We all look for airfare bargains, hotel discounts, and the best car rental deals when we travel. So why would you waste money on travel gear or gadgets that just look pretty?
Why would you buy 18 decorated zip-close plastic bags for $9.95 when many airport security gates give them away for free, and when you can buy a box of 25 at the supermarket for around $3?
GlamBags advertises itself as “the very first collection of recyclable designer travel bags”. Would you pay five times the supermarket price for a pretty design on your travel-size baggie? I wouldn’t.
TSA rules for carry-on liquids are quite clear: nothing larger than three ounces, and it all has to fit in one see-through plastic bag. Some affordable alternatives that are not glamourous, but are functional and affordable are on the next page:
I like Magellan’s see-through mesh packing cubes, which help organize your suitcase and make TSA inspections easier, faster and neater.
Ziploc bags are cheap enough that I use bunches of them in different sizes when I travel. One for the chargers for my cellphone and camera batteries, another to keep my travel guidebook and maps from getting dog-eared, another for the homemade mix of nuts and dried fruit that I never go to the airport without, and so on.
When my kids were small, I put one entire day’s clothing into a single baggie, so there would be no rummaging around in the suitcase for socks or whatever, and at the end of the day, the dirty clothes would go back in the baggie.
What’s your favorite travel gear? Or travel tip?
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