Motion Sickness

If you suffer from motion sickness or just want to be prepared, consider the advice provided here by Tracy, one of our travelers who is also a pharmacist.

The most common treatments are Meclizine 12.5 or 25 mg or Dramamine, which can be bought over-the-counter or by prescription. These meds are really inexpensive (Meclizine is the cheapest). They both have to be taken every 4 to 6 hours.

I would recommend taking it about 1/2 to 1 hour before the planned excursion. The biggest problem with these medications are the side effects, which are drowsiness and dry mouth and eyes.

Depending on the person, the drowsiness could be a real problem for someone trying to enjoy a vacation. However, for the plane ride over, it might be a good thing if you're looking to catch some zzzz's!

The other option is a patch worn behind the ear called Trans-Derm Scop. It is available by prescription only. Most insurance companies do cover the medication but it does not come in a generic, so depending on your insurance it will be considerably more than the above treatments.

The patch is very small and skin colored so it's not noticable. It should be put on about an hour before the planned excursion. It works for 72 hours, which is the big plus! Also, it can cause drowsiness but I have found from personal experience that if you put it on the night before your trip, the drowsiness wears off before the next morning.

I am a fan of this medication because of personal experience. I used it on a deep sea fishing trip. About 85% of the people on the boat were hanging over the side and I was perfectly fine!

Beaches of Normandy

June 6, 1944...today we know this date as D-Day. But 65 years ago, the Allied invasion of western Europe during World War II was called Operation Overlord and took place along a stretch of beach on the coast of Normandy.

135,000 men and 20,000 vehicles were brought onto the shores of Normandy via five landing beaches during the night making it one of the greatest seaborne invasions in history. Although the beach today is a peaceful area, the remnants of German bunkers and memorials can still be seen. This humbling video Omaha Beach, Then and Now intersperses scenes of the beaches today along with scenes from the movie Saving Private Ryan.

The world's first prefab harbor was created by the British in Arromanches. On June 7, 1944, 17 old ships crossed the English Channel under their own steam, and were sunk by their crews from bow to stern, forming the first shelter. Then, 115 football-field-size cement blocks (called "Mulberries") were towed across the channel and sunk, creating a four-mile-long breakwater located a mile and a half offshore — a port the size of Dover, England.

Finally, seven floating steel "pierheads" with extendable legs were set up; they were linked to shore by four mile-long floating roads made of concrete pontoons. Anti-aircraft guns were set up on the pontoons. Within just six days of operation, 54,000 vehicles, 326,000 troops and 110,000 tons of goods had been delivered. Arromanches 360º Theater near this makeshift harbor shows The Price of Freedom on its 360-degree screen.

Crowning a bluff just above Omaha Beach, 9,387 brilliant white-marble crosses and Stars of David in the American Cemetery mark the memory of Americans who gave their lives to free Europe on the beaches below. Brigadeer General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. is buried here along with two of the four Niland brothers who inspired the movie Saving Private Ryan.

In the Visitors' Office, an attendant at the computer terminal has a database that can provide ready access to the story of any serviceman who died in Normandy. You can also search for a name in the cemetery at Find a Grave.

Walk past the memorial and cemetery to the bluff that overlooks the piece of Normandy beach. It's quiet and peaceful today, but imagine the horrific carnage of June 6, 1944.

Walk back to the memorial, where you'll see giant reliefs of the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of Europe etched on the walls. Behind that is the semicircular Garden of the Missing, with the names of 1,557 soldiers who were never found. A small metal knob next to the name indicates one whose body was eventually found — there aren't many.

Finally, wander among the peaceful and poignant sea of headstones. Notice the names, home states and dates of death inscribed on each. View a video of the cemetery here. Immediately after the war, all the dead were buried in temporary cemeteries. In the mid-1950s, the families of the soldiers decided whether their loved ones should remain with their comrades or be brought home (61 percent opted for repatriation). Officers (including General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.) were disproportionately left here. Their families knew they'd want to be buried alongside the men with whom they fought and died.

Travel Podcasts

If any of you have iPods, now would be a great time to take advantage of this technology by downloading podcasts of the sites we will visit. Then you can listen, or view video if your iPod has a screen, and have your own personal tour guide right in your pocket.

It really isn't that difficult to do. As I find podcasts I will add them to the blog. That way you can listen/view them from the blog and then download the ones you want onto your iPod. For more information on using your iPod for travel, go to Rick Steve's Podcast FAQ Page.

The first thing you have to do if you choose to download to an iPod, if you have not done so already, is download iTunes. It is a free download and from here you can download music, videos, audiobooks, podcasts, etc. Many are free, which are the ones I'll share, but you can also purchase from the iTunes store. Be sure to doublecheck, as some podcasts do cost.

After you download iTunes, then click on "iTunes Store" in the left bar. In the top right corner, search for free travel podcasts. For example, type in "Rick Steve's tours". Find "Rick Steve's France Audio Tours" and click on the "Subscribe" button beside Free. Click on "Subscribe" in the pop-up box.

Then follow the directions with your iPod and synch the podcast. This will put the podcast onto your iPod...and you are ready to listen! It also comes with some photos to view if you have a screen on your iPod.

This Rick Steves travel podcast includes a walking tour of Paris, and tours of Versailles, Orsay Museum, and the Louvre Museum. It also downloads maps that you can print from iTunes and carry with you as you listen to the tour.

If anyone locates a good free podcast on any site we will visit, then post a comment to this blog or email me.

Clos-Luce

More Packing Tips

Here are a few suggestions for packing that will provide more space for your souvenirs on your return trip.

1. Collect old clothes throughout the year or clean out your closet before packing. Wear them on the trip and then leave them behind. It frees up space in your luggage as you go. Just leave behind a note for the maid as she might not be able to keep them if she can't prove you intended to leave them. You can do a good deed for someone in need and lighten your load. And no stinky laundry to tote around!

2. Pack a collapsible suitcase or duffel bag in your checked luggage. It doesn't take up much room and on the way home, pack the dirty laundry in it then pack your fragile souvenirs in your sturdier luggage. Or you could pack everything in a medium suitcase which then fits inside a larger suitcase. Either way, you have 2 suitcases for the return trip.

3. If you are a reader, take along old paperbacks that you don't really care about keeping. Just leave them behind as you finish reading and your luggage lightens as you go...and frees up more space.

4. Roll your clothes when you pack. They say it takes up less space in your luggage and helps prevent wrinkling. Just smooth out all the wrinkles as you roll them up.

5. Put things in other things. Stuff socks in shoes which also helps to hold the shoe in shape. Stuff underwear in nooks and crannies. Fill up up outside pockets with extra items.

6. Wear your heaviest and bulkiest items onto the plane.

7. Pack only travel size toiletries and make use of those free hotel toiletries you've collected. They are small and disposable. And bring only the essential toiletries. Some things you CAN live without for a few days!

8. Consider vacuum bags that take the air out and compress the items or use oversize ziploc bags and squeeze out excess air.

9. Leave behind anything unnecessary. Travel with the minimum. After all, you are only going to be gone just over a week!

Take a look at this Ultimate Packing List. It has some handy tips and is designed for using only a carry-on bag. Perhaps you'd like to try that this trip!

The Louvre

The Louvre is easily one of the most famous museums in the world. Located in the heart of Paris, it features the distinctive Glass Pyramid entrance in the courtyard and houses some of the world's greatest recognizable masterpieces.

Of course, everyone must see the three great ladies — the Venus de Milo, the Victory of Samothrace, and Mona Lisa (which is THE most crowded spot in the museum!). Go here to take a tour of ten of the museum's most famous works.

The Louvre opened in 1793 and houses over 35,000 works of art in eight departments - Near Eastern Antiquities; Egyptian Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculptures; Decorative Arts; Paintings; and Prints and Drawings. Discover the highlights of each collection by visiting An Overview of the Departments or take a Virtual Tour.

Go here for a floor plan of the Louvre and then click on individual floors to print your own map and chart your tour. Go here for awesome 360 degree tours of eight rooms in the Louvre.

And try your hand at pronouncing Louvre! Just click the arrow.

If you haven't read Dan Brown's popular novel The Da Vinci Code, you might want to before the trip. The murder mystery starts at the Louvre.

First Aid for Travelers

Every traveler should pack a simple first aid kit that includes items that might be needed immediately when a pharmacy is not available. Avoid packing a first aid kit that takes up too much space in your luggage. Be on the lookout for travel sizes. Consider these items to include:

1. Neosporin - helps prevent infection.
2. Dramamine - helps prevent motion sickness if taken at least 30 minutes before traveling.
3. Advil - ibuprofen in Advil helps reduce pain and fever as well as relieves inflammation in muscles after a full day of walking. Tylenol does not do this.
4. Pepcid Complete - relieves heartburn by combining a stomach-acid reducer with an antacid.
5. Cortaid - soothes rashes and bug bites
6. Benadryl - for relief of hay fever symptoms as well as treatment of hives and itchy nose and throat from food allergies.
7. Insect repellent - higher concentrations of deet last longer.
8. Imodium A-D - stops symptoms of diarrhea in 30 minutes. Pepto-Bismol could take up to six hours.
9. Sunscreen - preferably SPF 15 or greater
10. Aloe gel - for sunburns
11. Antihistamine or decongestant - to relieve allergies and inflammation
12. Cough suppressant and throat lozenges
13. Mild laxative
14. Basic first-aid items (adhesive bandages, gauze, ace wrap, tweezers, round tip scissors, cotton-tipped applicators, safety pins, antiseptic wipes)

For pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or allergies, consider wearing an alert bracelet/neck tag and make sure this information is on a card in your wallet with your other documents.

Personal prescription medications need to travel in their original container and bring a copy of the prescription from your doctor in case the medication is lost. Also bring at least 50 percent more than you need. And always put prescription medication in your carry-on.

A final reminder: a first aid kit is useful only if it is available. It should be carried with the traveler at all times...in carry-on baggage when allowable and on excursions. With heightened airline security, sharp objects and some liquids and gels will have to remain in checked luggage.