Duct Tape Traveling

We have a saying here in the South: if it is supposed to move, and doesn't, use WD-40.  If it moves and shouldn't, use duct tape.

Well, I have more than duct tape and spray oil in my tool box, but I've found that duct tape is really handy to have when there is a problem traveling.  For example, eight years ago, I was driving and hit a deer at 55 mph.  It shattered the plastic front end of my SUV and bent up the hood, but I had duct tape to hold it all together for the drive home.  (I won.  Deer lost.  The frame of my vehicle looks like a battering ram just behind the grill, as it turns out.  Thank you, Toyota, you saved our lives, even though the air bag never deployed.)

Duct tape can be used for so much, traveling: holding stubborn curtains closed, doors open, taping notes, making replacement handles on beleaguered luggage, quieting noisy roommates, making a desk caddy, closing luggage with broken zippers, makeshift bandages, holding up hems, and I've heard about use as a strapless bra in a pinch.  My experience is that good duct tape rips my skin off, and cheap duct tape sticks to nothing, so I'm not likely to stick it to my breasts. I've heard it works.  Just... No thank you.    

There are many more ridiculous uses for it, but let's just say that you should pack some, just in case.  Having it is great insurance that you won't actually need it. Lol. Well, except when deer are involved... And I'm pretty sure I could turn my roll of tape into a workable mace, if I'm feeling threatened.  ;)

Duct tape typically comes on a hard cardboard roll, which is heavy and takes a lot of packing space. I've seen suggestions to wrap it around a pen, water bottle, or even to buy premium-priced travel rolls, but you really don't have to buy anything special, and you can use the tape you already have.  I just wrap it around a 3 x 5 index card, folded in half.  It stays flat and I have a pretty good idea just how much is left on my roll, with the exception of the tiny portion stuck on the paper itself. I fold the end of the tape over onto itself and I don't have to find the end when I need it.  Pocket-sized and pretty close to free, because I already keep it at home and work.  

Zip Bag Airplane Phone Mount

This is a brilliant idea I found in a "life hacks" article.  No matter what phone model you have (or if you have an iPad Mini), this should work fine.  I've bought stands for my iPhone that are useless when a case is on the phone, and a little turbulence may just send your device flying.  If for some reason, you can't put your tray down, such as a reclined seat in front of you, this works anyway.

                                 

I've also used inflated zip bags as emergency pillows before. (Hello, lumbar support?) They take up almost no space in your luggage, and can easily be repurposed for laundry needs.

Laugh With Me & My OCD!

Cast:

Me - the OCD planner / packer
My Sister - the "fly by the seat of your pants" one

I texted her the other day, "There are apps to help you remember what you need to pack," in regard to our upcoming cruise.

She responded with, "Only you would know that lol."

So I said, "And only I remember all my stuff. LOL"

I win! :D

You know why I'm so into planning for a trip? Because it makes me happy to think about where I'm going. :). I know it's an unusual way to show optimism, but it means I'm thinking ahead of something good to come.

Confession: I Cheated on my 3-1-1

You know how the TSA limits your liquids and gels in carryon luggage to what will fit into a quart bag? Well, I cheated a little bit.

Allow me to plead my case, for those men and clean-face women out there. I wear contacts, wash my hair with color-safe shampoo and use color-safe conditioner. The best hotels don't ever provide samples that protect your hair color, let alone the cheap places I usually stay in.

I need hairspray for my layered hair to stay out of my eyes. I can't get my hair into a simple and neat ponytail no matter how many hairpins I add to the mess, or I would certainly ponytail it when traveling.

I was using styling gel until my hair stylist noticed recently that my hair is rather dessicated and falling out, so now I'm using hair serum instead. (That's likely a hormone hurricane causing this problem.)

I like to use my favorite body wash in the shower, too. Feels like home that way. :). Bar soap isn't my friend. Waxy, soap scummy, drying....

Even with my hormones being goofy, as they sometimes are in middle aged women, I'm still having to fight mild acne. It's been a thirty year fight. I need clear skin, and Nature has decided otherwise. So I use a four-step facial treatment every morning, which controls it and keeps my skin normal. Okay, dry. Those four steps alone would be too big for the quart bag, so I downsized them drastically. After all, I don't need a two month supply on a week-long trip, right?

Still, the more products you use, the more small bottles you have, and those bottles take up a lot of space.

Enter the contact lens cases.

Every time I get a new prescription, I get a new case. And I keep 'em, because I'm weird. Well, I don't have ALL of my old cases. Just several. I can put a week's worth of product into each side of the case. :). All four steps into two contact lens cases. Takes up very little room, and I don't put it into the 3-1-1 Baggie. That's where I'm cheating, though if it does fit, I put it in there anyway. What can I say, except that it works beautifully for me?

Lens cases can hold a lot of stuff. They're just little pots, with (hopefully) leak-proof tops. I've put small dry things in there too: earplugs, earrings, OTC drugs.

There's also that bonus that it really lightens up my baggage if I don't have to wag around full bottles of my stuff. :)

3-1-1 Baggie tip - use freezer bags with pleated bottoms. They're thicker and sturdier than the storage bags, but you can reinforce any of those bags with a little clear tape.

Confession: I Threw Away My Underwear

When I went to Italy this summer, I tested something new out. I packed some clothes that I intended to throw away after I wore them. Underwear that had seen better days and a couple of polo shirts that were stretched or stained were discarded, along with a couple of pairs of socks.

The socks were actually new, but after a day of walking for hours in them, I couldn't bear to put the sweaty things back into my suitcase and contaminate everything else that was clean. I think my shoes were to blame. They were great walking shoes, but they chose this trip to suddenly start reeking. Maybe I was the only one who noticed. My roommate said she couldn't tell, but I could, and I was really anxious about it. So I switched shoes and tossed my socks, which greatly improved things.

I took laundry soap sheets to wash some fast-dry tops I'd brought along, and they (soap sheets) were really handy when most of my travel group's luggage was lot by Iberia. Lesson learned: carry on until you're not allowed to. I always do, because I'm a little panicky without some of my stuff. That's why I've condensed all my necessary items into the tiniest possible spaces.

So... The polo shirts had some stubborn stains that wouldn't come out no matter what I tried, but they wouldn't be likely to show while I travelled, so I tossed them after wearing. Maybe someone in Italy would have a solution to remove the stains I couldn't, or they could just stay in the trash. I don't care, really. They had been part of my attempt to look perky and professional at work. One was such a pale pink it had always looked dingy anyway. I was disappointed when I received it, and it was very stain-prone. Another stretched in weird places and just didn't look flattering. Good riddance.

My underwear... Well, you know how that is. Elastic starting to wear out, tiny holes beginning to appear, annoying fit from the start, stretched out fabric, or just too darn big after a few pounds lost. Besides, you have to consider the appeal of having NO dirty underwear to bring back home. After you've worn them in 100 degree heat on stone Italian streets, sweating all day... I was happy to trash them.

I just wish I'd been brave enough to throw away my shoes!

It wasn't hard to throw away my old stuff. Today I'm eyeing my sock drawer AND my closet and underwear drawer as I get ready for my next trip.

Pocket Stashes

I've seen several websites offering clothing with secret pockets. I actually own a travel vest of this type, but I think it may be too hot for wearing it on my upcoming trip. Maybe on the plane it won't be so bad, considering that the flight may actually be rather cold.

But if it is too hot in the daytime... What then?

I have also seen some underwear with secret pockets for hiding valuables such as extra cash. The camisole on Magellans.com looks great, but again, it's an extra layer when I was hoping for light and airy. Also, there is a size concern. Big bust on a medium sized woman here. Most sizes are not accurate for me. :(

However.... If I can get hold of some mesh material (and I think I might now that Wal-Mart carries fabrics locally once more), I could make a simple fold-over mesh pocket and sew it into the front of each blouse with a pin or velcro for security. The tops I'm planning to take are so busily patterned that a few stitches in a matching color will never show on the outside. Or even pins might work.

I could even make a mesh sling bag to wear under my clothes, or a bra stash, considering the many mesh shopping bags I've crocheted lately.

I did look for mesh by the yard, but there was none available. I went to another department and found this mesh laundry bag for $1.38. I'm going to cut it up for pocket making. ;) probably cheaper than buying yardage and faster than making my own crocheted mesh. I considered buying some lace fabric , but that was $8 a yard. Ripoff for what will never be seen anyway.

Pashmina Shawl for the Flight

I've decided not to order a travel blanket for the transatlantic flight. I'm taking the pashmina shawl I bought in the airport last time I was there instead. Okay, I don't doubt that it's fake for $20, but I just need a thin little blanket anyway. :). I may ask for an airline blanket as well, or I may not.

I'm planning to wear my shin compression sleeves anyway, so if I can find some knit pants to wear over them, that may work for me. If I can find capris in neutral colors, so much the better. I might wear them instead of shorts.