I absolutely loved the knobs and knockers in Athens and the islands + think I drove Stephen crazy taking pictures!

This may not seem super exciting, but I definitely had to share because it's the purchase from the weekend I'm most excited about! It has solved a major problem...

Lately, on the last couple of trips, I've hated how my toiletries were getting packed in my carry on. I'd have a plastic pouch for liquids, a regular kit to hold things like hair brushes, tooth brush etc. and a third small one to hold makeup which I like to keep separate because I dislike digging around for mascara and lip gloss. Needless to say it was getting a little crazy with all the pouches.

Well, a few months ago our friend Mitch came to visit and I saw his amazing hanging toiletry kit. It has tons of perfectly sized pockets and zippered pouches for toiletries. So, when we made it to the L.L.Bean store in Maine this past weekend, Stephen and I both picked up a kit. I snagged the medium and Stephen the small. It's perfect.

The top zippered pouch holds my makeup. The side holds my toothbrush. The large lower open compartment has places to store Tylenol and deodorant and then a plastic ziplock bag with all my liquids secured and easy to pull out for TSA slips right in and is held snugly. When it's zippered all up, everything has it's place, everything is secure and the best part, I don't have three separate toiletries bags!
Image: L.L.Bean

As I alluded to on Friday, this September we're taking a trip to Greece! It's in celebration of Stephen's 30th birthday and also a long delayed honeymoon. So, if any of you have any suggestions for things to do, see, visit and eat please leave a comment!
Image: flickr

I'm still on the hunt for a great carry-on bag, but I just remembered these colorful bags by a wonderful Etsy seller and thought I'd share them with you since they're so fabulous. I like that they have a pocket large enough to hold a magazine and a separate one for keys/phone/iPod so that the remainder of the bag can be used for other things.
Image via drika.b

I'm on the hunt for a carry-on bag. Not something to hold clothes, but something for magazines, food, my phone, a sweater and travel documents. The key thing is it must have a zipper on top because I'm super paranoid about losing important documents. Any suggestions? I found the one above at Piperlime but think it's not quite "me."
Image via Piperlime

We're traveling to Savannah over Memorial Day weekend and I'd love it if you'd provide me with any suggestions on what to do, what to see and where we to eat and drink. Thanks!
Image via flickr

We're off to Kill Devil Hills, NC for a much needed beach vacation. I'll be back on the 22nd with posting galore. Have a wonderful week! {image via I forgot- if it's from your Flickr account please let me know so I can give you credit!}

While at the airport last night I saw a taxi, but it wasn't just you're standard yellow Ford. Instead, it was a proper London taxi with a hired driver in tux and all! When I got home I looked up this company and found out you can customize pickups with a beverage of your choice, the red carpet, even fresh cut flowers. Wouldn't it be so nice to be taken home after a long trip in one of these?!

Pinching the pennies is a concept I'm all too familiar with. And when it comes to vacation planning, sometimes it makes it kind of hard. As I've learned, lots of other people are into pinching too. So many in fact, New York Magazine published an article with getaways to 20 countries where the dollar will still get you wonderful tips to fabulous destinations.

After a great visit I'm back from Arizona but have lots of catching up to do. You know the usual. Farmers market, pile of mail to sort through, laundry, writing assignments, haircut, send eight birthday cards, bridal shower, birthday party, dinner with friends I haven't seen in a year, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. No complaints, just wanted to let you know I'll be posting later this week.

We're off to Arizona for a long weekend. Its been a year since I've seen my mom, step dad and brother. I'm so excited! See you next week!

Yesterday I did a search to check out some flight times and boy did I get a sticker shock! I've been hearing about price increases but when I saw it would be nearly $700 to fly to Phoenix from Charlotte I couldn't believe it. Then today I heard a great thing. If you purchase a ticket through Orbitz and there is a price decrease of more than $5 before your date of travel, they will refund you the difference up to $250! {image via The Library of Congress}

This luggage reminds me of a bygone era when people got dressed up to travel and wore heels and gloves and hats.

We are off to Charleston for the weekend. I'll be back next week. Have a great weekend!

I had no idea such paradise existed in South Africa. Look at the remarkable beauty of The 12 Apostles Hotel. My travel wish list just got longer.

A fellow blogger recently posted about this. Her sister has used the company so it's legit. Anyway, for our big trip in '09 I want to charter a boat and skipper and sail the Greek Isles. It is only 3,250 Euros a week (total!) You get four large cabins for sleeping, and you can even hire a hostess to cook. When you divide that up with four couples it is super reasonable. A hotel for 7 nights would be more expensive. The best part is you get to see a bunch of different islands but you never have to move your luggage. Do I have any takers to join us?

One day, when we visit Napa, I want to stay at the Hennessey House.