✈ Your "go-to" bag set up -> Gear review

Good morning ☀️ from Booked It On Points: Friday Edition where I give an actionable tip to make your travel dreams a reality.

I’m still a bit jet lagged from our time in Alaska- nonetheless, the newsletter must prevail.

So, here’s what’s we have today—

✈︎ First Class Travel Tip: Gear to get

Looking for your next must-have travel bag?

Look no further! I hear from readers all the time that they want to know about the best gear to make travel smooth. Geo has several reviews up on his Youtube channel, Just Booked It, however, this is a bag I want you to know about.

This review from Geo covers everything you need to know about a highly rated backpack from Pakt bags. It isn’t cheap, but it may just be your go-to bag for life.

We aren’t sponsored here. We’re just some travelers looking to help other travelers anyway we can 🫂 So, check out the review, learn some things and have a couple laughs. And if you like it, subscribe and let us know what you think in the comments!

Need some trip inspiration? We love reading newsletters from these guys to learn what’s out there and inspire our travels!

✈︎ The Informed Traveler

Real talk: Cruise for vacation, is it right for you? 🚢

As I mentioned, we just came home from a family trip to Alaska. This trip was a 9 day land/sea cruise option with Holland America and it was an interesting way to travel. It wasn’t our first cruise but it was our first time seeing this part of the world. Geo and I wouldn’t ordinarily have booked this sort of trip and there are a lot of benefits to cruising while traveling. But overall, I’m not sure we are the cruising type of travelers.

In my mind, cruising is a bit more, well, sedentary. It’s all-you-can eat, all-day-long buffets, casinos on deck 2 and an opportunity to mingle with other cruisers. I write this, and I immediately feel the withdrawal of the beautiful breakfast spread that sat waiting for me to indulge each morning :) .

This trip was a wonderful way for us to spend optimal time with our extended family. It was super conducive to spending quality time playing board games, enjoying a drink while taking in some incredible scenery (“orcas on port side!” the overhead speaker would inform us), or taking a water color class while cruising glacier bay. We even got in a couple adventurous expeditions→ Geo and our daughter experienced authentic dog sledding while I took a helicopter to the top of a mountain and hiked all the way down. Epic.

Overall, there is a love/hate I have with cruising. I think it provides incredible opportunity to see a place like Alaska- which is truly best seen by the water.

My best advice→pick something that is in your “alley” of travel. There is an array of cruise options out there geared toward different clientele. For example, we learned about Uncruise Adventures where they offer smaller boats focusing on wildlife, wilderness and culture. We may opt to look into an option like this for future adventuring.

Within all of this, let’s remember the most important thing is that you’re getting out there, exploring new places and having experiences. That’s what this is all about at the end of the day.

So what do you think? Are you the cruising type?

That’s it, time for a nap. I appreciate you for being here today,

Allie