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December 22, 2009
The Right Way to Travel
Holiday Travel, Writing, or Photo Tip #7
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Dear Reader,

Last November, according to New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs, 14% of luggage scales at the airport were wrongly calibrated. So, if your airline tells you your bag is too heavy (and charges you an even heftier fine), it could be their mistake.

Here’s what to do to prevent overweight charges:

** 1. Weigh your bags at home. Either put them on your bathroom scale, or get a hand-held luggage scale (like the Travelon from Bed Bath & Beyond). Try to stay more than a pound or two below the limit.

** 2. Be polite and stand your ground. If your bags were under the limit at home but the airport scale disagrees, don’t lose your cool. Ticketing agents deal with a lot of stress over the holidays and an attitude isn’t going to win you any points. Kindly say that you weighed your bags at home, and they were under the limit. Then, ask the agent to use another scale.

** 3. Take something out. If the second scale says your bag is still overweight, try taking out a piece of clothing, like a jacket or something else you can wear or take in your carry-on.

-- Bonnie

Bonnie Caton
AWAI Travel Division

P.S. When I went to Ecuador last August, I brought an empty suitcase with me to stock up on gifts for myself and my family. I had this idea that I’d bring back enough stuff to start my own little import/export business, too. But I ended up filling my entire bag with things just for me (oops).

You can see pictures of some of the things I bought below, but you should know that: 1) Import/export is a great way to earn money from your travels; 2) you don’t need to start a “real” business to fill up a suitcase full of goods and make enough money to cover your airfare; 3) Ecuador is a great place to start because everything is so cheap; and 4) if you end up filling your bag with goods just for you, it’s not such a bad thing (right?).

Lori, our Travel Division Director, talked about making money from your travels through import/export in great detail at our last How to Make a Six-Figure Income as a Traveler Workshop in Panama. I’ll send you a clip of her presentation tomorrow where she laid out the math -- how much you can expect to make and how long it’ll take you to get started.

We’ll bring back the recordings from that event -- this week only -- if you’re interested.  We don’t usually do that but they’re unedited and uncut so they’re a full $200 cheaper than our usual recording packages (and we don’t currently have anything about import/export on our Holiday sale). You’ll find those Panama recordings, here.

And here are some pictures of the kinds of things I brought back with me from Ecuador. Just to give you an idea of what you might pick up yourself if you’re thinking about joining us in Ecuador this February for our Photography & Spanish Immersion Expedition...

MY FAVORITE:

Here’s the piece de resistance of my trip. I bought this wool poncho in Cotacachi from the woman who knits them:

She had boxes overflowing with her hand-made sweaters, ponchos, zip-ups, baby clothes, hats, scarves, gloves, etc. in different colors. This poncho is soft, thick, and very warm... perfect for the cold fall in Oregon. And the best part is... you can find an "Haute Hippie Chunky Wool" poncho for sale at Nordstrom.com for $495. I got this one for around $17.

FOR MY KITCHEN:

I bought these three small (3” x 4”) paintings, again, directly from the artist:

 

Done in the traditional Latacunga style, each painting tells a story and includes important elements to the Quechua people of the area -- like the volcano, the condor, the alpaca, plants used in medicine and daily life, the flute, and family. They’re a colorful accent to my kitchen and a fun reminder of my trip. $5 each.

FOR EVERYDAY WEAR:

I bought this silver bracelet in the Otavalo market from a man who makes them by hand:

 

The design on the clasp represents a rain drop (fitting for my life in Portland). Other designs included trees, mountains, ocean, and other natural elements. I bargained around $11 for it.

GREAT GIFTS:

I’m partial to scarves, so I bought these all for myself. They make nice gifts, too, though:

 

One is sheep’s wool, one is alpaca, and one is cotton/synthetic. I get lots of compliments on the blue one. And I paid $3 to $12 each.

AN EXPERIMENT:

The woman who sold me this cheery frame in Otavalo learned the traditional painting style from her father:

 

I turned it into a kitchen chalkboard with some pressboard and chalkboard paint from Home Depot. You can get hand-made chalkboards on Etsy.com for around $100. This one cost less than $25 and I spent more on the pressboard and paint than I did on the hand-painted frame.

Between the fun I had talking with the locals, the amazing countryside and villages I photographed, the natural foods I enjoyed, and the once-in-a-lifetime shaman ceremony I experienced (and got amazing photos of), Ecuador blew my expectations away. I hope to go back.

Join us in February and experience it all for yourself... plus learn Spanish and practice your photo skills in a breathtaking setting... even enjoy a five-star spa treatment on us. This is a trip of a lifetime. Learn more and get discounts, here.  

And if you’re interested in import/export (or you want to make getting paid to travel a full time job), check out our Panama, How to Make a Six-Figure Income as a Traveler Workshop recordings.

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Delray Beach, FL 33483
Phone (561) 278-5557
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