Being the Perfect Air B&B Guest

When my family travels, we like to stay in houses instead of hotels, especially when we are going to be in a location for more than a day or two.  We've had great experiences with Air B&B and VRBO in locations from Hollywood, California to Bismarck, North Dakota. Some places are better than others, but I always try to keep in mind that this is someone's home, whether they are currently living in it or not. I also keep in mind that I am being rated as a guest and those ratings will be seen by property owners considering my request to rent their property.

So how can you be the perfect Air B&B guest? I have two basic principles - leave no trace, or if you do leave a trace, leave a good feeling. Think like a teenager after an illicit house party - make it look like you were never there. And, if you're so inclined, leave a little something behind to thank the owner. Here's how:

1. Take pictures of every room as soon as you get there.  We always check out the entire place when we get there.  It's easy enough to snap pictures while you take that initial tour. It will be a lot easier to get those little things like pillows, throw blankets and dishes in the right cabinets if you have pictures of the way you found it.

2. Carefully read and follow the owner's instructions about what to do before you leave. Each owner is different, but everyone likes to know you can follow directions. If you are staying for more than 24 hours, be sure to call the owner if you find any problems or have any questions.  Owners hate to hear complaints after you've gone, especially if they could have fixed them.

3. If you use up a supply of something, replace it. Most properties have some food staples, toilet paper, paper towels or cleaning supplies. You don't have to replace everything you use, but it's just a nice thing to do if you replenish one or more of the staples. Pay it forward for the owner and the next guest.

4. Don't leave stains or smells.  If you stain something and it is washable, take care of it. Likewise, if you stain something that can't be washed, don't try to hide it. If it's something small like a pillow, leave a little money or if it's big, like furniture or carpet, call the owner BEFORE you leave. Smells are tough too. I bring Scentsy with me when I can, but I can't carry multiple warmers in luggage. Airing out the house and some aerosol sprays can help, but be careful not to leave too much scent either.

5. Clean up. Some might disagree with me, but a home is not a hotel. You don't have to thoroughly clean the house, but at least gather up all the garbage. Clean the dishes and put them away. Make sure everything gets back where it was when you arrived. Strip the beds that were used and include the used towels. Wipe out the sinks and showers so you aren't leaving hair. Turn everything off and adjust the heat/cool settings where they were when you arrived. Again, be sure to follow the owner's directions.

6. Leave something behind. This can be as simple as a thank you note, a little candy, or a gift. Something for the house like dishtowels or cooking implements is a nice touch. If the owner has a guestbook, be sure to leave a nice note with some hints for the next guests about things to do.

I'm happy to have the option to stay in someone's house when I travel, so for me doing these little things is my way of expressing my appreciation and renewing confidence in good manners and kindness.

Cindy

Musings from a RV Trip

If you follow Straddling the Gap or my personal account on Facebook, you know we recently went on a 19 day vacation all over the West.  In addition to the 4,000 miles of cool places, we did it in a RV.  We don't own a RV - we rented it - and it was a first for all of us.  During our 19 days on the road, we did learn a few things about RV travel and have a few tips.  In no particular order:

1.  You WILL bump your head (at least twice) and definitely on a cabinet door.  Ice packs in the freezer are a necessity.
2.  We let the kids roam around the RV which was probably the best thing we did.

3.  Get a Swiffer - wet and dry.  Small space, lots of foot traffic.
4.  "A place for everything and everything in its place."  Spend a few days in a RV and you'll understand what it means.

5.  Take a pair of heavy latex gloves and extra yucky shoes for dealing with the "black water" hookup and take down.
6.  Use nubby shelf liner on the table to keep things in place during driving.
7.  Take bungee cords with you.  You probably can't imagine all the ways you will need them.  We had two drawers that stopped latching and the bungees kept them closed.

8.   Wedging the tip of a hot dog into the carbon monoxide alarm works great to muffle the sound in the middle of the night.
9.  Bring a bucket - you never know when the black water valve might leak.
10.  You really need one of these things.  It keeps the hoses going downhill so the hoses drain while you are parked (as opposed to liquid sitting in the hose - ewww).

I don't know if my family would agree, but I would buy one of these in a heartbeat.  We shall see . . .

cindy

Day One - Great American Road Trip

Me.  My husband.  My kids.  In a RV.  For 20 days.  Traveling the West.  It's the Great American Road Trip and we'd love if you joined us (vicariously because there's no more room in this RV).  We didn't leave Scottsdale until 1:30 p.m. because we had to pick up the RV, learn to use it (we've never driven or stayed in one before) and pack it.

Today's route - through Flagstaff north of the Grand Canyon and ending in Kanab, Utah.  In between we saw gorgeous untouched parts of northern Arizona, near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  We drove through the Painted Desert on the Navajo Reservation and saw the Vermilion Cliffs.

  

It was beautiful right at sunset even if we took the pictures from the car.  We then stopped at Lee's Ferry just below Lake Powell.

We finally arrived at Kanab, Utah 9 hours after we left.  This should be the longest driving day on the trip (hopefully).  It was surprisingly easy even though we got 6 miles to the gallon going up to Flagstaff.  At that rate it's going to be a little expensive.

The kids LOVE the RV which means Kent and I love the RV.  They can move about somewhat and have more options for activities.  We even ate lunch while driving!  I'm hoping we are as enthusiastic about this on day 19.  We only left a few items at home - that we know about at this point.

Tomorrow we are off to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon.  Tonight it's just time for bed.

See you tomorrow!

cindy

Verde Canyon Railroad

We were in the Verde Valley area of Arizona during Labor Day Weekend.  The Verde Valley is in Central Arizona, south of Sedona and about 90 miles north of Phoenix.  It's a bit overlooked in the shadow of Sedona, so I wasn't sure what we would do over the weekend.  But we found one of the best gems in Arizona - the Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale.

Turning a Page and a Winner!

Anybody who reads this blog knows I live in Arizona.  I love living here.  I'm not a "native" in that I was born here, but anyone who has ever been to Arizona knows that my 16 years of living here entitles me to the title of "native."  One of the best things about living in Arizona is getting to travel to all the interesting parts of this state and to see the landscapes and creatures.

Labor Day Weekend - Sedona Hike

There's lots to say about this weekend, but let's just make at least some of it easy:

Hope your holiday weekend was great!

cindy

The Jewel of the Desert

Last week I attended a legal conference on water law.  The conference was fairly mundane, my third consecutive year of attending this conference.  The one thing I look forward to every year is that the conference is at the Arizona Biltmore, the Jewel of the Desert.

If you have never visited or seen pictures of this world famous five star resort, it is an architectural dream.  It opened in 1929, seven months before the Stock Market crash that began the Great Depression.  It's unmatched character is the heavy influence of Frank Lloyd Wright both then and now.  It is timeless.

The entire structure is made from pre-cast concrete block, made on site and known as "Biltmore Block."  The strong geometric lines were designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright.  (Not many people know that Wright had a school of architecture - Taliesin West - in what is now Scottsdale.  He was not a stranger to the desert.)  Everything in the hotel follows these lines, from the mission furniture to the light fixtures down to the carpet.  It's like a step back in time.

Movie stars and politicians could be seen at the Biltmore pool; Marilyn Monroe called it her favorite pool.  My claim to fame is that my niece and nephew have each worked poolside at the Biltmore, my niece fetching towels and my nephew regulating kids going down the slide :-)

Every President since Herbert Hoover (in office when the Biltmore opened) has stayed at the Arizona Biltmore (with the exception of the current President).  There is a cool hallway off the lobby that has a picture of each President at the Biltmore, usually on the golf course.

So many people think Phoenix is a recent oasis that popped out the desert, but it truly does have a history.  A living testament to that history is the Arizona Biltmore.  If you visit Phoenix, or just live in the area and have never seen it, its a jewel in the desert you cannot miss.

A disclaimer - I did NOT receive any compensation, consideration or even recognition from the Arizona Biltmore for writing this post.  (I did use historical pictures from its website, but the current pictures are mine.)  I love history, this is Arizona history, and the opinions expressed here are my own.

cindy

Flowers of Kauai

You know I love flowers.  I take pictures of them wherever I go.  The flowers in Kauai are gorgeous.  Hibiscus are plentiful and in every color you can imagine.  But enough with the words, enjoy the eye candy:

Yellow hibiscus is the state flower of Hawaii.

Cool presentation, right?

This is ginger.

Watch for this at a Starbucks near you.  It's coffee.

Oops - wrong eye candy.  Actually, this is how we feel when we look at flowers :)  Hope you enjoyed them.

cindy

Spring Break in Kauai

I love my husband.  Really.  He is one of the few persons who enjoys vacations more than I do.  On our honeymoon we came to Hawaii for the first time and visited 3 islands.  We also made a promise to each other that we would continue to come to Hawaii at least every five years during our marriage.  We will be married 21 years in August and this is our 6th trip.  We are indeed blest.

This time we are in Kauai, the Garden Island.  While it probably hasn't made much news in the mainland, Kauai has been hammered for the last week with rain.  Lots and lots of rain.  In fact, in the last four days this side of the island (in the Poipu area) has had 14 inches of rain (more than twice the amount Phoenix gets in two good years).  The Princeville side of the island has had about 36 inches of rain - in FOUR DAYS.  That's some serious rain, even for a tropical island - a small tropical island.  The bride to Hanalei is out, there have been some landslides and on Monday night when we arrived there was a fierce thunderstorm that bent palm trees and put us to bed abruptly at 9:00 p.m. when the electricity went out.

But this is Hawaii.  Even bad weather is exotic and "ain't no big thing brotha"  Here's the view this morning in paradise:

Kauai and I are reconciling.  The only other time we were here was 9 years ago.  This is the greenest place I have ever seen and very quiet compared to the other islands, but at that time I was 2 months pregnant with my daughter and SOO SICK.  Needless to say, my memories were lying on a couch in the condo and heaving over the side of the tour boat.

Somehow I think this time will be better.  We celebrate my daughter's 9th birthday tomorrow.

Aloha from Kauai.

cindy

The Happiest Place on Earth

There are some places that you know immediately by sound and smell even if you can't see them.  They instantaneously create feelings and memories that rush in like you just felt or experienced them.  For me, one of those places is Disneyland.

We made our first trip to Disneyland when our kids were 9 months and nearly 3.  They don't remember anything about that trip, but they do remember the subsequent trips we took nearly every year.  Now when we go back it feels like a comfortable sweater - someplace familiar.  Every ride, every store, every part of the park has a memory for me of my kids at various ages.

A couple of weeks ago we went there again.  The St. Bernard Choristers had the privilege of singing at Disneyland.  (This was the big trip we were fundraising for.)  It was a new experience and very special because it was a place we knew so well.  We did get to see a new part of Disneyland because we were able to go "backstage".   It seemed so . . . ordinary.  What was extraordinary was seeing my husband direct his children's choir and watch my daughter sing a solo.  Funny thing about that song - after the beginning of the song (which is my daughter's first solo) the music track suddenly stopped.  My clever and talented husband didn't miss a beat - he jumped over to the piano and finished the song!  Here's both parts of the song:

Life is not always perfect, but Disneyland is still the Happiest Place on Earth!

cindy

A Visit Back in Time

Some of you may have read that we traveled to California last week for a choral festival in San Juan Capistrano.  While the kids were in rehearsal, Christian and I toured the historic Mission of San Juan Capistrano.

Founded in 1776 by the Franciscan friars, it includes the oldest standing building in California, Father Serra's chapel.

 
This is the place the swallows fly to every March on St. Joseph's day (March 19).  I have seldom visited places so beautiful.

This is the original mission church, which collapsed in the 1800s.

Christian was not really interested in going in for the tour (he wanted to sit in the car with his iPod Touch), but once he was inside, he loved it!

My favorite part was that you could stay there forever, thinking about all the people of faith who lived there.

I could stay there for hours exploring the little corners and places that were so peaceful and serene.

There are so many other pictures I took, but they would fill a book.  In the meantime, if you're in southern California, this is someplace you must see.

cindy