Kara

TravelLite Seat Cushion by Lifeform  | Practical Travel Gear

TravelLite Seat Cushion by Lifeform

By Kara | September 6, 2011

When I drive long distances in one stint – say the 3.5 hours from my mountain house to the “big city” of Denver – my right foot gets fatigued and I feel dull pain radiating up my leg to my tush. Sometimes my lower back gets a bit sore, too. I stretch and flex while…

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Mini GO Styling Iron from FHI Heat | Practical Travel Gear

Mini GO Styling Iron from FHI Heat

By Kara | May 31, 2011

At the 2011 Aspen Fashion Week festivities last March, I picked up a Mini GO Styling Iron from FHI Heat, a hairstyling-tool company that was one of the event’s sponsors. While I rarely straighten my hair with the full-size iron I already own (coincidentally also a freebie I received the 2010 Aspen Fashion Week swag…

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ExOfficio Women's Vent'r Pants | Practical Travel Gear

ExOfficio Women’s Vent’r Pants

By Kara | September 14, 2010

I wore the ExOfficio Women’s Vent’r Pants during my shore excursions on an Alaska cruise last month, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the performance. Granted, I had a pair of leggings on under the pants in both instances — ziplining through the Alaska rainforest and trekking on a glacier — so I…

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NorChill Soft-Sided Cooler for Road Trips -- or Plane Travel | Practical Travel Gear 1

NorChill Soft-Sided Cooler for Road Trips — or Plane Travel

By Kara | July 16, 2010

Ever use a soft-sided cooler bag as a carry-on? I did last month, when we were flying from Colorado to Minnesota to begin a wild mystery road trip through seven states. A cooler for storing water bottles, snacks, sandwiches and leftovers is a non-negotiable must have for our family road trips, and I knew I…

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Travel Underwear by Tilley | Practical Travel Gear 1

Travel Underwear by Tilley

By Kara | January 21, 2010

The challenge: Pack only two pairs of Tilley “fast drying, sweat defying” underwear on my week-long road trip from Colorado to California. The reasoning: The undies are made with 100% polyester CoolMax Extreme Mesh fabric, so I could wash them by hand in hotel sinks (or my mom’s bathroom), and they’d dry by morning. My…

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Kuru Footwear Kruzr Shoes for Women | Practical Travel Gear 1

Kuru Footwear Kruzr Shoes for Women

By Kara | October 1, 2009

I really wanted to love these shoes. After all, Kuru Footwear has garnered loads of rave reviews from bloggers galore. This company is not shy about giving away pairs of its hiking and walking shoes to everyone from Workout Mommy to MomTrend to The Pensive Blog (a dude, not a mom). Loads of online testimonials …

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Hilarious, Helpful “Pack ME” Notepad Checklist from LobotoME

By Kara | August 7, 2009

I’m a freak about making packing lists before I travel. I’ve got lists stored in my computer for my family’s annual summer trip back East, for beach vacations and for pop-up camping. But my boring columns of “things to bring” in Microsoft Word aren’t nearly as entertaining as this Pack ME notepad from the inspirational…

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Lucy Activewear: Comfortable, Stylish Travel Clothes for Women

By Kara | May 29, 2009

Are you a PracticalTravelGear.com reader who Tweets? That is, you’re active on the social-networking site Twitter? I sure am (follow me at @karasw), and earlier this month, one of the travel folks I follow on Twitter wrote: “If you love comfortable, flattering active/travel clothes… I love Lucy. Check em’ out at @lucyactivewear.” Of course, I’m…

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