was desert taupe.
Now, this stroller has the highest backrest and weight limit I could find in the lightweight travel stroller category! It measures 21.5″ from seat to the top of the backrest, and then 24.5″ to the very top of the canopy from the seat. The seat itself measures about 10.5″ from the back to the front. It measures 14″ wide in the seat. It also has an adjustable leg rest, which measures also 7″, although I find I have not needed to use it. NOTE: The new bugaboo butterfly 2 seat to canopy height is 26.8”, so an additional 2 inches more than the first version!
It has an adjustable recline. This is a little annoying to move up and down when the child is in it, but it is doable. It has a very generous canopy for sunlight and then a mesh panel too to help air circulate. I found the one-handed fold to be a *little* bit harder than every video I watched. It seems like you have to push the handle bar in a little bit first to get it unlatched. Overall, though, it is a minor complaint.
Cons:
price, it is not the cheapest stroller
it does not include a cupholder or snack tray; both are sold separately. It also does not include a bumper bar – we purchased the bumper bar, but it made folding/unfolding more challenging and less compact, so we returned it.
The other strollers we considered and why I did not purchase it:
ZoeBaby Zoe Traveler (but it only holds up to 45 pounds) but the price is right. They also have a small double stroller that I would choose if I needed a stroller for 2 kids.
City Mini GT2 stroller – holds a bigger, taller child than the Bugaboo butterfly but it is not a lightweight stroller weighing 22.4 pounds, and cannot fit in the overhead bin.
Bob Stroller – if you are looking for the stroller that holds the highest weight limit at 75lb, this is your stroller. It though is not a travel stroller.
I think the Bugaboo Butterfly 2 stroller is perfect for travel, Disney World, Disneyland, Europe trips, and cruises! And I know I will probably get some comment about why I’m not making my preschooler walk. First, it’s none of your business. Second, when we are traveling, naps and sleep schedules are messed up. Sometimes the little one is tired and wants to be carried, but we have places to go and see, so a stroller is needed. This allows for a nap or just a place to sit (out of the direct sun, too!). You can buy it here at Amazon, above link is for Nordstrom.
I hope my review of what I think is the best travel stroller for preschoolers helps you. Check out my review of the Disney Aulani Resort
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We recently were fortunate enough to travel to Oahu and stay at Disney’s Aulani Hotel in Oahu, Hawaii. Here’s a quick review of our stay at the hotel.
Since having a child, we have found that our view on vacations has changed from being DINKs (dual income, no kids). We used to sit at a peaceful zen like resort – those days for us our gone – and that’s okay! Now we are embracing our full inner child to play with our actual child – and that includes staying at the Disney Aulani!
The lobby is beautiful when you walk into the hotel – big, spacious, feels like you walked into a large Hawaiian resort. My only very minor gripe is that you can’t see the ocean very well right from the lobby. Check in was very smooth and our room was ready early. Then we headed straight to the pools.
The pools are the BEST part of the hotel. The lazy river is the best lazy river I have ever been on. I went around it more times than I could count. The hotel provides the inner tubes so you don’t need to worry about lugging any over. Plus, they have life jackets free for the kids to check out if you desire. Below is a quieter pool. They have many pools and 2 water slides. They also have a splash pad (pictured above). What I did not like about the pools is people save chairs and don’t sit in them. I never saw Disney enforce the “1 hour and we will remove your stuff” policy they have posted everywhere.
The beach the hotel sits on is a man-made lagoon so the water is very tame, which is perfect for kids. I read somewhere they have nets so there aren’t supposed to be any sharks either, which is one less worry. I personally prefer other beaches but the kids certainly love this one! The hotel shares the beach with the Four Seasons next door, a wedding chapel as well.
The food and surrounding restaurants I thought were mediocre. Granted, I am vegetarian and Hawaiian cuisine is not up my alley, so I am aware of that. We did a lot of cooking ourselves as we stayed in a villa with a full kitchen.
One thing I was worried about staying here is that it would be “too Disney” and not enough Hawaiian feeling. The hotel is not “in your face Disney” – you certainly don’t feel like you’ve walked into Disneyland. That said, they do have free character meet and greets. You can choose to go to them or not. I did see a character or two walk through the pool area, but it’s only for a brief moment, like below with Mickey walking by.
The other thing they have at the hotel is their own salt water lagoon. They have viewing windows so it’s like you’re visiting an aquarium! You can snorkel in the lagoon too but that is an extra charge. I saw the line to get a spot started early int he morning and then it was sold out. I think it is great for children who want to snorkel but perhaps aren’t quite ready for the open ocean. Our daughter was too small to do this at this time.
So, is staying at the Aulani “worth it?”
I would say yes – if you have kids. Is this a hotel I would have chosen to travel to without kids? No. But, if you are a Disney fan without kids then I would say yes, worth it. But Disney certainly knows how to cater to families and the Aulani is no different. The pools are absolutely hands down the best. The cost of the hotel is certainly a decision factor. We went during low season and rented DVC points through a third party company to get a deal. Would I go here during high season peak week? No, I would not.
Now, I’m going to share a travel must have for young kids… the best little suitcase! The kids can pull it themselves. If they get tired they can ride on it and you can pull them. It can unfold into a bed on the plane! It is FANTASTIC!
below in the widget to shop are some other finds. The travel set is wonderful for the airplane! I also found the perfect swimsuit for those wanting a little more coverage but don’t want to wear a one piece!
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Auberge Resorts adds the Domaine des Etangs to their growing collection in Europe. The chateau is originally from the 13th century. It was converted to a family chateau in the 1800s and became a hotel in 2015. it is a 3 hour TGV ride from Paris. It sits on 2500 acres. You can stay in the main house or rent some of the cottages.
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Now you too can claim that you’ve slept at Versailles like the King of France (or rather like Jacques Necker, Controller-General of Finances and last Chief Minister of Louis XVI… as that’s whose apartment you can stay in!). Airelles Palace of Versailles just opened and WOW what eye candy!
The hotel is in Le Grand Contrôle on the property, built in 1681, that hosted diplomats and ambassadors and other special guests. Just look! You can view the Orangerie from your bedroom and from a soak in the tub!
There was a four year countrywide hunt for antiques. 90 percent of the hotel’s furniture will be period-appropriate antiques!!
Wallcoverings and fabrics were made by Pierre Frey to mimic Marie Antoinette’s Petit Trianon!
Other hotel highlights:
Alain Ducasse Restaraunt
Valmont Spa
Indoor Pool
BUT the pièce de résistance is TOURS AND EVENTS for hotel guests only!! Before and After hours you will get private tours of different parts of Versailles! Just take my money now.
You can check out the hotel’s website here (and book me a room while you’re at it….) Images are all from Airelles.
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you most likely have heard that Notre Dame had a devastating fire. It burned the entire roof, causing the spire to collapse. The fire burned the church and a hole in the world’s hearts.
I am glad that I was fortunate enough to have visited the cathedral on several trips. These pictures are from my trip in April 2015. The day we visited was a beautiful day… 70s degrees. Really felt like the first day of Spring. The Parisians were leaving work early on a Friday afternoon and were sitting along the Seine and all in the parks. The spire collapsed. The roof as you see it below is gone. The rooster weathervane that sits on top of the spire was found however, in a street nearby. Partially damaged but likely restorable.
The front of the church is still standing after the fire. The bell towers did not catch fire and the bells are undamaged!
This beautiful rose window survived.
Most of the roof as you see it in this photo has fallen and is partially destroyed. Now, not ALL of it is gone. As you can see, the roof is made of stone. Some of the roof below crumbled when the spire collapsed.
I wish I had taken more pictures on this trip… now of course I am upset I didn’t! I have visited several times – one time I heard the pipe organ playing! What a treat. The pipe organ was not burned, but it will likely have to be repaired from the soot and ash that made its way into the pipes.
It is unknown how much damage there has been to the precious artifacts and stained glass.
The main rose window below still stands! In fact, all three rose windows survived the fire. These windows are from the 12th and 13th centuries.
At first there were reports the rose window below was damaged, then I read it did survive! They said they have yet to inspect for up close damage, but from far away all of the panels are present and do not appear to be broken.
Even though all three rose windows still stand, some stained glass windows are damaged. I know in pictures some were broken. The archbishop stated though the other glass windows that broke were much newer. Yeah, haha, “new” from the 1800s… for France that is “new”!!! In fact the Archbishop said “These are windows of the 19th century, much less important that they could be touched, but not the jewels of the 13th century. That’s a little bit of a miracle. We are very relieved,” Finot said.
The front door to the church. The intricate iron carvings deserve time to be admired as well. The door survived the fire.
This is the portico on the front of church.
It is unknown how many gargoyles survived. We never did the gargoyle and roof tour as it cost more money…. now I am kicking myself we didn’t do it!
I am happy that flying buttresses survived too, but alas there is no roof and no spire 🙁 What a sad day for the world to lose such a precious gem in a matter of minutes. I know they will rebuild it… but President Macron thinks it will be done in 5 years! That made me laugh out loud!! I am certain this is at minimum 30 year restoration project!
If you want to see many more pictures of the church before the fire, including roof top pictures and see the beautiful wood beams that are gone, as well as gargoyle pictures, visit Check Out Sam.
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A quick guide to Bellagio on Lake Como – a recap of our day trip!
Getting There
Getting to Bellagio isn’t the easiest thing to do. You can drive around the lake (uhh, the roads are curvy and somewhat scary… not for the faint of heart!). The easiest way is to take the ferry. We stayed in the town of Como and took the ferry over. You can get to Como from Milan via train. Or you can get to Varenna and take the ferry over to Bellagio. You can get to Varenna via Train from Milan as well.
Things to Do
Take a Stroll. We strolled up and down the streets. And by up, I mean UP. This town is on a hill. The majority of the town is a pedestrian only zone because the streets came from ancient Roman times and were made this way so the rain runoff would go straight into the lake.
I’m going to let you on a secret. There isn’t really anything “to do” in this town. It is a small town with a few streets. We actually toured the whole town in about 1 hour (we are speed walkers). You just need to relax and enjoy the quaintness of this town!
2. Sit Back and Relax. We sat by the Lake and simply enjoyed the view on a beautiful day. It is vacation after all… who says you have to be in a hurry?
3. EAT! Eat some good Italian food.
We dined at Ristorante La Barchetta. There is an upper terrace with a better view, or a few tables down an alley which serve the same food but at cheaper prices. We ate in the cute alley and enjoyed the food below. YUMMMMM.
The little alley we dined in.
This wine bar below also is a popular place to eat.
4. Go on a Boat Ride.
Depending on how you got to Bellagio, you may not have been out on the lake yet. I HIGHLY recommend going for a boat ride. Here’s a huge money saving tip. Just take the ferry and sit outside or by a window. You don’t need to pay tons of money for a private boat ride. The ferry does the same job for literally a fraction of the price.
There are a ton of tourists, as pictured below. There are tons of shops, but honestly we weren’t there for shopping. we were there just to enjoy the town! While this town is beautiful, I actually enjoyed our impromptu decision to go to Varenna across the lake – and Varenna ended up being my favorite town on Lake Como!
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Our next stop on our trip to Lake Como was Villa Carlotta.
Villa Carlotta has beautiful gardens and has a museum inside. The Villa was completed in 1745.
We went for the botanical gardens. Isn’t it pretty??
The inside was beautiful too! Why yes, I’ll take this tapestry for my house, he he…
I thought this ceiling was pretty.
A view from the Villa… you can see Bellagio in the distance.
To get to Villa Carlotta, you take the ferry. You can get off at the stop Tremezzo. Some of the ferries will stop at Villa Carlotta, but not all of them. You’ll want to check the time table. We got off at Tremezzo, ate lunch and walked a short distance to the villa. Then, on the way back we hopped on a boat at the Villa Carlotta stop.
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Continuing my Swiss/Italy trip recap today, you can read about our visit to a Swiss chocolate factory and Lake Maggiore here. We were up early the next day and drove to Lake Como in Italy.It was just over an hour drive from Lake Maggiore.
The fastest way to travel to the various villages around Lake Como is to take a boat. They have a very great ferry system which surprisingly runs on time. Just buy your ticket at the office at the dock. We just told the boat dock guy where we wanted to go and he would give us the right ticket.We parked at the Tavernola stop, which has free parking.
Our first stop was the Villa del Balbianello. It is located off of the Lenno stop. After deboarding, you can walk from the ferry terminal to the villa which is uphill and apparently a 20-30 min walk. Alternatively, you can catch a small private boat shuttle for €7 round trip. It leaves at the opposite side of the bay from the ferry dock.
First, we grabbed gelato because we were starving.What we didn’t realize was how long it takes to get around the lake by boat.It takes about 1.5 to 2hours if you are staying over by Como and are trying to get the touristy spots.
I recommend taking the boat shuttle to the villa because it’s quite romantic to arrive to the villas private boat entrance! You also get great views of the villa.
Below, the entrance via boat!
If the villa looks familiar to you, it may be because this villa is where they shot some scenes for James Bond Casino Royale where he is recovering. Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones was also filmed here. This was Padme’s house and where Anakin and Padme got married at the end of the movie.
The Villas gardens were pretty. I loved the big tree below! It was so pretty!
I also loved all of the floral pots!
You can tour the inside but we opted not too. The only option was a guided tour and we don’t like guided tours.
Then we took the boat back and caught a ferry to the next town.
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Last Fall we went to Switzerland and Italy. I am just finally getting around to sharing our trip! On the first day we went to a chocolate factory in Switzerland and then drove to Lake Maggiore! Below is Lake Maggiore!
We landed in Zürich and then drove to Bilten where the chocolate factory is located. The chocolate factory we toured is Läderach.The chocolate factory tour was 10 CHF pp but then you get 5 CHF off at the factory store. The tour starts with the star of the show: the cacao tree! Did you know chocolate comes from these huge pods?
The pods are broken apart, leaving the nibs. Then the nibs get roasted and then ground.
Unfortunately not all of the machines were running when we were there.We were all hoping for an I Love Lucy moment when she famously starts stuffing the chocolate into her mouth when she couldn’t keep up with the production line. Below, a look in the factory. Lots of storage for cocoa beans!
Alas, we learned later that hey actually decorate the chocolate at another facility and the facility we were at was where they strip the cacao pods down into processed chocolate.
Next comes the best of the tour… the tasting!! First, you taste raw chocolate. Have you ever had raw roasted chocolate? It is very bitter and honestly, horrible!
Obviously my favorite part was the chocolate fountains.There are dark, milk and white chocolate fountains.
You get your own chocolate tasting spoon. I may have gone back a few times to decide my favorite. I personally preferred the dark chocolate. We kept the spoons as souvenirs and use them to stir our tea and coffee at home!
After the tour, you get to shop! They have truffles and other goodies, but we love the sheets of chocolate like below. So delicious!
Unfortunately they do not have any shops in the USA! I think there are only a handful of shops located outside of Switzerland. A selection of their cute chocolate figures! Läderach seriously has the best chocolate EVER. If you are ever in Switzerland, please do yourself a favor and try some.
After stuffing our face with chocolate, we then drove to Lake Maggiore.
Lake Maggiore is in the southern part of Switzerland and shares its shores with Italy.This part of Switzerland is called Ticino, which is the Italian speaking part of Switzerland.To me it felt more like Italy than Switzerland.
The views from our hotel were beautiful. Below is the view from our room. Hard to believe there are palm trees in Switzerland!!
We didn’t spend much time here. We were so jet lagged after being up for 30 hours. I don’t have many pictures since we essentially drove here, napped, ate dinner, then slept!
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I have traveled many times abroad and each time I go the only thing I don’t look forward to is the jet lag.
Today I am sharing my tips for surviving jet lag.
Before the Flight:
Always fly non-stop if it is an option.
Try to pick a flight that will land at your destination later in the afternoon or evening – that way you only have to stay up a few more hours until it is time to go to bed.
The night before you leave, try to sleep as much as you can – because your next good night’s sleep won’t be for another 30 hours! Many people recommend trying to adjust your body clock several days in advance. I have tried that, and frankly all that I find is that I’m even more tired because it never works for me. I recommend just trying to go to bed at a decent time and get at least 8 hours of sleep.
Once on Board the Flight:
Once on board the plane, adjust your watch and electronic devices immediately to the time zone of your intended destination. This helps you get in a mind frame… oh, it’s 2am, I should *try* to get a nap on the plane.
Drink caffeine when you need it – I don’t recommend drinking it right when you get on the plane, because in fact you want to do the opposite and want to feel tired. You want to drink your caffeine when it is time to wake up in the time zone of your intended destination.
Melatonin – many people swear by melatonin. I have actually never used it, as I am of the mindset that when I’m tired I’ll go to sleep. But I had to include it because so many people love it.
Stay hydrated – drink lots of water before, after and during the flight. Being dehydrated worsens the symptoms of jet lag.
Wear layers on the airplane – if you are too hot or too cold you won’t be able to get any sleep! I also bring a pair of comfy fluffy socks to keep my feet warm and I kick off my shoes right when I get on the plane.
I strongly recommend the jet leg face mask when you land. It makes your skin feel so fresh! I love it!
Once You’ve Reached your Destination:
When you land, if it possible to check into your hotel, check in and take a shower! It will help you feel refreshed!
Whatever you do, I highly recommend NOT SLEEPING when you land. If you take a nap when you land, one hour will turn into four and then pretty soon you’ve screwed up your sleeping schedule all over again. If you truly cannot survive without some sleep, I recommend only one hour of sleeping – and yes set an alarm immediately and make sure you get out of bed. Then go take a shower and freshen up. Whatever you do, do not keep sleeping! TRUST ME. If you can avoid sleeping, it is really the best.
Go walking. My family and I call this “Zombie Walking”. We zombie walk all over the city, because if you’re walking you can’t fall asleep. We do a fair amount of sightseeing on the first day just because we know if we sit down we’ll start to fall asleep!
Stay in the light. Choose activities that you can see the sunlight. Seeing sunlight helps our bodies naturally adjust our body clocks.
Try to stay up until at least 9pm on the first night that you are there. We have found if you go to bed any earlier, you’ll likely wake up at 2am wide awake. And now you’re back to square one.
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Strasbourg, France transforms into a real life Christmas village. I have been to Strasbourg before, but never during Christmas. I now have to put it back on the bucket list! I’ve rounded up some photos of this whimsical town! The decorations are over the top and I love them all!
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