Best clothes for traveling

The best clothes for traveling are those that make you feel and look good. Outfits should be practical and provide a comfortable day in the air, the car or on the train. Keeping in mind both the temperature at your destination and departure points. 

Dressing in layers can help to keep you warm in the north and allows you to remove layers as you travel south. It can get chilly in airplane cabins and in air-conditioned cars, making a top with long sleeves or a hoodie a good travel option. If you are traveling for business, your suit, sports jacket or blazer will be sufficient to keep you comfortable if there is a chill in the air.

Be prepared if you are traveling by airplane to remove any outerwear or sweaters as well as your shoes at the TSA checkpoint. Choosing shoes that are easy to remove and put back on as well as comfortable for long walks through the airport are a good choice. You can always pack your stylish shoes in your carry-on bag.

You want to arrive at your destination looking fresh and wrinkle-free.  Dressing in fabrics that wrinkle excessively a bad choice. I personally avoid linen. Choosing dark colors is more practical because they hide a multitude of sins. Things get spilled and it is easy to end up with a smudge on your beautiful white skirt or pants. Save them for when you arrive at your destination. A top with a pattern is also a good idea for the same reason; if during your day of travel anything gets spilled on you. It won't show nearly as much.

The outfit you choose for traveling day will be determined by not only your mode of travel but by the reason for your travel. When you are traveling for pleasure you can feel free to wear your favorite pair of jeans or sweats. If you are traveling for business that isn't going to be an option. You will probably not be going to your hotel before you are expected at a meeting. Choosing a wrinkle-free fabric will help you to arrive looking professional.

No matter what the reason for your travel you will need to keep your ID and personal items safe. For men, the inside pocket of your jacket or at the very least your front pants pocket offer some protection.  Pouches which go around your neck or around your waist are an option but they can be bulky and hard to get to. These are only needed if you are traveling to a place with a very high record of theft or pickpockets.

For women, a small bag with a strap that can be worn across the body or a large bag that can be tucked under your arm is best. Just remember to keep your mind on your belongings at all times and don't lose track of your purse for even a minute. A distracted traveler is an easy target for a thief.

The basic rules to keep in mind when choosing your clothes for traveling are safety, comfort, and practicality. Choose darker colors, materials that won't wrinkle, shoes that are easy to remove and put back on and practical for walking long distances. If you keep all of these in mind, you will arrive at your destination looking good and ready to get down to business or to having fun.

Rhode Island: Visiting Chateau sur Mer Newport

Chateau sur Mer is that very rare creature, a mansion without a gift shop, a shocking statement but true. If any of the houses could be said to feel like a cottage, Chateau Sur Mer has perhaps the most livable atmosphere. This is a house where you can almost imagine yourself residing. It has a warm and lived in feel that is very obviously missing in the other mansions.

The Wetmore family, who built this home, can trace their hometown roots to my hometown. A street called Wetmore Place is located in Middletown, Conn. and the genealogy chart on the wall of the waiting area makes the connection between the two families very clear.

Chateau Sur Mer (House on the Sea) must be visited on a guided tour. My husband and I, along with another couple, made up the tour with Barbara Caldwell as guide. Seth Bradford built the original house between 1851-52 for William Wetmore. Mr. Wetmore made his money in the China trade. Constructed of granite from Fall River, Mass., in the Italianate style, it was the grandest house in Newport. In 1856, he hosted a grand party, 3,000 were invited and the President of the United States received one of the invitations.

George Peabody Wetmore hired architect Richard Hunt to update the mansion and the High Victorian French Chateau design was created. The Wetmores took a decade-long European honeymoon while the update was going on. Hunt experimented on this home using Eastlake Style for the Great Hall and Arts and Crafts Style in the tiles of the fireplaces. In the gentlemen’s library, the ceiling is coffered and the fireplace is carved wood done in the Renaissance Style. 

Never has such a mixture of styles made such a lovely whole. The stunning stairway is one of the finest Hunt ever created and he played visual tricks to make the 45-foot central hall appear taller. Until 1894, it was year-round home.

Most of the furniture is not original to the house but the library table is. It now belongs to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and is on loan at Chateau Sur Mer. Visitors get to enjoy a fine collection of rose medallion china, Amari, rose Canton and rose Mandarin which is on display. William Morris and Eastlake created the wallpaper for Mrs. Wetmore’s bedroom. 

Everything is in a very grand style and yet not overwhelming, okay I personally do not have a Carrera Marble fireplaces but I would like to have one.

Unfortunately, the Wetmore daughters did an update of their own and a great deal of the wonderful design was covered by oil-based paint. The Preservation Society of Newport County has made it their purpose to restore these areas to the 1870s. The house remained in the family into the 1960s and most of the fine paintings were bequeathed to Yale University.

This is not one of the grandest of the Newport mansions, but it is one of the most interesting. Chateau sur Mer in Newport became a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Tickets for the mansion can be purchased from the Preservation Society, in combination with other mansions or a single ticket is available at the entrance.

If you plan to stay the night, I recommend the Hotel Viking, it is one of our favorites. 

Pennsylvania: Hiking Bushkill Falls

Bushkill Falls is known as “The Niagara of Pennsylvania” and while this may be a bit of an overstatement, it in no way diminishes the beauty and the appeal of this area. The drive to get there along the Delaware Water Gap is quite scenic.
Bushkill is a beautiful place to spend a relaxing day communing with nature. 

Communing does not come cheap, however, the entrance fee is $16.50 for adults and $8.50 for children 4-12. Some additional charges may apply depending on what you want to do while you are there. The official tour guide is $3.

You enter through a small museum, which tells you about the wildlife in the area. You go through displays of stuffed animals, flora and fauna. It’s a warm-up for what is to come.

The area is divided into colored hiking trails that offer varying degrees of difficulty. The most popular trail takes 45 minutes to hike and leads you past the Main Falls. 

The problem the day we were there was that a tree had fallen and blocked that path right past the falls, we walked to the falls on that trail and then had to backtrack to change to another trail. The trails that we took (green to yellow then red) are also the easiest route but be warned, going this way involves climbing many steep wooden stairs. If you want to see the falls, this is the only way.  

I have arthritic knees but I was able to navigate the area with a minimal amount of pain. The view at the falls certainly made it worthwhile. Don’t be fooled, however, Niagara Falls this isn’t. But the wonderful sylvan setting and the lack of immense crowds certainly made up for the lack of water volume.

If you are up for a more strenuous hike, take the blue or red trail to Bridal Veil Falls.

We spent about two hours wandering with the kids through the woods and along the streams. It was relaxing and enervating at the same time. Be warned, mid-week this place is quiet, on a weekend and especially a holiday weekend, you will not be able to find parking or even get into the park.

The roads in this area cannot accommodate the amount of traffic that this attraction generates and you can be stuck in traffic jams that will make you think you are still in the big city. Bushkill Falls is a very popular place with residents and visitors and I am confident you will enjoy it as well.

Hotel Review: Charming Red Lion in Long Compton, Warwickshire

Long Compton is a village that has little to offer a visitor other than the Rollright Stones. I chose to stay at the Red Lion in Long Compton because I was enticed by a fantastic website. Risky business that but the food just looked so good at this pub that I risked repeating an unhappy pub stay. The last time I had tried this we were kept up until 1 a.m. by rowdy clientele. It doesn't matter how comfortable your room is if you can sleep because of the noise.

Noise was not an issue at all at the Red Lion. Our room had very thick walls and we never heard a sound. This is a small inn with only five rooms. Keep in mind that a pub is a little different than a B&B or hotel when it comes to checking in. They usually close after lunch and don't reopen until close to dinner time. You will need to time your arrival perfectly. We didn't but the hour wait was not too difficult since it was quite a lovely January day.

Our room was on the first floor and our friend was on the second floor. We had to walk up a set of stairs with the luggage so keep it light and our friend had two sets. Our room was very close to the stairs. It was a very cozy room, small with a large bed. We had everything we could possibly want. A nice coffee/tea set up, a small closet, a window seat, a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall and one of the largest bathrooms we have ever had anywhere. It had a large tub and a window seat.
Our friend's room was the one that you see on the website with two beds and the red and white checked bedspreads.

Breakfast is included in the rate. You will find a menu on your bed and you just leave it with them at the bar when you are ordering your dinner. You will want to have dinner there at least one night. We chose to eat there every night of our three-night stay, it was that good.

We loved our breakfast. You tell them when you would like it ready and when we came down our table was set and waiting for us. We enjoy the full English breakfast with fresh juice and coffee. There are daily dinner specials in the pub and they offer everything from soups to delicious pasta dishes, Steaks, chicken and luscious desserts are all available.

This is not your old-time pub, this is a modern gastropub where cuisine is served not pub grub.

Everyone we met here was concerned with the quality of our service. We never wanted for anything. I can't recommend Red Lion in Long Compton highly enough. Good food, comfortable rooms and excellent service guarantee a pleasant stay.

The Red Lion is within an easy drive of Oxford, Blenheim, Chipping Norton and Moreton in the Marsh. For a Cotswolds visit, it is close to ideal.

The Historic DuPont Mansion Bed and Breakfast in Louisville, Kentucky

#dupontmansionbedandbreakfast

The DuPont Mansion in Louisville Kentucky was built late in the 19th century. This magnificent house has seen many incarnations from a family home to an apartment house. It became a labor of love for the current owners and it is evident in the bed and breakfast that they have created.

Today the DuPont Mansion Inn has six rooms and two suites and they are all stunningly beautiful and have every amenity to guarantee your comfort. Both the owners and the innkeeper love this house and are very willing to give you any additional information that you might like about the history of the mansion.

The Innkeeper will be there to greet you when you arrived and to take you on a tour of the public rooms. Mary is so much more than just the innkeeper, she will make your stay very special with her care and attention to detail not to mention those yummy breakfasts.



A favorite room is the Grover Cleveland. It has a king size bed flanked by two huge windows. The ceilings are tall, fifteen on the first floor and 12 and 14 on the second and third. This room has a two-sided fireplace. One side is in the bathroom. It is electric not wood or gas but it certainly does add wonderful ambiance. The tubs in all the rooms are jetted. The Carnegie Suite has a huge two person tub.

All of the rooms are beautifully decorated. The least expensive of the rooms is the JP Morgan and you will find that even though it may be a bit smaller there was nothing to complain about, it has all the luxury and amenities of the more expensive rooms. The website gives a very accurate picture of what the rooms look like.

Grover Cleveland is on the third floor. There is no elevator and those wonderful high ceilings mean that the stairs are long, very long; this isn't the place to carry in five large pieces of luggage. Consolidate your bags before you arrive, or use two small bags, you will be glad you did. There are no closets in the rooms but there are large armoires.

Somewhere in all the bedrooms, there will be a bowl of chocolate. You will find bowls of chocolate all over the house and they are not all the same kind of chocolate, it is a chocoholics dream. As a matter of fact, The DuPont Mansion Inn has a kitchen located on each of the floors. You will find a coffee maker, drinks in the fridge, snacks on the counter and fresh baked cookies. Yes, it is like being in the most perfect place you can imagine. If there is anything that you are missing the Innkeeper is right there to take care of it. The entire house is Wi-Fi and there is a TV in all the bedrooms.

The parlor downstairs is lovely. There is a player piano and sofas and chairs. Like most of the rooms in the house, it has a fireplace. The attention to detail is what you will notice both in the décor and just in the placement of the items, everything is thoughtfully done.

There are two dining rooms, one has a table that seats 8 and the other has tables that seat two. No matter which room you walk into you will be dazzled by the architecture, the décor, and the atmosphere. Everyone is more gracious and beautiful as the other. Even the halls on each floor are gorgeous.

Breakfast at the Inn is served at your pleasure anytime between 8am and 10am. Your day may begin with fresh fruit with yogurt and a sprinkle of granola. The second course could be mini banana nut muffins followed by a Mexican egg casserole served with salsa. This along with coffee, decaf¸ hot tea, and orange or cranberry juice make for a very satisfactory start to the day.

If you are coming to Louisville Kentucky for any reason, business or pleasure, the DuPont Mansion is a wonderful place to stay. It will certainly become your home away from home or at least the home you wished you lived in. If the DuPont Mansion Inn is unavailable you can always check out their sister inn, The Inn on the Park which is just about a block away.