1. Skip the hotel dry-cleaning

Instead of dropping my laundry off at the front desk, I take a walk around the block and look for the nearest dry cleaner—probably the same one the hotel would take them to.  By cutting out the middleman I usually pay a quarter of what the hotel charge.

Brian Serues, Cottage Grove, Wis.

2. Stock up on crosswords

About a month before leaving on vacation, I started clipping the crossword puzzles from the daily newspaper and pasting them into a blank notebook.  The puzzles keep me occupied during my trip.  The newspaper’s crosswords are so much more interesting than those generic books of crosswords that you can purchase at the airport.

Brian Shelton, Schertz, Tex.

3. Compare prices with foreign airlines

Recently I was booking tickets online for an upcoming flight to Europe from the East Coast.  One particularly attractive fare was offered on a US based airline, as well as on their foreign partner airline.  Same flight, same base price.  But imagine my surprise when, searching both airlines for availabilities, I discovered that it was more than $100 cheaper per ticket to book the flight with the foreign airline versus the US airline.

Brett Simms, Brooklyn, N.Y.

4. Getting the right maps

For road trips on the Continent, European maps are much more helpful when it comes to
reading road signs.  They’ll say Roma instead of Rome, Firenze rather than Florence.  I could spend all day waiting for a road sign for Munich and miss the exit for München.

Bill Starks, Helena Island, S.C.

5. Pack a homemade medicine kit

When traveling with my kids, I always bring a Ziploc bag that includes four things: a bottle of Benadryl, a bottle of my children’s ibuprofen, one of those little medicine cups, and a thermometer.  This all-purpose kit can help with minor ailments, or treat a more serious flu until you can get to a doctor.  Best of all, it beat driving around at 2am looking for an all-night pharmacy.

Beth Steuer, Larose, La.

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