My younger daughter, Jenny, is just finishing her first week in Europe. While her primary purpose while there is to complete her community health nursing clinical in England, that program doesn’t actually begin for another two weeks. She and several of her classmates are currently traveling about the Continent, and her brief phone calls and Facebook postings indicate they are having a wonderful time. I think it would be difficult for anyone with such an experience before them to not enjoy it thoroughly, but Jenny and her friends did a lot to ensure their good time through solid groundwork in planning and organizing their modest version of the Grand Tour.

It’s possible that just getting 10 individuals to agree on their two-and-a-half-week itinerary consumed the majority of their planning sessions, but I know that all of them also spent plenty of Internet time researching where they were going and how (most economically) to get there. Most of the girls had friends or family members who had traveled abroad (and some, like Jenny, had already been overseas, but none on their own), and all of us were dishing out advice, as well. (I was able to pull out articles from the past few years of Global Traveler on every city on their itinerary, plus others covering everything from health insurance to travel safety.) Going forth with maps and directions steering them from every airport or train terminal to their hostels in each city boosted their confidence that they could navigate their way just about anywhere. With Madrid and Barcelona under their belts already and only a snow-cancelled flight from London to delay the start of their adventure, this merry band seems to be off to a great start.

Here are a few things we are glad are a part of this trip, and which we would recommend to any traveling student:

– An international cell phone: Jenny was able to rent one for an extremely reasonable fee and calling rates. At least two other girls in the group have one as well, so if the entire party splits up, they can maintain contact. Although the plan is to keep in touch with friends and family back home primarily through the Internet, we’ve already found cause to be thankful for the immediacy and ease of having phone contact available. Which leads me to essential item number two:

 – Automobile Association of America’s VISA Debit card: We hit upon this item several years ago when Jenny’s big sister, Sarah, studied abroad, and I used one myself last spring while cruising the Mediterranean. It allows one to withdraw funds in the local currency from any ATM, and although there is a small transaction fee, the convenience and other benefits the card offers are worth it. Because I also have access to the account with my own card, I can load additional funds if needed, and there is an emergency contact number in virtually every country in case of loss or theft of the card (which Sarah had cause to use). When Jenny accidently punched in the wrong PIN number in Barcelona (jet lag and sleep deprivation), she used that cell phone to call me to confirm the right code and unfreeze the card (a nice safety feature). But for those once-in-a-lifetime, special purchases or truly emergency situations, Jenny also has

– A credit card which doesn’t charge for non-U.S. currency transactions. We REALLY stressed the unique and/or emergency aspects of the use of the card (and the fact that those are HER purchases), but we wouldn’t have sent her off without one.

 – A student discount card. Jenny and her friends used the Student Travel Agency to book their hostel stays and a few flights and get their rail passes. They found this simplified paying for those items, although the fares weren’t always the cheapest to be found. They expect to make great use of the STA’s discount card, which will provide them free or reduced entrance to an enormous number of museums and attractions all over Europe, in addition to all kinds of percent-off deals at a wide range of businesses in the cities they’ll be visiting. A side note: so far they’ve been very happy with the locations and cleanliness of the hostels they booked through STA, and all have had WiFi access.

We’re thrilled that Jenny’s trip is off to such a good start, but as any experienced traveler knows, all that preparation and the recommendations of those who’ve been there before certainly had a lot to do with it. Happy travels, ladies!

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

On Monday of this week, the repercussions of the recession – or economic downturn or whatever you want to call it — resounded much closer to home for me, literally. The plywood mill which employed 125 people in our small town of 2,000 announced it had closed for an indefinite period of time. Workers said they had not received any warning of the move, and with the nationwide stall in construction, it’s likely that those jobs are gone, for all practical matters, for good.

That same afternoon I got a call from my newlywed daughter in Chicago, telling me she had just been laid off from the job she’d held in the publishing industry for almost two years. She and the other employees let go that day accounted for about 10 percent of the office’s workforce. While Sarah was given about a month’s salary in severance pay and assured she would receive excellent references, they hardly assure us that she will rapidly find work again in her field — or in any job that will make use of her four-year private college education. Since arriving in the Windy City almost three years ago, she has done all the right things to make connections professionally and personally, so she goes forth on her job search armed not only with her skills, smarts and resume but also with a few potential leads. Until (when, not if!) she steps on that next rung of her career ladder, though, she knows she will likely be holding down some part-time jobs to help pay the bills.

While the evening news brings us headlines of the collapse of large retailers like Circuit City and trouble for yet another banking giant, we should remember that for each of those, there are hundreds if not thousands of unreported stories of small businesses closing or laying off workers. These have an enormous impact on their communities and the lives of all those suddenly un- or underemployed.

Flipping through a magazine last week, I scanned a page on which the editor asked a number of celebrities what they were doing differently in response to the shift in the economy. One reply, by a young actor I did not recognize (I realize I have reached that age where I do not fit the demographic at which a whole slew of programming is targeted), made me want to reach into the picture and grab him by his couture lapels and give him a shake. He said he was going to eat out less often and cook at home. Well, fine if he wants to hone those domestic skills, but doesn’t he realize the biggest  contribution he can make to this economy is to go out and spend some of that ridiculous salary he gets (note I did not say “earns”)?

I’m not suggesting that anyone spend beyond their means or consume frivolously or gluttonously. At the same time, it seems that for those of us that have the security of a steady income and savings, we should continue to support the businesses in our communities who rely on our patronage. Fewer diners mean restaurants hire fewer waitresses, bartenders, cooks and dishwashers. Shops that see a drop in revenue must lower their overhead, and so clerks and stockroom personnel see their hours reduced or jobs eliminated. Those folks are all our neighbors, our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters.

So if you can, go buy a book at the local booksellers. Buy those new tires the car needs, and get a tune-up while you’re at it. Treat yourself to a massage or manicure. Take in a movie (be sure to buy some popcorn from the high school student at the refreshment counter), and then go have a nice dinner at the restaurant down the street. And please, tip generously . . . if you’re somewhere in the Chicago area, your waitress could be my daughter!

Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader 

One of my favorite destinations on my rambles about the little town of Rogue River (population 2,000) is Palmerton Park, a five-acre arboretum adjoining Evans Creek. Within its boundaries are nearly 100 species of trees and shrubs, a truly unique treasure anywhere, but especially so in this small community. Being a gardener (and a frustrated one right now, without a plot of land at hand for me to tend), I especially enjoy strolling the paths and admiring the size, form and variety of the lush growth around me. Over the last month and a half the deciduous trees have been transitioning from summer glory to fall brilliance to winter dormancy, making it possible to more clearly observe the collection of firs, pines, cedars and redwoods in their midst.

Orin F. Palmerton, a Spanish American war vet, purchased this land in the 1920s and established a nursery here. He continued to operate it as such until 1966, and in those years he planted and nurtured pines from Japan and China, cedars from the Mediterranean, and all kinds of exotic and native species. As his health declined, he sold the property to the county for a nominal fee, for he had always envisioned that what he had tended so lovingly and well would become a park for all to enjoy. His dream became a reality, and in later years the City of Rogue River took over care and maintenance of the park. New specimens continue to be added to the towering sequoias, elms, gingkos and others that Orin Palmerton planted.

It reminds me that each of us has the potential to add something enduring and beautiful to the world we inhabit. Too often, I think, we can be overwhelmed by the legacies of the likes of the Roosevelts, Carnegies and Gateses and lose sight of the fact that one doesn’t need millions of dollars to make a positive impact.  Perhaps some are fortunate enough to be able to deed a plot of land for a link in a trail system, a unique home to a historical society or a building for community use. Most of us, though, while not having those resources at hand, can still support a local program or society with our time, skills or donations. It isn’t just the large gift or gesture that is needed, but also the long-term generosity of the many that maintains and grows the jewels in our towns and neighborhoods and keeps them vibrant.

Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

All I have been reading about recently is the incredible influx of European tourists visiting the US this year. It was covered again today on MSNBC and a little over a week ago in Global Traveler’s electronic newsletter, eFlyer.

A recent report released from the U.S. Department of Commerce is reporting that approximately 15 million international visitors traveled to the US in the first half of 2008. This is a significant increase from 2007. Most of the visitors are traveling from Western Europe and between January and April 2008, 1.4 million Brits have made the journey across the pond.

It seems there is a good side and a bad side to this recent development - the good news, tourism to the US is back on track and on the rise since the events of 9/11, but the bad news, the strength of the dollar is so weak, the travel from the US to abroad is not reciprocated. And the suspected reason for all the European travelers? The US is cheap, cheap, cheap for them. Most visitors are flocking to New York City, an expensive spot to visit for most of us, but an affordable destination to those used to the Pound (1 pound = $1.99) and the Euro (1 euro = $1.58). For almost half of what they would normally pay, international visitors can shop, sightsee and be constantly entertained on a vacation to the Big Apple. From coast to coast, there is a lot to see and do here.

The boost in tourism and the $11.6 billion spent by tourists in the US (just in the month of April), can only help job stability and the economy here in the States. Hopefully, someday soon, as many Americans will have the chance to travel abroad and enjoy the sights Europe has to offer. Although America has a lot to offer, so it wouldn’t hurt if we all took some time to get to know our country, too!

-Kim Krol, circulation and public relations executive