Nothing!

You read it right!  Try to bring as little as possible with you on any kind of trip.  If you are camping your kids will have tones of fun with sticks, rocks, critters and water.  If you are going to another city, country or province your kids will be amazed to be in a new environment and can play easily with new things that you can purchase on the spot.

The things you need to bring is prescpriptions or specific products that your children are not allergic to, if your family has allergies or illnesses.  The rest can be purchased in most places!

Check out our Travel section for other great ideas or read our other sections for specific outdoor sport tips.

After being on many road trips with children, we found that being organized makes or breaks the trip.

Tip 3: Organize your stuff.

I was going to say organize your s*** or your c***, but if it is organized then you will see it as indispensible items and not as garbage.  Many companies sell stuff sacks, suitcase organizers, and car dividers.  If you go on the road for more than a weekend come up with a system for dirty laundry, where to place shoes, little baby socks, garbage, important papers, not important papers, little items and different peoples clothing.

This is part of a daily posting on travel tip. Check out our other ones.  You can also submit some tips and you will receive some free outdoor gear!

Inspired by many vacations, a lot of outdoor fun, and a eight week road trip, here are some great family travel tips.

Tip 2:  Make a reservation

Even if you are only staying one night in a small town, make a reservation at a hotel, a campsite, or wherever you plan on staying the night.  We have learned from experience that driving around in exhausted circles in pitch darkness for hours does not make for happy kids, parents, or vacation memories.  If you don't want to plan way ahead of time, when you stop for lunch, call the place where you think you will be staying and make sure they can receive you.

Check out our Travel section for other great ideas or read our other sections for specific outdoor sport tips.

Inspired by our 8 weeks of travel with a 4 year old and a 1 year old we decided that every day we would publish a quick tip.

Tip One:

Don't forget your credit card at home. 

For some reason we forgot the credit card that we use to make reservations and it resulted in us having to wait a day at the airport hotel while we got the credit card FedEx'd to us.  We could not rent the car without the card which delayed the start of our trip and cost us around $400.

Check out our Travel section for other great ideas or read our other sections for specific outdoor sport tips.

By Steve Jasper

The summer season is by the far the busiest travel season of them all with kids out of school, most adults on vacation, and the weather picture perfect. This is the time of year to go visit many of the different tourist attractions across the country and get some R & R before the harsh winter months come back around. However, all this travel can wreak havoc on anyone who's trying to stay healthy and fit while on the go. I mean, you can't pack any treadmills, ellipticals, or dumbbells in your suitcase, so how is a constant traveler going to stay fit while on vacation or traveling? Well, here are some easy tips that will help you avoid any extra travel weight on the way home:

·         First things first realize that you aren't going to be able to do your normal workout away from the gym you go to. It's best to aim for just half of your normal workout routine, and by doing that you'll be able to get enough accomplished by doing half instead of trying to do the full schedule and missing out completely.

·         Be a planner. You planned the rest of your vacation, so why not plan the fitness that will go into it. See what kind of gym your hotel has (if they have one at all) and other accommodations that will help you plan your workout the way you want it. Locating local gyms near you is also a big help.

·         Use the vacation to your fitness advantages by going on a fitness vacation. If there's something on your vacation about hiking up a tall mountain or swimming in the ocean take it on. If you're walking a lot then take that into consideration too. Just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you can't be active.

·         Heading someplace tropical? Well then do some workouts in the pool to stay cool. Water aerobics are a great way to stay healthy and fit while taking a dip. Even water walking can keep you in shape without you even noticing it.

·         Most importantly, just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you can eat whatever you want, so eat right when on vacation! Stick to your diets and how you would eat at home. Obviously have a little fun (I mean you are on vacation), but most of the time order food that is good for you and that you know is healthy. Do that and you'll come home the same way you left.

Going on vacation is one of the best experiences of anyone's year. It allows you to relax, get some rest, and enjoy someplace that is different and more exotic then where you come from. It shouldn't be a time where everything you worked for health-wise gets thrown out the window, so be smart and remember just because you're away from home doesn't mean you can take a vacation from being fit and healthy!

Steve Jasper is not a medical expert. If you have any serious medical concerns, please consult a qualified medical professional before undertaking a new fitness regimen. Steve is a contributing blogger from Gymsource who writes an all topics related to home gyms and much, much more. A  grown man who still enjoys building sand castles.

Press Release:

hoenix, Ariz. – (June 24, 2010) – This summer, Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs and Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resorts are offering a full family friendly line-up of resort activities to enjoy fun in the sun – all at no additional cost to parents! Whether you are looking for a summer “staycation” right outside your door or a family getaway, the Pointe Hilton Resorts are the perfect places to go.

Children 17 and younger, can play complimentary golf when they play with a full paying adult, age 21 or over at Lookout Mountain Golf Club. This golf club has an 18-hole course offering spectacular views of Lookout Mountain and Piestewa Peak. This offer is good anytime on Monday through Thursday and after 10 a.m. Friday through Sunday. The offer is valid through September 6 and is available to all Pointe Hilton guests.

For a sweet summertime treat, visit Tocaloma or Tocasierra Spa & Salon with kids 10 and under. With any purchase of an adult manicure or pedicure, kids receive a free scented manicure or pedicure through September 9.

Don’t forget about taking a break from the sun and sitting down at one of our restaurants! With the purchase of one adult entrée, receive one complimentary kid’s meal off the kids menu. Our complimentary kid’s meal offer is valid for children under 10 years of age. Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort guests may receive the complimentary kid’s meal offer at the Pointe In Tyme restaurant. Guests of the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort may receive the complimentary kid’s meal at Hole-in-the-Wall and Lantana Grille. This offer is available through September 12 and adults must be registered Pointe Hilton Resort guests at time of purchase.

Poolside activities are a must when you want to beat the heat! Visit The Falls Water Village at Tapatio Cliffs for trendy tattoos, Wii games, an underwater fish safari, a live DJ every Friday night through August 13, karaoke, and Dive-In movies every Saturday. Or try a wacky waterslide race, family tennis clinics, hole-in-one contests and Friday night Dive-In Movies at Hole-in-the-Wall River Ranch at Squaw Peak.

Please visit www.pointehilton.com for calendar and full details.

 Great tips coming to us from Tripbase.com

Challenges

1.     Take turns filling the blanks in this sentence, going one letter of the alphabet at a time and without breaking the pace. “[Letter of the alphabet] my name is [name] and my best friend’s name is [name].  We come from [city / county / state / country] and we sell  [noun].

2. One person starts “I’m going to [name of next destination] and I’m bringing [item A]. The next person repeats the sentence, but says “I’m bringing [item A] and [item B]. And so on.

3. Same as above, but the items must progress in alphabetical order.

4. See how high you can count when everyone in the car contributes one number at a time, without taking turns. Example: Sue says one. Silence. Bob says two. Jill and Dave say three at the same time! Back to zero.

5. Fortunately / Unfortunately. One person makes a statement, and the next person has to counter. Example: Person A: Fortunately, we have lots of snacks in the car. Person B: Unfortunately, they’re all covered in mold!

6.     Spelling bee.

7. In-car talent show. Who has weird skills they can show off in the car? Examples: all those weird tongue tricks, double-jointed tricks, etc.

8.     Name that tune.

9. Dump / Marry / Date. Name three famous people and decide what to do with them.

10. Connections. Take turns naming two people / places / things and see who can come up with a connection between the two. Note: whoever names the two things has to be able to think of a connection when challenged by another player, or… he…. LOSES A POINT.

11.    Name a country. The next person has to name a country that begins with the last letter of the previous country.

12. Pick a word and go around having each person think of a word that rhymes. Whoever drops the pace… LOSES.

The Old Fashioned Way

13.    Sing!

14. Sing! In a round.

15. Sing! Disney songs. Let’s face it – who doesn’t know all the lyrics.

16. Sing! Make up your own lyrics to old tunes.

17. Sing!  Show tunes. Or TV show openers.

18.    Books on tape.

19. Or, have someone (with a strong stomach) read out loud.

20. Take turns reading out loud (NOT the driver!)

21. Listen to… THE RADIO. Remember that thing? Some of my favorite stations are the ones in the middle of nowhere.

22.    Tell jokes. Even bad ones. Especially bad ones.

23. I Spy. But you MUST preface what you spy with “I spy with my little eye” or it doesn’t count.

24. Play Telephone.

25. Play Broken Telephone.

26. Car Colors. Everyone picks a color, and each person counts all of the passing cars in that color. Whoever reaches X number of cars first wins.

27. Use fingers to write mystery notes / phrases / words on each other’s backs.

Use Your Imagination

28. Where in the World am I? Pick a place to hide (in your imagination only – since you can’t physically leave the car) and see who can guess where you are -the more specific the better.

29. What in the World am I Doing? Same concept as above.

30. What is the worst _____. Take turns thinking of categories and have everyone answer. Example: What is the worst Girls’ name?

31. What is the best _____? Same concept as above.

32. Would you rather X or Y? Best game ever. All parties MUST answer. Example: Would you rather be able to read minds or be invisible? (Muahahaha)

33. Did you know? Have every traveler share a fact no one else knows. Personal or general.
Example: Did you know Amaxophobia is the fear of riding in cars?

34.    Two truths and a lie. Each person shares three statements, two of which are true and one of which is false. Everyone else has to guess which is the lie.

35.    Build a story. Each person contributes one sentence at a time to a story.

36.    What does that stand for? Use passing license plates to make phrases.
Example: ZOL = Zebra On Land.  Ok, I would probably lose this game.

37. Make up mathematical relationships between the numbers on passing license plates.

38. Pick random words from billboards and signs. See who can come up with the best short story or poem using all of them.

39. Alternative uses. Take turns choosing categories and see who can think of the weirdest – but possible – uses for whatever items are within reach.

40. Virtual cooking – who can think up the most delicious sounding recipe / meal? Warning: Do not play on an empty stomach.

41. That cloud looks like…

42. If [Steve] were a [kitchen utensil] he would be a…

43. If [Paul] were a [garment] he would be a…

44. Same game, pick your own category …man.

45.    Talk… In an accent / Like a relative / Like someone famous / Like a pirate.

46.    Charades!

47. Complete the following statement: “If I do X” and see who can come up with the most entertaining consequence.

48. Fill in the blank “Sitting in this car is better than _______.”
Example: Sitting in this car is better than being locked in a gas station bathroom stall.

Just a Few Supplies

49. Cat’s Cradle and all those other games – all you need is a string. And fingers.

50. Take pictures of each other with a digital camera, trying to make it look like you are having THE BEST TIME EVER.

51. Use dry erase markers to draw on the car windows. Not the windshield.

52. Use dry erase markers to write (friendly) messages on the window for other travelers.

53. Use dry erase markers to play tic tac toe and / or hangman.

54.    Pictionary! Or some form of it.

55. Make weird things out of pipe cleaners. Note: You need to bring pipe cleaners along for this activity to be successful.

Have any favorite games you don’t see on this list?  Share some ideas and win a great giveaway!

First published on Tripbase.com

How do you spell bureaucracy? I-T-A-L-Y!
This is the mother of all crazy Italian stories. Get this... I ask my local Canadian friend who has lived here for 30 years where to take my family to get the flu shot. She says "just go to the Farmacia and buy them." What?! Over the counter, really? "Yes. Sure." (like its no big deal!) Will the pharmacist give us the injections? "No." Then where do I bring them to get them injected? "Just give them to yourselves," she says. What?! Ok, I completed my EMT course over 13 years ago and practiced giving injections on an orange and one time on a real person with a TINY needle. I am not about to give shots to my 3 year old and 8 month old, maybe my husband, but definitely not to my children.
"Or" she adds, "you can bring them to a doctor and they can give it to you." Ok, how do I find a doctor? "Go to the clinic and maybe they can give you the shots or they can assign you a doctor." So, I buy the 4 flu shots at the pharmacy and walk them over to the clinic. I take my number and wait and wait... I show my fly shots to the lady behind the counter and she directs me over to the nurses. I show them my flu shots. In my best Italian I explain that I have 2 little children and a husband and ask if they will give us the injections. "No, non possibile!" The nurses are not allowed to give injections, only doctors. Ok, so how do I get a doctor? They all shake their heads and send me back in line to get a doctor. This time I explain to the counter lady that I am living here for a 6 months and would like a doctor assigned to me. "No, non possibile." I am not an Italian citizen, I can't have a doctor. But I can drive over to a clinic in the next town on Monday afternoons from 3-5pm and they can give me the shot. What?! Or... I can come back to the clinic after 8pm and the overnight on-call doctor can MAYBE give us the shots? Let me get this straight. During the day the attending doctors and nurses won't give us the shots, and you won't assign us a doctor who will, so come back after hours and maybe that doctor will help us. Crazy! I thought this was going to be my only option. While all this is happening a sweet Italian lady waiting in the line next to me offers her limited English. Then she brings her British husband over. The three of them start discussing my dilemma, raising their voices and using their hands in wild movements like you expect Italians to do. Finally the husband says to me, "I am going to call our children's pediatrician and ask her if she'll help you." OMG, thank you so much, you are so helpful! "Yes, she'll give you the injections and she won't charge you! Be there at 4pm this afternoon." Wow, that was so easy. I am overly thankful and appreciative.
Its 4pm, I finally found her office and I'm sitting in the waiting room. This is a pediatricians office, yet there are no toys, no books, no pictures on the walls, and the floor is dirty. There are chairs along all 4 walls and everyone is sitting with their sick kids on their laps. There is no reception desk. Only one door with no windows. Do I knock? Do I take a number? I sit and watch everyone else for a while trying to entertain my kids with the wet wipes in my diaper bag. Finally the door opens and a mother/child leave and the next person stands up to walk in. hmmm. A new person enters the waiting room and asks the group "Che e la ultima?" Everyone points to me - huh? oh... I'm last in line, its first come, first serve. I don't actually have a 4pm appointment. Finally its my turn. I take my baggie of flu shots and my 2 kids and enter. Its her office and a patient table all in one. I sit at her desk and explain I am the friend of the British man, Si Si she nods her head. I hand her the flu shots. Her face becomes stern. She speaks no English. Something is wrong. She can't give these shots to us. What?! Why not? She asks where I got these? I explain the pharmacy. She calls them up and they have a heated conversation I don't understand. Aria is getting scared and is trying to open the door to leave. I beg her to stay with me. I find some candy in my bag and bribe her to sit on my lap. The doctor hangs up and tells me I have the wrong shot for Tahlia and I have to go back and buy a different one. Are you kidding me?! She is willing to give Aria her shot. And then I hold up the ones for Mike and I and motion if she'll give me mine too... she looks at me funny and goes ahead and does it. Now she hates me I think. I ask her when I should return with the new shot for Tahlia and she says tonight! Now its close to 6pm, its raining and its dark outside. I need to get my kids home and fed. I need backup, I call Mike. Can he come home early to help me with this mess, I'll explain later. Mike meets me at home and feeds the kids while I run out in the rain to the pharmacy to exchange the shot. Would they take it back? Or would I have to buy a new one - they are very expensive. I think to myself, the US they would never take back an injection that someone has had all day... My pharmacist recognizes me, apologizes and gets the correct injection. He takes mine back and hands me the different in change. Wow, ok, that was easy. Now home to get Tali and head back to the pediatrician. I pick up a flowering plant along the way as a gift or an olive branch to make peace. This time I know what I'm doing. I walk into the waiting room, ask "Che e la ultima?" The person identifies herself, I don't feel so lost this time. Its my turn, I hold out my plant and smile and she is taken back and hugs me - whew! Tali gets her shot. I drive home, its 7:30pm. Who knew it would be so hard to get the flu shot?!
Now I just need to muster up the courage to inject Mike with his. Its still sitting in our fridge staring at me every day.

**We are home from Italy now and as it turned out, I never did give my husband the injection. His parents came to visit a few weeks later and his mother gave it to him. Saved by the bell!

What is a transportation puzzle?

A transportation puzzle is an activity that families can do together to compare distances between two points.  Whatever age your children are, you can create a transportation puzzle that will work for their abilities and interest.

How does a transportation puzzle work?

Select a starting point, like your home, and a destination that is no further than one mile away.  Then create a list of how you could get to that destination.  Spend the day reaching that destination using the different methods of transportation you came up with.  Once home compare the fun factor, time factor and energy used for each method.

What are possible destinations?

The end of your driveway, your yard, going up and down stairs, your friends’ house, the park, the grocery store, the local pool, school, the post office.  Really your child can come up with a variety of ideas that will interest them.  Remember it should be a destination that is close enough where you can actually cover the distance a few times.

What are different methods of transportation I can use?

Biking, walking, hopping, crawling, walking on one foot, walking holding hands, walking with a leg tied to another person ( three-legged walking), rolling, unicycling, running, skipping rope,  swimming if you are crossing a pond or small river.  Let your child guide the list of transportation to compare.

Are there any variations on the game?

There are so many options for this game!  You can study speed, energy used or efficiency of travel.  You can compare your human powered methods to driving a car.  You can create charts, and graphs to compare your findings.  You can extend the game to multiple days trying a new method everyday.  For example you could go to school every day for a month trying out new ways and sharing your findings with your child’s class at the end of your experimentation.  You could also plan a family vacation where you research the different ways you could reach your selected spot. Children could help in making the decisions based on cost, efficiency, and fun.

The idea with a transportation puzzle is to have fun outdoors with your child, while learning about different ways to use your body.  You should always stay safe and set basic guidelines about how to take care of one’s body and those of others.  Obey traffic rules, wear helmets, take your time and stop if your child becomes reckless or too hyper.  You can always start again another time.

I would recommend starting with a small transportation puzzle that takes you just as far as a flower bed in your backyard or to a neighbor’s house.  Then you can build on the experience and create bigger transportation puzzle goals.

Heidi Ahrens

Share your ideas on different outdoor games you can do with your family on OutdoorBaby.net

In mid-January we decided to go to the Winter Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City by train.  We were unsure if we wanted to drive, since the year before we had encountered wild snow storms on the way.  A friend recommended Amtrak and we jumped at the opportunity.  Hey, we live by a train station and the train actually stops where we want to go.

When I was a child I rode the CN train in Canada.  I have memories of running down the aisles with my cousins, of fancy meals in the meal car, being swayed to sleep in fresh smelling sheets and of conductors handing out paper cut out trains, which you could build and connect just like you would wooden ones. Playing cards in the observation car was also a highlight, since we would meet other kids.  During the night, we would pass by the Saint Lawrence River full of jutting ice blocks, and I felt secure and happy within the train that brought us to see my aunts, uncles and grandparents.  Sometimes we rode coach, sometimes we had a sleeper.  Every time, the experience was good.

This time we opted for coach seats.  The ride to Salt Lake City is under nine hours so we did not see why we should get a sleeper.  I will spare you a minute to minute retelling of our trip, but instead will give you some highlights.  Remember, you may think that I am being humorous and I am, but all the facts that I exchange are true.

Company:  I will really try not to sound privileged or snobbish, but some of our fellow travelers really did expose my daughters to a part of life they had never experienced.  In general, I think this is a good thing.  It is a great thing to meet new people, and to see that everyone is not like us, but it is hard to travel with two young children on a business trip and feel fully at ease when these are your fellow travelers:

Homeless schizophrenic lady:  Would switch seats, move her paper bag and have the entire content fall on the floor, then pick it all up and start again.  She would get up walk around and dress and undress herself. When my baby cried or made her falling asleep sound, the lady would start talking, signing or babbling at the same pitch, either waking up the baby or making her cry more.

First young man:  this one would leave his seat constantly and, on the return trip, would always share a bit of information with me, regardless of what I was doing -- nursing, changing a diaper, sleeping, holding a sleeping baby -- huffing and puffing if I wouldn’t acknowledge him.

Second young man:  Asleep most of the time, except when getting up to guzzle a Bud and crush it, burp and look out the window.  He had a black eye that was actually bleeding.

Single Moms:  This is where I think my daughter got some worthwhile positive exposure.  We met two single mothers who were traveling with their children.  One of the moms was taking her two daughters away to San Francisco for a new life.  They were leaving something bad behind and had spent all their money on the one way train tickets.  They shared coloring books with my daughter.

Old Order Amish:  We boarded the train with a couple who were traveling to see the country.  They wore their full costume. They met up with at least 5 other Amish folks on the train who were traveling to Mexico to see a doctor.  Again a positive experience for my daughter. She asked them about their skirts and bonnets.

The Hacker:  A women hacked so much you could hear the phlegm rattling in her throat.

Facilities:

Overall the train was dirty and not very tidy, but the bathrooms really were something else.  Not only were they old, with a bit of rust or off colored paint, but they were unbelievably unsanitary.  The toilets both had unmentionable liquid and solid contents,  and the faucet shot out water everywhere.  Flushing the toilets just didn’t make their nasty contents go away!  So we told one of the train employees about these problems, and they said they would take care of it.  Thirty minutes later, we were told the bathrooms were clean -- we returned through out the trip and the bathrooms were exactly like they were before, complete with the contents of the toilets.

Food:

We knew not to expect wonders, but it was really pretty sad.  For seventeen dollars in the dining car, you were served a microwaved dinner of small portions, with a small iceberg lettuce salad.  The plus side of the dining car is that it was quiet and that is where you encountered the other travelers that rode in the sleepers, they were polite and respectful.  The staff from that side of the train were also much more amiable and pleasant. We also ate at the snack counter, which offered things like microwaved hamburgers for six dollars, with poor service and dirty tables.

Schedule:

One thing about the train is that you have no schedule options.  Our train left Glenwood Springs at 1:50pm, a very reasonable time, but arrived in Salt Lake City at 11:30, not so great with kids.  The return train left at 4:20 am -- yeah, that’s right, in the morning, so we had to wake up at 3:00 to make it to the train, and then it was one hour late.  It’s not fun to sit in a stuffy, dirty trailer with ten other people early in the morning with two kids you woke up at 3:00.

Having said all this, we are still glad to have experienced Amtrak.  Our eldest daughter got to ride on a train and to move around instead of being in a car seat for all that time.  This is the major bonus.  I think next time though, we would only go if we could get a sleeper, so that we would have our own bathroom and living quarters.  I would also bring my own food.

Heidi Ahrens

Have you traveled by train?  Log on and share your stories.

We don’t ring in the New Year.  We could blame it on our children, but that would be a lie.  Erik and I have been together for ten years and I don’t think we have ever stayed up to celebrate.  It just is not important to us.

When our friends Susan and Smith from Idaho suggested that we meet up for a few days before we enter a new decade, we got really excited.  It had been a year and a half that we had not seen each other.  Their twin boys and our daughter Coralie had not seen each other for so long and we knew they needed to reconnect.  They are like three peas in a pod

Since, our friends were visiting family in Fort Collins; we figured we would meet in Denver for three days.  They are also a huge outdoorsey family, but the idea of staying in a hotel sounded just divine.  Erik and I used our Christmas gift money to go on this trip and to pay for a few meals out.

I cannot explain how much fun we really had.  It was such an amazing experience to see all the little kids running around, playing, taking baths, reading stories and reconnecting.  We were able to relax and feel like we did not need to entertain because we were in a hotel, a neutral territory.  I also think that the hotel we stayed in had a lot to do with how much fun we had.  TheBurnsley Hotel   may be the best kept secret of Denver.  We really could not believe how spacious the rooms were, how affordable and how luxurious the space was and how very accommodating it was to families.  Each room comes with a full working kitchen and a large living room.  You also get free parking.  The hotel has a restaurant and bar but we did not try it out, because we cooked most of our meals in the room so the kids could play freely.  We actually made food for the kiddos, put them to sleep and then had a great meal in our room, while we hung out as adults.  We ate lunch on the town, which was easy sinceThe Burnsley Hotel  is centrally located.  We walked to the Denver Art Museum ( a fabulous kid friendly exhibit is on now, but this museum is always kid friendly),  the library and to two great restaurants: City to City and Bones.  I will tell everyone I know about these great places and about The Burnsley Hotel.

I know we had great company in Denver, but I cannot stress how much a vacation like this one is fun.  Next time you want to plan a quick getaway for your family, maybe think of renting a hotel room, gathering good food, fun toys, and good drinks.  You don’t need to drive far from home.  Rent a hotel room that has a kitchen and eat out only once a day.  Your kids will behave in the restaurant if you go when they are rested (lunch usually) and you will save money if you don’t always eat out.

After you get home, and see how refreshed and relaxed you are, you won’t  regret not having planned an epic outdoor adventure.

Heidi

Share your stories and read articles for families who enjoy the outdoors on OutdoorBaby.net

For $149 this carry on REI inside passage wheeled luggage could be yours.

I have to say that I have never felt like one piece of luggage is better than the other, but this REI luggage is pretty good.  You may think I am strange but it seems like a comfortable place to put my clothing.  The inside is nicely lined and the luggage rolls very smoothly.