Traveling with children, seniors or individuals with health issues requires extra planning. Eyedentity Labels can help alleviate some of the stress by allowing you to display pertinent information on an arm or leg, tattoo style. They are clear stickers with a bright emblem and four lines that you customize with anything you think would be important in an emergency.

$25 for 18 labels Eyedentity Label

The recent airplane crash in New York’s Hudson River was caused by a double bird strike which disabled both of the aircraft’s engines. A bird strike is just that, a bird hitting a plane, and apparently it happens all the time. Considering how often I fly, I can’t believe I had never heard of this phenomenon before last week. According to the FAA there are an average of over 7,000 bird strikes annually and that number is growing. While manufacturers try to create engines that will withstand the impacts, it’s almost impossible when the birds are over 5 pounds as bigger engines would make flying difficult.

The Bird Strike Committee USA is a volunteer organization that meets each year to discuss and explore options to combat the problem. They hope to eventually figure out how to prevent strikes altogether, but for now it remains an issue. Although there is no way to guarantee that an incident like this won’t happen again, most bird strikes do not take a plane down and this is the first report in history of both engines being disabled by wildlife.

Luckily, all of the passengers survived and the U.S. airlines are still working on their third year of flying without a fatality. Perhaps this will serve as a reminder to those of us who fly frequently to pay attention when the safety procedures are read before a flight. Even though we may have heard them many times before, it’s a good idea to have them fresh in our minds in the rare but possible case of an accident. It’s also important to be aware of the nearest exits and the number of rows in front of you and behind you that are in between. Accidents will always happen, but they are much easier to digest and deal with when they have a happy ending.

Bird Strike Committee USA

Road trip season is right around the corner and if you’re planning to take off, don’t forget to pack a first aid kit. I love this IntelligentFirstAid talking kit which contains the usual safety supplies but is enhanced with audio instructions on how to handle common injuries. It will help you keep your head straight in an emergency and is especially good for children who may find the verbal guidance invaluable.

$129.99 IntelligentFirstAid

Source: Outside

Every year we hear stories of plane crashes somewhere in the world and it reminds us that flying involves some risk. The fact is that not all airlines are safe to travel with. Airsafe.com will help you make smart decisions by allowing you to view airline and aircraft accident statistics. It also offers plenty of travel tips and will link you to many government and consumer websites containing important safety information.

Source: Conde Nast Traveler

No matter where your travels take you, you won’t get very far without clean water. When we find ourselves in places where the tap water isn’t safe to drink and bottled water isn’t readily available, the SteriPEN could literally be a lifesaver.

Just hold the SteriPEN into a glass of water and push a button to send purifying ultraviolet rays through the liquid. Forty seconds later, it’s ready to drink!

$99.00 Magellan’s

Source: Sky

Fashion plays a huge role in every culture. For women particularly, how we dress can sometimes affect how we are treated, what sites and buildings we are allowed to enter and even our safety.

Journeywoman, a travel website for women, has a great section on clothing and what worked or didn’t work for fellow female travelers. Just click on the country you are visiting to read experiences other women had with dressing for that area.

Source: Sky

Next time you are planning a trip, head over to tripprep.com where you’ll find the latest health and safety information for over 220 countries. The site requires registration but is completely free and will tell you everything you need to know to travel smart to your selected destination. It also gives you access to a list of medical providers in the area you are visiting.

All lot of people are interested in travel insurance but are unsure of where to start and what their coverage options are. At Insuremytrip.com you can type in your trip information and you’ll be presented with a range of policies to compare from different providers.

You can read my post about travel insurance and when you should considering buying it here.

Source: Travel and Leisure

Vacations are notorious for bringing about minor emergencies. Your shirt pops a button or you get a blister from walking more than usual. You meant to bring more supplies but that box of band-aids took up too much space in your toiletry bag and sewing needles always get lost.

Thanks to the Container Store, you can be ready for the next little crisis with mini first aid and sewing kits. At 2″ x 3 3/8″ inches you won’t even know they are there….unless you need them!

Container Store

Source: Sherman’s Travel

Recently, a friend of mine had her apartment invaded by bed bugs. She’s not alone…all over the world the pesky insects are making a comeback. They hide just about anywhere and emerge at night to feast on your blood while you sleep. Since the decline of harsh chemical pesticides, bed bugs have been on the rise and once you get them, they can cost you thousands of dollars and extreme emotional distress.

Why do I mention this on my travel blog? Bed bugs very often find their way into your home by attaching themselves or their eggs to travelers or their belongings. Many people catch them at hotels but they’ve also turned up on cruise ships and in airplanes and can sometimes be found hiding in secondhand furniture. It doesn’t matter who you are or how clean you are…bed bugs have been found in five star hotels.

So what to do? It’s hard for a frequent traveler not to be completely paranoid but there are some things you can do to help protect yourself:

-Check out your room. Look up all hotels on Tripadvisor before booking. If there is a mention of bugs, steer clear. Always inspect your mattress as bed bugs are visible. If you see anything CHANGE ROOMS immediately.

-Buy hard luggage. Bedbugs love to hide in fabric and crevices and they are small enough to squeeze into a zipper track. Keep your suitcase closed when not removing things and never rest it on top of a bed.

-Use airtight Zip-lock or space bag plastic bags. When you pack, put everything into bags inside your suitcase. Bugs can’t penetrate the plastic. Bring extras and put your dirty clothes in separate bags. When you return from a trip, don’t remove dirty clothes from the bags until you are putting them into the wash.

-Use bug spray. Before you go away, spray your shoes and suitcase. You can find effective pesticide at a hardware store. When you return home, vacuum both and spray them again.

-If attacked, leave everything!! If you end up encountering bed bugs…let’s say you wake up at a hotel one morning covering in bites….do not bring anything with you back into your home unless you must and only then after treating it with spray or extreme heat or cold. I would probably throw out my bag if this happened to me. I might sound crazy, but after seeing someone with the bites and hearing the horrors, I’m not taking chances!

-If you catch them, call a professional immediately. Enough said there….don’t try to beat them on your own.

Don’t freak out, but do the best you can to avoid these little monsters. Everyone who’s encountered them will tell you that the extra prevention is worth it. I spared us all a little trauma by posting a picture of a cute bug doll and not the real thing, but please don’t take this issue lightly.

For more information on bed bugs and to learn about avoiding and eradicating them, visit the web authority, Bedbugger.com.