See Through Packing Using Two Gallon Freezer Bags

I wrote a post a few days ago about bottled water placed in freezer bags in checked bags. It got me thinking about the use of the various sizes of such freezer bags as a packing tip. We all use the quart and gallon size bags with regular use. But did you know that companies such as Ziploc also manufacture two-gallon size freezer bags. The two gallon size is perfect for shoes and clothing especially mens pants.

These freezer bags allow you to neatly pack pack a bag and makes it easier to re-shuffle items within a bag. Best of all you can see everything at a glance. One hidden benefit is that should airport security need to open your checked bag, they can see its contents without having to open each bag or mess up the contents. Other benefits include keeping everything clean from any liquids and they can be re-used. I normally label the bags I use for shoes or laundry since their re-use is limited.

Anything that can leak should be placed in its own separate bag. Cologne and perfumes should be double bagged. Should they leak, their aroma is more contained. After placing each liquid toilettes in separate bags then place all of them in a larger freezer bag along with other other non-liquid personal items. It'll help when you unpack. By the way gels such as a deodorant can also expand and leak during a flight.

It's worth repeating that freezer bags should be used rather than storage bags due to the thickness of the plastic. Ziploc packages the quart with 20 bags in a box, the gallon with 15 and the two-gallon with 10. The quart and gallon are often discounted during store sales. Less so the two-gallon bag.

Balanzza & Belle Hop - Travel Accesories Review

THE DIGITAL LUGGAGE SCALE from Balanzza
If you are always second guessing the weight of your checked bags, this digital luggage scale will wipe out any worries. This compact scale weighs luggage up to 100 lbs or 44kg and is easy to use. First turn the scale on, select either pounds or kilograms and reset. Then wrap the strap to the handle of your luggage, lift, wait for the beep, set the luggage back down and read the weight. This scale will save any embarrassment at the airport. The only drawback is any of the buttons can get stuck under the button hole frame but a gentle wiggle of the stuck button sets it loose for the scale to work properly. If the weight of the bag is very close to the weight limit allowed, it's strongly suggested that the bag is weighed more than once to be sure of an accurate reading. This product is definitely practical especially if you plan to do a lot of shopping on a trip or just plain tend to overpack coming and going. Highly recommended. Price: $24.85, requires two AAA batteries (not included).
HANDLE WRAP by Belle Hop
These wraps are meant to serve two purposes. First the fluorescent colors of green, orange and blue helps to identify your luggage. The second is it reduces the pressure on your hands when lifting heavy luggage. The wrap is secured to your luggage with Velcro and comes two in a box. It actually succeeds on these two points. The only drawback is it does not wrap as securely around the luggage handle since the Velcro is only a 3/4" strip on the inner edge of the wrap. This causes the wrap to slide on the luggage handle. So be sure the airline attaches the luggage router tag to a handle that is not secured with the handle wrap. I have to admit they feel comortable when lifting a bag and I immediately identified my black bag coming down the conveyor belt onto the luggage carousel. However most flyers probably feel that a cushiony handle is the least of their worries and more likely use other methods to identify their bags. Price: $9.85

Both items are available from magellans.com. Applicable shipping charges apply.

Weather Look-Up

Look for the Weather Look-Up Links on the right. You can look up the weather for any city in the world. Courtesy of AccuWeather.com, one Look-Up is for U.S. cities and the other is for international cities. For best results, enter a city name for either Look-Up. This should help you plan for the likely immediate weather at your destination for such things as clothing choices. In case anyone is going to the south pole for the summer, you can look up the temperature there too (just enter "south pole" under International Weather Look-Up). By the way, if you enter "north pole" you'll be surprised where it takes you. NOTE: International temperature reading default is Metric (Celsius); Click on 'English' on the accuweather web page for Farenheit readings.

Also added to this page is the current weather and time in New York City, Las Vegas and Honolulu. The weather information for each city is updated every 30 minutes. Return to this blog throughout the day and you can read how the weather changes especially in Las Vegas where the temperature may vary by as much as twenty degrees. The little weather icon also changes to match the current weather conditions. One neat feature is the RealFeel temperature (what the temperature actually feels liks, factoring in variables such as humidity, vs the temperature reading). By the way, click on any of the three city weather readings for detailed weather conditions.

Wrinkle Freedom

Wrinkle Free Fabric Relaxant is a convenient product you may want to try out on your next trip. No matter how carefully you have packed your garments, there will always be wrinkles when you unpack at your destination. Wrinkle Free allows you to quickly remove wrinkles. Just lay the garment flat on the bed. Spray, smooth and you can then hang it or wear it. There is nothing like a freshly ironed piece of clothing but this is the next best substitute. The scent is powder fresh and can also be used as a spray starch substitute when using an iron. Not recommended for delicate fabrics such as silk. This item can be found at magellans.com. Available in two sizes.

What Will They Think of Next

Found these two new products for sale online. Am very keen on trying them out. The first is a Padded Handle Wrap which serves a dual purpose. It gives your luggage a distintive look with its color (always helpful at the baggage claim carousel) and reduces pressure on your hands when lifting heavy bags.

The second is a compact Digital Scale. Most travelers return from their trip with heavy bags from shopping (of course with gifts for family and friends) and you just never know for sure if you have exceeded the weight limit requirement of your airline. This should help with the second guessing and save time and embarrasement at the airport. In addition you read the weight after lifting your luggage. This appears to save you the awkwardness of having to read the weight while holding a 50+ pound bag.

Will let you know in a later post if these two items are worth your while. Both items available at magellans.com.

Packing Tip

Three rules of thumb when packing:

- Half the Clothes
- Twice the Money
- Comfortable Shoes

In addition here are two additional rules:

- Comfortable Shoes
- Comfortable Shoes

Always think ahead of time about the clothes you'd like to bring by at least three or four days to a week. Then over the course of the next few days remove any items that you may not wear at all.

Regarding twice the money, think of it in all forms: Cash, Credit Cards or even travelers checks and when you'd likely to use each type of payment.

It cannot be stressed enough how important comfortable shoes are. Remember you should always be on the go if you're on a worthwhile trip and to have to buy a new pair of shoes cause your feet are killing you is just regrettable (and another thing to pack for the trip home).

Quick Tip

No matter where you're going, it's always important to always pack these two very basic items:

1) Your sense of humor.

2) Common sense.

Problems and mishaps arise but dealing with them in a sensible manner will only help you make the most out of any situation.