Wicked Good Travel Tips, Unique Vacations, Travel Deals » Packing Tips

Always Toss A Bandanna In Your Bag

Susan — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:58:54 +0000

A colorful bandanna can be one of the most useful items you bring on vacation – here are some of my favorite uses:
Tie one on the handle of your suitecase so you can pick it out easily in baggage return
Use it as a washcloth in hotels rooms that don’t supply one
Dip in water, slip in a plastic bag and bring to the beach to cool yourself down
Make an impromtu table cloth for an on the go snack in the park
Drape over the bedside lampshade for some instant romantic atmosphere
Tie it around your neck or wrist for some immediate pizazz to your outfit
Go cowboy and use as a mask if you run into dust or foul air
Make an instant head scarf – great when you enter a church
Two tied together makes a decorative belt
Wrap up those precious sea shells you found on the beach
And it’s an always handy hankerchief, bandage or even a sling!

Meet Icoon – A Pocketsize Travel Picture Dictionary

Susan — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:26:44 +0000

Forget all the stress of learning a new language when you go traveling, just pop an Icoon symbol dictionary in your pocket and you’ll be ready for most any situation that comes up. Icoon is a handly passport size mini-book that contains over 2,000 travel icons sorted into 12 categories for fast reference. You’ll find symbols for ordering your favorite food, finding accomodations, keeping healthy and shopping for those perfect shoes. Available on their website or from book sellers like Amazon.com, this is a terrific travel aid for under $10. And if you’ll be traveling with your PDA, it looks like they have a nifty digital app for your phone, but I have to be honest with you…. I can’t find a link to information of how to get it!!! My guess is it’s probably available for iPhones, so check with your cell phone provider.

5 Great Gifts For Travelers

Susan — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:10:20 +0000

The electronic gadgets we travel with just keep getting more sophisticated and plentiful. Here are some tech savvy gifts all travelers will love.

New TSA screening rules for computers allow newly designed computer bags to go through security without taking the computer out of the bag. Every traveler who hauls along their trusty computer will love getting one of these new bags. Have a look at the selection at EBags.com
Passports, licenses, and many credit cards now contain radio frequency identification chips containing all our sensitive and private information. It’s time for everyone to invest in a RFID blocking wallet to prevent hackers and techno thieves from grabbing our identification with scanners as they pass us by. Here’s a selection from Magellans.
Here are two of my favorite travel books of the year. Just published is Peter Greenberg’s Don’t Go There!. We’ve all seen volumes of the 100 best places, 1000 places to see in a lifetime etc – well Peter tells us even more important information, the places we should avoid and why! For places TO visit, give your favorite traveler Secret Hotels published by Budget Travel. It’s chock full of extraordinary properties around the world that are kind to your wallet while providing exceptional stays.
LoJack for laptops is a new service that gives the gift of security for your laptop carrying friends. You can sign up for a three year plan for under $90 or a one year plan for $39.99. OMG don’t let your kids go off to college with that expensive computer without investing in this great tracking service!!
Here’s a terrific gift for anyone who totes a reading book along with them whether by car, bus, train or plane. The Periscope Light is a nifty telescoping reading light built into a premium leather book cover that assures no one will know what you’re reading. I don’t know about you, but when all the lights go out on the airplane and my seatmates are trying to sleep, I love being able to click on my own personal reading light instead of using the glaring overhead light. This is a gift every reader on your list will love.

Always Be Lint Free While Traveling

Susan — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:21:44 +0000

Here’s a simple way to always be prepared to remove lint from your favorite black outfit while traveling. Pack a few of the stick-on clear shipping windows that you find at FedEx, UPS or USPS locations. When you need a lint remover, slip your hand inside the window and peal off the paper protecting the sticky surface and Presto – a handy lint remover. Slap yourself silly and go!

Rent Top of the Line Golf Clubs on Vacation

Susan — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:00:46 +0000

Let’s admit it, lugging golf clubs along on vacation is a royal pain in the neck. Not only are they heavy and cumbersome, but as soon as I see them lumber out of sight on the baggage conveyor belt, I get the sinking feeling that I’ll never see them again. To add insult to injury, beginning in May, the airlines will introduce new fees for second pieces of luggage and even higher fees for overweight or over sized bags. It’s now likely to cost you from $100-$300 extra just to tote your clubs along on vacation.

It’s time to find another solution. Check out Golf Clubs Away. These folks will deliver a set of premium clubs to your hotel room or golf course of choice and save you all the hassle. A day’s rental runs from 7am to 8pm and costs $35 for Nike or Cobra clubs and $45 for Callaway. You can custom select the type of shaft you like as well as your preference in a driver and putter. Both men’s and women’s sets are available, and you can even throw in a pair of golf shoes if you like for a bit more. Right now they operate in major areas of Florida, (Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Naples,Orlando etc) and will be expanding to Las Vegas, Hilton Head, and Myrtle Beach soon. So next time you’d like to play some golf while on vacation in Florida, leave the hassle of dragging along your clubs behind and have a great set of clubs delivered right to where you need them.

Pack Light Or Pay Up – United’s New Baggage Policy

Susan — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:00:08 +0000

United Airlines has announced a new baggage policy to take effect in early May. There will now be a $25 fee for a second piece of checked luggage and a $100 fee for a 3 or 4th bag for everyone except their elite fliers. Give me a break! First I can’t carry my ‘good stuff’ in a carry on, so I’d better put it in my suitcase. Then if my suitcase weighs too much, I have to pay extra – so I’d better break it down into two bags. Now they’re going to charge me for that extra bag ($50 additional on my roundtrip ticket price)! aarrrggghhhh.

And to make matters worse, whenever you have a second bag to check, you can’t use curbside checkin. You must bring your bags inside to check in at the counter or kiosk.

Let’s imagine this in practice for a minute – You’ve decided to go skiing in Colorado, flying into Denver (a United hub). You’re planning to bring your skis and boots, so you’re looking at $250 in additional charges??? I don’t think so – JetBlue here I come. I guess United isn’t courting the business of golfers either. Or how about us shopaholics – better not buy that extra item if it won’t fit in your first suitcase. I know what’s really going to happen, everyone is going to bulk up their carry on case and boarding is going to be even more of a nightmare!

But, this is all just the beginning of extra charges to come. With jet fuel prices skyrocketing, every airline is looking for ways to increase their revenue by “unbundling” services. In short, this means they are going to nickel and dime us to death. Want a pretzel? That will be $5. How about a aisle seat? Sure, that will cost you extra. Oh you didn’t checkin by computer in advance, that will cost you too. Can coin slots on the bathrooms be far away?

So what this new trend towards “unbundling” of services says to me is that the traditional legacy US airlines are on a fast track to becoming no service, no frill, bare bones carriers. And for this they want more money? I do find it encouraging however that a week after the announcement, no other carrier has followed suite. Hopefully this will be a trial balloon that goes POP!

Someone Help Me – What Should I Wear on Vacation?

Susan — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:00:13 +0000

Ladies, this one is for you! I’ve packed and repacked a dozen times in my mind. Clothes are stretched out on the bed of the guestroom at the ready, but I just can’t commit. I’m off to a new destination and am in a quandary about which outfits to pack. Can I wear my favorite jeans, or would khakis be more appropriate? Are shorts okay or is showing skin frowned on? What about shoes, will sneakers brand me as a tourist – do I care? Thank goodness I stumbled upon a great website project by Journeywomen.com. They have a terrific What Should I Wear, Where? directory which is a compilation of advice by a network of women travelers contributing their best insight and advice. Pointing out that having the right clothes can affect your safety, social interactions, and make or break an adventure, the site acknowledges that we’re not all crazy – clothes make the difference. So, take a few minutes and investigate what other savvy travelers have to say about fashion trends and customs at the destination you’re headed to.

Everything You Can Imagine in 3oz Sizes

Susan — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:00:05 +0000

I’ve been frustrated and irritated lately trying to find all my travel supplies in 3 ounce TSA approved sizes. The travel sections at Walgreens and CVS have shrunk to measly proportions. But recently I unexpectedly discovered THE MOTHER LOAD of reduced sized travel supplies! Bed Bath and Beyond stores have aisle after aisle, after aisle, of cute little sample sizes of everything you could imagine. I’m not just talking shampoo, toothpaste and shaving lotion here! They’ve got laundry soap, dryer sheets, scented powders, razors, sun tan lotions, bath gels, face creams, after shave lotions, medical supplies, hand sanitizers, and on and on. I picked up a basket and went crazy buying my hearts content in 3 ounce goodies. So the next time you’re getting ready to pack your overnight bag, swing by Bed, Bath and Beyond and knock yourself out with their glorious array of mini sized travel goods.