This is not the best anti-theft purse for travel! This bag could get stolen at any time.

Selecting the Best Anti-Theft Purse or Bag for Travel

There’s a reason why I’m always researching the best anti-theft purse for travel. My dad was a New York City police officer for 20 years so I grew up with him always asking me where my purse was and requesting that I always use a crossbody bag. He used to tell me horror stories about purse-snatchings in Manhattan…women being robbed because they had left their purse under a table or on the back of a chair at a restaurant, or women getting their wallets stolen because someone reached into their shoulder bag when they stopped at a crosswalk. I knew he was right but I didn’t know how right until I was at Penn Station in New York with him one afternoon and heard a woman yelling at a man who had just stolen her wallet out of her purse (a shoulder bag) as she made her way down the stairs and into the station. She teetered unsteadily on the station steps but was trapped by the commuters behind her and couldn’t run after the guy.

More recently, on an 8 hour train ride from Shanghai to Yichang to the start of my Yangtze River Cruise, I stopped a pickpocket from going through someone’s bag, purely because I was paying attention and knew something was not right. If the woman across the aisle had had an anti-theft purse and had locked her purse closed and to her seat or the overhead rack using the bag’s in-built features, it would have been better for all of us. (I was kinda petrified when I yelled at the guy.)

Why You Should Always Choose a Crossbody Anti-Theft Purse for Travel

Given these valuable lessons, I have always heeded my father’s advice. I use crossbody bags ALL THE TIME. My friends laugh at me because of it. I never ever carry a should bag. Especially when I travel, any bag I buy must be a crossbody purse and needs to have a really secure strap. I sling it over my head and chest before I head out the door.

As I’ve been traveling more and more, my predilection for crossbody bags has only increased. When you’re in an airport or on public transport or just in an unfamiliar place all together, you need to keep your hands free. A crossbody bag serves that purpose by resting securely at your side. This is especially true when I am traveling alone. I just want to do everything in my power to feel secure and not be scared. This is why I’m now very much attuned to all the new cool new anti-theft purse technology on the market and am always on the lookout for the most stylish, latest and best anti-theft travel purses.

Biggest and Best Anti-Theft Purse Brands

The two biggest brands in anti-theft purses for travel are Travelon and Pacsafe. They have a wide variety of anti-theft purses and bags in all different colors and sizes including many crossbody bags. You’ll also find anti-theft travel purses and bags offered by eBags, who appear to possibly license Pacsafe’s technology, and then also Baggallini and Lewis & Clark.

My 9 Best Anti-Theft Purses for Travel…Stylish Ones Too!

OK, after that background, I think you will understand why these are my absolute favorite and best anti-theft purses for travel. They all have strong straps, pockets, are relatively big, have anti-theft features, and most importantly, they are stylish.

Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Messenger Bag. Travelon makes a number of anti-theft purses for travel.

Travelon Anti-Theft Purse, Classic Messenger Bag

I love this anti-theft purse because it comes in so many different colors and it also has a specific place for your water bottle which is super handy when you are traveling. Also, the bag has a pen loop, a removable LED light (!), an RFID blocking card, and passport slots. There’s an adjustable cable-reinforced cut-proof shoulder strap and the compartments lock with lobster claw clasps. Locking straps allow you to lock your bag to a stationary object like a chair. This protects against grab-n-go thieves. Most importantly, there’s hidden, slash-proof, chain link construction which will prevent someone from cutting into your bag. This is a very well-designed bag and one of the best travel purses on the market today. Buy this anti-theft purse.

Travelon Anti-Theft Signature Slim Backpack

If a backpack is more your speed than a purse or other crossbody bag, then this stylish anti-theft backpack is a great option. It has full anti-theft features including surround slash-resistant body panels and shoulder straps, locking compartments, a lock down strap, an RFID blocking card, and passport slots and pockets. The main compartment is really organized and is big enough to carry an iPad. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of backpacks because you never know who is behind you, but if you use this anti-theft bag properly, it’s a great option. Buy this anti-theft travel purse.

Baggellini Hobo Anti-theft Purse for Travel

The Baggellini Anti-Theft Large Hobo Bag

I just love the look of this anti-theft travel purse. Also note…it comes with a wristlet with RFID blocking technology!! The bag is 10 inches high and 14 inches wide, making it roomy enough for my bottled water. Innovative slash-proof secure panels protect your bag from slash and grab pickpockets. You can’t see this in the photo but there’s a little hole for your earphones which is just genius design. There’s even a sleeve for a luggage handle so you can slide this over your wheelie-bag if you want. The strap is cut-proof too. Honestly, this anti-theft purse is gorgeously and thoughtfully designed. It’s not cheap but it’s beautiful and comes in a few different colors. Buy this stylish anti-theft travel purse.

Travelon Anti-Theft Purse, Classic Small

If you just want an anti-theft purse that’s big enough for your phone and credit cards, this is a great, affordable option. It still has all the full anti-theft features like locking compartments, slash-resistant construction, and a slash-resistant, adjustable strap, but it’s just scaled down to size. There’s a roomy main compartment with RFID blocking card and passport slots, an open top pocket, a zippered wall pocket and tethered key clip with LED light. This is a great little bag if you want something small! Its probably a little too small for me, however. Buy this anti-theft purse.

Pacsafe Anti Theft Purse for Travel.

Pacsafe Citysafe Crossbody Anti-Theft Purse

Pacsafe is a great brand that you should check out if only because of their amazing travel safes. (I have one and I love it.) Personally, I love this anti-theft crossbody purse because it comes in a couple of great colors like the teal in the photo. (A bright bag is easier to spot in a crowd if someone steals it.) Also, the sleek lines, practical organization and robust anti-theft features combine for a stylish solution to secure travel. RFID blocking material built into a pocket in the main compartment helps protect ids and credit cards from hacker scanning. Adjustable wire-reinforced slash guard strap helps prevent cut-and-run theft; the turn & lock security hook attaches strap to a secure fixture. This also fits a 10-inch tablet and has internal attachment point for wallets and keys. Buy this anti-theft purse. 

eBgas Anti Theft Travel Purse

eBags Piazza 2.0 Anti-Theft Purse for Travel

If you’ve been following my product recommendations long enough, you know that I love eBag packing cubes!! So I was excited to see that eBags had anti-theft travel purses as well. This anti-theft crossbody purse does not disappoint. There’s an RFID protected pocket with card slots and passport pocket, and there are 2 side pockets perfect for standard bottles or sunglasses. The bag’s silver lining makes seeing inside the bag really easy too — such a clever idea. There’s also a leash for your keys. There’s a cell phone pocket on the outside which I personally wouldn’t use because I like to have my phone tucked away inside the bag, but it’s still super handy. This anti-theft purse comes in eight different colors. Buy this anti-theft purse. 

Metrosafe LS200 Anti-Theft Crossbody Bag (And Backpack!)

This is a great anti-theft bag for a woman or a man. (Does that make it a murse? A manbag?)  it comes in multiple colors and its streamlined design make it a bit unisex.  The bag boasts  smart zipper security, eXomesh slashguard technology, turn & lock security hooks, and an RFID Blocking pocket. It can also be worn as a backpack by looping the strap through the handle on the top. It’s another Pacsafe product, making it one of the best anti-theft travel bags out there. Buy this anti-theft crossbody travel bag.

Lewis & Clark Anti-Theft Purse for Travel

Lewis & Clark has a small range of anti-theft purses that I like. This bag offers a stainless steel, cut-proof cable in the shoulder strap; locking zippers on the main compartment and outer pocket for greater security; and a shoulder strap with locking hardware that can be wrapped around a chair or post to prevent grab and go thieves.  The Magnaloft fabric also provides a strong deterrent to cutting and slashing.  This is a very versatile anti theft travel bag. Buy this anti-theft travel purse.

LOCTOTE FLAK SAK II Anti-Theft Bag

I’ve added this anti-theft travel bag because I realize that not everyone wants a traditional purse, and I know that backpacks are very easy to shove lots of stuff into and tote around. This anti-theft travel bag is slash proof, lockable, has a locking strap, and also includes RFID blocking technology. It’s made of the same fiber used in police vests and military gear for bullet resistance. It’s very durable and makes for a great anti-theft travel bag. If you’re traveling with kids, this might be a great option for their stuff as you’re walking around. Buy this anti-theft bag.

Features You Want in  a Anti-Theft Purse or Bag

All of these anti-theft bags have a few things in common. These are the features you want in an anti-theft purse for travel…

A really secure, thick strap. I have a really beautiful Mulberry crossbody bag, but the leather strap is very thin. One day, I was walking down Upper Street in London when I noticed this guy walking like immediately behind me. It made me super uncomfortable so I slipped into Boots, the pharmacy, and started looking at the perfumes. He was totally going to try to steal my purse because he was so out of place amongst the perfumes. A shop assistant actually asked him if he needed any help and he said he was just lost and immediately turned around and walked out. To this day, I think the thin strap on my leather bag made me an easy target. He could have cut the strap, grabbed my bag and ran. So do yourself a favor and make sure that your anti-theft travel purse has a really strong, thick strap.

Locking zippers: Locking zippers on an anti theft purse can prevent wandering hands when you’re on an escalator or in a crowded elevator.

Locking straps: Locking straps can help you lock your anti theft purse to a chair or table so no one can snatch and grab it while you’re not paying attention. Remember my train story at the beginning of this post? If the woman had locked her bag to her seat or the overhead rack, the pickpocket I thwarted never would have been able to grab her bag in the first place. (I caught him when he pulled her purse down from the overhead rack and rummaged through it.)

A small outside pocket for bus and train tickets. Nothing is worse than digging around your crossbody purse, trying to find your train ticket. So now I look for crossbody purses that have a small outside pocket where I can easily slip in my train tickets or change anything else small that needs to be easily accessible.

A large zippered pocket within the purse for passports and larger items. When I’m traveling, I don’t like to have my passport rumbling around in the bottom of my bag. I like to know that it’s secure and zipped away. So I always look for a crossbody purse with a good-sized inside zippered pocket.

Something big enough to fit a water bottle and your wallet. I’ve seriously done some analysis on this and when I’m traveling, the two main things I carry with me are a bottle of water and a wallet. So my crossbody travel purse really needs to be able to fit these items. A collapsible hat is also something I commonly have on me, so I generally look for a nice and roomy bag. I want it to be at least 16 inches long and 10 inches high.

RFID Blocking Technology: Some credit cards, passports, and driver’s licenses now come with embedded radio frequency identification chips. This runs the risk that you can be electronically pick-pocketed, where someone uses a small device to read all the RFID information on your card and passport chips. RFID blocking technology prevents your chips from being read, so buying a anti-theft purse or wallet with RFID technology provides some peace of mind. (Although there’s a question mark around exactly how much RFID skimming is going on.)

ANTI-THEFT: This is probably the most important thing I look for these days but it is easy to overlook because we all think it won’t happen to us and that we will never be robbed or mugged. I am now super-focused on anti-theft purses for travel. I want them to be slashproof and cutproof.

Style! I don’t want the bag to look too frumpy or shout TOURIST. So I do tend to spend time looking for crossbody anti-theft purses for travel that are more than a little bit stylish.

Other Cool Features to Look for in an Anti-Theft Purse

A few things that are extra bonus features in anti-theft purses:

• Silver linings instead of black linings make it easier to see the bottom of your purse.
• Key leashes are awesome. You attach your key ring to a long elastic strap attached to the bag. This makes your keys really easy to find.
• Some purses come with LED lights to help you find things inside your bag!
• Side water bottle/sunglass pockets are super handy.

Best Anti-Theft Travel Purse Summary

I hope my anti-theft purse post hasn’t scared you to much, but we should always plan to be safe when traveling. I did a ton of research to determine my nine favorite anti-theft purses for travel with the all the features you need to stay organized and safe. If you have any tips for suggestions for the best anti-theft purses, please let me know!

You Might Enjoy These Other Posts

• Comprehensive London Packing List
• My Long-Term Travel Packing List
• The Best Travel Journals
• My Favorite Travel Products
• Gifts for Business Travelers
• My Favorite Travel Sites

Pin my Best Anti-Theft Travel Purse Post for Later!

The post The 9 Best Anti-Theft Purses & Bags for Travel first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

The Best Travel Journals on the Market Today

The Best Travel Journals

When I travel, I love to take notes. I love to jot down what I had for lunch each day or any interesting interactions I’ve had with locals…what my hotels have been like, what my flights have been like…it’s all fair game. That’s why I always have a travel journal on me. But the more I travel, the more important the quality and overall structure of my journal is to me. The best travel journals inspire you to put pen to paper and document your trip. They also make GREAT gifts for anyone about to head off on a whirlwind adventure who might need a little impetus to slow down and write things down. Here are some of my absolute favorite, high quality, travel-focused travel journals. Great as gifts either for yourself or for others!

The Midori Traveler’s Notebook is widely respected as one of the best travel journals out there.

The Best Travel Journals: Midori Traveler’s Notebook

Midori Traveler’s Notebook is widely considered to be one of the best travel journals or notebooks out there, so I’ll start here. I actually JUST bought my first Traveler’s Notebook but am delaying gratification until my trip later this summer. (Stay tuned!) What I love about the Traveler’s Notebook is that it has accessories available to purchase and you can add additional pages as you go along instead of always buying a new notebook. The leather cover is gorgeous and weathers beautifully. It also comes in a beautiful linen bag to help protect the leather cover. Honestly, this is a fantastic product, if a bit on the expensive side. To me, it feels like the Indiana Jones of travel journals.

Moleskine has some great travel journals.

Moleskine Passion Journal: Travel

Moleskine notebooks are everywhere and their clean, modern design make them great for bookshelves. The Moleskine Passion Journal is a very special edition of this iconic brand and another one of the best travel journals on the market. There are 5 themed sections to fill in and 5 tabbed sections to personalize, along with space for loyalty card info, checklists, calendars, travel information, budget planners, trip planners, memorable moments and more. It also comes with stickers!! There are 202 adhesive labels for personalizing your travel journal. This top travel journal has pages of checklists, calendars, international airports, time zones, climates and temperatures, followed by subject sections for wish lists, planning, weekends, and planning short trips and long trips. Keeping a Moleskine diary of your trip is a very classic approach to traveling.

The Moleskine Voyageur is a very popular travel journal.

Moleskine Voyageur Traveler’s Notebook

This is a new sized notebook for Moleskine in a portable format designed to store printed emails, itineraries and maps. The Voyageur is an essential travelling companion and one of the best travel journals for keeping track of your observations and explorations on the road. This has a canvas cover which is a little different than traditional Moleskine notebooks. You can print out your itineraries and content from any URL in exact Voyageur dimensions using the MSK2 online tool and paste them onto the pages, or fold them in four and slip them into the back pocket so you won’t be searching for that crumpled hotel booking on arrival. Plus, we just like to say “Voyageur.”

Moleskine City Notebooks for 27 Cities

Moleskine also has a series of city notebooks and diaries which are quite fun. They let you organize things you want to keep for future reference or for your records such as the names and addresses of restaurants, shops, friends, hotels, or tourist sites. There’s a map that summarizes the overall layout of the city, including large-scale maps of the city center, an alphabetical street index, and map of the metro system. Many cities are available — check out 27 of the City Notebooks on Amazon here…but here are some of the top cities:

• London
• Paris
• New York
• Berlin
• Milan

Erin Condren Travel Petite Planner with Stickers

In this travel notebook, you can track up to four weeks of stylish travel with 28 daily spreads to log packing lists, reservations, activities, meals, memories, spending and more. This journal is one of the best travel journals for those who are already into journaling and perhaps are already familiar with Erin Condren and her approach. Each bundle includes on travel journal, two sheets of illustrative stickers and two sheets of functional stickers. Within the travel journal, there’s space to capture your favorite moment of the day along with your sightseeing plans. 

You Are Here is one of the best travel journals for mindfulness.

You Are Here: A Mindful Travel Journal

You Are Here is one of the best travel journals to use simple mindfulness techniques to develop a happy, peaceful mind. This  journal walks you through a rich variety of exercises designed to help you thoroughly enjoy your gap year, city break, odyssey, holiday-of-a-lifetime, ‘find yourself’ journey or weekend away. You’ll use fresh, creative thinking to save a memory on every page. Some of the prompts are serious and some are more lighthearted, but they will all help you capture things that you may not have noticed otherwise. If you are planning one big important trip, this is perhaps one of the best travel journals for mindfulness during your adventure.

I Was Here is one of the most fun travel journals.

I Was Here: A Travel Journal for the Curious Minded

I Was Here is a guided travel journal. It’s full of suggestions for more fully observing and interacting with your location. For example, there are photography activities, shopping activities, and restaurant “games,” along with activities where you collect street names. The journal also suggests that you do things like sit on a corner for an hour and write down what people are saying or that you ask locals to draw you a map of the area. There is plenty of space to capture addresses, itineraries, reviews, and tips from locals, along with a reference section with time zones, measurements, and other relevant information. This is one of the best travel journals if you struggle with a blank page!

This is one of the best travel journals for women.

Everywoman’s Travel Journal

So this is aimed at women but I don’t see why anyone couldn’t use it! The Everywoman’s travel journal includes lined and blank pages for making diary entries and sketching, with handy information tailored for female travelers on security, dress, and natural remedies that combat common travel ailments. Lists and tips on packing, shopping, etiquette, and avoiding jet lag round out this conveniently portable journal, and an inside pocket holds postcards, receipts, mementos, and documents for safekeeping. The Everywoman’s Travel Journal is both useful and inspirational.

En Route is a more traditional travel journal.

En Route: A Journal

En Route is from the same creator as I Was Here. This is a more traditional journal with many blank pages. There are some checklists at the beginning of the journal to get you thinking and then there are half-pages for dated diary entries. There are interesting reference pages like different coffees and teas from around the world and helpful references including common phrases in different languages, measurements, and even photos you can point to if you don’t know the word for something.

This is another travel journal focused on mindfulness.

The Mindful Traveler

The Mindful Traveler is sprinkled throughout with thoughtful prompts and meditations. The journal also provides ample space for free-flowing inspirations and reflections, designated space to set daily intentions, and a keepsake pocket to collect special mementos from a trip. Through a series of activities and meditations drawing on ancient wisdom and current insights, The Mindful Traveler gently guides seekers in their journey on the road.

Everyone loves a good scratch off map in their travel journal!

Travelogue Interactive Travel Journal

The Travelogue Interactive Travel Journal is contained in a beautiful folder to help you store mementos like boarding pass stubs and tickets and other memorabilia.. There is space to plan trips or keep a diary en route, as well as 8 miniature maps which each have a different region covered in gold foil that you can scratch off as you go. (Scratch off maps are the new hot thing! I expect all of the best travel journals and diaries to have them soon!) Record every step of your journey in the 64 page journal.

Summary of The Best Travel Journals

I hope you have enjoyed my collection of the best travel journals, diaries, and notebooks out there on the market today. May they serve as inspiration for your next trip! Enjoy and happy travels.

Check out my other favorite travel products over here, along with…

Other Posts You Might Enjoy

• My Long-Term Travel Packing List
• Don’t be Scared to Travel Alone
• Solo Travel in Your 40s
• The Best Anti-Theft Travel Purses
• My Favorite Travel Websites
• The Best Gifts for Business Travelers

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases of the best travel journals I have recommended here.

The post The 37 Best Travel Journals for Your Trip first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

HelloSign (website, Google Chrome plugin). I had to sign a lot of documents in 2014 (Finally sorting out my 2010 UK taxes (oops), moving, new job etc etc) and my home printer was on the fritz. I knew someone must have invented a solution to my problem and I was RIGHT. HelloSign is a very awesome website that lets you upload documents and then insert an image of your signature and create a PDF. It’s amazing. Use my link for a free try (because then I get more free documents): http://bit.ly/kristahellosign

Boden: Returning to London renewed my obsession with Boden, the mostly online clothing retailer. I love their dresses, even though their prints can be a little wacky sometimes. They have online sales so frequently that I barely ever pay list price. (Similar to my recommendation a few years back about Cole Haan online.) You shouldn’t pay list price for Boden either! WAIT FOR THE SALES. Also, check the clearance section. Oh yes, they have clothing for guys too.

Spotify Premium: I went totally digital this year and got rid of the 600+ CDs I’ve been carting around the world these last ten years. Before I did that, of course, I ripped all the CDs to an external hard drive and also uploaded everything to Google Play (which you should also consider). I then subscribed to Spotify Premium. Pretty much every song ever made, available for a small monthly fee. $9.99 a month in the US and £9.95 in the UK. And you can even stream music on your phone! If you need to get the young person in your life a gift this year, get them a Spotify Premium subscription. I particularly enjoy their canned radio stations. Something for every mood.

Hiring Personal Assistants Online: Also related to moving my life to another continent, I spent a decent chunk of change on personal assistants in 2014 and I wouldn’t change anything. My Chicago personal assistant, Shelley, took my cable boxes back to Comcast for me, picked up my dry cleaning, and brought me Chinese food for lunch. In London, my personal assistants unpacked my kitchen, got my bike fixed, and carted away all my old CDs. Services like Task Rabbit offer a plethora of assistants but if you live in a large metro area, try a Google or two to find specialized companies that focus on this sort of personal assisting/organization stuff.

Uniqlo: Another renewed obsession. Uniqlo is a Japanese brand that I love for its simplicity and high quality construction. I loved the cashmere cardigan I bought from Uniqlo so much that I went online and bought one in every color. (Hey, they’re a good value. And I’m trying to be like Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs and dress in a uniform every day — black dress, black tights, cashmere cardigan — and simplify the decisions I have to make.) Uniqlo doesn’t have as many 20% sales as Boden so buy it when you want it.

GrubHub (US) and JustEat (UK): I’ve been getting a lot of dinner delivered. Healthy stuff mom, I swear. I love sushi! Well, in the US, I’d use GrubHub to get anything and everything I wanted to eat delivered. No more drawer full of old takeout menus! In the UK, I use JustEat, and while it’s not as good as GrubHub (no GrubTracker, which automagically tells you where your food is), it’s still pretty awesome.

DarkSky (app): A great weather app with a lovely design. Dark sky will tell you when it is about to rain! That’s amazing. The best is when it starts warning you that there will be heavy rain, as I experienced this summer when I was at my friends’ barbecue (Hi Andrew and Vanessa!) and we got the alert and then all had to hide in the garage, away from the rain.

My FitBit Aria Scale: Last year, I told you all about my love of my FitBit (basically, a fancy pedometer). Well this year, let me tell you about my Aria scale. I weigh myself and it logs my weight through the magic of wifi on their site and on my phone. And it also does something crazy with my feet with bioelectricalness to determine my percent body fat. It’s pretty cool. You should get one. Don’t be afraid.

Hotel Sites I Really Love: For many, many years, I’ve been a TripAdvisor user. But after a few years of heavy travel, I’ve decided that TripAdvisor is now a little too much lowest-common-denominator for me. (There are a lot of people on the site who have never stayed in a hotel before, so anything is wonderful to them. Also, I don’t trust anyone who eats breakfast in a hotel restaurant unless they are on a tropical island.) When I’m looking for a place to stay, here are the curated sites that I really use as the base of my decision:

• Jetsetter.com: Originally known for their flash sales, now I turn to Jetsetter.com when I want to know the best places to stay and where.
• Tabletotels.com: This is more than just hotels to book. It’s a lifestyle. I really like their newsletters. Particularly good when you don’t really care where you go…you just want to go somewhere and need inspiration. I like the user ratings they do too. If the hotel falls below 15 out of 20, they take it off the site.
• MrandMrsSmith.com: The original curated list of hotels.

Muji pens! I have loved Muji pens for years (thank you Renee and Julie for introducing me to them) and now I want to share the love with you. Find a Muji and buy all the gel pens. Love them!

Serial (podcast): Last one and then I’ll stop. I have my cousin Robert to thank for this one. A spin off of This American Life, Serial tells the story of a real-life 1999 murder, 15 years later and through a journalist’s perspective. Addictive! And harkens back to the old days of radio.

This is getting a little long so I shall bring this to its natural conclusion! Happy 2015 my friends! Hope to see you soon!

Krista

The post My Favo(u)rite Things in 2014 first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

London, you are the best and the most beautiful. I love  you, totally and completely. I get lost in you. (Just like Mark Wallinger and Labyrinth, his London Underground art series of mazes .) But sometimes in love, there is not-so-love. Here is the bad and the good from where I am sitting today.

THE BAD…and/or the things I’ve forgotten…

Yelp London is useless! Barely any reviews for a lot of places.Where is everyone leaving their reviews? No one writes reviews on Time Out anymore. I am left with Foursquare, and even that is kinda sucky and lacking in reviewness. HELP. I want the voice of the people. Help me.

What is with hair color on women? I’ve seen a lot of washed out pink and blue hair. I don’t like it. It looks tacky. If you’re going to do it ladies, MAINTAIN IT.

Flowered trousers…perhaps a bigger thing when the weather was warmer but the patterned blousey trousers on women thing. I don’t know if I like it? Oh wait…hold on, my phone is ringing and it’s MC Hammer…

Smoking…After spending the last four years in the U.S., I have honestly forgotten that people still smoke. On the sidewalk/pavement in London as I’m walking, at work when they need to take breaks and then return to stink up the meeting room, everywhere, everywhere. Smokers are everywhere. Stop putting fire in your mouths, people. It is going to kill you a lot faster than a lot of other things.

Flats owned by people in Singapore and Hong Kong: I had no idea that this was a thing until I started flat-hunting this summer and when I would ask about the landlord, 9 times out of ten, they would tell me, “Oh, he/she is in Singapore/Hong Kong.” Apparently, people in Asia have bought up all the new construction property in east London these last few years. That’s fine, but if you’re going to do it love, hire a property manager. I’m not calling you in Hong Kong when the boiler’s out.

Taking a shower is still hard. In my new flat, I’ve got the two-and-a-half-foot bath and the shower half-glass. I have conquered the two-and-a-half-foot bath (I think) but I HATE THE HALF-GLASS. How do British people take showers?? I do not understand it. I flood the bathroom all the time, and if my bathroom floor tile is any indication, the last tenant did too.

They don’t bag your groceries for you anywhere. They just stare at you (or make no eye contact whatsoever) and then they wait for you to leave. #AWKWARD.

The importance of the past: I learned this hard during my first tour-of-duty. In my experience, British people don’t forget any sort of past. I’m not saying that Americans forget the past, but in general, my take is that Americans have a mindset that’s much more like “Ok, that happened. That was the past. Hindsight is 20/20. Let’s move forward.” Take me out for anything Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese and I’ll tell you more.

Toasters everywhere but no toaster ovens. I just want an English Muffin pizza. Personally, I’m afraid of toaster-toasters. I’m always afraid the toast will catch fire inside. And I don’t want to fire up the broiler just for some cheese on toast.

THE GOOD…

Tethering: My iPhone came with a wifi hotspot, as opposed to in America, where you have to pay extra for that functionality. So if you’re in London and you wanna tether to my hotspot, you just let me know.

UHT MILK! I love long-life milk because you know, British milk goes bad in like less than five days. (American milk lasts a lot longer, like two weeks.) So I buy UHT milk and it lasts forever. I probably don’t want to know what they did to it to make it that way, do I? A lot of people use UHT milk to make yogurt, apparently. Me, I just use it for my morning coffee.

Charging for plastic bags: London started doing this ages ago. I believe California just started doing it. The U.S. is BEHIND.

Pizza Express Salad dressing: Haters, don’t be hating. This stuff is STILL delicious and I go through it like white wine.

The roads are smooth! I don’t know if it’s because I was unlucky enough to live in Chicago, but London roads are SMOOTH! There are no potholes! It’s amazing! I can ride my bike anywhere and not need any dental work!!

Recycling: My building recycles, we recycle at work, and anywhere I go around London, there’s one of those handy separators for recycling. Me and my empty Diet Coke cans feel so virtuous. Saving the world, people. Saving the world!

Direct debits! No checks! I’ve been here four months and I haven’t written ANY CHECKS. It’s amazing. I cannot believe that in America, people still write checks. It is crazy. My debit card is my favorite thing.

Kettles, kettles everywhere: I love my kettle. I use it more frequently than my microwave.

The weather! It’s NOT SNOWING! It’s not frigid. It’s nice. Thank God for that. Honestly, words cannot describe. On January 6th 2015, I am going to throw a “-40 degrees is where Fahrenheit and Celsius intersect” party. You’re invited.

xoxo

The post Hey, I’ve Been Back in London for Four Months Now! first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

My obsession with London knows no bounds. Some of you will get tired of me talking about this, but…I am not sorry. Waitrose!! Double-decker buses! Pubs! Men in suits! Tuxedos on the tube! Cheap flights to everywhere!! Life is good. It’s nice to be back, and in a way, to be reunited with my London restaurant blog, which I am stretching and changing. Here’s what else I’ve been obsessed with lately.

Orla Keily’s collection of shoes at Clark’s. I’ve written before about my obsession with Clarks in London. Some people — the ones not in the know — laugh at me because they think only nuns and old people wear Clarks. Smart people know to get themselves to Clarks immediately. Inexpensive, comfortable AND cute (although they do still have a lot of ugly stuff). I’ve bought two pairs from the Orla collection already. And I am still so sad that I had to throw away my old Mary Portas Clarks last year after an overzealous shoe shiner scuffed all the pony hair off my shoes. (#firstworldproblems)

Peri-peri wings at Marks & Spencer. OK, I can’t link directly to these because M&S apparently doesn’t sell them online except in party platters. But I love these wings so much that sometimes I have them for breakfast. Haters, don’t be hating.

Dresses from Boden. Hey listen, I’m a woman of a certain age. I like Boden. I now own this one, along with a few others.

Cashmere sweaters from Uniqlo. Super great value. Especially the cardigans! Who doesn’t love a cashmere cardigan?? (OMG I feel like such a tw*t as I write that.)

Modern Touch Nails off Chapel Market in Islington: So yes, no matter where I am, I still have the New York obsession with grooming. Must have a manicure and a pedicure. After revisiting some of the places I used to go to in London during my first tour and finding that they’d all gone downhill (dirty, grubby, too crowded, etc.), I’ve found the very clean and very neat and tidy Modern Nails off Chapel Market. They are very nice, even though they don’t let you combine frequent customer cards. (Grrrr.) Recommended.

Spotify Premium: OK, not a London thing but I remember the halcyon days when Spotify was a European thing and not available in the U.S. I love Spotify Premium. Particularly the playlists. These days, I’m digging these lists:

Good for a party…

Good for taking a nap…

For a little reggae…

Happy days, indeed. I love you and everything in you, London.

The post Little London Obsessions first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

I was lucky (or cursed, depending on how you look at it) to have studied journalism and English Literature during university. (Medieval German Literature too, but I would not recommend anything by or about Hildegard von Bingen.) While I would never boast overmuch about my writing and editing skills, my degree has given me a fine appreciation for both a cleverness with words and the proper use of the semicolon. This is true especially within the blogosphere, where someone like me can often run out of substitutes for “delicious” and “amazing,” and while there are many fine blogs, there are few great writers/bloggers. (Please note that all blogging street cred is lost by the use of “yummy” and “amazeballs.” I, admittedly, lost my own credibility eons ago through my overuse of “awesome” and selling my soul to Chobani yogurt in order to pay my hosting fees.)

I was reminded yet again of the true greatness of great phrasing when I learned that the British food critic Jay Rayner was coming to Chicago to promote his new e-book, My Dining Hell: Twenty Ways to Have a Lousy Night Out. Bloggers, if you  have ever wanted to pursue your side hobby as a full-time career, fork over the $2.99 to Amazon (or £1.99 if you’re in the UK) and set aside an hour or two to remind yourself of the depth and breadth of grammatical and vocabulary magic that separates journalists like Jay from the rest of us. My Dining Hell is a collection of the 20 lousiest dining experiences Jay has ever been abused by.

Some lines, which I wish I could highlight in the e-book, but it seems to have the highlighting and dictionary features turned off:

“In an attempt to complete the tour of Asia we also had a Thai-style red curry with shrimp, and it was indeed in the style of a Thai curry much as Zimbabwe is in the style of a democracy.” (On visiting London’s Buddah Bar.)

“Silverbrow’s gedemte meatballs, served in a gloopy cornflour-thickened sauce the same shade of orange as Dale Winton, were, if anything, worse. ‘Gedempte’ usually means ‘long cooked’, so that they fall apart. Here ‘gedempte’ took on an onomatopoeic quality, as of the sound a boulder makes when dropped into water.” (On dining at Bloom’s in London.)

“Because I am here to serve you I ordered not according to appetite, but description. If a dish read badly I had to discover if it really was a disaster. So: ‘Crispy chargrilled veal sweetbread, braised marrow with garlic and thyme, veloute infused with Amaretto and almonds.’ The sauce was so sweet it should have come with a health warning from the British Dental Association.” (On dining at the newly reopened Petrus at the Berkeley Hotel in London.)

You get the point. This is a short, quick and HIGHLY entertaining read that will remind you, if you are a blogger, that the chasm between you and the professionals is a large one, and it cannot be crossed via zip-line. It takes time and energy and effort and a lot more than a good a thesaurus and a Canon S95. (You really don’t need to live in London to enjoy this read.)

US Readers: Buy Jay’s book now! Go on. You know I’ve convinced you.
UK Readers: Buy Jay’s book now!

Full Disclosure: I have followed Jay’s work for many years and when he knew he was coming to Chicago this week, he invited me out to dinner and being the gracious and incredibly wealthy person that he is, he paid for my meal at Chicago’s newly opened g.e.b.  (Graham Elliot Bistro.) Jay and Graham Elliot know each other from Top Chef Masters, where Jay was a judge for two seasons.) g.e.b. comped our desserts — presumably in recognition of the relationship between Graham and Jay — and I paid the tip on the full-tab. I am writing about Jay’s book because IT IS VERY GOOD and you should read it, especially if you, like me, have a (sorely neglected) website and fancy yourself a writer every other Tuesday or so when the moon is full.

The post A Recommendation for Aspiring Food Writers and Restaurant Critics… first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

I am loving the foil water container I got at TBEX in Vancouver. 500 ml and such a better value than buying water in the airport.

Also love my Tylenol PM and doing an Airborne before and after a flight to combat any and all germs.

What’s in YOUR carry-on? And have I forgotten anything? (Besides the power cords of course.)

The post What’s in My Carry-On first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

So when I randomly saw somewhere on the Interwebs that Randolph Street Market was starting this weekend, I packed my umbrella, hopped on the Number 9 bus and headed down for the opening.

Welcome. The market is set up in a big parking lot. I entered from Washington, but you can of course also enter through Randolph. The market offers up some furniture (a mix of antiques), some vintage clothing, some vintage jewelry, and a very cool number of massage-worthy vintage handbags. Gotta keep playing those scratch-off Lotto tickets, kids, I tell ya.

This was one of my favorite stands. It was like a camping catalog…all in plaid and wicker. I wanted to bundle myself up in a wool blanket and help myself to some hot chocolate.

They had a super cool old wagoneer of sorts in pristine condition. (An old Bronco? I’m not sure.) See don’t you just want to play badminton and count the stars with your St. Bernard?

There was one guy selling vintage Schwinns. If your parents and/or grandparents still have theirs, they’re going for $275 to $300 these days so maybe you should help yourself to whatever is in the garage. I’ve been seeing lots of vintage Schwinns around Chicago and totally want to make a photo series out of them. (It’s the seats I love more than anything. Schwinn should bring these puppies back.)

Briefly reminded that I hadn’t made any dinner plans…nor did I want to…today is my day off…

There were no actual potatoes for sale. Just so you know. Also, kinda the wrong time of year for rakes.

I had a nice time wandering around Randolph Street Market. Forewarned…it’s $8 to get in which I have to wonder about. ($10 at the gate. Get yourself together and buy online before you leave the house like I did.) There’s a cool jazz band playing, which was fun. There’s a crepes stand and some people selling truffles. Oh yeah, and a guy selling hot dogs. I went to the coffee van and paid $4 for a latte and it was pretty crap so I wouldn’t recommend that. In short, this place just seems to be SCREAMING out for some decent food options. Hmmm.

I’m kinda sad this isn’t a more regular event. I was also kinda sad that there weren’t that many people there. Sometimes I think that all anyone does in Chicago is sit in their apartment and watch sports on TV. Sigh.

The Randolph Street Market happens June 25-26, July 30-31, August 27-28, September 24-25, October 22-23 (Modern Vintage Chicago), and November 19-20 (Holiday Market). If you know anyone with a food truck, tell ’em they should go.

I should also note that one stand vendor indoors did seem to have a problem with me taking pictures. He asked me what I was doing and I explained that I had a blog and liked to write about things like this. The conversation didn’t go much further than that; he just seemed distrustful. You know…because I look so dangerous.

The post Randolph Street Market, West Loop first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

So I went. And it was beautiful. That there above is looking south on Regent Street south of Oxford Circus. The Union Jack was everywhere, gorgeously so.

I couldn’t resist a bit of shopping while I was in town. I was also lucky enough to be the recipient of some mighty fine gifts for the umpteenth anniversary of my 20th birthday. Here’s what’s pictured, starting from the top left:

Rob Ryan Shopper, Liberty. £24. Gift to self. (Love love love Rob Ryan. You can buy his stuff on Etsy.)
Rob Ryan tile, Liberty. £35. Gift to self.
Royal Wedding  mug. Priceless. Gift from Feathers.
London tray, Liberty. £28.50. Gift to self.
Westminster Abbey Royal Wedding tea towel, Liberty. £13.95.
“It Should Have Been Me” plate. PRICELESS. Gift from my amazingly lovely friends Ben & Antonia. (You might recognize B&A from this post.)
Royal Wedding tea towel, Cath Kidson.  Priceless. Gift from the lovely Sarah and Bernard.
Awesome London cushion by Charlene Mullen that took up half of my suitcase on the way back to Chicago, Liberty. £175. (Can you tell I love Liberty???)

I of course did some mighty fine eating and drinking in London as well. More to come on that shortly.  For sure.

The post Back from London… first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Am hoping to finish a roll today and then send it off to be developed so watch this space for the results!

The post The Holga Camera: My New Toy first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Apple TV

Sometimes you fall in love with things you don’t expect to. I never really wanted to fall in love with any Apple products. I spent too much time in college sitting in front of dinky Macs at the university newspaper, struggling to get QuarkXPress to do what I wanted it to do. I’ve physically and verbally abused a lot of Macs in my time.

But then I got an iPhone. And I loved it. (Although I HATE Vodafone UK for holding me hostage to my UK contract even though I don’t live in the UK anymore. But that’s another story.) And then I got an iPad, and I fell in love with it too. And I started to think that maybe these Apple folks were on to something.

This past weekend, I bought Apple TV. And I’m in love with Apple again. Call me a convert.

If you don’t know what Apple TV is, it’s this little box you see in the picture above. It seriously will fit in the palm of your hand. And it connects to your wireless network. And then it lets you stream all these great things through your TV.

Apple TV on the TV

So I can watch movies from iTunes, or maybe buy one off of Netflix. I can buy and watch TV shows. I can have a YouTube party. Or I can play all my music through my home stereo system by connecting to my iTunes library. Wirelessly. It’s awesome. I might never leave the house.

The only downside to Apple TV is the size of the remote, which I kept losing. Until I came up with my latest invention.

Apple TV Remote Control Holder

Ingenious, isn’t it? And so handy if you’re thirsty too.

Apple TV can be purchased for $97.99 from Amazon.com. In the UK, you can also buy Apple TV from Amazon (prices start at £100.06) but you’ll need to review the different vendors on Amazon and pick the shipping option that works for you. Really, you should go out and buy it. You can have a lot of fun with it for just $100/£100. (Scary though that the UK box costs $155 though, huh? I wonder if you bought a US box if it would work in the UK?)

The post I Love My Apple TV first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

10. My subwoofer. Seriously. When I moved into my new place, I had surround sound installed and, well, sound in every room. (Except the bathrooms…I’m still a bit upset about that. Need to get sounds into the bathrooms.) I didn’t have to spring for this subwoofer, but I like it when my windows rattle a bit. This is the Martin Logan Dynamo 500 and I HIGHLY recommend it. The bass is cranked up as I write this and it is deep and pure. Now I just need to throw a good party. $435.60 on Amazon.

9. Tiles by Rob Ryan. Actually, anything I could get my hands on by Rob Ryan before I left London, including a large print. And a tea towel. He has a little shop on Columbia Road that’s open on Sundays. I particularly liked this tile for me. 🙂 Various prices.

8. My Black & Decker toaster oven. The toaster oven is the one appliance I missed most while living in the UK. How else do you make peanut butter toast? (I like to toast the peanut butter along with the toast.) Or make cheese on toast? Or reheat a slice of pizza? Or make English Muffin pizzas? The toaster oven does everything. It was seriously the first appliance I purchased when I moved back to the States in August. $29.99

7. Miike Snow’s eponymous album. OK, I know it came out in 2009. But I only just discovered these Swedish rockers in 2010. I love Animal, in particular. Funnily, now that I own this, I hear Miike Snow EVERYWHERE. Movies, TV shows, commercials, shopping malls. Everywhere. Animal is $7.99 on iTunes.

6. Bobby Brown Corrector. Under eye circles be gone! Seriously, this stuff makes me look like a different person. $22 and worth every penny.

5. The multiple by Nars in Orgasm. I’m not really one for makeup, but I’ve used this magical stick with many powers nearly every day since I picked it up at Space NK in London earlier this year. It’s a pinkish-coral with a bit of gold sparkle thrown in for good measure. $38.

4. My United Airlines Red Carpet Club Membership. When I moved back to the US, I signed myself up for a United Mileage Plus Visa. My annual membership fee covers entrance into the Red Carpet Club, which given my lack of any significant United Airlines status has come in extraordinarily handy during all my traveling. Free wifi and (mostly) lots of peace and quiet while I wait for my next flight. And they’re FINALLY giving us free drinks in the lounge now too. $375 with the United Mileage Plus Visa Club Card.

3. My Madelief 3-speed bicycle by Royal Dutch Gazelle. I have always wanted a dutch bike with a big basket. For my birthday this year, I woke up and said, “Today is the day.” I headed over to Bobbin Bicycles on St. John Street in London and fell instantly in love with this sturdy (but HEAVY) Dutch cycle. It’s a great conversation starter at traffic lights. Pedestrians always want to know where I got it. £400.

2. The iPad. I have seriously read more books in 2010 than in the last five years combined, all thanks to the ease of downloading books on the iPad. People say the bookstore is dead, and I don’t disagree. But the virtual bookstore is that much more compelling…so many recommendations and reviews and “People who bought this also  bought this…” Ah, and I can’t tell you how awesome the iPad was during my flight to Israel via Amman, when Royal Jordanian was showing movies on the overhead screen; I watched nearly an entire season of The Good Wife instead. $829 (plus local taxes) for the 64 GB iPad with 3G, like I got. Europeans, you’ll save about $150 by buying your iPad in the US.

1. My apartment. I repatriated around 8 pm on Friday, August 6th. My real estate agent picked me up at 9:30 am on Saturday August 7th and showed me 15 properties. I made an offer on my favorite on Monday, August 9th. I’m nothing if not efficient. I moved in in late September and having been decorating ever since. 2011 is going to involve a lot of furniture. But it’s nice to have a permanent home, even if the bank owns most of it.

I have other lists in mind now. The Top 10 Things I Need in 2011.  My 2011 Resolutions. My predictions for the food scene and Chicago in 2011. But right now, I’m materially minded. Tell me…what are your favorite 2010 purchases?

The post The 10 Best Things I Bought in 2010 first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.