PRACTICAL TRAVELER
The Small Stuff Can Save a Trip
By MARTHA STEVENSON OLSON
Following are some strategies from personal
experience, friends and lively online forums and bulletin boards on domestic
and international
travel, including Compuserve, Fodor's,
Frommer's and Rick Steves's "Europe Through the Back Door" Web site.
Editor's Note: Some of this material is dated,
but the basic information is timeless.
Following are some strategies from personal experience, friends and
lively online forums and bulletin boards on domestic and international
travel, including Compuserve, Fodor's, Frommer's and Rick Steves's
"Europe Through the Back Door" Web site.
Duct tape looms large in these discussions, along with Ziploc bags,
Bubble Wrap, diaper pins, paper clips, waxed dental floss and everything
inflatable. (Anything that might not pass muster with airport
security personnel should go into checked luggage.)
Because air travel is stressful, many tips have to do with flying.
When airlines allow passengers with small children to board first,
some suggest that if there are two adults, one should take the heavy
carry-on belongings onto the plane as soon as possible,
while the other stays in the boarding lounge with the children until
the last minute. The idea is to reduce the time young children are in their seats.
Lots of people swear by the "bucky" pillows, filled with buckwheat hulls,
that support one's neck through a long flight. Space savers recommend the
inflatable neck pillows, while conceding that they're not as comfortable.
Some travelers take a pillowcase to cover the headrest or
to make a fairly good pillow, stuffed with spare clothing.
The issue of food and drink is, of course, basic. To ensure that she
has bracingly cool water, a friend freezes a nearly filled liter
bottle of water, then gets the attendants to top it off when they pass by with water.
Others take packages of protein shakes or chicken bouillon,
or nutrition bars, for those times during a trip when there is
no food around. An added benefit is that when these consumables
are gone, there's extra space for souvenirs.
Some travelers recommend checking luggage curbside before dropping off a rental car or leaving a car in a parking lot. (This tip works only for domestic flights; there's no curbside check-in for international.)
If you have black luggage like the majority of travelers, it's helpful to mark your bag with brightly colored duct tape, or unmistakable
plastic ties, wrapped around the handles as an identifier at the luggage carousel.
Extra Bags, Large and Small
Pairs of travelers often pack clothing and toiletries in each
other's luggage, thus
ensuring that if one piece goes astray both will still
have something to wear. It is useful to pack
a soft duffel bag in the bottom of a large bag as an extra
for the trip home, if you plan on shopping. Ziploc bags
of every size can protect against leaks from cosmetic bottles;
organize clothes, accessories and paperwork; and isolate damp or dusty belongings.
Retailers sell plastic bags that are sturdier than Ziploc, with a one-way valve that
allows clothing to be compressed into very small
airtight packages.
Suggestions for other containers (to hold sewing or first-aid
kits or
jewelry)range from plastic Easter eggs to Altoid tins to plastic cubes from travel catalogs.
For hotel lighting that is too harsh, some recommend taking a
scarf or
bandanna to drape over a lampshade. (That scarf or bandanna can do multiple duty, of course.)
Many nights on a trip I've given thanks for the lowly earplugs I
buy in packages of six or so, and some travelers pack a "white noise"
machine, but here's a tip new to me: Tune a radio between stations.
Dank rooms can be sweetened with scented candles or incense,
which have the added benefit of perfuming the articles in your suitcase.
Even a lighted match in the air can improve a damp or smelly room for a spell.
As to washing up and washing clothing, suggestions include mild
baby shampoo
or concentrated, biodegradable cleaners like Campsuds or
Dr. Bronner's soap. Drying methods are numerous: inflatable or wire
hangers; double-twisted elastic cord with S-hooks; plastic snack-bag clips; or a hair dryer.
Downy Wrinkle Releaser has a loyal following, though others say a
damp
washcloth smooths clothes just as well. A 110/220-volt immersion coil for
heating water, paired with a lightweight insulated mug, is a popular choice, and an extension cord designed for local outlets, for hotel rooms that do not have enough, seems handy also.
Hygiene is a crucial issue. Wet Ones, antibacterial wipes or baby
wipes get
lots of votes, as do waterless hand sanitizers like the one from Purell;
the more stringent carry Lysol or Clorox wipes to clean out
sinks and showers in hotel rooms.
Versatility of Dental Floss
For the shower, some take either thin washcloths or a plastic
pouf to places where washcloths are not a given. Lightweight, quick-drying towels can be a boon; one correspondent said the chamois cloths sold for washing cars substituted well for the compact towels used by campers. For blisters, moleskin seems the tried-and-true standby.
Some people who wear money belts, as an added precaution, pin the belt to their clothing. And waxed dental floss is good to have nearby, serving as thread, clothesline or shoelaces. If you don't ordinarily carry business cards, printed cards with your name, address, phone and e-mail address can be useful to give to friends made along the way. A large garbage bag can serve as a cover for wet ground, laundry carrier and rain poncho.
Duct tape? Its fans say it mends everything from overcoats
to eyeglasses to luggage to hems. It can attach
valuables to the underside of a bedside table
(only if you're not forgetful) and can serve as rope or luggage handle.
One writer said he once pacified a cranky child with a doll
made of the tape.
It can be wrapped around a ballpoint pen or other core,
or bought in flat packages.
The following part is out-of-date, as this was written before the electronic age.
If you're planning to take a lot of photos, attach blank labels
to your film canisters and, as you remove
each roll of film, note the date and location.
Another photo suggestion: Copy and take the trouble-shooting page of the camera manual.
E-mail your trip information ? hotel confirmation numbers,itinerary, contacts, important addresses ? to yourself at an account you can use anywhere,
like Hotmail or Yahoo; so if your paper documents get lost,
you can still get the information at an Internet cafe.
And here's a memory trick that is intriguing, from two separate sources: Buy a scent you've never worn, and wear it every day of your
trip. A couple of weeks after you return, put it on again. Some travelers swear this helps them recall a trip in vivid detail.
