Travel Tips From Fellow Travelers

So, I like researching the web and I figured I would do a post on unique and genuinely helpful travel tips I have found.

If you’re going camping and plan to build a fire, collect the lint from your dryer in a Ziploc bag to use as a starter. It weighs almost nothing, ignites right away, and saves you from having to gather kindling. Kim Senkler, Knoxville, Tenn.

The disposable shower caps in hotel bathrooms make great shoe covers. Just slip a cap over each shoe and you won’t have to worry about getting everything else in your suitcase dirty. Charlene Winges, Burlingame, Calif.

I found a fun use for change from foreign countries. Attach a piece of magnetic tape to the back of the coin, and voilà — instant fridge magnet! It makes for an inexpensive souvenir, and it always reminds me of good times. Joshua House, Pensacola, Fla.

If you don’t have a sunglasses case, store your shades in one of those tube-shaped containers that Crystal Light is sold in. The tubes are just the right size and rigid enough to protect the glasses. Plus, it’s no great loss if you misplace one. Christopher Wolters, Pearland, Tex.

I like to learn about the regional food culture when I go to a new place, so I check localharvest.org for farmers markets in the area. The site lists info for hundreds of markets across the U.S., including the days and times they’re open, as well as examples of what types of food the vendors sell. Alane Brown, Durango, Colo.

When you’re packing for a ski vacation, wrap clothing around your skis or snowboards. You’ll be protecting your equipment and cutting down on the number of bags you have to pack. Kimberly Nicoletti, Dillon, Colo.

If you take a cab in Las Vegas, ask the driver to use Industrial Road or Paradise Road instead of Las Vegas Boulevard. Both routes run parallel to the Strip, but they aren’t nearly as crowded.

The London Underground sells its Visitor Travelcards on the Web (ticket-on-line.com) and charges nothing to mail them to you before you leave home. Cards are good for three, four, or seven days of unlimited travel on the Tube (subway) and buses. Most tourist sites are located in zones one and two; a seven-day card for these zones costs $40. With individual trips costing more than $4, the card pays for itself in less than two trips per day! Jeanette Langdell, Sunnyvale, Calif.

The most effective money-saver you can bring with you is an expandable tote bag for the food you’ve purchased at foreign groceries. Our breakfasts and picnic lunches turned out to be healthier, tastier, fresher, and much cheaper than their restaurant counterparts. Tara Achenbach, Union City, N.J.

When you plan to travel by train and know you might have to store your luggage out of arm’s reach, pack a piece of cord or a strap to tether your bags together. The unwieldy arrangement makes it harder for a thief to run off with your belongings. Jennifer Horne, Cottondale, Ala.

When I travel with friends, we all enter each other’s emergency information into our cell phones. We include details like full name, date of birth, and a contact back home. If anything happens, we’re fully prepared to take action. Anita Woodmass, Renton, Wash.

I pack my necklaces in a plastic sandwich bag, drape the clasp ends over the top, and tape them to the outside of the bag. No matter how much my suitcase gets jostled around in transit, I never have to worry about a tangled mess when I arrive. Jill Katich, Waterford, Mich.

When you’re kayaking, canoeing, or rafting, attach a fishing float to the strap that’s holding your regular glasses or sunglasses. If you happen to fall overboard, retrieving your glasses will be a snap. Susan Bolding, West Fork, Ark.

If you think you’ll be returning to a hotel, ask the housekeepers what the best rooms are. They really know, and if a room is empty, they’ll often show it to you. Write down the room number, and request it the next time you make a reservation or when you check in. George Green, Houston, Tex.

Are you tired of catching colds while traveling? Take along a travel-size package of Clorox wipes. Disinfect the tray table and armrests on the airplane, and the telephone and TV remote in your hotel room. Sherill Hacker, Williamston, Mich.

Don’t toss out old prescription glasses. Whenever my husband and I get new pairs of eyeglasses, we relegate the old ones to our luggage, along with an inexpensive repair kit from the drugstore. If something happens while we’re away from home, we can hopefully fix the glasses ourselves. If they’re beyond saving, we have the backup pairs to get us through the rest of the trip. Carol Alabaster, Phoenix, Ariz.

Even disposable-camera lenses should be protected. They scratch just like any other lens would. Place a small piece of painter’s tape (or another kind that won’t stick too much) over the lens to protect it from contact with other items in your purse or backpack during travel. Hugo Scherzberg, Concord, Calif.

Pool money for group expenses. When I travel with friends, we all contribute to a kitty and use that money to pay for things like taxis and meals. It saves us from figuring out each person’s share at every stop. At the end of the trip we split whatever remains. —Carol Moran, Chesterfield, Mo.

Dry-cleaning bags stop clothes from wrinkling. Slide each garment into its own bag (leave the hanger at home) and place them flat on your bed, one on top of another. Then carefully fold the entire stack to fit it in your suitcase. Once you get to your hotel, hang everything up as soon as you reasonably can. If you use this little trick, you’ll never unpack a suitcase of wrinkled clothes again. —Claudette Christman, Colonial Heights, Va.

The perfect toiletries bag does exist! I’ve finally discovered one that’s just right: a soft-sided lunchbox. It has an outer zipped pocket with compartments perfect for often-used items like a toothbrush and toothpaste. There’s a removable zipper pouch inside (meant for an ice pack) for those smaller, hard-to-find items like nail files and pill bottles. The remaining space inside is just the right size for larger things like shampoo and hand lotion. Other helpful features include both a small handle and shoulder strap, and a waterproof, easy-to-clean interior. As an elementary school teacher, I know firsthand that it will last, having been designed to withstand daily use by kids! —Jennifer Minton, Glencoe, Calif.

Bring a laundry kit. Pack a one-gallon Ziploc bag and a travel-size shampoo container refilled with detergent. These come in handy when you need to wash hosiery, bras, and other delicate undergarments. Put a few drops of detergent into the bag and fill it partway with water. Place the item you want to wash in the bag, close it up, and shake it around for a few minutes. Instant washing machine! For larger pieces of clothing, I’ve used the plastic laundry bags supplied at most hotels. Just hold the open end tightly. —Erika Kumada, Mount Prospect, Ill.

Put your old contact lens cases to work. Do you hate the idea of wasting that last bit of lipstick or concealer that always seems to get stuck in the bottom of the tube? Scoop it out and put it into a clean contact lens case. The case is watertight, holds enough for a weekend trip, and fits easily in any purse or toiletries bag. —Ronda P. Martinez, Philadelphia, Pa.

Spa savings on cruise ships. I’ve been on many cruises with various lines (Carnival, Costa, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, American Hawaii, and most recently, Princess), and I’ve learned that the spas usually offer discounts on days that the ship is docked. Rhonda Grabov, Philadelphia, Pa.

Negotiate past expiration dates. I save all the specials from Travelzoo and other websites, regardless of their dates of validity. When I want to use one of the specials, I call the hotel or tour company’s sales director; many times I’ll get the deal even if it isn’t officially available. After all, they’re trying to fill rooms and tours, especially at the last minute. I used this idea last week to stay at a hotel for free–all I had to do was agree to spend a certain amount in the spa each day. Dr. Patty Boone, Colorado Springs, Colo.

We attach the cruise line–supplied luggage tags (they have our cabin number on them) to the items we carry around the ship–binoculars, knitting bag, etc. This way, if we forget something by the pool or in the dining room, it can easily be returned by a crew member.

Pack a power strip and extension cord for your next cruise. Many cruise-ship cabins have only one outlet, but you’ll definitely need more if you want to power up your laptop, iPod, cell phone, electric razor, hairdryer, or any other gadgets you bring on board. –Jay Van Vechten, Boca Raton Fla.

Consider bringing your bike on a cruise. We decided to bring our own bikes on our last Caribbean cruise. It was a little crowded in the cabin, so we asked the steward if we could store them down the hall with the wheelchairs. We were last off the ship when we docked in Bermuda, but in less than five minutes we’d left our fellow passengers in the dust. And in less than 15 minutes, we were far away from the busy port, enjoying a beautiful, deserted snorkeling beach. –Wayne Matchett, Chesapeake, Va.

read comments (0)

Awesome Vacation Gadgets! Very Cool Stuff!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

read comments (0)

Video: Money Saving Travel Tips

Watch CBS News Videos Online

I watched this video and really thought it encompassed everything and thus worthy to link to this site. Enjoy!

read comments (0)

Traveling Alone? Some Tips for a Fun and Safe Trip

Some can find traveling – or going anywhere – alone scary and downright intimidating. However, if you do it right (tips below), you can find traveling alone very liberating and rewarding. Here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing a destination as well as enjoying your time while you are there.

1. Network With Friends and Family Before you Go: Let your friends and family know where you will be and for how long. This will help them keep tabs on you just in case of an emergency (with you or them). Also, this is a great way to find out if any of your friends or family know people to where you are heading. People who have a connection with your friends and family are typically more than willing to provide you with information concerning the area and what you need to know before heading there. For example, they will know the hot spots, the best restaurants and of any upcoming events that may or may not interest you.

2. Check Government Websites: Either the government where you are heading or the CIA website can provide you with any information concerning any recent political unrest, natural disasters, etc that could impede your ability to travel freely and safely through that country.

3. Put together an itinerary of what you most want to do on your vacation and map it out before you go: This will help you determine how much time it will take to travel from one place to the next. You should also research how much time it typically takes to “experience” each of the items on your itinerary. The last thing you want to do on vacation is have to rush around and stress out. Be sure to plan in some extra time for the unknown. You never know what will peak your interest that is NOT on the itinerary! What you put on your itinerary will depend on what your interests are.

4. Try a Cruise or an All Inclusive first: I really suggest easing into traveling alone. That way you can get some experience on what traveling alone entials without much fuss or hassle. Cruises and All Inclusive resorts do a lot of the “thinking” for you so you truly can go and experience a fun filled vacation without worrying too much about what you may have forgot or missed. Once you have a few of these experiences, you will be better equipped and ready to take on the experience of planning a solo vacation.

5. Have some Confidence: You can do this! And when you get to your destination, walk with confidence, eat at the restaurant with confidence. You are in charge of you and if you believe that, it will show. Remember, confidence is sexy and alluring. Who knows who you may meet!

read comments (0)

Some Spain Travel Wisdom

Question: What is the best way to travel between Madrid, Santiago, Barcelona, and Granada (in just 9 days)? Is their air pass in Spain?

This answer is from Jona:

There’s no air pass in Spain. If you only have nine days, I think you better take a plane, at least in one or two of the trips. Companies that have domestic flights in Spain are Iberia, Vueling, Spanair and Air Europa. Iberia should have the most options and Vueling should be the cheapest.

You can get a train pass, called interrail, which will give you free pass to all the trains (except high speed train) for a fixed price for a certain period of time. More info in www.inter-rail.org (only in Spanish). If you want to buy single tickets just check the Spanish rail network website www.renfe.es (info available in English) where you can find prices and timetables. Prices don’t change so no matter when you buy them.

The worst option in my opinion will be the bus, but if you want some info just check www.alsa.es which runs all long-distance Spanish journeys. It’s a little bit cheaper than the train though.

I think it depends on the actual route you take between them and the time you want to spend on a vehicle. If you travel by train or bus, you better travel overnight so you can enjoy more your time. In the train you can even get a bed.

Have fun!

read comments (0)

Act the Talk(Body Language is the Key)

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Traveling is so fun, but it gets tough when the language barrier sets in. English is the universal language, but many European and Asian countries do not know how to speak and understand English. What do you do when the locals don’t understand a word you’re saying? Simple…don’t use words. Yes folks, just like how the song goes, “you say it best, when you say nothing at all”. Use the facial expressions and your hands to convey your thoughts.

It’s a lot easier than scouring the English-(other language) dictionary all the time.

When you want to ask for a restaurant, or say that you’re hungry, you can either pat your stomach or open your mouth and let your hand do the eating stroke. When asking for time, simply tap your wrist. When you want to respond “I don’t know”, just shrug your shoulders and perhaps raise your eyebrows. Ask “Which way?” without saying a word by pointing your fingers in opposite directions with an asking look. “How much?” can be interpreted by rubbing the thumb and fingers together. When you want to express that you want just “a little”, just put the thumb and finger close together. And say “Oops!” by placing the hands close to the mouth and with eyes wide open.

Lastly, nothing beats the effect of a good SMILE. Universally, it communicates something positive, and you’ll get positivity in return. Of course it helps to learn a few foreign words that are most basic to your destination. Enjoy!

read comments (1)

Lag off Jet Lag

Traveling in different times zones can spell disaster. Disaster in your body rhythm, that is. “Jet Lag” is a common term for globe trotters, and it’s the most natural thing that can happen when crossing time zones, and there are ways to cope with it.

· Rest is important. Sleep early a few days before the actual travel date. During the actual flight, sleep as much as you can in the plane.

· Stay away from alcohol, tea, coffee and other caffeinated beverages. Drink plenty of water before and during the flight to avoid dehydration which is one of the bad effects of jet lag

· Eat light (avoid unfamiliar food) during the flight and first few days of arriving at your destination. To cope with jet lag means to adjust your body clock, and the last thing you’d want to do is to exhaust your body further by spending more energy on adjusting to unusual foodies (at least for the first few days).

· Do take a occasional breaks from your flight seat. Do some stretching, walk the aisles of the plane in order to fatigue, prevent blood clot, back aches, and swollen legs.

· Last but not the least, take time to rest a little bit when you arrive, and try to make your body clock adjust to local time by sleeping at the same time the locals do. If you’ve arrived during rush hours, still rest for a while until you get your bearings.

read comments (0)