Travel Tips

________________________________________________ by Brenda Murray There are so many things to do in the days leading up to international travel: locating your passport, figuring out if you need special vaccinations, or topping up your pans of watercolour paint.  One of the most important things to do before departure is notifying your credit card company about your trip. Here’s why this is important: Credit card companies utilize sophisticated fraud detection systems that monitor account activity for unusual patterns. When you make purchases in a foreign country, these transactions may trigger alerts within the system, leading the credit card company to suspect fraudulent activity....

________________________________________________ by Brenda Murray European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) ETIAS is a new entry requirement for travellers who do not need a visa to enter 30 European countries for a short stay. Visa-free travellers will need to apply for this travel authorisation before starting their trip. When applying for an ETIAS travel authorisation, travellers will need to provide their personal information, including address, passport details, current occupation, information about past travel to conflict zones or criminal convictions. This new requirement is set to become operational in mid-2025. And there's more... Entry/Exit Systems (EES) The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an automated IT...

________________________________________________ by Brenda Murray I remember, not so long ago, arriving at some hopelessly charming small town in Europe after a sleepless 7-hour overnight flight followed by a 3-hour train ride and having to immediately embark on a scavenger hunt for a shop that sells local SIM cards so that I could use my cell phone and avoid roaming charges. Sleep deprived and five time zones out of synch and there stood I in an overstocked little tabac trying to calculate euros to dollars in my head as I stammered out  « Vendez-vous des cartes SIM? » The good news is that...

________________________________________________ by Brenda Murray Is travel insurance really necessary? First let's define what we mean by travel insurance because it's a term we use to mean several things. Airline Cancellation Insurance Cancellation insurance is offered by all airlines when you book a flight. Depending on what level of cancellation insurance you choose, you may be able to cancel your flight and rebook at a later date with no penalty or with a small cancellation fee if you become ill at the last minute. You can arrange this kind of insurance at the time you book your flight. Trip Cancellation Insurance Trip cancellation insurance is also...

________________________________________________ by Brenda Murray Let's talk about one of the most important tools in the urban sketcher's plein air backpack--the sketching stool. Choosing a sketching stool, the throne upon which we place our bottoms for what could be a 1-2 hour sketching session, is of critical importance. It is the Goldilocks of decisions. It must not be too heavy, nor too tall, not too low, nor too big. Of course, every bottom is different and to each his own. 8   Over the years I have tried my fair share of sketching stools and have noticed a vast array among my fellow sketchers. The sling back...