@RiseGear #Roller: Pack and Out the Door - As Easy as 1, 2, 3, 4 #travel #packing #system

The Rise Gear was the brainchild of Lee Renshaw in response to his frustration over wrinkled and disorganized clothes when using a duffel bag to pack his clothes for overnight stays. I think most of us can relate to this scenario. So he created Rise Gear, an innovative luggage design with a built-in shelving system that allows you to simple unzip and hang the Rise Gear with all your clothes already neatly organized on the integrated shelves.

I received my Rise Gear Roller just in time for the Blissdom Canada Conference in October, and knew it would be perfect for the road trip and 3 day conference. I love that it is wheeled since the walk from the hotel parking lot to my room was quite a hike. The built-in shelving system made it perfect to quickly hang my clothing in the closet, easily access the different items, and get down to the conference events in record time.

Image via Rise Gear 

Image via Rise Gear 

It made packing the required attire for the Carnival Night, Pyjama Party, Throw Back Party and daily sessions easy, but more importantly it kept the items for each event separate and organized. No unpacking was required, I simply unzipped and hung my Rise Gear Roller in the closet and I was done. Personally I'm not a fan of using hotel drawers or shelves, but with the Roller there is no need.

Shortly after the Blissdom Conference my parents were visiting, and my Mom with her eagle eyes spotted the Roller and wanted details. She was very impressed and thought (rightly so) being Snowbirds the Roller would be perfect for her and my father for the overnight hotel stays on the drive down and back from Florida. They could simply grab one bag from the van, rather than pulling out their big packed luggage and messing with the precision jigsaw puzzle-like packing of the van. 

So it was with great sadness that I gifted them the Roller. They however were overjoyed. They too loved the ease in which they could access and separate their items using the built-in shelves. 

Bon Voyage Roller and Happy Travels!

These are only two situations we found the Rise Gear Roller to be a perfect solution, but I am sure you can think of many more. I found the quality of the build and materials of the Rise Gear luggage to be excellent. Their luggage comes in a number of sizes, styles and colours that are sure to meet your specific needs. 

Be sure to take a peek at my review of the Rise Gear Jumper, all the awesome "packed" into a smaller size.

Did you know Rise Gear was on Dragon's Den? 

Follow Rise Gear on Twitter  and Rise Gear on Facebook for more information on all their products and promotions.

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about packing solutions that Rise to the occasion.

Note: I receive a Rise Gear Roller free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own and reflect my personal experience with the brand and product.

Fitting Everything You'll Need for the #ThemePark into 1 Knapsack #travel #TravelTuesday

EVERYTHING ON THE LIST IS IN THIS KNAPSACK 

1 FAMILY, 1 DAY, 1 THEME PARK, AND 1 KNAPSACK:
No one wants to lug around tons of bags and items on a day of family fun at a theme park. Neither do you want to spend a fortune on stuff you forgot, or have the day ruined by not having the basic essentials you need. Given the financial investment a day at a theme park is for a family of four (easily $200-$300 just for admission) a bit of planning and packing expertise is so important to ensure you get the most out your adventure. Here is my best advice after 16 years of packing for the 50+ theme park visits to at least 10 different theme parks, on how to make your experience magical.
Before hand: 
Take a minute to download the theme park maps, and attractions. Make a plan about what the must do rides and attractions are, and how they can be visited in an order that avoids multiple cross park walks. Disney World's Magic Kingdom is 107 acres, and Animal Kingdom covers 500 acres according to About.com Family Vacations. A plan will help to ensure even with wait times you get so see and do all the top attractions on your list. In the case of Disney be sure to look into, understand, and use the Fast Pass option. Also many parks open early or late to visitors staying in one of their resorts or hotels. Check the weather, and the UV rating for the day! Bring sunscreen and hats!!!
Given the acreage of these parks wear a pair of comfortable shoes you can walk in for 8 - 10 hours! In my opinion that does not include flip flops. After years of searching for the perfect park shoe, I noticed in the last 3 years that about 75% of people were wearing Nike Free Run shoes. So I bought myself a pair (or two), as well as a pair for my son, and husband, and indeed they are the best shoes I have ever owned for a day of walking around a theme park. Highly recommend them!
Okay, what goes in the knapsack:
The Must Haves:

• Sunscreen!!!!
• 4x hats (one for everyone).
• 4x long sleeved shirts (one for everyone). These are great in the evening, in the air conditioning, to block the sun, and act as an extra shirt, should your t-shirt get wet on a ride. 
• 2x hoodies (one in kids size and one adult size so they can be shared).
• 2x spare t-shirts (one in kids size and one in adult size so they can be shared) Pack in ziplock bag so wet t-shirts can be stored in that same bag in the knapsack).
• 2x spare pairs of socks (in sizes that can be shared).
• 2x green garbage bags (they can double as a rain poncho, and keep your knapsack, or seat dry on water rides).
• a couple of ziplock bags for wallets, etc when on water rides.
• 4x dollarstore rain ponchos (you will pay as much as $7 each at the park).
• 4x bottle of water (refill them at the fountain throughout the day) You WILL need to hydrate, and this can get very expensive without a water bottle. Everyone carries their own using a bottle clip or lanyard.
• 4x bottle clips so everyone can easily carry their own bottles or empty ones can be clipped onto the knapsack.
• 4x sunglasses and strings so they can hang from your neck.
• Emergency kit: safety pins, bandages, wipes, kleenex, lipbalm, pair of shoelaces (can double as a belt), foam earplugs, luggage tags (to use as ID and Emergency Contact Info Tags and Cards  for kids), pen, cell phone charging cord, earbuds, Gravol, Tylenol or Advil.

Optional: 

• Camera and or Cell Phone (Note: Disney has free wi-fi everywhere in the parks, and a cell phone game can make long wait times go by much faster. Also Disney has an app with all sorts of great park information).
• Granola bars, a few snacks, and single serve flavour crystals to add to the water. (My kids have a fast metabolism and need to eat every few hours. These help to hold them over until we can sit down for a meal).
• Card Holder and Lanyard: convenient for Fast Pass tickets ($3 at Walmart, $8 in the park).
• Autograph Book and fancy Princess pen: $12 & $8 in the park, substantially cheaper at Walmart. (or have your kids make an autograph book to bring to the park).
• I always bring a collapsible folding bag like an Envirosac, or a cinch knapsack with me. (It makes carrying purchases that do not fit in the knapsack much easier).

In our family the adults have always taken turns carrying the knapsack, but since my kids are now teens, they are required to take turns too!

Yep, just me Cathy thinking about travel and theme parks.

12 Tips for Packing the Perfect #CarryOn #travel #traveltips

How to Pack the Perfect Carry-On 

I've been to Florida at least 25x times, London England 2x, California 3x, Italy 2x, Barbados 2x, Mexico 1x, Hawaii 1x, Holland 1x, ... OK you get the picture. I've taken at least 40 trips where my mode of transportation was flying, so I think I'm being conservative saying I've flown in at least 100 planes. With each flight I got better at figuring out what worked for me in regards to what to pack in and how to pack my carry-on. So I share this hoping to make your travel as stress-free as possible.

The Carry On Packing List:

• Change of Clothes (in case checked luggage is lost or delayed) packed in an XL ziplock bag (with the air removed to make it as small as possible).
• Travel Size Shampoo, Soap, Toothpaste, Toothbrush (in case checked luggage is delayed) Tip: if your luggage is delayed and you didn't pack these ask the airline for a toiletry bag - many of them have them but will only give to you if you ask!
• Travel Pillow/Blanket Combo packed into an XL ziplock bag. Often these are no longer available from airlines free of charge, or are reused and that is GROSS Just saying.
• Reusable Water Bottle and Clip that can be clipped it onto carry-on. Note: if you use a soft collapsible water bottle like PLATYPUS it can also used as an ice pack during your trip. I found this very valuable in Italy in the very hot weather. 
• In-Flight Beverage Management: I always bring a Pop Can Lid  and ask for the whole can, so I don't have to babysit my drink. Tip: If you're travelling with kids bring along one of those cups, lids, & straws you get from restaurants to help avoid messy spills, plus they are great to have during the rest of the vacation as well.
• Snacks packed in a ziplock bag or plastic storage container, include granola bars, gum, mints, hard candies (for during off), and single serve drink crystals. Leave your water bottle empty until after you've cleared security, then fill it at a water fountain, add your flavour crystals, to void the prices & lines of buying drinks at the airport. Tip: When I travel with kids, each had their own snack bag in their carry on. Timing is everything when it comes to travelling with kids, so I never want to have to depend or wait on flight attendants for snacks or beverages.
• Electronics and Chargers are packed into a ziplock bag, so they can be easily located. This always includes a pair of noise cancelling headphones. Note: headphones are generally not available free of charge, and are generally not very good quality. Tip: make a earbud holder from a prescription bottle.
• Magazine, Book, Sudoku Puzzle Book, Paper Clipboard, Pencil, Pen & Calculator all go into another Ziploc Bag so it can easily be slid in and out of the front of my carry on bag. 
• 5 Boredom Busting Free Apps I have on my phone to help pass the time on flights and longer stop-overs: Sudoku, Three's 2048, Mahjong, and the Kobo app.
• Emergency Items and Other Important Things: Wipes, Kleenex, Plastic Grocery Bag (to use for garbage rather than waiting for the flight attendant to come around) Gravol, Tylenol, Advil etc. all packed into a ziplock bag. 
• Emergency Contact and ID Cards if travelling with kids are a great idea, and easy to make. 
• Soft foldable bag (e.g. ENVIROSAX) and Carabinder Clip: For 2 reasons: First you can pull out the items you want from your carry on (book, water, headphones) put them into the bag and onto the pouch on the seat in front of you. By doing this at the beginning of the flight you avoid getting up and down for items from you carry on during the flight. At the end of the flight quickly put entire bag into carry on and off you go. Second in some very small planes you may be required to check your carry-on because many standard carry-on bags do not fit in the overhead compartments or under the seat space. You may not be informed of this until the flight boarding has begun. If your carry-on is checked it is returned at the end of the flight and there is no access to it during the flight. In a situation like this before I check my carry-on I take valuables such as my camera, phone etc., and anything I might want during the flight and put them into the envirosax, which will fit under the seat. Tip: When travelling with my kids, they each have their own bag! BTW these double as shopping bags and beach bags once you reach your destination.

Well that is it! All my tips and wisdom. 

Hope that there are a few tidbits that are helpful to you the next time you pack a carry on and venture out to see the world.

Bon Voyage!

Yep, just Cathy thinking out loud about travel.