What a great idea, combining social media with charter flight travel. The new company, Social Flights, Takes the concept of social media, where you can quote the price of a flight, and get others to buy tickets on that flight too so that you can fill up a plane at essentially the same price for a regular commercial flight ticket, resulting in sharing that flight with others who want to fly to the same place with you.

I joined the site today,and it appears that concept has yet to really ‘take off’, but this could be a great contender for big vacation trips to ski resorts, etc. I’m definitely going to watch this one, and if I buy a ticket I’ll post a review.

Social Flight has access to 50,000 seats across its fleet and hopes to take a piece of both the private aviation market — a $50 billion per year business — and the commercial travel sector.

Social Flights – a new concept in travel is a post from: One Bag Girl - Traveling Light for Women

Hello everyone, it’s been a while. My travel has dropped off a lot because of a recent work from home position, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve ended it! I have been just slacking on updating. I’m back now though so don’t fret

One thing I’ve been really loving when I travel is the Bronner’s Pure Castille soap. Dr. Bronner is no longer around as he passed away quite some time ago, however he had a passion for creating a vehicle for his All-One faith messaging. If you look closely at any bottle of Dr. Bronner’s soap, it is covered in tiny text of quotes from various leaders in multiple faiths. At first I thought this religious context was irritating but now I find that I’m always reading the bottle while shampooing my hair. It no longer bothers me.

This soap is an absolute must for any camper, traveler, or eco-conscious person. My review is below:

• Color: The color of this soap is somewhat clear, not really cloudy unless the soap has become cold. Depending on the scented version, the color will vary from lighter to a richer shade. The color is not an artificial dye, and will not stain clothing. It is a natural coloring.
• Scent: There are various scents of Dr. Bronner’s castille soaps. The Lavendar soap is very nice, however when you hand wash clothing with this, it tends to leave a strange after scent. Peppermint is a very intense peppermint smell that will permeate your bathroom, and possibly sting your eyes. I have also tried the Tea Tree oil, which is my favorite scent as it’s not too strong and not too weak.
• Lather: All of the soaps are a concentrate, meaning a little will go a LONG way. If you want a really thick rich lather in your hair, you may want to use a little more. I find that if I use a body pouf, I can extend the use of a few drops of soap easily. The soap will lather up with a small amount of water, with such small bubbles that the lather becomes rich and thick. Great for shaving legs!
• Consistency:The Dr. Bronners soap is just like an antibacterial soap consistency in your hand. It feels slimy to the touch, and is not thick like a gel. It is very easy to spill from my travel containers that are not made by the Bronner company because the mouth size is too large on them. The soap comes out fast so be careful or you’ll waste it!
• Washing Clothing: Here is where I use the soap on traveling. I fill up my sink with water, and drop the soap into the key dirty areas of the clothing. Initially the washing process lathers up, but as it dilutes, the suds disappear. The residue left after the soap is a squeaky feeling. Some people hate this, but I find that with enough rinsing, the soap does wash out, and my clothes are fresh and clean.
• Skin reaction: This soap is perfect for sensitive skin. For those who have eczema or dandruff, I have seen this soap used because of the sensitivity and actually alleviated the symptoms! It’s truly safe and mild for the skin.

Overall, Dr. Bronner’s has created a beautiful soap that has many purposes for cleansing. We even wash our paint brushes with this soap because it cuts through the paint without damaging the brush! I’m referring to paint the house type of brushes, not artist brushes, but I’m confident this would work for that use too. I have been using this soap as my primary shower soap for the past few months, and my hair is thick and beautiful. Every now and then I will wash with a detergent shampoo (basically any branded shampoo on the market) to really strip out anything from my hair. I find that it makes it more manageable in the long run.

I’ve used Dr. Bronner’s extensively when I travel. Two 3oz bottles are plenty for a 2 week trip to wash with daily and wash clothing in a sink. I’ve used it traveling in Thailand for 2.5 weeks, the alps skiing for 1 week, as well as countless other small trips in between. This is THE BEST SOAP in my opinion. It just takes some getting used to!

Soap for anything! is a post from: One Bag Girl - Traveling Light for Women

I admit it, I am a technology junkie, and I stay abreast of new technologies and cool gadgets by being an early adopter. The new technology out there, iPad, e-Readers, etc. as well as cool new gadgets to help us with our travel conveniences, like the PacSafe bags with wire mesh in them, we hope will cause less stress.

On a recent one month excursion to Europe, I discovered that this is not always the case.

New Gadgets:

My Kindle is fantastic, as I have gloated about in previous entries, and I travel everywhere with it. Throughout the world I have found, the security staff are not sure how to handle these devices. In some airports in the US, you can leave the device in your bag. In other airports, you must remove the device and take it out of the case and place it in a bin. I’m sure this is because of the recent introduction of tablet pcs. The line between a high powered computing device and an e-reader has been blurred. Especially with the introduction of LCD e-Readers and thinner devices like the iPad. When in doubt, take out the device and put it on a tray! This will save you time, because the security team may make you take it out anyhow, or even worse – SEARCH YOUR BAG.

Security Bags

Traveling safely is very important, which is why I wrote some posts about the PacSafe CitySafe bag that is lined with a metal wire mesh to prevent slashing. Yes, this bag is fantastic. The size and usefulness are absolutely above par. However, I have had my bag initiate some head scratching on several occasions in the airport and even entering a large arena with a security scanner. The people who operate these machines may not have seen a bag lined with mesh before. They will see your bag pass through with a beautiful mesh displayed prominently on their screen. If this is new to them, they will stop you and ask to see your bag. This unfortunately can slow you down, and cause you to explain that the bag is harmless. Keep this in mind when traveling abroad to a lesser traveled country. The bag will keep you safe but it can also become a nuisance with the scanners.

Cool gadgets can speed things up, but can also slow you down is a post from: One Bag Girl - Traveling Light for Women

A plane was grounded when a pilot drinking his coffee, accidentally got some of the caffeinated glorious liquid onto the plane’s controls. The plane was traveling from Chicago to Frankfurt and was over Canada when they realized that the radio was not working correctly after the spill. The pilots entered in the emergency code for “No Radio” (7600) but mistakenly entered 7500 which is the code for a hijacking!!

That little fat fingered mistake caused all 241 passengers to be grounded with the plane in Toronto. The guy was obviously not thinking clearly without his caffeine in his system!

Interesting that they would make a hijacking code so close to another code. Imagine if they were being hijacked and he typed in the code for “no radio”….

Pilot spills coffee on the controls and sends hijacked message is a post from: One Bag Girl - Traveling Light for Women

From the article: Flight Canceled? How to Get a Cot, Food—and the Fastest Flight Out – WSJ.com.

I found this fantastic informative graphic on how to survive a canceled flight!

Pre-flight checklist = One bag travel!!

In the “Look Ahead” box, you see the man looking at his Kindle-like device. Last month, I did just this, when stranded in the Paris airport. With free 3G access, I was able to quickly check the flight status, and then send a quick email to my ride at home telling him that I will not be arriving until the next day. Kindle + 3G = fantastic for travel!

Personally I adore the airline club areas. I have been in a few, and the ones who have a members area as a part of their hub have the best arrangements.  You get free wifi most of the time, and lots of snacks and plush chairs.  It’s definitely worth the investment for a long layover.

As for the tip on tweeting your discontent with an airline, I will have to try that next time!

Great tips from the wall street journal on travel is a post from: One Bag Girl - Traveling Light for Women

Planes, Trains, Subways and Boats

Airports aren’t the only place a terrorist could attack.

Other travel outlets are becoming aware of the risk and are beginning to also put in safety measures. Full body scanners are now coming to trains, subways, and boats (cruise ships). If you travel by other methods besides planes, you’re not exempt from the increasing use of the full body scanning machines.

Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-11/scanners-coming-trains-subways-and-boats-homeland-security-chief-says

Full body scan safety still in question

With only a small population of people who have experienced a full body scan, and limited data on the safety of these devices, there is not enough evidence yet to prove that this could cause permanent bodily harm.

For someone who travels often and passes through a full body scanner on a regular basis, this could be health risk if proper testing is not conducted. Several scientists have written letters to the US government, with concern over the concentrated radiation that is exposed to the surface of the body. If these machines are exposing radiation to the skin, this could result in skin cancer. Previous tests were only to see if overall radiation was harmful to the entire body, rather than concentrating on the effects to the localized skin area. Only time will tell if there truly is a risk, but in that experimental period, I would prefer not to be a guinea pig.

Source:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-11/scanners-coming-trains-subways-and-boats-homeland-security-chief-says

Scans are branching out to other travel methods is a post from: One Bag Girl - Traveling Light for Women

I am a big fan of Google’s free products. I’m such a big fan, and I’ve tested and approved the functionality of google’s call service.

What you need:

1. A Computer
2. a Gmail Account – it’s free! Just go to http://www.gmail.com to register your own gmail account today!
3. Installation of the call service plugin – once you’re logged in, you just need to turn on the calling functionality. The Gchat service should load once you are logged in. You’ll see a list of your contacts, along with a small telephone icon. If you click on this icon, a pop up window will alert you on installation of the plugin.

This functionality works! I just tested it by calling three separate numbers in the USA from Serbia. The callers on the other end reported that I sounded great, but my voice was gravely. That’s not enough of a problem to make this free service unusable, so I say it’s a success!!

Google also offers a service called Google Voice. I am a beta tester for this software and I’m a huge fan. Before I left the US, I enabled Google Voice as my voicemail provider. Therefore my cell phone now routes to Google Voice when I can’t answer the phone. Since I’m not using my cell phone here in Serbia, all of my calls are going directly into Google Voice.

What that means is that I can listen to my voicemail messages online. Also, Google auto-transposes the voicemails into text format, and then emails this to me. I love it! I can also call people back through the caller ID directly from the Google Phone service for free.

Google is really a leader in the internet innovations!!

Traveling out of the US? Phone home for free! is a post from: One Bag Girl - Traveling Light for Women

If you’re going to travel with the least amount of clothing possible, all in one bag – you’re going to have to wash some clothes in the sink! When traveling around the world, you’re going to sweat, and if you sweat you’re going to stink. It’s inevitable, no matter how much deodorant or perfume you pile on!

There’s one simple rule for travel under garments…

Buy Synthetic!

Get 25% off Magellan’s EveryWear Underwear! Click here for this limited time offer!

Magellan’s is having an excellent sale for their own line of moisture wicking underwear. I have to say this deal is pretty good. I paid almost twice as much for my own pair! All you really need are 2 pairs of underwear for any length trip. One to wear and one to wash/dry. You can alternate per day. If you think you’re going to be traveling day by day and your undies might not dry over night, I recommend bringing three just in case.

Once I stayed on a river raft for a few days in Thailand. There was no air conditioning in our floating hotel rooms, so I had to hang my clothing to dry in the jungle, whilst floating over the River Kwai. Unfortunately it was so humid that nothing would dry. The three pair of underwear that I brought were such a good idea.

I highly recommend any underwear that was built for this purpose, like the Magellan’s brand above. Just because your underwear is made of polyester, does not guarantee that it’s going to be good for traveling in!

Wicked Wicking Good! is a post from: One Bag Girl - Traveling Light for Women

TSA has really been getting out of control with their security measures. Across the world, people have been reporting extreme measures that the TSA has been going to in order to establish a safe flight. These extreme measure in turn, have violated our personal liberties.

If you remember this post about a body scanner you’ll know that TSA has a very revealing image of your body with no clothing on the second you walk through. This is an outrageous exposure of your body that not even my doctor has seen!

To combat this, there is a protest happening on 11/24. So if you are flying that day, and you happen to be pushed aside for the extra TSA scanning measures, just say no. If you say no, remember you will be subjected to another level of security checks, which involve a person with gloves on, touching your groin area. Be fore warned: If you try saying no to that too, you may be escorted out of the airport if you don’t agree to the follow up.

A fellow by the name of John Tyner, refused the body scan, and then refused a pat down by the TSA. (He’s personally my hero!) After this refusal, the TSA threatened to sue him $10,000 for not cooperating. You can watch the entire video sequence that he recorded on his blog. Because of what John went through, I am urging everyone out there to say no to the body scan!!!

I will be flying to Serbia that day, and if I get pulled aside I will absolutely refuse the body scan. Please follow me in this stand for our personal privacy. There is no reason why anyone should ever see my entire body naked in public.

Why 11/24?

It’s the biggest travel day of the year in the United States because of the Thanksgiving holiday. This protest will be backing up the security lines, making this a hassle for TSA to operate.

What you should know:

If you’re traveling on 11/24, make sure you get to the airport extra early. The security checkpoint could be extra backed up!

More Information:
National Opt-Out Day

Flying on 11/24? Just say no to body scans! is a post from: One Bag Girl - Traveling Light for Women

A few months ago I went for a hike with my husband on the Appalachian Trail. We started off the day with what I thought would be a 5 to 6 hour hike, but in the end the hike was more like 7 hours, canvassing 15 miles. It was treacherous, with boulders and climbing up and down rocks on your hands and knees. The worst part of the trip is that I had to pee. Since I was low on water, I waited it out, and eventually the urge went away, but this is no way to do a hike.

Being a woman with needs that require getting your naked butt within inches of the forest floor, I started out my quest to find a better way.

That’s when I came upon the shewee, the Freshette, and finally the Go Girl. These products are all designed to help a woman pee – Standing Up! After a thorough product evaluation online, I made my decision to purchase a Go Girl for only $6 dollars.

Why did I choose the Go Girl?

1. The go girl is made of silicone, making it flexible, easy to roll up for storage
2. The silicone makes the go girl completely reusable
3. The product had some terrific reviews

I just test drove the Go Girl this weekend on a 9 mile hike, and it worked beautifully without error. Of course, I did practice a few runs in the shower before taking this puppy out on the road with me! I highly recommend that you do this first! It was liberating and clean, I was able to roll up the Go girl back into the plastic bag and back into the container without getting a drop on my hands. I’m a believer!

I think that the Go Girl would come very much in handy when traveling abroad. I can’t tell you how many questionable toilets I have come across in my travels. And believe me I have peed in some strange places before

Once in a shack built off the side of a cliff in Bosnia!! Looking down through the hole in the floor I could see down the ravine. It was nerve wracking. I wish I had a photo so that people could get an idea of what it is like to hear your urine hitting the bottom of the cliff seconds after it left your body…

Another time on a moving train in Thailand, I could see the tracks moving under the metal toilet. There was no toilet paper, and the jostling train had me bouncing all over the place. And I can’t forget to mention that the entire room was covered in urine and smelled like it too!

Speaking of squat toilets, across South East Asia…They are scary and smelly. I can’t wait to take this Go Girl with me on my next trip to Asia!

Standing up for a change is a post from: One Bag Girl - Traveling Light for Women