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Travel tips

November 21, 2025 02:04PM
Many of us travel frequently for work and pleasure. Let's share some tips. My top two--1) old prescription bottles are the perfect size to hold Q-tips. 2) I always pack a wooden clothespin or metal binder clip to hold curtains tightly together.
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November 21, 2025 04:37PM
If you travel alone, don't go dressed to get attention. Dress to blend in so you don't get a lot of attention, because some of it can be negative attention. You're alone, and you're probably far from home since you are traveling. Be safe and just blend in.

Bring an, "Everything, but the kitchen" bag. I carry an extra set of clothing, shampoo, Rolaids, band-aids, wipes, etc. If you're traveling, you never know when your car breaks down, or you need any of this stuff. Anything I can think I might need, I have it all in one bag.

Get a zipped file holder. Print out a lot of the authorizations you use a lot such as, if you do a lot of Shell stations Exxon's, and Phillip 66's, keep at least 10 of the authorizations so if you are out of town and see you can do one of these jobs, take the job because you already have the authorizations with you.

Shopping Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mississippi.
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November 21, 2025 04:50PM
Bringing a clip for the curtains is a great idea. But I'm sure I would forget it and leave it there every time. I do have a small kit like they sell at Walmart that has a toothbrush, razor, shampoo etc., that I keep in my overnight bag. And I always keep cold medicine in my car just in case, and of course ibuprofin. And a knit cap for sudden cold weather, and a water-resistant jacket for rain. And emergency cash for fixing flats or whatever.
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November 21, 2025 06:40PM
Get TSA Pre Check or TSA Clear if you are able to, leave expensive jewelry at home, packing cubes are wonderful.
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November 22, 2025 04:24PM
Most hotel rooms have a closet with hangers, many with pant clips.

I close the curtains using those clothes hangers....

I never check a bag even if traveling for weeks.....I use a personal item bag and rolling bag.

Join the airline, hotel and train reward programs...over time, the benefits add up.

If you are traveling in a popular or busy area or high season, consider booking directly versus using a third party website....this helps to ensure you won't get walked.

I am traveling this winter across the country by train, so I am looking for tips lol.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2025 05:43PM by BarefootBliss.
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November 22, 2025 11:25PM
When I go out, road trip only.. I no longer fly because of some questionable behavior by TSA agents, I take a duffle bag of clothing, with my vitamins, meds and supplements. I take my "go bag" that I take almost every time I leave the house, it has emergency toiletries, and most of a full change of clothing, my documents (original birth certificate, SS card, vaccination records). There is a reason for this.. but I'm not going to explain, it's a trauma response. My wallet and tablet.

In my car I have LOAs and Leave Behind forms for all of the gas stations that I regularly shop, 10 of each, in 4 or 5 plastic folders in the seat pocket. A spare tire, a blanket, a few tea towels, several bandanas, 3 or 4 flashlights, 2 umbrellas (one is broken but I love it and I won't throw it away until I find another one just like it), a bottle of oil, a bottle of coolant, and all of the car's paperwork, my traffic vest, my traffic sweatshirt, a traffic safety rain poncho, and two reuseable drink bottles, one for hot and one for cold drinks.

I hope that helps.
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November 23, 2025 08:39PM
In the past I traveled on business quite a bit. I kept a list of reminders on my phone to check before leaving the house. As I always rented a car, one of the things I always took was a clip to hold my phone. Another important remnder is chargers, adapters, and battery backups. So important in these days and times. Sometimes the simplest things come in handy, like a rubber band. (you can use it to tidy up a charger cord or to put your hair up-).

I alwyas have minor but basic items somewhere in my purse or laptop bag: paper clip, safety pins, emory board, bandaids,etc.
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November 24, 2025 12:54PM
2nd that emotion for carrying a stash of LOA's for the brands you regularly shop. Never know when something might pop up near you that is worth doing.

As for travel perks, I'm loyal to my loyalty programs.

When it comes to hotels, I'm exclusively Best Western unless they don't have something appropriate where I will be, then I use Hotwire to get a discounted room and use PayPal's BNPL billed to my BW-branded credit card to get some points.

I had used said card for a low-interest balance transfer, meaning I could not use it for purchases until the balance was retired.

Unlike most programs, BW maintains your status even if you go inactive for a couple of years as I did.

I was able to pick up where I left off when the transfer was paid off, and reached their highest level rather quickly. I find their properties to be of consistent quality, even in more remote markets, and I can almost always find a place in my budget.

We love free hotel nights, and are especially looking forward to 2 nights in New Orleans next March, about 2 blocks off the French Quarter.

Have synthesizers, will travel...
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November 25, 2025 03:33AM
spare pair of prescription eyeglasses, a written list of my passwords for web sites, a few sheets of scrap paper or a small note pad. My purse always has, bandaids, hand sanitizer, SS card, and vaccine records. Vitamin and daily statin pill are put in those plastic thingies that have compartments for each day of the week. And box of cookies if I'm visiting someone so addict me can have 1 or 2 each evening to satisfy my sugar craving.
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November 25, 2025 11:57AM
I also keep a written list of passwords but I rotate the first two characters so that if the list were lost no one would have any access.
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