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TRAVEL EASE 1
Product review by JSG Web Producer Marina Farrell

Eco-Dent Toothpowder

Successfully passing through the strictest security centers on my flights in September from the U.S. to the U.K., I was able to bring on board a small bottle of toothpowder, my old-fashioned solution to the current toothpaste ban. I was careful to present it at the security screening, pouring out some of the minty powder to show to security personnel.

I showed this little bottle to flight crew and stewards on my way to the airplane lavatory during the long flights. They were unanimously amazed and all asked where they get some for their own use. The toothpowder contains mostly baking soda, with added mint flavor. Simply wet your toothbrush, then pour on a small amount. Please note, water in the airplane lavatory is not potable, so don’t forget to ask for a glass of water to use instead. It’s really nice to be able to brush your teeth after a long-haul flight! Eco-Dent Toothpowder is available at most health food stores and online at http://www.eco-dent.com.

TRAVEL EASE 2
Product review by JSG Editor-in-Chief Ron Stern

Erratum: please note the website URL mentioned last issue for this product was in error, Lowepro’s address should be: www.lowepro.com. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Lowepro® Stealth AW II — Once you have arrived at your destination, what’s the best way to see the sights and take things that you may need along the way? For journalists and camera buffs like me, there aren’t many good options. Fortunately, I discovered the Stealth AW II from Lowepro®. This company has been making carrying systems for cameras and other gear for years and is constantly adding new gear to its line. The Stealth AW II is a well-constructed backpack system that offers the best of all worlds. It comes with an all weather cover, removable laptop computer case, padded neoprene pouches that hold 2-3 lenses or camera bodies, large front pockets and even a cell phone pouch. I took this with me on assignment and subjected it to varying weather conditions. I even inadvertently banged it around. Everything stayed well protected and dry and there was more than enough room for everything I needed while on the road. Lowepro products are sold at many camera and sporting goods stores. They have something that will suit your needs and are well worth the investment to protect your valuables. I wholeheartedly recommend them. For more information, visit their website at www.lowepro.com.

Is there something you'd like reviewed? Let us know before buying a new travel item. We'll let you know if it meets JSG's standards.

PHANTASTIC PHOTOS



"Life is Good" by Ron Stern

"Captive Tourism" by Ron Stern

Do you have a photo that deserves a spot on this page? Send it to denise@ justsaygo.com. We'll post it here and send you a JustSayGo.Com TraveLetter prize.

TRAVEL TIPS — 5 Tips for Travel Health
by JSG Managing Web Producer Marina Farrell

Coming down with a cold or flu is bad enough while you’re in the comfort of home, but feeling ill while traveling is miserable. Here’s a few tips to help you stay well, make you feel better while you’re ill or perhaps get over it a bit quicker...

1. Wash Your Hands! Use soap and water whenever possible, and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer religiously when you can’t find a sink. Remember to rub hands vigorously and apply enough to leave hands damp when you’re done.

2. Try dietary supplements like Airborne-brand tablets or Zicam nasal gel. These vitamin, zinc and herbal preparations may help you feel better and get over your cold quicker.

3. Beware of buying over-the-counter medicine while abroad, be careful to check the ingredients. In the UK, codeine is a common ingredient in medicines but is not legal in the US without a prescription. In Lithuania, I purchased OTC eye drops which contained steroids, also not legally sold in the US without a prescription.

4. Avoid flying if at all possible while ill. Not only are you exposing everyone on board to your germs, but if you have an ear infection, sudden altitude or air pressure changes could rupture your eardrum.

5. Try some native remedies – Nothing seems to make a cold feel better like chicken soup, and perhaps the country you are visiting has a nourishing, soothing soup or tea... or beverage. There is a Lithuanian spiced honey liqueur called Krupnikas that is served warm as a traditional Eastern European cold remedy.

Remember to check archived stories for more information. You can reach us at denise@justsaygo.com.

BOOK REVIEW by JSG Fiesta Editor Vivienne Mackie
Imagined London: A Tour of the World’s Greatest Fictional City
By Anna Quindlen, National Geographic Directions, 2004. 162 pp, $10.95 US.

This book is for all travelers and all lovers of English literature. London, England, looms large in many books and stories, both fictional and factual, as a setting for the story, or as a partial character itself.

Here’s a book about London with a new twist. Anna Quindlen, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and novelist, knew London intimately through literature but only actually visited the city in 1995 when she was no longer a young adult. As she says, “London has always been the star of literature.” She returns many times and has great fun visiting and re-visiting places mentioned in stories, finding that some places are the same, some have changed beyond recognition, and some no longer exist.

This book is very entertaining, as it’s part memoir, part travelogue, part literature analysis, and Quindlen weaves all the elements together seamlessly. She describes three different Londons. First is the fictional city immortalized by many authors from Chaucer to Shakespeare, Georgette Heyer, Charles Dickens, and Doris Lessing. Then it’s the historical city where so many writers have lived. And lastly, it’s a description of the modern, vibrant city of today.

I had just been to London myself when I read this book and it inspired me to go back and to look at the city with different eyes and different expectations. Quindlen also stimulated me to go to my book shelves and find some of those classics to re-read. I’m sure you will be inspired too.

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