Budget Travel Magazine is the *best* travel magazine of all time.
There, I said it!
It’s also one of the only magazines I’ve ever subscribed to for more than one year, and although I’ve now moved far and away where the paper pages allude me, I’m only a mouse click away from all the fun.
Meanwhile my mom patiently collects my subscription every month, stacks them on the side corner of her pale black desk, and they wait for me there. No one else even touches them.
On my last trip home there were no less than 15 BT magazines for me to peruse. Ahhh, and the headlines were fun.
Rome Like a Roman
Til Travel Do Us Part
and my personal favorite …
Hey You, Out of My Shot!
But probably the determining factor that has persuaded me to renew that magazine year after year (and even buy extra subscriptions for friends) boils down to one single section.
20 Tips
… travel tips sent in to BT editors by real travelers like us. And you know how I love a good set of travel tips!
So I did the leg work. I read hundreds of tips, narrowed down my favorites and have selected the TOP FIVE Budget Travel Magazine Travel Tips to share with you today.
5. California resident Dindo Carrillo claims dryer sheets will stop ants from attacking your hotel room. Place a dryer sheet where you see the line of ants entering the room. The chemicals in the sheet will confuse the ants and throw them off track.
4. When Stephanie Kvech of Essex Maryland is on an international vacation, she mails a postcard to her home address. When she returns, she has a beautiful postcard with a foreign stamp to add to her scrapbook.
3. Flight attendant Julie Childers of Dublin Georgia asked her local pharmacy for three-ounce liquid prescription bottles. They sold her four bottles for $1.00, and now she is TSA approved and ready to board.
2. Charlene Lewis of Summersville, West Virginia claims a balloon will help you dry clothes. Insert a blown balloon inside a wet garment that is hanging from the shower rod. The air will circulate better around the balloon and your clothes will be dry the next morning.
1. Marv Blackburn of Toledo Ohio packs Ziploc double-zip freezer bags in his carry-on. After he and his wife are seated, he blows into a bag, closes it partially, blows in a little more air and seals it closed. He uses this as his back support pillow. (And with some airlines charging for use of a pillow these days … I can see why!)
Have you ever tried any of these tips? If so, what did you think? Which ones do you plan to try?
Until next time … Buon Viaggio!
These are *fabulous*! I mean not that I’d expect anything less, but really, blowing up a ziploc bag for a pillow?! Genius!
Love the postcard tip too…plus at least you’ll know that your mail won’t be *all* bills when you return 😉
AND you can reuse the elusive Ziploc here in Italy!!
With travel tip number 2, balloons are also handy for smuggling drugs. No first hand experience on this by the way, just from watching tv.
He he… no comment!
Great tips!! My fav is mailing the postcard home. You know you will get at least one good shot of your vacation!!!
I like the mailing it, too. I always GET postcards, but have never mailed one to myself.
Love the tips 🙂 I am going to try the email form now. I keep meaning to get in touch about the long-distance relationship book.
Thanks, City Girl. I emailed you back. I hope you got it!
That tip about posting the post cards to yourself is quite common. I remember last year at the airport in Sicily each week guests would give me their postcards that they had forgotten to post to themselves. They weren’t DODGY and had already bought stamps so I just had to post them 🙂
Dodgy … I *so* love that word! I think the best thing about this tip is that you have the stamp, which is nice.
good tips. Interesting about the balloon 🙂
Isn’t that cool, Erin? I can’t wait to try it!
Great tips! I’ve done the postcard one, and the balloon but the dryer sheet is great! That’s awesome. I’m an ambassador for Hampton Inns, I had some info that it seems like you’d be interested in, I thought I’d let you know about it.
Hampton Inn is offering 10% off the best available rate until September 1st. We’re also giving away bikes, vacations and a lot of other stuff for the Olympic Games!
Check it out here: http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/ en/hp/promotions/hx_su mmerpromo08/index.jhtm l?cid=OM,HX,Dreams,Specials&it=Specials,Dreams
Check out this video also and let me know what you think! Hope I didn’t bother or cross any boundaries by contacting you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=D2Y0jf-BKpI
Best,
Rob Williams
Official Hampton Inn Ambassador
[email protected]
No problem, Rob. I love for My Bella Vita readers to know about discounts and good deals!
I’d try the balloon tip. That’s a great idea.
I don’t know which tips you discarded, but I’ve got two:
1) Turn your clothes inside out before packing because the creases are less noticeable that way.
2) If your’e travelling as a pair, pack half of his or her clothes in your bag and half of your clothes in their bag. That way, if one bag goes missing at least both of you will have something to wear.
I *love* the idea about turning your clothes inside out. I’ll have to try that one! Peppe and I try to pack half/half when we fly together. That can be a lifesaver, for sure. Thanks for the new tips!
I do the postcard thing too except I mail one card and bring one card home. That way when I do my trip album I can show the picture as well as the stamp.
Ahhh, good idea. I love it!
Where does one buy a dryer sheet in Italy so one can test this claim?
Oh,Judith. I thought you’d be able to tell us!
shall i send some dryer sheets over??? 😉 i will need to remember that balloon idea because we usually do the rick stevesesque backpack only thing & that necessitates some hand washings on the journey. & you are right, BT totally rocks!!!!
I’ve looked for them a bit, but we don’t really use our dryer that often! It takes HOURS to dry a load of towels, so we do the Italian-hanging-your-clothes-for-the-world-to-see thing! It works!
IF you’re going to try the balloon trick — buy it locally. Innocent items like that can attract unwanted attention from security nowadays.
Oooh, thanks for the heads up, Jeff. Good point!
I never tried any of those but I have to say the ziplock pillow is genius. No need for an overpriced inflatable pillow either. Oh I know summer is almost at its end but I wanted to tell you about the promotion we’re having at my job. Here is the info.
Hampton Inn is offering 10% of their best rate available until 9/1/08 we’re also giving away some great prizes leading up to the TEAM USA competing at the Olympic Games. Good Luck!!
http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/promotions/hx_summerpromo08/index.jhtml;jsessionid=SXEZ4FIZDCG4OCSGBJF2VCQ?it=specials,dreams&cid=om,hx,dreams,specials
Sarah B
P.S.
Check out this funny video, called “Ballad of a Traveler”, it is hilarious. He totally sums up the travelers experience:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2tgnUsj8NE>
Thanks for sharing, Sarah.