“Must haves” in a carry-on bag

By SARAH LYNCH – Picture this: you and your husband arrive in France. It’s time to enjoy your long-awaited vacation to the most romantic city in the world. Upon landing, however, you find out that your bags are lost. All you have is the clothes on your back, and your insufficient carry-on bag.

This is the story of my parents: two young travelers, left for three days in France with no luggage. From this traumatizing experience, our family emerged as a picture of packing-perfection when it comes to carry-on bags.

For my most recent trip to Cancun, Mexico, here are the items I brought with me in my carry-on bag:

My mini bathroom kit

Mini bathroom kit

Traveling, whether it be via airplane, boat, train, or car, is not glamorous. You have bags under your eyes from lack of sleep, you are trapped in close quarters with people who consider personal hygiene a suggestion. By the end of the trip, you are sweaty, oily, dirty and not at all enjoying yourself. A bathroom kit packed with deodorant, facial wipes, hand sanitizer, tissues and sanitary supplies is imperative in a carry-on bag.

Change of clothes

If your luggage is lost for multiple days, you will need a change of clothes to keep yourself clean until your luggage is found. Clothes must include a clean shirt, pants, socks and most importantly underwear. Keep the weather of your final destination in mind when packing these clothes. You wouldn’t want your only change of clothes in Alaska to be your tropical shorts and thin tank top. Pack smart and pack for optimum comfort.

A book

Even if you don’t lose your luggage, bring a book in your carry-on to pass the travel time. Preferably, start reading up on your location. A general understanding of the history of your destination will give your trip more depth and impact.

Whether you are a teen or a young married couple in France, everyone could benefit from an organized, compact and appropriately packed carry-on bag.

 

How to “greet” across the sea

By SARAH LYNCH – To anyone who has seen the movie “Jerry Maguire“, the quote “you had me at hello” will ring a bell.

But the way tourists say “hello” is often incongruous with the county’s cultural greetings. A mis-step can offend a native, and visitors will present themselves as a naive tourists.

Luckily, thanks to research from Bright Hub Education, here is the guide to “greeting” like a pro in four countries across the world:

Japan: 

Bowing is the common form of greeting in Japan. The angle at which a person bows is determined mostly by the setting. In the street, a slight head bow is polite. In a common place, a full 90 degree bow is acceptable. In a person’s home, a visitor should get on their hands and knees to bow. 

Japan has been on my travel wish-list ever since my uncle traveled there four years ago. He fascinated me with his anecdotes about the fast paced life in Japan and people bowing to each other left and right. He said it is important that I educate myself on bowing before I go to Japan.

Kumamoto Castle in Japan

US and Great Britain: 

In the US and in Great Britain, a handshake is the most common and appropriate form of greeting between all genders on first encounter. Once a man and a woman, or two women, know each other better, a single kiss is common.

When I traveled to London, I had no trouble greeting others because British and American greetings are exactly the same.

France:

The famous European double-kiss is prevalent in France and a common greeting. Remember: left cheek, then right cheek. A light handshake is also common in France.

After freaking out about remembering the proper double-kiss etiquette when I visited France (left then right? Or was it right then left?), I was relieved to find that everyone I met in France greeted me with a simple light handshake. My guess is that the French assume the double-kiss will throw tourists off, so they opt for the light handshake instead.

Whatever the country, first impressions have power. Tourists must use them to their best advantage.

 

 

 

Trump to sweep New York; Trump Hotels to sweep bank accounts

Trump International Hotel and Tower New York room, from its website.

By SARAH LYNCH — CHS teens got a taste of Trump glamour as they danced the night away at prom at Trump National Golf Course in Colts Neck.  For me and I’m sure many other attendees, this will most likely be our first and last event at a Trump location. This is thanks to Mr. Trump’s exorbitant prices.

One night at Trump International Hotel & Tower in New York, New York is $383 a night, according to Hotels.com. And that is the lowest price. Trump’s most expensive room in his entire chain is in his Toronto hotel, marked at $20,000 a night. While I’m sure the amenities of this room are to die for, it never fails to amaze me that people are willing to spend this much money on a hotel.

If your top priority when traveling is how luxurious your hotel will be, you are missing the point of travel entirely. When traveling, your hotel room serves one purpose: a place to sleep. The rest of your day should be spent sightseeing, eating and soaking up every minute of your vacation.

You’d have to be filthy rich to afford a family vacation at Trump Hotels. Filthy rich like Donald Trump himself. Rich enough to give approximately $13 million of your own money to your campaign like he did, according to PolitiFact.

Trump looks forward to the New York primaries in two weeks, and according to a Monmouth University survey he is expected to “sweep” New York. So yes, it seems more and more likely that Trump will be the Republican nominee. But if you are pro-Trump, find other ways to support him than staying at his exorbitantly priced hotels!

Main message: if you pay over $150 a night for a hotel, you will surely be “trumped.”

I have a passion for media and communications

By SARAH LYNCH — I love to travel. I’ve jumped onto a train at the very last second on the way to Paris. I’ve seen bears and caribou in Alaska. I’ve explored Venice aboard a gondola. Traveling the world takes my breath away, and through this blog I hope to encourage CHS students to take advantage of traveling.

This is my first blog, but I’ve had tons of experience with a variety of media.

This is me, spring break of 2014, in Santorini, Greece.

Now, I never considered myself a “techy” growing up. My media world consisted of books, books, and more books (American Girl Doll books, anyone?). In middle school, I started getting into classic movies (Cary Grant, Grace Kelly. The whole squad), and dipping my toes in the world of social media. Today, I would consider myself a media savant, thanks to all the classes I’ve had at my high school. And while I’ve had dalliances with radio, magazines and television production, I found my calling elsewhere: in journalism. Taking journalism classes at school and my involvement in our school newspaper, the Inkblot, inspired my love for media.

Our ability to communicate in this high paced and busy world intrigues me, and that’s why I’ve decided to major in Communications in college! I hope I will be able to acquaint myself with new evolving forms of media, and strengthen my skills in others. While I do not have a “dream” university yet, I am strongly considering Northeastern University in Boston and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Cannot wait to see how media will evolve over the years, and how I will as well!