Barb and Don at Dark Hollow Falls, Shenandoah N.P.   Welcome to our website!  My name is Don Lowe.  My wife, Barb, and I want to share our travels with you and invite you along (at least, virtually) on vacation with us.  Hopefully, you'll enjoy our photos & stories and maybe learn from our mistakes.  Good luck to ya and Keep On Trippin'!
My Travel Checklist
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( a starting point only – use at your own risk)
Before you leave…
  • Decide where we want to go and what do we want to do.
  • Break trip into manageable drives.
  • Check hotel availability and rates at/near stop points.
  • If not within budget adjust drives/stops/hotel or destinations until it is.
  • Book all hotels in advance and get confirmation numbers.
  • I usually print out page with confirmation#, address, phone numbers, and directions to all hotels.
  • Arrange to have pets and plants taken care of.
  • Stop routine deliveries and make arrangements for mail pickup.
  • Turn down thermostat on heater raise on A/C.
  • Lock up the place
  • Leave keys with friend or family member, in case of emergency. In winter you may want someone
          to check occasionally for frozen pipes, etc.

    • Take with you…
  • Medicines. Keep handy so you don’t have to dig into luggage to find.
  • Glasses and contact lenses.  Contact maintenance supplies.
  • Credit Cards.
  • Bank/Atm cards.
  • Cash or travelers checks.
  • Passports or visas, if needed.
  • Guides, books, and maps of destinations.
  • Photocopies of all important docs, id, credit cards, traveler checks, etc. and keep in safe place
          (in case you lose wallet or purse).
  • Hotel info (confirmation#, location, phone numbers).
  • Any discount cards you’ll use (AARP, AAA, etc.).
  • Multipurpose tool (Leatherman, etc.) is handy but keep in mind tools with blades cannot be taken
          in carryon luggage and will be caught at all baggage checks at theme parks, museums and
          anyplace they inspect bags.
  • Laptop with spare battery and any needed software.  Take some cds and dvds to play at hotel or
          in car. Be sure to take ac charger and auto adapter and phone and network cables that may be
          need to connect from hotel.
  • Camera with bag and accessories, tripod, spare battery, and plenty of film in various speeds.
  • Digital camera, bag, spare memory cards, extra batteries, manual, and charger. Take along a copy
          of any software needed to download pics to computer.
  • Telephone list of important numbers you might need.
  • Cooler with drinks and non-perishable snacks (cuts down on stops).
  • Rain protection, sunscreen, suntan lotion, and insect repellant, whatever are appropriate for your
          destination.
  • Extra footwear appropriate for your planned activities, i.e. hiking boots.
  • Luggage with locks and id tags.  For longer trips we usually take along 4-5 small (22”) wheeled
          bags with a couple changes of clothes in each to cut down on what we have to carry into the hotel
          each night.
  • Small bag with all sundries.  Medicines, hair dryers, shampoos, soaps, lotions, tooth brush and
          paste, contact supplies, shaving equipment, etc.  We put all bottles inside large freezer bags in
          case they leak. That way with a small bag and one bag of luggage we can stay a couple days in
          one place without going back to the car for more.

    • Don’t forget to throw in the car…
  • Road maps or atlas.
  • Reading material. Paperbacks are good for killing time while in line for rides, in the car, or in the
          hotel at night… and easier to carry with you.
  • Take some bottled water.  It’s usually available places but may be pricey.
  • Small flashlight and batteries.
  • Moist towelettes to clean up while on the road.
  • Pillow and blanket.
  • First Aid kit.
  • Sewing kit.
  • Dental floss and toothpicks.
  • Sunglasses.
  • Paper towels and Kleenex.
    • Go Home Go Back
    All rights reserved. All materials copyrighted ©2004-2006 by Donald E. Lowe