A resplendent sun. Shimmering water. Swim suits. Golden tans. The endless ocean.  Delectable seafood. A snazzy white yacht. The best of friends. Priceless smiles. Seems like a perfect picture, yes? Well of course. It’s seems like a promising afternoon out at sea with friends. Culture these days demands for one more thing to complete this perfect outing: good-tasting wine.

Let’s backtrack to the previous scenario. Brad planned this boat trip for ten of his closest friends. He purchased food, arranged for good music, and made sure they had the boat cleaned and ready. However he kept procrastinating on going out to buy wine. He knew his friends would consider this shindig over the top if they had a few cocktails to accompany them. The only problem is that Brad hates buying, storing, and serving wine. He’s had quite a lot of bad experiences with the whole ordeal.

A few boat trips ago, he ended up with a cooler full of ice, wine, and shards of broken glass. During some water-turbulence, the cooler did a full 360-degree flip and the wine bottles shattered into pieces. Needless to say, everyone was disappointed.

So the last boat trip that Brad and his friends went on, he decided to be a bit smarter. He transferred his wine into non-glass containers this time. However, he forgot that wine can go bad in just 2-8 hours. After driving to the dock, loading the boat and getting out on the waters, the wine was already half spoiled. When Brad made a few drinks for his friends, the taste was…well let’s just say it was less that desired.

After the two fiascos, Brad realized he had to get serious about this wine thing. There had to be something out there that could prevent his precious wine bottles from rolling, breaking and leaking. However, that wouldn’t cut it. He also needed something to preserve that timeless flavor. What to do? But, miracles happen. Only a week before the boat was to set sail, Brad got an email.

His friend Linda had been searching online for some travel-sized containers for her weekly business trips. She came across a company called BottleWise. They had a few TSA approved products, which she had purchased. Along with that she came across Klean Kanteen Wine Karafe and Platy Preserve. She knew Brad was looking for wine solutions so she sent him the link to the BottleWise website.

Brad clicked on the link Linda sent him and the rest is history. He immediately purchased both the Klean Kanteen Wine Karafe and the Platy Preserve. Soon enough his wine worries were gone.

A week later, Brad stood on yacht and poured perfectly tasteful wine into a few glasses for his friends.  He screwed the top back onto the Platy Preserve container and placed it into his cooler. The cooler looked a bit different during this trip. The ice was still there, but there were two Klean Kanteen Wine Karafes with a Platy Preserve nestled in between.

Brad glanced at his friends as they took the first sip of wine for the day. They smiled in delight and complimented him on his wine choice. Beaming, Brad thanked them. He was sure this boat trip was going to be his best yet.

Shop now for instant savings and free shipping on the Klean Kanteen Wine Karafes and Platy Preserve products.  Cheers!

Here are some helpful tips to consider when traveling when a storm is brewing.

Consider re-booking. The airlines generally allow passengers to change tickets free of charge when a major storm threatens travel. You might be able to connect through another city unaffected by the weather system.

Sign up for airline alerts and check your flights frequently online before you head to the airport. A flight’s status often changes by the minute as the airline works to line up slots and crews and keep planes and runways clear of ice and snow during winter travel disruptions.

Make sure you have a cell phone and your charger in case you need to rebook a canceled flight. Get in line for assistance and try your airline by phone at the same time if you’re among hundreds of passengers jockeying for seats. If you can get online, try that, too.

Pack essentials in your carry-on. If you’re hoping to make your original flight, be sure to pack essentials such as prescriptions, glasses or contacts and other necessary toiletries or clothes in your carry-on. You and your checked luggage are likely to get separated if you end up stranded overnight.

Dress comfortably. With sleeping in an airport terminal in mind, pack and dress for warmth and comfort. Foam earplugs can be a saving grace.

Pack snacks. Airport entertainment and snacks can get expensive, and they’re harder to come by in the wee hours. Stow away an emergency book or magazine and some sustenance to keep you going.

Inquire at the gate about food vouchers and sleeping areas. While airlines aren’t required to provide accommodations for travel interrupted by severe weather, many airports have provided food and cots to travelers stranded in this season’s string of whopper storms.

Data found on CNN.

Isn’t it intimidating walking into the wine section of your neighborhood grocery store and seeing hundreds upon hundreds of multicolored wine bottles staring you down? Where do you even begin looking for the best-tasting wine? There are countless brands and labels; you could get lost in Wine World forever.

So here are a few things you could do to prepare for the daunting trip to the wine section:

1. Start online. There are several wine connoisseurs out there who know everything and anything about wine. They make wine lists based on what types of wines are favorable.

2.  Keep a wine journal of the wine that you have tried in the past and have enjoyed.

3. Does your wine choice and evening’s menu mesh well together? Natalie Maclean has a terrific food and wine matcher that you an upload to your iphone or Blackberry.

4.  Remember your guests. Ask them what types of wines they prefer.

5.  Print out your list and take it with you to the store. Make sure you’re finding the right vintages and vineyards while matching your list to the wine on the shelves.

6.   Have your price range in mind and keep crosschecking between wines and your budget. The worse thing to do is to buy a bad, but expensive wine.

7.  Be prepared to have leftover wine, especially if you bought several wines. There’s always the risk that people may not like the wine you purchased or they just have a little bit of wine from each bottle.

8.  Purchase containers for leftover wine in advance. BottleWise.com has the Platy Wine Preserve and the Kleen Kanteen Wine Karafe just for this purpose. Both are specially made for wine preservation, especially wine taste. If you are more for the environmentally friendly, opt for the Kleen Kanteen Wine Karafe; if you prefer something that’s a space-saver, try out the collapsible Platy Wine Preserve.  Either choice keeps the wine in tip-top shape until your next wine-occasion!  Use Promo Code WINE20 and save 20% on your next BottleWise order.  Offer good through 10.29.10.

Sources: http://kenswineguide.com/wine.php?page=19

Wherever you’re headed, you’ll want to feel healthy and strong. Here are some helpful tips for not being under the weather when you’re going above the clouds.

Before Your Trip

Here are just a few precautions you can take ahead of time:

• Make sure your immunizations are current.
• If possible, delay your trip if you’re not feeling well.
• If you’re prone to air sickness, ask for a window seat over the wing.
• If you have any health questions, or if you suffer from a chronic ailment, motion sickness, or fear of flying, ask for advice from your physician.
• Stress is bad for you. Reduce stress by allowing plenty of time to check in and reach your departure gate.
• Always carry your medication with you—never pack it in baggage you’re planning to check.
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing and shoes for your flight.

During Your Trip

Here are a few things you can do to feel good while you’re flying:

• Eat lightly during your flight.
• Stay hydrated while you fly.
• Leave room under the seat in front of you so you can stretch out your legs.
• If conditions permit, try to stand up and walk around the cabin every once in a while.

At Your Destination

Here are a couple of things to remember once you arrive:

• Never purchase local medications unless you’re familiar with them.
• Wear sun block and sunglasses in the tropics and at high altitudes.
• Drink a lot of water to minimize altitude sickness.

Helpful Web sites

These sites offer comprehensive information about healthy travel:

• Centers for Disease Control
• Travel Medicine
• U.S. Department of State

Data from Delta.com

With spring break upon us and summer vacations quickly approaching, parents are typically more nervous than excited as they prepare for a vacation with their lively kids in tow. As many know, traveling with kids can be stressful. Fear not, we have a few tips to easily prepare parents to think ahead and get organized for their vacation.  This will transform your vacation with kids into an “expedition of amusement” rather than a bitter experience.

Here are a few things to have prepared when traveling with kids:

1) A detailed agenda and tour plan of the places you are planning to visit.
2) Copies of all schedules and time lines to various places to cover.
3) Kids should be actively involved in certain activities such as:

• Putting together your trip ideas
• Planning out activities to do on vacation
• Making family rules during vacation
• Having a small rewards and penalties if the rule was broken
• Assigning roles based on age group such as food carrier, water carrier, photographer, etc.
• Collecting memorable items like tickets, brochures, pictures, etc.

4) Family games, cards, checkers,art supplies.  Many games come in travel form which are perfect for planes, trains and cars.

5) Electronic devices for kids(big and small) like cameras, laptops, DVD players, hand held games.  Don’t forget extra batteries and chargers.  Taking a GPS along is perfect for exploring your new destination and finding points of interests.

6)  Have a supply of healthy snacks on hand.  Don’t count of the airlines for much more than a drink and a bag of pretzels.
7) Packing your baggage:

• Limit check in luggage. Try to have carry on luggage and have backpacks for each kid and allow them to carry their own stuff. This will save you money and time.
• Pack light clothes, sweaters, jackets, beach wears, shoes.  The more items each individual can wear, the easier it is to pack and keep items to a minimum.  Ideally your destination has laundry facilities to do a quick load if necessary.
• Follow TSA’s 311 rules when are packing the liquids, gels, toothpaste, shampoo and other stuff for your kids. These are all important for your kids, but at the same time are restricted to carry on the planes in great volumes.

Packing the family’s items can sometimes be quite a challenge, one parent commented, “Nowadays opening my baggage after a trip can be full of surprises. I only wish that I don’t end up having a toothpaste stained shirt and shampoo covered pants.” A few great products that will come in handy when packing toiletries are Pitotubes and GoToobs. Often packing many of our daily necessities slips our mind and it is often a pain to carry full size products, make sure you have the TravelRite travel kit, which will make your life so much simpler. All of these items meet TSA 3-1-1 regulations so you can use them in your carry-on luggage.  Shop www.BottleWise.com.

Pitotubes Quart Size

Family vacations can be fun, enjoyable, memorable, cherishing and adventurous. Don’t let the detail of packing and planning ruin a family memory.  It  pays to plan ahead.  Have some planning trips that have worked for you and your family in the past, we would love to hear them!

BottleWise is committed to manufacturing high-quality bags that make life easier for the discriminating culinary traveler and is founded by Amy Dias (adias@bottlewise.com)

You probably assume that checking your luggage is the cheaper option, even though you’re stuck paying the airline about $25 for the first bag (each way) and $35 for the second, not to mention additional fees for heavy or large items. And sometimes it is. But not always, says Susan Foster, author of Smart Packing for Today’s Traveler (Smart Travel Press, $20, amazon.com). So before you jet off, it’s worth doing the math. If your baggage is unusually heavy or bulky, shipping may be a better deal—provided that you don’t send your Samsonite overnight or by two-day mail, says Jami Counter, a senior director of Seatguru.com, a travel-resource site. Case in point: UPS can ship a 75-pound box from New York City to Orlando, Florida, for $57. Checking an item that heavy would probably cost between $100 and $175—one way. Get quotes from the two options that you have for shipping: a standard delivery or courier service, such as FedEx or DHL, or a specialty luggage handler—particularly useful for bulky items, like skis—such as Sports Express (sportsexpress.com).

You should also consider shipping your baggage if you want to hit the ground running at your destination (which means skipping the luggage carousel), or if you want to be assured that those bags will be waiting for you when you arrive, says Peter Greenberg, a travel editor for CBS News. “Shipping is an especially good idea if you have a connecting flight, which increases the risk that your bags will be misplaced,” says Greenberg. And delivery services offer far more bells and whistles than air carriers, says Counter, such as superior insurance, better tracking, and, best of all, picking up your luggage at your home. No schlepping!

Article by Vera Gibbons, Real Simple

Let me introduce you to a guy called Neo. Yes, it may be a peculiar name, but Neo has a story that is familiar to us all. Neo is a frequent flyer who is planning a trip from Chicago to San Francisco. He knows a lot about the TSA (Travel and Security Authority) so he tries to plan ahead.  However, there are a few unplanned charges that frustrated Neo. Let’s see what he has to share with us:

• We are in a new era of air travel — it’s dominated by fees for services that were once included in the ticket price. The fee increases have been spurred by growing fuel prices.
• Some airlines are struggling. These companies charge more fees on fliers.
• Charges are based on several categories including reservations and frequent flier programs.
• According to the Air Transport Association, fuel now makes up roughly 40% ticket price of most airlines, up from 25% last year.
• Need to change your itinerary? Altering an international itinerary could add $200 to your budget. (Eg. United Airlines has hiked its ticket-changing charge from $100 to $150. And though Delta’s charge starts at a humble $30, that’s only for changes made to reservations made through Delta.com and typically ends up being $150.)
• Checked Baggage Fee: American Airlines is charging many of its passengers an additional $15 fee for their first checked bag. Are you planning a trip to Florida with golf clubs? $25 each way on some airlines. Checked bags have to be a certain weight (51-70 pounds/71-100 pounds),a certain size (63-80 total inches), and each additional bag you check in costs extra.
• In Flight Services:

Meal/Snack – Not available or available for a charge. (No more complimentary snacks or meals!)
Beverages: Alcoholic/Non-alcoholic (for a fee, of course!)
Headset (sometimes for a fee)
Wi-Fi (also sometimes for a fee)
Pillow/Blanket
Unaccompanied Minor: Age 5 – 7
Pet aboard
Fee to change flight to same destination on day of departure – $40 -$200
Want to redeem reward miles? $25 handling fee, maybe even a $100 penalty.

Forbes Traveler’s 10 Most Annoying Airline Fees
1. Checked Baggage – Less Luggage More Comfort $10 – $100
2. Talking to Real people – Book ticket through a representative $10 – $25
3. Seat Preference $10 – $20
4. Rewards Redemption – Redeem miles without sufficient notice $75 – $100
5. Curbside Check-In – Tip not included $2 – $3+
6. Traveling with a Child or a Pet $10 – $100 and up
7. Changing a Reservation – Proper planning prevents additional expenses $30 – $200
8. Paper Ticket – Go Green or Pay Green $50 – $70
9. Airport improvement – Ticket cost accrual $4.50 – $20+
10. Fuel Surcharge – Whether you drive or fly you have to pay for the gas $30 – $300
11. Airport Parking – Get a ride from your friend or family $5 -$50 per

What has your experience been recently with these fees?  What has been the most outrageous fee you where charged, and for what?  Any secrets to reveal on how to avoid them?

Sue Ellen: average height, slender build, simply dressed, frazzled mind, and bloodshot eyes. She’s a smart woman, but let’s face it, she’s been working hard. It’s 11:30 PM and Sue Ellen has yet to pack for her trip to New York City tomorrow at 5:00 AM.

So what results? Sue Ellen grabs an energy shot and begins a whirl of activity. She dumps in three pairs of slacks, a skirt, four blouses, a scarf, three blazers, a jewelry box and her mismatched, dirtied, TSA approved zip-lock bag into an over sized duffel bag. On top of that she throws in her two pairs of bulky high-heeled shoes. Of course, her laptop fits in there….somewhere. Finally the miscellaneous items: a snack bar, her iPod, headphones, portfolios and a few pens. All in all, her bag is a dump yard.

Alright, so we already have a bad feeling about this scenario. Let’s fast-forward and see how it pans out. A tired, sleepy Sue Ellen arrives at the airport and hurries through check-in. She lugs her duffel bag through security but is stopped. Her bag has to go through another security check. The attendant dumps out all her bag’s contents. The zip-lock bag has opened and ruined her good slacks and shoes. Her nice blouses are wrinkled. The security attendant discards her zip-lock and allows her to proceed. Not only do the few minutes cause Sue Ellen to miss her flight, but she has no toiletries and soiled clothing. What a great start to her business trip!

Now if we back track, we can see that the crucial point was Sue Ellen’s hurried packing job. Could she have done things differently? Yes, perhaps she could have. Here are few tips that may have helped her out to pack her carry-on bag:

• Pack in layers and be organized. Rolling clothing helps reduce wrinkles and saves space.
• Don’t over-pack clothes and shoes.  Many outfits can be mixed and matched over a few days.
• Invest in one piece of carry on luggage that is easy to pack and fits nicely in the crowded overhead bins.
• Pack a second carry-on (backpack, handbag or computer case) with your laptop or electronics you need access to easily on your flight.
• Pack items that need to be removed in security (toiletries, computer, etc) in one carry-on. This avoid having to rustle through both of your approved carry-on pieces.
• Use travel-size bottles for cream and liquids that aren’t bigger than 3 oz.
• All liquids should fit into a quart sized, transparent plastic bag
• Declare or discard any liquids that you have (baby formula, juice, medications, bottled water, etc.)before getting into line.  You are not only going to delay yourself, but others behind you.

Most of the above is pretty simple. The only challenge is getting those liquids under control. Who wants to be running around the last minute, tearing the house apart for small containers to put shampoo in? After all that hard work, you won’t even be sure that those liquids won’t leak! As cabin pressure changes, often liquids are caused to leak out of containers. Who wants to deal with that?

This is why BottleWise offers travelers  few alternatives to help make packing your toiletries at various price points. TravelRite Kit comes with TSA approved bottles with tops and a see-through plastic bag. If you’re more of the simple type or just new a few leakproof bottles, Go Toobs are for you. If the cabin pressure has been messing with your plastic bottles, then a great thing to do is check out Pitotubes; they don’t let those liquids leak!

Be sure to check out our great savings on all of our toiletry items to make your next trip mess free!  Safe Travels.