Traveling with your “bling”

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I have a great “Guest Blog” to share today, from Calvin Campany, owner of Adornment Fine Jewelry in Wakefield and Newport, Rhode Island.  If you’ve ever wondered how to pack your jewelry for a trip, how to keep it safe in your hotel room, and whether you ought to be bringing it in the first place, read on:

Leavin’ On a Jet Plane?  —  Tips for Traveling With Your Fine Jewelry

Be it for work or for pleasure, if you are going on a trip you want to look good! And that probably includes adorning yourself with your favorite pieces of jewelry. What bracelet will look best with my new swimsuit? Will this pin work with my suit? Before you start selecting those amazing pieces from your jewelry box – ask yourself these questions before you pack them in your suitcase:

Is it sentimental or irreplaceable if it is lost or stolen? Never take along any highly valuable or sentimental piece of jewelry that would be impossible to replace. If losing your jewelry on a trip (even if it would look amazing on the beach or at a fancy dinner party) would be devastating, then leave it secured at home.

Are the pieces you are traveling with insured against loss or theft? It is a good idea to have written appraisals (that include pictures) on all the pieces of jewelry that you will be taking on your trip. Make sure you check with your insurer that all your paperwork is up to date before departure.

Are your pieces of jewelry protected and securable where you are traveling? If you are staying in a hotel, it may be difficult to find a secure place to store your jewelry during your stay. I would not recommend walking around your destination with it in your purse either. Check with the hotel to see if they have a safe deposit box that you can use or if your room has a safe that is secured to a wall where you can customize the code. Either of those may work well, but hotels usually have a disclaimer where they won’t be responsible. Speaking with the security staff at your hotel to ask their advice may be the best bet.

Is it advised to wear jewelry where you are going? Sometimes it is important to consider where you are going and what you will be wearing. Will the jewelry you are wearing make you a target for a crime? Are you traveling through areas or neighborhoods that are known for theft?

While on route to your destination, make sure you keep your jewelry on your person or in your carry-on luggage. It is difficult to secure your jewelry when it is not with you. Make sure you are in control of where your fine jewelry is at all times, and make sure it is secured from other’s hands and eyes.

Make sure your jewelry is protected against scratching or being crushed or other damage. Travel jewelry cases are nice, but I suggest packing your jewelry individually in zip top plastic bags. Put each piece in a separate smaller bag and then put all the smaller bags in a larger bag. This way there is less risk of the items scratching each other or getting tangled. If you are packing a fine chain or earrings that need support, cut a piece of cardboard to fit in the zip bag, and then cut two slits along one edge of the cardboard. Drape the chain over the cardboard, placing it into each of the slits or place the earring posts or wires into the slits before placing it into the bag. Put the larger bag with all of your jewelry near the top of the items in your purse or carry on, but not on the top. You don’t want it falling out accidentally or being seen by a thief looking for an opportunity.

Make sure your jewelry is not all in one place! You can minimize your risk of loss by not keeping all your jewelry in one place. If your luggage is lost or stolen, or if all your jewelry is kept in one easy to grab pouch, you will potentially lose everything you bring with you. It is a good idea to wear some pieces, keep some on your person while you travel, and pack other pieces.

In order to carry less jewelry – wear versatile pieces that look great with any outfit or color. Pack earrings, a necklace, a watch, and a bracelet that can be worn with casual or dressy garments and that are a combination of a yellow gold and a silver metal (white gold, silver, steel, platinum, etc.). These two color options extend the possibilities for when you can wear them.

Make sure when you travel your jewelry at home is secured! Many an opportunistic thief preys on folks who are away from home. I recommend placing your valuables in a safety deposit box while you are on vacation, and have someone check your home occasionally while you are away.

Have a safe and happy trip!

Calvin Campany, Adornment Fine Jewelry

What’s it worth to you?

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I just returned from a five-day conference in Fort Lauderdale, and the hotel arrangements got me thinking about the price (and more importantly the value) of convenience. 

I stayed at the designated conference hotel, directly across the street from the Convention Center, a short walk from all the meetings and events. Some colleagues chose to stay down the street, a good 10-15 minute walk each way. They saved about $30 – $40 a night (which does add up), but they had to plan their day around that walk  —  no running back to the room for a sweater if the meeting room is too cold, or dropping off a heavy bag of brochures/handouts before moving on to the next activity, and if they stuck around to have dinner/drinks with colleagues at the end of the day, they had to walk back alone in the dark afterwards. To me, the convenience of being right on-site more than outweighed the extra cost.

And convenience is even more important when we’re talking about a vacation!  When you’re making a “once in a lifetime” trip to Paris, London or Rome, how important is it to you to be right in the middle of the city, within walking distance of the sights and attractions? If you save $50 – $100 a night by staying on the outskirts, will that make up for having to spend precious vacation time (and money) on public transportation every day? What will you remember in the end – the price of the hotel room or the experience of strolling out your door to watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace?

It’s something to think about. And it’s definitely something that a good travel advisor should talk to you about when you’re planning your next trip!

Ready for take-off?

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If you’ve got some free time coming up in the next month or so, Jet Blue has got a deal for you!

Their popular “All You Can Jet” pass, which sold out in just two days the last time they offered it, is on sale again now. Purchase your pass for $699, and you can fly all you want, wherever Jet Blue flies, between September 7th and October 6th.  They claim that there are no blackout dates, and that if a seat on a flight is available it’s yours. Read the fine print before you jump on board, of course, but it sure sounds like a great idea to me!

If you could take advantage of unlimited flights for a full month, where would you go?  Hmmm…Las Vegas, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Seattle….

Turns out money CAN buy happiness, but only if you spend it correctly

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According to a recent article in the New York Times, more money does not equate to greater happiness if that money is then spent on acquiring more things…but it DOES make people measurably happier if spent on experiences. Like, for example, a vacation!   Of course, I’ve known this all along, but it’s nice to see that experts now agree:

One major finding is that spending money for an experience — concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco — produces longer-lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff.  ” ‘It’s better to go on a vacation than buy a new couch’ is basically the idea,” says Professor Dunn…

According to the study, when we spend money on material things like cars, electronics and clothes, the pleasure is very short-lived; we soon move on to “needing” more and more things to keep the excitement going. When we invest in experiences, however, the happiness is long-lasting. We anticipate the experience, we live the experience, and then we get to reminisce and re-live it over and over again.

The other very exciting finding in the study was that you don’t need to blow it all on one big vacation in order to find peak happiness. A bunch of three-day weekends spread across the year might be even better for you than one two-week summer vacation. So, if you’d like to bring a little more happiness into your life, give me a call — we’ll get you started on a “vacation maintenance plan” 🙂

LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN

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