Amy_D

I was reading the February issue of <em>Real Simple</em> last night and I came across a great travel solution that made my jewelry obsessed self take note: using a paper doily as a travel earring holder.

All you have to do is fasten your stud earrings through the holes in the doily and lay it flat in your suitcase. It's such a simple solution, I can't believe I haven't thought of it before.

Do you have any travel solutions that use common household items? I'd love to hear them!

suze

For traveling I put my stud earrings in a tiny container, like what samples of cosmetic creams come in. Aren't you worried they'll fall off among your clothes or the paper doily will rip? Sorry but that seems kind of not the most brilliant idea I've heard lately
;-)

I don't really own travel specific things. *everything* I take is pretty much a common household item (corkscrew, small knife, teeny flashlight, couple plastic hangers, etc.)

Neuman605

I used to use a straw to thread necklaces threw so they wouldn't tangle, now I don't take any except my St. Chris medal which I wear!

LoveItaly

Regarding jewelry I only have the gold hoops that I wear and one other pair for evening which goes into the zippered section of my small wallet. Why take more tham two pair of earings on a trip, Amy. The less one takes the less one has to worry about. And suze pretty much listed what I take in the way of "household" items except I have never packed a small knife. I do take along ziplock bags of various sizes which always seem to come in handy.

Melnq8

I use those little cellophane zip top bags found in craft stores...they're perfect for earrings, bracelets and small amounts of aspirin, vitamins, whatever.

suze

a few safety pins... They take up no space and can do what nothing else can (fix clothes, pin closed curtains, etc.)

LoveI~ the knife is because I set up a 'kitchen' on the dresser in my hotel room when i'm on beachy vacations. I take a kit that fits into a single 1-gal ziplock including: one plastic plate, a few paper napkins, s&p packets saved from box lunches at work, one set plastic silverware, small knife. really makes it easier when you're eating some from the grocery store and don't have an actual kitchen in your room.

bettyk

suze, we do the same thing. I also take several large plastic lids to use for little plates or if I need to cut or slice something.

I also take a few plastic clothes pins for closing curtains or securing clothes on inflatable hangers to dry.

suze

actually I always take 2-3 regular molded plastic hangers (my most frequent trips are to beach-y vacations so i often have damp clothes or do a little laundry by hand in the sink). They take almost no room laying in the bottom of my suitcase. i tried those inflatable ones meant to traveling, but they didn't work out very well for me (the clothes kept slipping off!)

Lots of people swear by duct tape. but i've never had a travel situation where it would have solved my problem.

Neuman605

Suze,
We always travel with cuct tape. Once had to give it to a FA to tape a tray table in place so our flight could take off!

Instead of using clothes pins I use small paper binders (clips) then I can also use them to clip papers together, & they are even smaller than clothes pins.

tenthumbs

Empty toilet paper or paper towel cardboard tubes are good for cords, like phone chargers......

I always take several gallon size ziplock bags. They're good for potentially leaky souveniers (like Mexican vanilla), wet swimsuits, and for travel mates who never seem to have them!

jhnrbrts

sounds like a great idea

Steelersfan

love it, Neuman605! You had to fix the plane for them!
I've used duct tape when traveling, too.
In fact there's a small (travel size from $1 store) roll that lives permanently in my travel accessories bag.
Retrieved my luggage in San Juan once with a nice rip across the front of the suitcase. Voila! Duct tape did the trick, and the traveling continued...

Since we always have duct tape with us, we don't need to pack a lint roller. Once used some (along with a cotton makeup pad) for an oversized bandaid.


Other ideas:
http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal...-when-you-tra/

http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/10...duct-tape.html

http://www.ehow.com/list_7292060_10-...pe-travel.html

Iowa_Redhead

<<<Lots of people swear by duct tape. but i've never had a travel situation where it would have solved my problem.>>>

I think I've probably used duct tape on every trip I've ever taken. There are often other items that would fix each issue, but duct tape can act as the single item to fix all of them, can be used very quickly and packs small and light.

On one of the highschool trips one of the guys was screwing around on the bus during a long drive and tore the entire butt seam in his pants. He went into the bus bathroom and handed out his pants and we duct taped up the seam, inside and out. Just inside would have been fine but well... we were in high school and the bright green streak served him right for screwing around. I keep a sewing kit in my bathroom bag, but the duct tape would generally get you through the day until you have a chance to repair the item that night. It's also great for fixing hems.

On another trip we used it to wrap a walking stick in a flat piece of cardboard. I can't count how many times I've used it to fix bags with tears or torn off zippers.

On my recent trip to China I messed up my foot/ankle and used duct tape to wrap as a brace. The teal looked pretty funny, but I walked the entire day on the Great Wall without issues. The next day I found a pharmacy/medical supply store and could buy a real wrap.

It also has been used to prevent blisters instead of using tons of bandaids and has been used as a makeshift bandaid when the normal size wasn't big/sticky enough. Holding gaping curtains closed, fixing someone's broken glasses, and taping a cupboard door closed on the TV unit are also random useful ways to use it.


I cut a small strip of cardboard just slightly wider than the tape and 3-5" long and wrap tape around that instead of packing a roll. I've never traveled with silver duct tape, but always find the fun colors like lime green, construction worker orange, red, teal, etc.


I also pack extra ziplocks in both quart and gallon size. They take up no space and add no weight, but can be used for 101 things. Wet/damp clothes, really dirty clothes, organizing clothes between clean and dirty, keeping papers/receipts/paper souvenirs neat and fairly flat, for any liquid and/or smelly items, for bulky items that can be compressed, etc.

spcfa

This last trip to Portugal ended in Porto, where we bought some lovely port to bring home. We duct-taped our foam flip-flops to either side of a bottle to pad it in our luggage. Those made it home safely! As a side note, since I knew we'd be buying port I also brought some over-sized (5 gal) ziplocs, into which each bottle was put into after being wrapped with cushioning. No one wants sticky port in their luggage.

foggydoggy

I am a Ziploc bag junkie when travelling. All clothes are rolled and placed into the large or Xtra large sizes. During summer travel I have rolled 5 sundresses into a zippy. So much more neater and everything stays in place. Great idea to bring duct tape.I bring bubble wrap for alcohol or other bottled goods.

Steelersfan

spcfa on Jan 18, 11 at 12:10pm This last trip to Portugal ended in Porto, where we bought some lovely port to bring home. We duct-taped our foam flip-flops to either side of a bottle to pad it in our luggage. Those made it home safely! As a side note, since I knew we'd be buying port I also brought some over-sized (5 gal) ziplocs, into which each bottle was put into after being wrapped with cushioning. No one wants sticky port in their luggage.


Right you are! YOu can also sort of 'blow up' the baggie and it becomes a packing cushion.
We have often packed bottles of alcohol by slipping them into sox and then packing them wrapped in a sweatshirt. Good cushioning as well.

pdx

I like to take the metal clothes hangars (from dry cleaners) because there often aren't enough hangars in the hotel or apartment closets for both mine and my husbands clothes. I just leave them at the end of the trip. They take up almost no space in the bag.

LSky

I never travel without duct tape wrapped around a pen. Around the same pen is medical tape and a transparent tape. I've used it all. Not always, but often enough that I don't take it out of my suitcase.

The idea of keeping the cardboard roll is a good one, I can see it fitting perfectly into a little space in the suitcase

For earrings I always find a pair with loops that close completely and don't take them off. All the earrings that I truly love, stay home. I might take a necklace that I adore but it's too easy to lose one earring.
I'll make a necklace out of a lone earring if it's big enough.

My travel journal is a 70 page 1 subject notebook. They're perfect, I can fold it in half for a day trip and have plenty of space for my handwriting. Because we are Neanderthals when it comes to choosing wine, we buy a pretty label. The covers are perfect for saving wine/beer labels. A little dishwashing liquid is good for soaking off the label, shampoo works too but not as quickly.

A plastic travel coffee mug lives in my suitcase holding my immersion heater, on the way home it's transported fragile things.

LSky

I thought of this today as I was washing a couple of disposable containers that will come in handy on a car trip. If I lose them I won't care. Also, they will be used for bringing our own food on an airplane.

swisshiker

While wearing sandals during summer trips, my feet can sometimes become a bit sweaty/sticky.

Before leaving the hotel in the morning, I rub some of my Secret Anti Perspirant Stick onto the footbed of my sandals.

Works like a charm; smooth and silky walking all day with no stickiness or sweaty feet!

And then just simply wipe off the stick before applying it to yourself...or not if that is your choice!

***

Another thing I save are those tiny ziploc bags that extra blouse buttons come in (about 1 inch bags). Perfect for carrying a few Advil in the purse.