1. Discover a cheap and different type of souvenir collection
At a bar in my late grandfather’s home city in Denmark I was served a Danish beer called Ceres. I noticed the coaster under my glass and asked the barman if I could have one to take home. He gave me a stack of them and they make great conversation pieces at parties.
Marie Farhang, Detriot, Mich.
2. The best way to repair broken sunglasses
Among other ingenious uses, a twist tie can temporarily replace a lost screw on a pair of sunglasses. Just peel the paper or plastic off the tie so you have bare wire, insert it where the screw was, and twist it to tighten. Unlike Scotch tape or a safety pin, a twist tie is small enough to hold until you’re able to replace the screw.
Lynn Fermino, Los Angeles, Calif.
3. How to make more use of your socks when packing
Put your perfume or cologne bottles inside pairs of rolled-up socks to keep them cushioned during your trip.
Lucy Fisher, Harwich, Mass.
4. How to pack your own plates, bowls and containers without taking too much room
A company called Orikaso makes brightly colored polypropylene sheets that can be folded to form a dish or a bowl or a cup. The sheets are lightweight and reusable. You simply flatten them when you’re finished.
Lori Fraser, Fremont, Calif.
5. The one person you should always befriend while overseas
When I’m planning a trip, I almost always call the hotel concierge before I arrive (and if my hotel doesn’t have one I call one that does). Recently, I asked for advice on what to see since I had only four days in a new city. After I told the concierge what I thought I should try to do, she said I had too many things packed into four days. She gave me a list of hotspots to visit and places to avoid. With her help, my trip was much more enjoyable.
Linda Freeman, Venice, Calif.
If you have your own travel tip, leave it as a comment below…
In the USA the hotels that have more stars are higher quality but in Europe and Asia more stars connotes more facilities at the hotel, such as a pool, exercise room, business center, and other amenities that you may not care about at all. For instance in Germany there are great 2 star hotels if all you want is a room, bath, base of operations, and maybe internet access while you spend time in an area.
I wear a photographers jacket made by Domke but other “travelers” jackets with interior pockets would also work. I can stuff the large pockets with 10-15 lbs. of items and walk on the plane. The jacket is easily stuffed into nooks and crannies where a square bag would never fit. When I get to my final airport destination, I rearrange my gear so all the heavy stuff is in a bag with wheels. Only once have I been weighed in for a flight, every other time it is only my baggage and I have a hard time paying extra when there are all the oversized and 50-100 pounds heavier people going on board without a surcharge.
Wish I’d known about the digital scale…I was 4 pounds over the limit at the Pisa airport and was charged 105E…but I couldn’t have even fit a toothpick in any of my other luggage so repacking was out of the question! Thanks for the tip!
We just bought a new digital luggage scale(that held the weight when released) before we went on our last transatlantic trip. By weighing our bags before we checked in, we saved a lot of money. Each of our bags weighed slightly over 50 lbs. With a max of 50 lbs we were able to transfer a couple of things to our carryons and keep below the 50 lbs. We took the scale with us, and also weighed our bags coming back. One had gained about 10 lbs. (probably ate too much)!
Take an empty plastic water bottle with you through security at the airport. This will not be confiscated (at least in most cases). Fill it up at a water fountain inside the secure gate area and carry it onto the plane. This saves you from buying expensive bottled water or waiting in hopes that the flight attendants will give you some.