Hair care

Latest

Why You Should Commit to the Carry-On and Tips for Making it Easy

Why You Should Commit to the Carry-On and Tips for Making it Easy

The world is divided into two different kinds of people: overpackers and underpackers. If you fall into the first category, don’t turn away yet! Give me a few minutes to try and convince you that there is a better way to travel.

As you might already suspect, I am an underpacker. My measure of a packing fail: Coming home with even one thing in my suitcase that I did not need, use or wear during my trip. I do fail sometimes, but not often anymore.

Here’s how to pack lighter – all lessons I learned the hard way.

Start with an Attitude Change

It helps that I don’t really care how I look. I don’t mean I would travel in ripped or dirty clothes. But I don’t need to be the glammed up center of attention. In fact, when you’re traveling, the more you can blend in, the better. You’re less likely to be targeted by pickpockets and local scammers.

Spend a little time researching what the locals wear and try to pack like that. This is the lesson I learned when I wore my electric blue winter coat to Romania, a former Soviet block country where there were two colors of winter coat: grey and black.

So if you simply must be a fashion plate, try to pare down the clothes to a capsule wardrobe of items you can mix and match and pieces that will do double duty.

Use a Packing List

These printable packing lists will give you a feel for the things you’ll need. If the list includes something you don’t think you’ll need, don’t pack it. If there is something missing, make a note on the printed sheet so you don’t forget it.

Check the Weather Forecast

I make this recommendation because I live in Chicago. We like to say, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes.” Here, the calendar might say May, but the thermometer might say March. Or July.

So check the forecast for your destination. It will tell you whether to pack a raincoat, sunhat, shorts, or sweaters.

Start Packing Early

If you have a spare bed, room, couch or some other spot to hold the things you want to pack, start a week early and put everything on the bed that you think you might want on your trip.

Then walk away.

Come back the next day and look it over. Is there anything missing? Is there anything you think you might not need on the trip? Make adjustments accordingly.

Then walk away.

Come back the next day with the intention of making choices. If you have two pairs of pants on the bed, take away one pair. If you have four shirts, take away two. And so on, until you have cut in half the things on the bed.

Then walk away.

The next day, it’s time to pack. Start with the pieces of clothing you absolutely MUST have with you.

If you run out of suitcase before you run out of clothes to pack, you get to make a choice: Leave something else behind or pay $40 or more to check a bag.

Buy Packing Cubes

I resisted buying this travel essential for years. Now I can’t believe I ever traveled without them.

Packing cubes are flexible pouches with a brilliant zipper system. You pack them with the clothes you want to take, and zip them shut. Then – this is the brilliant part – you zip a second zipper to compress the insides flat. (Think of it like your expandable suitcase, when you open that second zipper, it gives you an extra inch or two of suitcase space. When you zip it shut, everything inside is compressed.)

As a bonus, the clothes you lay inside the packing cube are much more likely to stay wrinkle free. I don’t know why. But it’s true.

Stick with One Basic Color

When I head to a Caribbean resort, that color will be white. But most of the time, it’s black – black pants, a black skirt, a black dress. Then I add color in the tops I will wear with the pants and skirt. Finally, I pack a few scarves and funky costume jewelry to dress everything up or down and add more color.

Wear the Heavy Stuff on the Plane

There are plenty of TikTokers and travel hacker influencers who will tell you to wear layers and layers on the plane to save suitcase space. Or to pack a pillowcase with your stuff and pretend it’s a pillow, not a suitcase, so it doesn’t count as a carryon.

While that might be useful info for travelers on uber-budget airlines that charge for anything that doesn’t fit under your seat, you really don’t have to go that crazy. Just use a little common sense.

If, for example, you’re flying from Florida to Colorado, you know you’ll need your winter coat, hat, gloves, hiking boots and heavy jeans. Wear the jeans and hiking boots on the plane, stuff the hat and gloves in the coat pockets and carry the coat on the plane rather than packing it in a suitcase.

I do this anyway because I’m always chilly on a plane. I’m always surprised when I see someone boarding a flight in shorts and flip flops. I would be blue by the time I landed!

Think Layers, Not Bulk

Thin layers are always the right answer, no matter where you are. Even a Caribbean vacation requires preparing for chilly evenings or overly air-conditioned restaurants. Layers are the answer to staying warm and packing light.

Make the Best Use of Your Under-Seat Bag

Finally, remember that you get not one, but two things to carry onto the plane – a bag that goes into the overhead and a smaller bag that fits under the seat in front of you.

Don’t waste the space in that second bag!

My go-to is a roomy backpack because I travel with a lot of electronics – laptop, Kindle, phone, ear buds and all of the cords and accessories they require. But those only take up two zippered compartments. That leaves two more compartments for other things – makeup bag, an extra pair of shoes, etc.

The other thing that works for me is a big striped bag that is super flexible. I can cram a lot into it and still stuff it under the seat. The downside of that is it is heavy to carry, unlike my backpack which easily distributes the weight across my shoulders.

Practice, Practice, Practice

I know. This isn’t easy. Especially if you’ve always been an overpacker. But practice will make perfect. Try it on your next quick weekend trip. That will give you a chance to see how it feels to only pack what you’ll need for 2-3 days, how much you like being able to lift that light carry-on bag and how happy you are not worrying about whether your suitcase will show up at the other end of your flight.

Just remember to pack one more thing: a credit card. That way, if you find you truly can’t live without something for a few days, you can head to the store to buy it.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are you an overpacker or an underpacker? What’s your favorite packing hack? Share with us in the comment section below.

Uncategorised

Latest

4 Things to Do in Peru Over 60 (#3 Isn’t for the Faint of Heart)

4 Things to Do in Peru Over 60 (#3 Isn’t for the Faint of Heart)

The buggy dives across sandy slopes in Huacachina, Peru, bringing to mind the movie Dune. Our driver parks and pulls out a snowboard. I lay face first, long legs behind me. Was it the pisco that made me do it?

Pisco, Peru’s signature spirit, is distilled from grapes, and packs a punch with up to 48% alcohol. No trip to Peru is complete without a tasting. Between cocktails, I explore Paracas, glimpsing wondrous wildlife, surf massive dunes, and hike to Machu Picchu.

Riding the Pisco Route

Pisco Cocktails

I tried a pisco sour on a press trip to Chile, and couldn’t get enough of the sweet, tart cocktail. Pisco sour is made with simple syrup, lime juice, egg white, and a dash of bitters. On my Peru trip, I aim to sample other pisco cocktails, including the Machu Picchu (colorful layers of liquid with a cherry on top), the Maracuya Sour (made with passion fruit), and the Aguaymanto Sour (made with berries).

Machu Pichu cocktail
Maracuya sour
Pisco cocktails

Pisco Tasting

Grapes used for pisco must be grown in one of five locations: Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua, and Tacna. At CulturPisco in Ica, two native grape varieties, quebranta, a red grape, and torontel, a white grape, are used. Pisco is distilled in copper, to between 38 and 48 percent alcohol, and aged for at least three months.

“Workers crush the grapes with their feet,” says the guide, then adds, “Don’t worry, they wash their feet first.” I try five types of pisco. My favorite is the Maracuya Sour. Following the pisco tasting, I visit the Ballestas Islands.

The Poor Man’s Galapagos

A boat from Paracas heads for the Ballestas Islands, a series of rock formations and caves, considered the ‘poor man’s Galapagos’. I watch mesmerized as hordes of birds swarm fishing boats, scrounging for anchovies. Sea lions jockey for position on a green metal buoy, rocking back and forth. And Humboldt penguins waddle and flap their wings in the sun.

The Islands are covered in guano or shorebird poop, once considered as precious as gold. There were so many poop miners that the government set up a national reserve and required permits to protect the poopers. Today, poop mining is only allowed three months a year. We went from Pisco tasting to Paracas to sand-surfing all in one day.

Surfing Sand

I climb a steep sandhill, bordering a turquoise lagoon in Huacachina, and strap myself into a neon green buggy. The driver’s eight-year-old son sits in the backseat, so how dangerous could this be? The next thing I know, I’m flying up and down enormous mounds, which reminds me of roller coaster rides with my kids when they were small. I thought I was done with that. I guess not.

Photo by Joe Manner.

The driver pulls out a snowboard. I lay face-first on my stomach and woosh down, glad for the pisco-tasting at CulturPisco. The dune buggy and sandboarding tour in Huacachina is an amazing thrill ride. I have sand everywhere possible. And I mean everywhere. I am proud of myself and try not to notice the 20-somethings surfing higher hills. After all, ‘comparison kills joy’. I had another chance to get high on the way to Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu, My Way

When I was younger, I envisioned a 4-day hike on the Inca Trail, camping along the way. Then I turned 60 and thought my days of adventure had ended. Not so.

The 1-day, 6-hour hike was the perfect challenge. The weather was clear, affording perfect views, and I reached Machu Picchu at the end of the day, when all of the tourists had left. At the end of the tour, an Alpaca nibbled on my favorite yellow sweater. It was hard to shake loose. I ended up leaving the sweater behind as a gift.

The trip to Peru checked all the boxes, wildlife viewing, active adventure, and culinary travel. I got outside my comfort zone, my way. And I look forward to more fun in the future.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Where would you like to travel? Which trips would you like to do but think you may be too old for? Why put them off? Is there a way to do the trip that you can manage? What’s your favorite cocktail? Would you like some pisco sour recipes?

Skin Care

Latest

How to Make Your Own Essential Oil Blend for Mature Skin (Recipe)

A Basic Essential Oil Blend for Everyday Mature Skin Care

With all the wonderful natural facial serums on the market today, it can be a little overwhelming choosing the correct formula with safe, non-toxic ingredients, all at a reasonable price. The good news is that it’s easy and fun to make a quality product on your own using the miracle of nature – essential oils. 

When I started working with skincare formulas in 2003, one of the first products I was excited about making was an essential oil-based facial serum. My skin needs were changing, and a moisturizing oil made perfect sense for dry, maturing skin.

I decided to work with four wonderful healthy aging essential oils I had discovered: Lavender, Frankincense, Rose Geranium, and Carrot Seed.

The natural and highly effective nature of essential oils makes them perfect for skincare. When blended for their various properties and used with a carrier oil that matches your skin type, you can create a serum tailor-made for your skin.

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are the essence of plants. Hidden away in many parts of the plant, like the flowers, seeds, and roots, they are very potent chemical compounds. They can give the plant its scent, protect it from harsh conditions, and help with pollination.

The benefits of essential oils on humans are diverse and amazing. Lavender flower oil, for example, contains compounds that help soothe skin irritation and redness, while the scent reduces feelings of anxiety and stress.

The beautiful Rose essential oil is hydrating to the skin and sometimes used to treat scarring, while the scent is known to help lift depression. 

There are many essential oils to choose from for specific skincare needs. I have used a myriad of different combinations but keep coming back to the tried and true blend from my very first serum.

The four essential oils used are the workhorses of skincare for mature skin, as well as being wonderfully uplifting for mind, body, and spirit. 

The Base Oil Blend Formula

Here’s what you’ll need:

Bottle

1 oz. amber dropper bottle. You can find those in pharmacies or online.

Base (Carrier) Oil

As a base, you can use one of the oils below or a combination of several that meet your skin’s needs:

  • Jojoba oil is my base oil of choice. It’s incredible for most skin types: it’s extremely gentle and non-irritating for sensitive skin, moisturizing for dry skin, balancing for oily skin, ideal for combination skin, and offers a barrier of protection from environmental stressors. It also helps skin glow as it delivers deep hydration.
  • Rosehip oil smooths the skin’s texture and calms redness and irritation.
  • Argan oil contains high levels of vitamin E and absorbs thoroughly into the skin leaving little oily residue.
  • Avocado oil is effective at treating age spots and sun damage, as well as helping to soothe inflammatory conditions such as blemishes and eczema.
  • Olive oil is a heavier oil and the perfect choice if your skin needs a mega-dose of hydration. Just be aware that olive oil takes longer to absorb and leaves the skin with an oily feeling. This may be desirable for extremely dry, red, itchy skin.

Essential Oils

  • Lavender essential oil is very versatile and healing. It helps reduce inflammation, kill bacteria, and clear pores. Its scent is also calming and soothing.
  • Frankincense essential oil helps to tone and strengthen mature skin in addition to fighting bacteria and balancing oil production.
  • Rose Geranium essential oil helps tighten the skin by reducing the appearance of fine lines, helps reduce inflammation and fight redness, and offers anti-bacterial benefits to help fight the occasional breakout. The scent is also known to be soothing and balancing.
  • Carrot seed oil is a fantastic essential oil for combination skin. It helps even the skin tone while reducing inflammation and increasing water retention.

The Recipe

Let’s start with a simple recipe:

  • 1 oz. Jojoba oil (or carrier oil of your choice)
  • 10 drops Lavender
  • 10 drops Frankincense
  • 10 drops Rose Geranium
  • 10 drops Carrot seed oil 

Place the essential oil drops in the amber dropper bottle then fill with Jojoba/carrier oil. It’s that simple!

Applying Your Homemade Serum

Use this serum morning and evening as part of your regular skincare routine. Serums work best when applied after cleansing your face. You can cleanse with Coconut Oil or a mixture of oils for enhanced hydration (we will cover this in the next article) or use your regular facial cleanser.

Essential oils will not interfere in any way with your normal skincare products.

Keep in mind that the serum is concentrated. Use only a pea-sized amount, work it into your fingertips, and apply evenly over the face without tugging or pulling.

If your skin feels tacky, reduce the amount on the next application. Your skin should feel soft, not oily. Follow with your regular moisturizer if you like. 

Making your own facial serum is fun and rewarding! I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas on essential oils and making personalized serums and skincare.

What facial serum do you use? Have you made one yourself? What is your favorite essential oil for skin care? Please share your thoughts with our community!

4 Things to Do in Peru Over 60 (#3 Isn’t for the Faint of Heart)

4 Things to Do in Peru Over 60 (#3 Isn’t for the Faint of Heart)

The buggy dives across sandy slopes in Huacachina, Peru, bringing to mind the movie Dune. Our driver parks and pulls out a snowboard. I lay face first, long legs behind me. Was it the pisco that made me do it?

Pisco, Peru’s signature spirit, is distilled from grapes, and packs a punch with up to 48% alcohol. No trip to Peru is complete without a tasting. Between cocktails, I explore Paracas, glimpsing wondrous wildlife, surf massive dunes, and hike to Machu Picchu.

Riding the Pisco Route

Pisco Cocktails

I tried a pisco sour on a press trip to Chile, and couldn’t get enough of the sweet, tart cocktail. Pisco sour is made with simple syrup, lime juice, egg white, and a dash of bitters. On my Peru trip, I aim to sample other pisco cocktails, including the Machu Picchu (colorful layers of liquid with a cherry on top), the Maracuya Sour (made with passion fruit), and the Aguaymanto Sour (made with berries).

Machu Pichu cocktail
Maracuya sour
Pisco cocktails

Pisco Tasting

Grapes used for pisco must be grown in one of five locations: Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua, and Tacna. At CulturPisco in Ica, two native grape varieties, quebranta, a red grape, and torontel, a white grape, are used. Pisco is distilled in copper, to between 38 and 48 percent alcohol, and aged for at least three months.

“Workers crush the grapes with their feet,” says the guide, then adds, “Don’t worry, they wash their feet first.” I try five types of pisco. My favorite is the Maracuya Sour. Following the pisco tasting, I visit the Ballestas Islands.

The Poor Man’s Galapagos

A boat from Paracas heads for the Ballestas Islands, a series of rock formations and caves, considered the ‘poor man’s Galapagos’. I watch mesmerized as hordes of birds swarm fishing boats, scrounging for anchovies. Sea lions jockey for position on a green metal buoy, rocking back and forth. And Humboldt penguins waddle and flap their wings in the sun.

The Islands are covered in guano or shorebird poop, once considered as precious as gold. There were so many poop miners that the government set up a national reserve and required permits to protect the poopers. Today, poop mining is only allowed three months a year. We went from Pisco tasting to Paracas to sand-surfing all in one day.

Surfing Sand

I climb a steep sandhill, bordering a turquoise lagoon in Huacachina, and strap myself into a neon green buggy. The driver’s eight-year-old son sits in the backseat, so how dangerous could this be? The next thing I know, I’m flying up and down enormous mounds, which reminds me of roller coaster rides with my kids when they were small. I thought I was done with that. I guess not.

Photo by Joe Manner.

The driver pulls out a snowboard. I lay face-first on my stomach and woosh down, glad for the pisco-tasting at CulturPisco. The dune buggy and sandboarding tour in Huacachina is an amazing thrill ride. I have sand everywhere possible. And I mean everywhere. I am proud of myself and try not to notice the 20-somethings surfing higher hills. After all, ‘comparison kills joy’. I had another chance to get high on the way to Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu, My Way

When I was younger, I envisioned a 4-day hike on the Inca Trail, camping along the way. Then I turned 60 and thought my days of adventure had ended. Not so.

The 1-day, 6-hour hike was the perfect challenge. The weather was clear, affording perfect views, and I reached Machu Picchu at the end of the day, when all of the tourists had left. At the end of the tour, an Alpaca nibbled on my favorite yellow sweater. It was hard to shake loose. I ended up leaving the sweater behind as a gift.

The trip to Peru checked all the boxes, wildlife viewing, active adventure, and culinary travel. I got outside my comfort zone, my way. And I look forward to more fun in the future.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Where would you like to travel? Which trips would you like to do but think you may be too old for? Why put them off? Is there a way to do the trip that you can manage? What’s your favorite cocktail? Would you like some pisco sour recipes?

Read More

Need a Boost to Your Retirement Savings? Help for Those in Their Early 60s

Need a Boost to Your Retirement Savings Help for Those in Their Early 60s

Are you worried that you may need to work far into the future, or change your lifestyle dramatically in retirement, or both? How do your retirement savings compare to others’?

The Average “Jane”

For many people, an employer sponsored 401(k) retirement savings plan houses their largest retirement account. Vanguard, one of the nation’s biggest providers of these accounts, found its participants had the following average 401(k) balances in 2022:

Younger than 25 $5,236
25-34 $30,017
35-44 $76,354
45-54 $142,069
55-64 $207,874
65 and older $232,710
(Source: https://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/articles/average-retirement-savings-balance-by-age)

How Much Do I Need?

The answer to this question is highly individual. It depends on your income sources, spending patterns, cost of living in your area, and retirement lifestyle goals. There are rules of thumb, however. Financial firm Fidelity suggests people save for retirement using the following rule of thumb based on their annual income: 6X their annual income in savings at age 50; 8X at age 60; and 10X at age 67. Some advisors suggest even more aggressive savings goals.

It is apparent that many Americans are falling short. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American annual wage across all occupations as of May 2023 was $65,470. That means the average retirement savings at age 67 should be $645,700, based on Fidelity’s guidelines.

If your retirement savings fall short, do not become discouraged! The SECURE Act of 2022 offers a way to boost your savings if you are in your 60s!

Catch-Up Contributions

Starting in 2025, participants in Roth or Traditional 401(k) or other employer-provided retirement plans [403(b), governmental 457 plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan] who are ages 60 through 63 are allowed to make a catch-up contribution of up to $10,000 or up to 150% of the regular catch-up contribution amount for those 50 and older — whichever is greater.

In 2025, workers 50 and older can make up to $7,500 in catch-up contributions, in addition to the $23,500 limit for those younger than 50, for a total of $31,000. Under a change included in the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, starting in 2025 a higher catch-up contribution limit applies for employees aged 60, 61, 62 and 63 who participate in these plans.

For 2025, this higher catch-up contribution limit is $11,250 instead of $7,500. The total contribution limit for 2025 is then $34,750 ($23,500 plus $11,250) for those in this select age group.Going forward, both the regular catch-up and the extra catch-up for those in their early 60s will be adjusted for inflation.

When Can I Retire?

Good question! The increased contribution limit, if you take advantage of it, might make a difference when you can retire. How will you know? I recommend that, if you have not already, you sit down with a financial advisor or financial planner who is a fiduciary and go through your numbers. Don’t wait! The peace of mind that assurance about your future will give you is priceless! Some studies show that retirement savings of those who worked with an advisor improved substantially over self-management.

How can you find an advisor who is a fiduciary and why is that important? A fiduciary is an individual who is ethically bound to act in another person’s best interest. Fiduciary financial advisors must avoid conflicts of interest and disclose any potential conflicts of interest to clients. Look for a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) or a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®professional. You can search for an advisor in your area who is a CFP® professional at the following website: https://www.letsmakeaplan.org/.

Questions to Discuss:

Are you ahead of, at the average, or behind in your retirement savings? Were you aware of the 2025 increased contribution limit for 60-63-year-olds? Do you plan to take advantage of the new limit?

Read More

Loading