This is a busy time of the year as school comes to a close, vacations begin and outdoor projects get underway. Don't forget that ON THE GO 4 U provides a waiting service so you can enjoy your summer while we wait with repairmen at your home. Another subject near and dear to our hearts is packing. Just this morning I heard a horror story about a family who took 16 bags and suitcases on a 10 day cruise. If this is you, call us first. We can help your organize your trip and get packed as well. Your trip will be so much better if you don't have to schlepp ridiculous amounts of baggage.

Have a suggestion for a future article? Have a burning fashion or decorating question? Send an email and we will publish the answer to your question in the next issue.

In This Issue:

• Packing Reminders
• Design Tips by Suzanne Copenhaver
• Entertaining Extras for Your vacation Travels
• Top 10 Travel Destinations

Next Month:
Looking Fresh & Cool for Summer

Last Month's Issue

Many of you know that I love to people watch and the airport is one of the best places. I see families who need a cart just to get the luggage from the curb to the check-in counter. I don't know what the statistics are for back injuries in airline employees but I imagine they are pretty high.

Then you arrive at your destination and if you are going to a B&B, boutique hotel, or most non-chain hotels in the rest of the world, there is no elevator. You are hot, sweaty and generally miserable by the time you get to the room. Quite often some snipping and snapping at each other has been thrown in the mix as well.

So, the next time you go on a business or leisure trip, keep this in mind. Everything in your bag should be coordinated down to the beach wear. Pick a color scheme and stick with it. You should have one base color (black, beige/tan, navy) and 2-3 accessory and coordinating piece colors. If you stick with this theory, you will not have to take 10 pairs of shoes and separate base pieces for beach and street.

If you are not at all sure how to pack, try reading our article on how to travel with a carry-on suitcase for 10 days. You may also want to check out our article about swimsuits before you step foot on the beach.

Heading into summer we all want to spend more time outside. So decorating our homes is not a priority, but it is a good time to take stock. Take a good look around your home. Does it have a theme, or a color scheme, or is it disconnected and ‘busy’? Just for fun, go from room to room and try to pick out a dominant color or something that unifies the room. If nothing does, it’s time to get to work. You can choose a favorite color, or color palette, a hobby, a painting, or even the view out the window. Once you have decided what you really like about the room, eliminate the things that detract from this. If you want a beach theme, are your colors too harsh? Avoid decorating every inch of the room with lighthouses, or fish netting. One or two items such as one picture of a lighthouse or several carvings of lighthouses or shore birds; no more than 2 or 3 will be enough to set the theme. You want to give the effect of the beach, not a gift shop at the shore. Choose the soft colors of sand and sea heather and water.

You can do the same thing if you want a jungle theme, a street in Paris or a balcony on the Mediterranean. If you have a collection, arrange your items in one or two groups to give them impact. Have fun with it, but don’t overdo.

If you are traveling to your favorite vacation spot this summer, take a good look at its colors, landscape, style. These are intangibles which you can use to create the same relaxed feeling at home.

Hot Colors for Spring and Summer: Spring Green, Sky Blue, Violet and Bright Yellow

Before I even delve into the topic of entertaining on the go, remember that you are only taking one carry-on suitcase and a shoulder bag. These rules do not change just because we are adding a few accessories for your travel adventures.

Here are some tips to put a spark in your summer travels:

• There are all kinds of travel candles at boutiques but if you don't have a special set of candles, just take a few tealights in a zip bag.
• If you take music to listen to on the plane, take speakers to broadcast in your hotel, beach or picnic. You can use the little speakers that come with most computers and attach them to your portable CD player or laptop.
• If you are checking luggage, pickup a travel kit from Crate & Barrel. It includes a set of utensils, paring knife, corkscrew etc.

Finally make sure that your travel bags are versatile. Can you use it for the beach? shopping? a picnic? If you can reuse the bag, your day time adventures will be much more successful. Just throw some items in the bag and go.