Call it luggage; call it baggage - suitcases, duffels, trunks, carryons, checkthroughs -- every traveler has bags to lug around. Here are some tips for happy toting, no matter where your journey leads.

Too many bags, or too few? The more items of luggage you have (and the smaller they are), the easier it is to lose track of one or more if them. On the other hand, if you jam everything into a couple of huge bags they'll be impossible to lift, and the loss of one bag could put a big dent in your vacation. Try to find a happy medium.

Carryon luggage. Even though your carryon may fit the scanner at the security checkpoint, it still may not fit in the overhead or under seat storage areas. Check with your airline before you fly for specific maximum dimensions -- some aircraft fit larger bags than others. You are usually allowed one carryon bag plus one personal item such as a purse or briefcase, and shopping bags do count towards your allowance. The Federal Aviation agency has useful information on this and other related topics at http://www2.faa.gov/index.cfm/apa/1079

Stowing strollers. Parents often ask about checking strollers before they fly. Strollers and infant carriers can be taken to the gate, and checked as you board the plane. The item(s) will be waiting for you when you disembark.

Visibility at the carousel. Sometimes it seems that everyone buys their luggage at the same store, and half a dozen people scramble for the same bag when it emerges at baggage claim. Distinctive luggage tags, stripes of colored adhesive tape, and/or colored baggage straps (available at all luggage stores) all help make your bags unmistakable.

Label your luggage inside and out. Every bag should have a luggage tag. The airline will supply a paper tag if you need it. Include some form of identification inside the bag, too, in case you lose the outer tag.

Checked baggage inspection. As we mentioned in a recent article, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) now inspects all checked airline luggage. In many cases, the luggage goes through a scanning device, but at some airports all luggage must be hand-inspected. The TSA asks that you not lock your bags, as the locks will be removed if they have to inspect your luggage by hand. If you just want to hold the zippers closed, even a simple twist-tie will work. To reduce the possibility of casual theft, buy plastic cable ties at the hardware store -- you'll need a stout scissors or clipper to open them, though (round-nosed scissors are now allowed in carryon luggage). To read more, visit the TSA's consumer web site at http://www.tsa.gov

Split your contents between several bags. If you lose a bag, the airline usually returns it to you within 24 hours, but what happens if your cruise ship departs a few hours after you land? Divide your belongings between several bags, so if one bag is lost, everyone still has at least a few items to wear when your ship sails.

Create an inventory. Make a complete list of the contents of each bag and carry the list on your person as you travel. If a bag is lost or items are missing, the list will make a loss claim much easier. To be even safer, leave a copy of the list at home, too.

Rolling; rolling; rolling. How did we travel before the days of wheeled luggage? A new set of wheeled bags may be one of your most savvy investments. Tall people should beware of short wheeled bags with short handles, though -- they can be murder on your back.

Copyright Jennifer Marx, PassPorter travel Press. All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your web site and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links, and the resource box are unchanged.

about the Author: Jennifer Marx is the author of over 40 print books, including the award-winning, best-selling PassPorter Walt Disney World guidebook. She is married to author Dave Marx and mom to two kids who love Disney. Read more of Jennifer's articles on disney and general travel at http://www.passporter.com and in the popular Disney discussion forums.

over the past two months I've received many questions on the Fat loss For Idiots diet. I thought it would be beneficial to arrange all these questions and answers in one article. So I present before you important questions and answers on the Fat loss 4 Idiots diet.

Q: What kind of exercises do you recommend doing with this diet?

A: Fat loss For Idiots is based on correct and healthy nutrition, not on exercise. Basically, no specific exercise is required with the diet. However, I recommend that you take a brisk walk a few times a week in order to accelerate your weight loss.

Q: I'm a vegetarian, is the diet right for me?

A: Fat Loss 4 Idiots has a vegetarian menu so you can use the diet without concern. There have been no reports of the diet working less for vegetarians.

Q: If I used the diet, lost weight, and now I reached my target weight, should I continue following the diet?

A: A diet isn't something to do forever. I'm glad you reached your target weight. From now on, just eat healthily and watch your weight. Return to the diet only if you ever wish to lose more weight.

Q: How much weight can I lose with this diet?

A: It depends on how well you follow the diet menu and for how long you do it. I read a testimonial from a man who lost 75 pounds with Fat Loss 4 Idiots and was still going strong, so the sky is the limit.

Q: Is the Beyond Calories ebook a worthwhile addition to the basic Fat loss 4 Idiots package?

A: Beyond Calories can teach you how to incorporate H.S. foods into your routine to lose weight even faster. Beyond Calories can produce excellent results. However, it does take some effort to use Beyond Calories, so I suggest that you use it only if you're committed to lose weight fast. You can only get Beyond Calories as an addition to the basic Fat Loss 4 Idiots package.

I hope these questions and answers helped you answer some on your own question about FatLoss4Idiots.

To read how you can start to lose as much as 9 lbs. in 11 days in keep it off, visit this webpage:
How to lose 9 lbs. every 11 days with The Fat Loss 4 Idiots Diet.

John Davenport lost over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life. To read more fast weight loss, click here: How To Lose Weight Fast And Never Gain It Back

We recently purchased a new hot Tub and Gazebo from Cal Spas in minnesota. The purchase was not something we planned, just something that caught our eye when visiting the minnesota State Fair. As a result we learned a few things that would have made our purchase smarter. In the end we're pleased with the decision but its easy to say now that all the work is done. In this article I'll outline the information I wish I had considered when making this purchase. I hope it helps you in your decision.

The Tub

This isn't going to be a detailed rundown on what to look for in a good tub or who to buy it from. I'll leave that to the other articles out on the internet. There are two points I'll make of things I may have changed. We purchased the top of the line system, the only thing it lacked was an LCD monitor and DVD player.

So what would I change?

Well after using it for a season I find that the multitude of jets is irrelevant for me. I am more of a soaker and actually prefer that the jets aren't all blasting. Its too much noise and I don't like the splashing. So I would look for something at a better price point and give up some of the fancy jets in favor of more common ones.

A friend of mine paid 1/2 of my cost for a more basic unit and he couldn't be happier.

So where would I put this money?

I would ALWAYS splurge and get the stereo and speakers built into the tub. My wife insisted on this and it added quite a bit to the price but I wouldn't want it any other way. The tub uses a marine radio/CD player with water proof speakers and a remote controller on the top side of the tub. You can easily hear the music and I even ran a TV in through the Auxiliary so we can hear the TV through the tub speakers. My friend who didn't buy this feature is left with setting up elaborate wiring and remote control extenders to get his stereo to play outside.

Another feature I'd suggest is fiber optic lighting. There are a bunch of small lights around the top of the tub that change color. At first glance it looks like this would just be to make it fancy. Try the tub at night and you'll find they provide a great deal of light which makes the tub much easier to use. It also helps when messing around outside the tub with CD's Drinks Towels, chemicals etc.

My friend again, is stringing rope lighting.

So in a nutshell on the tub, consider the stereo and fiber optics and if necessary go with less jets to cover the cost.

Gazebo information

My wife insisted on a Gazebo surrounding the tub and for years I put off the purchase because I didn't want to spend another $7000.00 on a Gazebo. Once we took the plunge I'd say that for the minnesota winters I'd have it no other way. I have neighbors that freeze climbing in and out and maintaining their spa. Ours is like another room in the house and is quite warm in the winter due to the heat from the tub.

Now a word of advice.

My buddy purchased an 8x8 Gazebo that basically encloses the tub with no extra space. They climb up stairs and go through the windows of the gazebo to get in the tub. On a showroom this looks like a fine arrangement. Well this winter his wife climbs in, closes the windows to keep the cold out and finds herself trapped in the gazebo. They had to damage the windows getting it open due to the condensation that froze the window shut. My smart wife insisted we purchase a larger gazebo. We went with a 12x12 that had racks and storage for chemicals and towels. It also has built in lights which are a bonus.

The important thing to note about this decision is that I enter the gazebo through a sliding door, not the window. If anything freezes it will be the windows by the tub not the ones opposite the room and the sliding door. Additionally its just nice to have a new room on the house and the cost relative to the benefits isn't bad at all. Plus we have room for a bar and stools in there.

Preparation and Additional costs

Here are a few things to consider in your decision they either provided additional cost or hard work on my part.

Electrical: You'll most likely need a dedicated 50 amp circuit with a breaker box in plain view of the tub. In our case this meant digging a 36 inch deep trench from the garage to the gazebo (50 feet) so the electrician could run the conduit. The cost of the electrical work was about $1000.00 and I had to dig the trench myself. My buddy did his own electrical and still spent $500.00 in parts so keep that in mind.

Cement: I also needed a new cement slab to accommodate my tub and gazebo. We put in a 14x15 slab to accomplish this. What I did not consider was that cement has gone way up in price since my last 10x10 slab. We spent almost $2000.00 for the labor and materials to have this poured. What I also did not consider was the work of removing the grass from that area. This took three days of exhausting work cutting strips of sod and hauling them to the disposal site.

Gazebo: What I did not consider and was not told by the sales rep was that immediately upon erecting the gazebo, we'd need to stain it to seal the wood from the weather. This is a 12x12 structure I hadn't considered staining. Let me just say it was a day of hard work which will need to be done at least every other year.

Additional Items to Consider

A few additional items you may want to consider purchasing.

Cover Helper: The covers of these hot tubs are not easy to move around by yourself. This is especially true in a Gazebo. They sell cover helpers which are lever type devices that life the cover mechanically and put it behind the tub. Unfortunately for me my wife wants the tub against the wall so we're stuck either using 1/2 the tub or man handling the heavy cover. This is my pet peeve about tubs. So if you have the room or consider making the room, this will make your spa much more enjoyable.

portable Utility Pump: Tubs have a gravity drain at the bottom but these can take all day to drain a tub. My neighbor was smart and purchased a utility pump or sump pump at the local Home Depot or Menards. This drained the tub in about an hour and let us get to work cleaning and refilling fairly quick. After borrowing his I went right out and picked one up for about $70.00 For those of you who've drained a waterbed without a pump you'll know why this is a good investment.

Hose for adding water: Just like with my waterbeds, I prefer to purchase a special hose for adding water to the tub. I keep it inside so it stays clean and not frozen. Tubs evaporate water at a surprisingly fast rate so plan on adding water once a month or so.

In Home Jacuzzi Tubs

When we built our house we splurged and added one of those large two person Jacuzzi tubs with six jets. I thought we'd be in heaven and was reminiscing of nights spent in the Jacuzzi suites in a hotel. What I didn't consider is the following and because it these things, it functions more as an ornament to make the bathroom look grand.

Filling: These things take time to fill, by the time its filled do you still need or want that bath?

hot Water: Filling these will drain your water heater down unless you've planned for extra capacity. I find that the water for my pre bath shower isn't very warm once I've filled the tub.

Cleaning: Ok so I'm lazy but just like a hot tub, you have to clean the tub and jets and the larger the tub the more work it is just to keep the dust out.

I hope my thoughts have given you something to consider and plan when making a large purchase such as a spa or gazebo. All things considered I'd do it again if I moved but I'd be a little smarter and save money and effort.

About The Author

John Gall is a full time IT Manager and IT Consultant in minnesota. He runs several websites as a hobby featuring content similar to that in this article.

http://www.gallconsulting.com

http://www.sandalspictures.com

http://www.napavalleypictures.com, http://www.winesilove.com

one of the greatest things about the internet you can find almost anything online. You can use the internet to find free yoga exercise poses and routines that will help you learn more about yoga.

If you are just starting out in yoga, then finding yoga exercises online is a great way to learn how effective yoga is at relieving stress and gaining flexibility. You can learn the basic poses and terminology so that when you do take a class, you will understand what to expect from your training class.

As with all things you find on the internet, you need to take what you learn with a grain of salt. If all the free information you find about yoga exercise describes one particular pose one way, and another article describes the same pose a different way, assume the one is incorrect and the majority is right.

Another benefit of learning about yoga online, you dont have to go to the gym, you dont have to worry about what you are wearing (is it trendy enough), and you can work out at your own pace. You dont even need to shave your legs before you start you yoga exercise routine.

Also, with yoga exercise training you find online, you can back up and repeat an exercise if you dont get it right the first time. one of the biggest benefits, it is free. But remember, you get what you pay for.

based on all these reasons, I strongly recommend taking advantage of the free yoga exercise classes and techniques that you find online.

Sydney Heiden is a practitioner of yoga and founder of Yoga and Meditation for Beginners. For more yoga tips and information, go to her website, www.Yoga.Cool-Home-Stuff.com.