Travel Tip Tuesday: Know Your Credit Card Benefits

Before you buy trip insurance and rental car insurance, check the benefits of your credit card.

 Most people don't realize that most credit cards already come with the benefit of travel insurance, trip cancellation, lost baggage, rental car insurance, and more.

 Knowing the benefits of your credit card could save you lots of money and could help you pick which credit card to use.

This infographic could also help explain some fuzzy items.

Adventurer McCoy Avatar

I have an amazing former student who is an incredible artist.

She's made me a custom avatar that I ADORE!  I love it.  It's grand and gives me chills.

Introducing the updated Adventurer McCoy and Skitler, her trusty fennec fox:

She delighted me so much, that my husband helped me build a website inspired by her.

And, truth be told, I'm quite fond of her first Adventurer McCoy too.  I'll throw her in here for good measure.

You are one talented lady Hari Fox!

Travel Tip Tuesday: Save Money on Liquids

In a world where the amount of room we get for packing liquids is minuscule, I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to pack the smallest quantity of liquids possible without breaking the bank.

If you have a liquid that just doesn't come in a small size but you never need too much of it to get you through a trip (moisturizer, eye makeup remover, acne cream, vaseline, etc.), buy a cheap contact lens holder and fill the cups with the liquid. You can carry one or two liquids per contact lens container, and it saves a ton of room. The outsides can be easily labeled.

Save money by buying refillable containers and filling with your normal products. If you really want to use the hotel products - go ahead. Otherwise, you can always save up some and donate to a local homeless or recovery center.

If you have liquids that can be purchased in powder form (like BareMinerals Exfoliating Treatment Cleanser), I always recommend it. Otherwise, pre-moistened cleansing cloths will wash your face while keeping you from needing an additional facecloth. They don't count against your liquid allowance from what I've been told by TSA screening agents and can really refresh you on a long flight.

Cologate Wisp mini toothbrushes are great for the plane and allow you to pack your toothpaste...or at least keep you from trying to retrieve it from your bag on a long flight.





*I didn't get anything for mentioning some products.  I just really like the products.

Travel Tip Tuesday: Bungee Cords

Bungee cords are a very easy to pack useful item when it comes to travel.  There's no telling the number of things you'll need to secure during a trip, and these can always be used for fastening.  They attach to the outside of your bag without taking up any additional room and are an inexpensive versatile tool.

If you need an impromptu clothesline, these little guys really do the trick.

Travel Tip Tuesday: Dirty Clothes Solution

So often when traveling, we spend forever packing our clothes to make everything fit perfectly in our suitcase.  Then, when things are dirty, we just throw it in a bag.  I hate carrying around that second bag and figuring what to do with it at the end of the trip.

Thanks to my mother-in-law and a great REI sale, we've started using Eagle Creek Pack It travel folders to pack our clothes.

They are these great folders that help you fold your clothes and keep them compressed.  I have some in different colors to help separate my pants from tops.

I've just recently started carrying around a third folder...for those dirty clothes.  Not only do I not have another bag to lug around, my dirty clothes are separated in a manageable way into that third pack-it and fit into my luggage without issue.

They even fit in my travel backpack!

This tip courtesy of Kristy and Terri.

Travel Tip Tuesday: Carry a copy of important documents

When recently traveling from Oahu to Kauai, my husband dropped his driver's license on the airplane.  Luckily, the airport was able to locate it and return the license to him a few days later.

The outcome of this debacle could have been much worse.  Regardless, my husband finally admitted that what he previously had thought as my being a travel lunatic was rather quite brilliant.

I always carry a full color copy of both of our drivers licenses, passports, and the front/back of our credit cards.

I carry this in an inconspicuous location separated from our wallets.  Many a travel horror story ends with a stolen or lost wallet or passport.  If you have no way to identify yourself, especially outside of the United States, it could be a nightmare.  It'd be way easier to have the American Embassy issue you an emergency passport if you had evidence of your existence.

We also take a different wallet traveling than we carry at home.  Take only what you need, know what you are carrying with you, and split up your assets.  You shouldn't have one person carry all of the cash, and my husband and I carry different credit cards in case one doesn't work.

Hopefully you'll never need to worry about this, but better safe than sorry.

Tuesday Travel Tip: I'm Tired of Buying Water at the Airport

It's hard laying out $4 for a bottle of water at the airport...at least for me.  That's why I've started bringing my water with me.  

Now, I know you can't bring a bottle of water through security, but you can bring an empty bottle.  I'll often bring a full bottle from home, drink it on the way to the airport, and empty it before I get to security.  They don't care if there are trace droplets of water left in the water bottle.  Some airports like Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago are providing patrons with a water bottle hydration system.  Otherwise, just refill at the water fountain.