I’ve always dreamed of living the life of a musician: traveling all over the world, performing every night and experiencing music from other cultures. Unfortunately, I’m not the most experienced musician. However, musically disinclined folks can still appreciate how music provides a unique understanding of new cultures and destinations around the world.

The new guidebook from Museyon Guides, Music + Travel Worldwide: Touring the Globe Through Sounds and Scenes, explores 12 cities through their native music scenes and will satisfy your inner rock star. This book is unlike your run-of-the-mill travel guide—it’s a hybrid guidebook and crash course in world music. Music + Travel Worldwide will take you from Buenos Aires, where cumbia evolved, to Paris, where hip-hop and Muslim identity fuse together for an eclectic sound.

Photo: Museyon Press

The guidebook, available at bookstores and online on November 3, will include:

• Chapters on 12 music scenes from around the world

• In-depth articles written by local experts, including recording artists, music journalists and other industry insiders

• Music sidebars and travel tips, including book, movie, album and magazine recommendations  

• 246 color photos

Tell TravelMuse about some of your favorite musically inspired trips.

Fall comes to the Mid-Atlantic and southeast a littler later than the New England states, so there’s still time to check out autumn color in these warmer regions. One of the best places for leaf peeping is along the incredibly scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, the 470-mile roadway that connects Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. The Blue Ridge Parkway snakes through mountaintop wilderness that displays more than 100 species of trees, making this expanse of asphalt one of the loveliest in the country when the leaves begin to fall.

Photo: Courtesy Asheville Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

The Parkway gets an estimated 1.5 million visitors during the month of October, which typically marks the peak of the color-changing season. If you visit during the last two weeks of October and the first week of November (especially on weekends), expect serious roadway congestion. But don’t let that dissuade you. With scenery this lovely, there’s no reason to rush: Follow the guiding principle of the park: “drive awhile and stop awhile.” There are numerous roadside pullouts that offer gorgeous vantage points, and many link to trails and picnic grounds. And if you’re willing to leave your auto behind and hike a quarter of a mile or so, it is easy enough to find solitude, even on the busiest Sunday afternoon.

My family and I like to arrive early (early!) in the morning, generally before sunrise, and hit the Parkway before the worst of the traffic. In years past we’ve driven for as long as two hours after daylight before we saw another car. In addition to helping us beat the crowds, we’ve found that morning light makes for stunning photographs; this is also the best time of the day to see wildlife, including white-tail deer and black bears.

Photo: Courtesy Asheville Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

If the traffic along the Parkway slows down too much for you, consider an aerial tour. Asheville Hot Air Balloons out of Asheville, North Carolina, offers exhilarating trips year-round. Routes vary depending on air currents, but expect to see spectacular views above the mountains of the nearby Pisgah National Forest.

In addition to Singapore, which I wrote about on Friday, Chicago is another great dining destination—I’m not saying that merely because it’s my hometown. You can get not only fantastic casual (pizza, sausages), ethnic (Mexican, Thai), and traditional (steakhouse, diner) meals there, but also some of the best fine-dining in the country, from the legendary Charlie Trotter (Charlie Trotter’s) to the innovative Grant Achatz (Alinea).

On my recent return visit, there were three new places both friends and strangers consistently mentioned: Xoco, Terzo Piano and Nightwood.

Xoco, 449 N. Clark St. (enter on Illinois), 312-334-3688, www.xocochicago.com

Xoco is the latest establishment from one of Chicago’s most famous chefs, Rick Bayless. It opened on Sept. 8, and the lines have been out the door ever since. Bayless made a name for himself with Mexican cuisine (at restaurants Frontera Grill and Topolobampo) and continues to do so with Xoco. This time around the focus is on Mexican street food.

The Almendrado chocolate and churros at Xoco. (Credit: Donna M. Airoldi)

I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of Frontera—I’ve enjoyed better food (and prices) in other Chicago Mexican restaurants that were more authentic and didn’t come with a room full of North Side and suburban yuppies—so I wasn’t entirely looking forward to the experience. However, I was pleasantly surprise this time. My two dining companions and I were all impressed, especially with the “Bean-to-Cup Chocolate,” quite possible the best hot chocolate outside of Spain or Mexico. Be sure to get the 3-for-$3 churros—crunchy and cinnamon-coated on the outside, soft on the inside—for dipping. I also was quite taken with the homemade tortilla chips.

The tortas (served after 11 a.m.) come on traditional Mexican breads: bolillo, similar to a baguette, for those from the wood-burning oven; telera, slightly rounder and softer, for the pressed sandwiches. My conchinita pibil—wood-roasted suckling pig with achiete, black beans, pickled onion and habanero—was tender, tasty and, when dipped in the fiery accompanying sauce, tingly. The caldos (soups) sounded divine—shortrib red chile soup with braised tallgrass shortribs, red chile broth, roasted vegetables, epazote, wild arugula and lime, anyone?—but are served after 3 p.m., so we were too early to taste those. The breakfast menu, served until 10:30 a.m., tempted as well.

Xoco is the smallest and most casual of Bayless’ restaurants: no reservations accepted, and you stand in line (plan on at least an hour or longer), then place your order at the register—but not before you’re handed a card, indicating that there is a seat available for you. It’s daunting/annoying at first, but works surprisingly well, provided you don’t mind the long wait.

Average prices: Breakfast, $2 to $7.50; Tortas, $8 to $12; Caldos, $10.50 to $12.50; Salads and Sides, $3 to $8.50; Hot Chocolate, $2.50 to $3.25. Hours: Tue. to Thu., 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri., 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sat., 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Sun. and Mon.

Terzo Piano, 150 E. Monroe St. (third floor of the Modern Wing, Art Institute of Chicago), 312-443-8650, www.terzopianochicago.com

The new Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago was tops on my list for new attractions to see during this visit. Lunch at its new restaurant was an added bonus.

We called for a Monday reservation, but the restaurant was booked full. No surprise since the place is overseen by chef Tony Mantuano, of Spiaggia fame, and open for dinner just one night per week (Thursdays). We tried our luck with a cancellation, showed up at noon, and were seated in the slick, modern (natch), all-white-décor dining room within 15 minutes. Not bad.

Dietzler Farm stead salad; interior at Terzo Piano. (Credit: Donna M. Airoldi)

The food wasn’t bad either. My friend and I were each in the mood for healthy greens. She tried the Mizuna salad with Miller’s organic chicken breast, avocado, cilantro, lime and ginger cashew dressing. My Dietzler Farm steak salad with arugula, orange, kalamata olives and almonds with a caper-mustard dressing was quite good—and I was thrilled with the hefty amount of meat included, which was cooked perfectly rare. I preferred the steak over the chicken (which was a tad bland), and while chock full of fresh ingredients, we both agreed that each salad suffered from a heavy-handed pour of dressing, and mine was a tad too salty. Lesson learned: ask for the dressing on the side.

The dessert selections were spot on, however—light, with just enough sugar to satisfy a sweet tooth. It was difficult to decide between the local wildflower honey panna cotta with autumn fruit compote and rosemary, and the almond financier with blueberry thyme compote and crème fraîche sorbet. We chose the latter, which came instead with cranberry compote since the kitchen was out of blueberries.

Lunch prices: Appetizers, $7 to 16; Sandwiches/Salads, $15 to $19; Pasta/Entrees, $18 to $25; Desserts, $9. Hours: Lunch, Mon. to Sun., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Antipasti and Aperitivo, Thu., 3 to 5 p.m.; Dinner (ala carte or $45 3-course prix fixe), Thu. only, 5 to 9 p.m.

Nightwood, 2119 S. Halsted St. (Pilsen neighborhood), 312-526-3385, www.nightwoodrestaurant.com

No fewer than five individuals recommended this place, open since May. And how could they not, when the owners are the husband-and-wife team (Jason Hammel and Amalea Tshilds) behind Lula Café, a fantastic restaurant in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. It has been getting raves since it opened 10 years ago (and is where, I’m told, local chefs go to eat when they’re not working in their own kitchens).

Nightwood interior. (Credit: Jason Little Photography)

The menu changes daily as all ingredients are sourced from local farms and markets, for a locavore’s dream meal. One consistency: many dishes are wood-grilled. Those that have impressed local critics in recent months: “anything with chicken liver … potato gnocchi with tomato and corn … spit-roasted pork loin accompanied by roasted apricots and topped with a delicious blend of chopped olives and crème fraîche,” suggested Phil Vettel in the Chicago Tribune. “A brioche bread pudding appetizer was homey and inspired … the woodsy scent of the cheeseburger (worth ordering for the crisp french fries alone) hints at the meat’s earthy flavor,” wrote Time Out Chicago’s Julia Kramer.

Alas, I was unable to make it to this South Side newcomer before my visit ended as I staying on the North Side and was carless. However I have no doubt the trip would have been worth the effort via public transportation, had I had the time, given how much I adore Lula (where I did manage to get in an amazing dinner last week). Readers, next time you’re in Chicago, you’ll just have to try it and let me know how it goes.

Prices: Appetizers, $7 to $10; Entrees, $13 to $26; Desserts, $2.50 to $8; Brunch entrees, $6 to $14. Hours: Dinner, Tue. to Sat., 5:30 to 11 p.m.; Sun. Brunch, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Closed Mon.

If you’re already exhausted by the prospect of another winter season with cold weather and minimal sunshine, consider a Caribbean escape to the Cayman Islands in early December for the Cayman Jazz Fest.

Photo: lyng883

The sixth annual festival, held Dec. 3 to 5, 2009, features top jazz and R&B performers in a tropical, island setting. This year’s artists are: Alicia Keys, Peabo Bryson, Oleta Adams, Keith Sweat, Kirk Whalum and Mike Phillips. The opening event will take place at Pedro St. James, a National Historic Site of the Cayman Islands. The rest of the festival is scheduled for Camana Bay, a new town center on Grand Cayman.

Festival tickets range from $66 to $78 for individual evenings. A weekend pass is $120, and a festival pass (which covers the entire festival) is $204. Children under 12 will be admitted free of charge.

The Cayman Jazz Fest is offering travel packages starting at $649, per person (double occupancy), not including festival tickets. Packages include round-trip airfare from Miami on Cayman Airways, three nights’ accommodations at Comfort Suites Seven Mile Beach, daily breakfast, hotel tax and service charges, and round-trip airport transfers. To book, call 800-247-9900.

For more information (including festival ticket purchase), visit www.caymanislands.ky/jazzfest.

The Portland Square Hotel in New York’s bustling Times Square theater district is being transformed into the new boutique Sanctuary Hotel, set to open in fall 2010. But you can get in on the action now, and at a nearly 50 percent reduced rate.

What’s the deal? Book a stay in one of the hotel’s nine newly refurbished Sanctuary Studio rooms through its Dress Rehearsal offer for the preview rate of just $159 per night—the rooms will be priced at $309 once the new hotel debuts next year—plus receive a $50 credit toward a future stay when providing feedback on the new design (via e-mail or to a hotel executive).

I’ve been assured by a hotel spokesperson that guests shouldn’t have to worry about construction/renovation woes as the hotel owners are shutting down and working on one tower at a time, leaving the other open for guests.

When completed, the Sanctuary will offer 125 rooms, featuring plush beds with European linens, 32- to 42-inch plasma televisions, iPod docking stations, and an open bathroom (there’s a curtain for semi-privacy) with quarried marble and glass-enclosed shower with rain showerhead. Several guestrooms also will showcase the original structure of the hotel with exposed brick or metal beams across the ceiling.

Though the rooms are small in the renderings—not uncommon for hotels in older buildings in Time Square, which anyone who has stayed at the Paramount or Hudson hotels knows—they appear to be efficiently designed, and are ideal for solo travelers on business or visiting the city for fun.

The promotion is valid for stays through March 31, 2010. To book the Dress Rehearsal offer, call (212) 382-0600 or use promo code DRESS1 when booking online at www.portlandsquarehotel.com. For information about the Sanctuary Hotel, visit www.sanctuaryhotelnyc.com.

How often do you get to celebrate an anniversary with some great travel deals? Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is celebrating 10 years of Freestyle Cruising with a “Deals of the Decade” sale, where you can book a cruise for up to 82 percent off regular prices. Choose from cruises to the Bahamas, Bermuda, Hawaii, Europe, the Panama Canal, the Mexican Riviera and the Caribbean.

Photo: Norwegian Cruise Line

NCL’s Freestyle Cruising allows travelers to choose from up to 13 different restaurants and dining rooms for meals. The flexibility frees travelers to be able to eat what they want on their own schedule.

A sample 7-day eastern Caribbean itinerary on the Norwegian Pearl starts (and ends) in Miami and includes stops in Samana, St. Thomas, Tortola and Great Stirrup Cay. Fares (per person, double occupancy) for an inside cabin are $299 with departure dates of Nov. 7 or 14, and a boost to an oceanview cabin on those same dates is priced at $399. Sail on Nov. 28 or Dec. 5 and those prices become $399 and $499, respectively.

Have nothing to do for Halloween? Openings are still available for a 7-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera. The Los Angeles round-trip on the Norwegian Star includes stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Inside cabin fares (per person, double occupancy) for the Oct. 31 departure are $199, with oceanview rooms just $249.

For more information, visit www.ncl.com, or call 866-234-7350.

Did Ken Burns’ documentary series on the United States National Parks inspire you to get out into nature? Summer may be the obvious time for many to visit these national wonders, but the key word during high season is many. If you can’t stand the crowds and want to enjoy the parks with a little bit of elbow room, consider a winter visit, when park hotels make it easier on your wallet with some healthy deals.

Photo: essygie

At Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, rooms at Maswik Lodge properties are discounted up to 38 percent. The Winter Value Rate, good from Nov. 29, 2009, through March 4, 2010 (except holiday times: Dec. 19 to Jan. 2 and Feb. 12 to 14), allows you stay at Maswik South for $82 per night or Maswik North for $105 per night. Tax not included. For more information, call 888-297-2757 or visit grandcanyonlodges.com.

At Washington’s Olympic National Park, stay at the Lake Quinault Lodge or the Kalaloch Lodge, and you can even get a gift inspired by Ken Burns’ The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Prices start at $119, a discount of 15 to 30 percent (depending on location and dates). The special rate is good through April 30, 2010; use the promotion code BESTIDEA. For more information, call the Lake Quinault Lodge at 888-896-3827 (visitlakequinault.com) or the Kalaloch Lodge at 888-896-3826 (visitkalaloch.com).

Luxury goods have been particularly hard hit by the economic slow-down, and travel is no exception. That means there are more discounts than ever before for this category of travel for those who are able to take advantage of these unprecedented savings.

One such deal that crossed my desk this week is for one of the most awarded small luxury cruise lines—Windstar Cruises. Windstar operates just three yachts in Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas, carrying between 148 to 312 passengers, max. Its smaller ship sizes means a higher crew-to-passenger ratio, for more attentive service, as well as the ability to dock in intimate and secluded spots that are off-limits to larger vessels.

Photo: Courtesy of Windstar Cruises

Starting today, Oct. 15, 2009, Windstar is offering a “30 Sailings for 30 Days” sale on 30 select cruises set to depart in 2010. Rates start at $1,849 per person, double occupancy for 29 of Windstar’s 7-day sailings on the 312-guest Wind Surf and the 148-guest Wind Star and Wind Spirit yachts. The Wind Surf’s April 18, 2010 sailing from Rome to Athens starts at $1,649 per person, double occupancy. (The regular starting rate for this trip is $2,399.) Overall discounts add up to roughly 25 to 30 percent savings per person. That’s decent enough even for me for to consider making a booking, and I’m not even a cruise person.

Here’s a list of the itineraries on sale for each ship:

Wind Surf Sailings:
4/18/10 Rome to Athens         8/08/10 Rome to Nice
4/25/10 Athens to Rome         8/22/10 Barcelona to Nice
5/30/08 Rome to Rome           8/29/10 Nice to Rome
6/20/10 Venice to Venice        9/12/10 Venice to Venice
7/04/10 Rome to Nice             9/19/10 Venice to Rome
7/18/10 Barcelona to Rome    9/26/10 Rome to Nice

Wind Star Sailings:
3/06/10 Costa Rica Roundtrip      7/31/10 Istanbul to Athens
3/20/10 Costa Rica Roundtrip     10/23/10 Rome to Rome
7/03/10 Athens to Rome             10/30/10 Rome to Barcelona
7/10/10 Rome to Rome               11/06/10 Barcelona to Lisbon
7/17/10 Rome to Athens

Wind Spirit Sailings:
3/13/10 St. Martin Roundtrip    10/23/10 Athens to Rome
5/08/10 Nice to Rome              10/30/10 Rome to Rome
5/15/10 Rome to Rome            11/06/10 Rome to Barcelona
7/17/10 Venice to Venice          11/13/10 Barcelona to Lisbon
7/24/10 Venice to Athens

Offer cannot be combined with any other promotions or programs, except for CLIA’s “World’s Largest Cruise Night” $50 per person shipboard credit promotion. Taxes are additional. Offer is capacity controlled and may be withdrawn or modified at the discretion of Windstar. Offer valid on new bookings between Oct. 15 and Nov. 14, 2009.

For more information including rates and itineraries call Windstar at 800-258-7245 or visit www.windstarcruises.com.

Twice a year we head to San Diego to get a snippet of California life. I grew up in Del Mar, a laid-back beach town where surfing is part of daily life. I was excited to teach my kids to ride the waves.  We love going to Menehune Surf Camp.

Photo: Nancy Solomon

Each year these surf lessons are the highlight of our trip. The instructors are always encouraging and fun, and my East Coast boys always crack up about the ultra-low-riding swimsuits. Menehune runs camps and private lessons on multiple beaches throughout San Diego. We love the one at Powerhouse Park—the beach is beautiful, plus it has food and one of the area’s best playgrounds. While my three older kids surf, I'm able to go for a long walk with my 2-year-old. She plays in the sand, and I get the downtime I need.

I love the resilience and perseverance that the surf camp teaches kids. Think fall and get up, fall and get up ... times 100!

I have to admit, however, the few years of surf camp can be disconcerting. Two fears crept into my head: sharks and drowning. Despite the fact that we’re literally more likely to die by a falling coconut than a shark attack, we’re a generation with Jaws images and music imprinted in our minds.

I comfort myself knowing that the kids at Menehune stay in very shallow water.  Also, they're not in areas with many seals, a favorite shark snack.  Of course, there are sharks off the Pacific coast, but in my 35 years of going to San Diego beaches, I’ve never seen one.

My kids first started surf camp when they were 5 and 6 and very strong swimmers. Between the lifeguards on the beach and the instructors, I felt like they are very well monitored.  That said, probably half the moms with kids under 7 stay and watch the class from the beach. This year was the first time—my kids are now 6, 9 and 10—that I left them alone for a portion of the class.

You can choose to do the morning program that runs from 9 to 12, the afternoon program from 12 to 3 or an all-day session. These camps are run in the summer and on school holidays, but you can get private lessons all yearlong.

Photo: Nancy Solomon

Where to Stay

We also just added two new hotels in the Del Mar area to the Ciao Bambino San Diego portfolio—both provide great beach access. The newly remodeled L’Auberge Del Mar is in the heart of town of Del Mar. The hotel has a fun social vibe, gorgeous views of the ocean and one of San Diego’s best restaurants at Kitchen 1540. Del Mar has cute coffee shops, casual restaurants and easy beach access in a quintessential Southern California setting.

Newly remodeled L'Auberge Del Mar. Photo: Ciao Bambino

Two miles up the road, nestled above the breathtaking Torrey Pines State Reserve is The Lodge at Torrey Pines. This hotel feels like a woodsy, grand lodge. Home to the renown Torrey Pines Golf Course, this is a golfer’s paradise. The beauty of this location is that adults can play too—send the kids to surf camp and head to Golf School (Golf School is also offered for kids). The hotel also has daily, guided hikes through the preserve. The Lodge features an award-winning restaurant, A.R. Valentien.

Nancy Solomon is an avid traveler and writer for Ciao Bambino. She lives outside Boston and has four children 10,8,6 and 2, with whom she enjoys sharing the world.

It’s October, and despite my protests, summer is over. But in Half Moon Bay, Calif., October is a month to celebrate. It’s one of the best times to visit the seaside town, which celebrates the autumn harvest with the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival.

Photo: jaybergesen

This year’s 39th festival will be held on Oct. 17 and 18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The fall celebration begins on Oct. 12, with the Safeway World Champion Pumpkin Weigh-Off at 7 a.m. Veteran pumpkin growers compete for the title and a share of $20,000 in prize money. Last year’s winning gourd weighed 1,528 pounds! Don’t worry, if you can’t make it to the weigh-off, the grand champion (along with the top five weigh-off pumpkins) will be displayed at the weekend festival.

Festival highlights include a small-town parade, pumpkin carving, 250 booths of harvest-inspired art and crafts, live music and entertainment on three stages, costume and pie-eating contests, a haunted house, special festival wine and microbrews, and yummy food (try the pumpkin ice cream).

If that sounds like too much to sample in one day, why not make a full weekend out of it and spend the night in one of Half Moon Bay’s great hotels? With a stay at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay, the Oceano Hotel and Spa, the Beach House Hotel or the Cypress Inn, you can mix your pumpkins with some beautiful coastal scenery. Don’t forget to visit the local pumpkin patches to bring home a souvenir!

We all know Halloween isn’t just for kids. In New York City alone, more than two million people attend the funky Village Halloween Parade each year. And who doesn’t enjoy playing dress up occasionally to attend a party for treats of a more adult nature? (I’m talking gourmet food and alcoholic beverages, folks.)

So get your masks on!

Photo: Willow Stream

Willow Stream, the signature spa of Fairmont hotels, is offering a scary-good deal on facial treatments this Halloween season. For the month of October through the weekend of October 31 (including November 1), participating spas in North America are offering free personalized beauty BOOsting serums (a $45 to $49 value) and 25 percent off any mask with a 60- or 90-minute facial treatment, whether you need to detoxify, cleanse, hydrate, soften, moisturize or remove impurities from your skin (or all of the above). And that’s not all—each guest who books a facial in October will receive one of Willow Stream’s Energizing Boost Ampoules.

I can’t think of a better way to exorcise those skin demons.

www.willowstream.com

Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, Disney will reward 1 million volunteers with free park admission as part of its Give a Day, Get a Disney Day promotion. The new campaign continues through Dec. 15, 2010, or until the ticket supply runs out.

Photo: Jason Pratt

To participate, volunteers must register with the HandsOn Network and choose among projects from more than 70,000 nonprofit organizations. After you sign up and complete your volunteer activity (the HandsOn Network will verify your service), You will receive an e-mail instructing you how to print out a voucher to be redeemed for your free ticket.

Once you print your voucher, you can use it for free admission to six Disney theme parks in the United States:

• Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim.
• Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando.

The free Disney theme park ticket is not valid for use on certain days, so review the blackout dates before you make your vacation plans. The minimum age to participate in the program is 6 years old.

The Give a Day, Get a Disney Day promotion replaces the 2009 Free Admission on Your Birthday campaign, which expires on Dec. 31, 2009. If you have a birthday coming up, you can still celebrate it for free at Disneyland or Walt Disney World.

Hardly anyone looks forward to being trapped on an airplane for hours on end, but long-haul flights are unavoidable if you like to travel the globe, as I do.

I’m writing this from Tokyo’s Narita Airport on my three-hour layover while waiting for my nine-hour connecting flight to Singapore, fresh(ish) from my 13.5-hour flight from New York. That’s about 25 hours of transit folks, not counting time to and from the airports.

I’m usually pretty good with these marathon itineraries since I often doze off prior to takeoff, but today I’m suffering from a triple whammy of discomfort: a sinus headache, which is threatening to become a migraine; that time of the month; and an upset stomach. Oh, and did I mention that I’m in coach the entire way, and my seatback entertainment system broke about two hours into my initial flight? What a way to spend a birthday.

TMI? Perhaps. But I’m writing this because I made the mistake of packing when I was tired and inadvertently put my carry-on toiletries kit in my checked luggage, plus forgot to pack a book—silly me—so all this forced meditation time got me thinking about just what carry-on items are essential for long-haul flights, at least for me.

So here’s my preferred in-fight packing list—“perfected” over the past 25-plus years of international travel.

• Water. Buy a big bottle before you board. Better yet, bring an empty bottle and fill it up from the fountain after you pass through security. Don’t forget a small spray bottle, too. Keeping your skin hydrated is as important as your body, especially after enduring several hours of enclosed stale air. Evian sells an ideal 1.7-ounce size for $5.50.

• Lip balm, hand cream and face moisturizer. See hydration note above. Reapply regularly.
• A travel set including a blanket, earplugs, eye cover and neck pillow (the cushioned ones are more comfortable, but inflatable ones save space). I’m a big fan of DreamSacks and its travel kits, especially the luxury set with a silk/cashmere blanket and silk carry-case that fits a travel pillow nicely. Prices from $59.

• Ear-covering headphones. Those in-ear plugs hurt like hell.
• Slippers. I get out of my street shoes before I even board the plane.
• A silk scarf/shawl to block those pesky drafts.
• A small toiletries bag with travel-sized deodorant, mouthwash, toothbrush, toothpaste, tissues, pain relievers, stomach aids and, for women, tampons or liners. Be prepared, even if between cycles. Trust me.
• Reading material, puzzles, MP3 player, laptop—anything to keep you occupied during your flight.
• Snacks. Even though most international flights are pretty good about supplying food and beverages, you never know when you’ll get the munchies. I’m partial to the trail mix packages from Trader Joe’s. Nuts and raisins—what’s not to love.
• Moist towelettes. Great for cleaning up before and after a snack and for getting newspaper ink off your hands.
• Makeup. Not a lot. A simple face powder and lipstick will do. Nothing helps you look less like a zombie after 15 cramped hours in the air than a bit of color on your face and lips.
• A carry-on bag or purse with multiple pockets for organization of everything listed above, and easy access to your passport and boarding pass.

Well, that has me covered. What are your essential carry-on items?

I’m now going to pop a few of the over-priced Tylenol pills I snagged at the airport drugstore and hope to pass out until just before we land in Singapore. More to come on this island city-state next week.

With economy and job headaches, we all deserve a mental health day. But do you deserve a free car for a day? Avis Rent A Car is offering a “Rental Health Day” promotion, where you can earn a certificate for a day’s free car rental if you rent any class of Avis vehicle for five consecutive days by Dec.13.

To participate in the promotion, you have to register with your Avis Wizard number and fill out a form before you rent for five consecutive days from participating locations in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Within two weeks of renting, you’ll receive a Reward Day certificate by e-mail to redeem for a free day rental. If you’re a regular Avis customer, you can earn up to three Rental Health Day certificates during the promotion period.

Certain restrictions apply, and one-way rentals are not applicable to the promotion. For details, visit ccrgservices.com/web/rentalhealthday or call 800-230-4898.