Shopping in the US

Best Buy - Port Charlotte, Florida

Shopping in the US is an experience.  Apart from the obvious savings on many products, despite the state of the economies, you are simply spoilt for choice.  Shopping malls and shopping strips or plazas abound,all with plenty of free parking.  I reckon we must have visited very shop in Port Charlotte at least once over the years.

Sports Dominator, International Drive, Orlando, Florida

With the demise of the Circuit City chain (although they are still trading on the internet), Best Buy moved into their slot.  It is technological heaven - computers, laptops, cameras, camcorders, iPods, iPads, itunes, cookers, fridge freezers, satnav, software, hifi, wifi, printers, TV's, videos - you name it, it's here. Rebecca bought herself a new camera here, a Nikon P100 and saved about £100.  I have in the past bought my Kodak cameras and camcorder from here.  Again, helpful and informative staff who know their stuff.

One of my favourite stores is Walmart.  The supercentres are amazing places and you can buy just about anything here and soooo.... cheap.  I guess part of the attraction is the fact it was the first bg store I ever went into in the US.  Buy goods, food, have something to eat and get your car serviced at the same time.

Sports Dominator is based on International Drive in Orlando.  This is a huge sports retail outlet and offers products from Reebok, Nike, Adidas and more.  It sells products for all the mainstream sports including football, soccer, hockey, golf, etc.

Bed Bath & Beyond, Port Charlotte, Florida

Bed Bath & Beyond is an Aladdin's cave of treasures - bedding, furniture, glassware, cookware, bathroom fittings, curtains and more.  I defy anyone who goes into these stores to leave without buying something!

Another favourite of ours is Office Depot in Englewood, Florida. A national chain, they offer computers, furiture, stationery, packing materials and much more.  A good shop to browse and buy with helpful and informative staff.

If you are into art and crafts, you'll simply love Michael's Arts and Crafts in Port Charlotte.  This store is superb with a huge stock of art materials, gift ideas, seasonal ranges, pictures and framing, flower arranging and they even undertake classes in the store.  Another of those stores that I suspect you will not leave without making a purchase!

My other car's a Jaguar..!

Having negotiated arrivals, customs and immigration, we quickly make our way to the Car Rental offices. The main rental firms have offices on site at the airport, rather than having to get transport to an outlying area of the airport. So it's collect luggage, quick exit from main terminal and into one of either Hertz, Dollar, Budget, Enterprise etc - we opt for Hertz again this year. Within 5 minutes, the pre-booked forms have been signed, car collected and we're ready to leave the Airport. Just a few minutes to set up the TomTom - I know the way after all these years but it is reassuring to hear and see the route confirmed.

Most car rentals offer SatNav but we are lucky to have a UK and US version of TomTom so use that instead. After a quick upgrade of vehicle - we get a Mazda CDX SUV that greets you with "Hello" and "Goodbye" when you switch on and off the engine, a check all is well with lights, wipers, breaks etc and we're off. Before long we are on the interstate heading south - I want to get over the Sunshine Parkway bridge before dusk.

It's holiday 2010...!

Almost a year on and we are embarking on our latest trip to Florida. I have already mentioned how I like to break the trip down into components, each with its unique bit of familiarity and tradition - this year is no exception. Our usual taxi firm collects us as 7am and we are on our way. Check-in at Gatwick is quick and easy and whilst we may get there a bit early, it's worth it not having to wait in queues. BA check-in staff are their usual helpful selves, polite and reassuring and we soon have our cases checked in and and through Security etc. Just time for some browsing through the shops for those last minute forgotten items (!), and up for breakfast at Cafe Noire.

A good breakfast, brief wander round some more shops and a light beverage before we wend our way down to the departure lounge. Clearly the gate staff are on a mission today as boarding starts almost at once and before long we are on board the BA 777 and seated. Take off is on time and we have soon left UK airpspace and are cruising at 38,000 feet. The mood on board is good, lots of families on their way to Disney no doubt. The nine and a half hour flight seems very quick once cabin crew start serving some complimentary drinks, lunch, in-flight entertainment and afternoon tea. I have to say, BA's in-flight entertainment system is really good - latest films and TV programmes, a film library with a good choice of films, music, quizes and even surveys. And the moving map tops it all of nicely. Well done!

We soon arrive in Florida but our landing is held up by some really bad storms around the airport so we circle round for 35 minutes or so waiting for a clear spot in the clouds and weather.