Archives for Travel
Built’s cargo laptop sleeve
Built makes some very handy storage products out of neoprene. I highlighted their alternative to a lunch box back in November. Their new Cargo Laptop Sleeve is made from the same material and also includes some very useful pockets to store computer accessories. From the Built website:
Our Cargo Laptop Sleeve streamlines the transport of your laptop and computer essentials. Composed of extra-thick neoprene, this sleeve stretches to fit your laptop and offers a substantial amount of protection. Three external slip pockets provide snug and convenient storage for various sized gadgets and accessories. The zigzag stitched seams improve water resistance and durability. The Cargo is available in three sizes.
It definitely looks less bulky than any laptop sleeve I’ve seen and with the extra pockets for storage it looks like it can keep all your laptop accessories in one compact device. Another great looking product from Built.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Your boarding pass on your cell phone
As paper becomes less and less important in the digital age, the paper boarding pass may also be a thing of the past. According to this New York Times article, at least six airlines are already allowing travelers to check in with their mobile devices. Although this check-in process results in a paper boarding pass issued at the ticket window, it saves you from having to print an additional copy beforehand at your home or office.
Currently, Continental Airlines has begun testing a completely paperless boarding pass. The Continental electronic pass allows travelers to pass through security and board the plane without handling any paper at all. Continental sends a bar code to your mobile device and it is then scanned by security and gate agents.
Although I love the idea of paperless boarding pass, I have little faith in the TSA agents actually being up to speed on technological advances. I hope to be proven wrong.
Photo courtesy of USA Today
Popularity: 10% [?]
A post-travel plan
Here is a simple plan for what to do after you return home from vacation or a business trip:
- Walk straight to your washing machine.
- Take dirty clothes out of suitcase, put them into the washing machine, and start the laundry.
- Put clothes that need to go to the dry cleaners into designated dry cleaning bag.
- Carry suitcase to closet and put away shoes, belts, and other items that didn’t need to be washed but belong in closet.
- Repeat step #4, but with items that belong in the bathroom.
- Look at self in mirror and give yourself a thumb’s up for being unpacked only five minutes after returning home.
- Put suitcase away in closet.
Okay, I’ll admit, this list is a little silly. I think the point of the post is clear, though: Unpack your suitcase immediately after you return from a trip so that it won’t sit around cluttering up your space.
Popularity: 23% [?]
The ineffiency of a cluttered car
We have given some tips on keeping your car uncluttered in the past. Recently, this aspect of clutter popped into my head again when I rode in a car that was unbelievably packed with anything and everything the driver had brought into the car over the years. I’m not exactly sure why some people feel the need to use their vehicle as a trash can, but the back seats of the vehicle I rode in were rendered useless by the amount of junk that was strewn about them.
In an article by Karen Youso of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, she brings up some valid problems that extreme car clutter can cause for a vehicle:
“No matter the reason, however, operating a cluttermobile has some real drawbacks.
‘All that junk adds weight, and that affects fuel economy, especially in town, with its stop-and-go driving,’ said Bruce Jones, professor of automotive engineering technology at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The heavier a car is, the more force or torque is needed to get it going again once it’s stopped, he explained.
And, in turn, it takes more effort to stop a moving junk car. The brakes won’t last as long…
…More important, however, is safety. The stuff inside cars can become ‘weapons’ in a crash, and not just in a roll-over or a serious collision. Hitting something at 30 miles per hour might stop your car, but it doesn’t stop all the stuff inside from flying around. If anything strikes an occupant, it can severely injure and possibly kill them, Marose said.
In addition, when the airbag deploys, it comes out at about 200 miles per hour. Any object in its way is ejected at nearly the same speed, with the same consequences, he added.”
Whether you work out of your vehicle or you have a few children to tote around, make sure your vehicle is clutter free. The safety of yourself and your passengers may one day depend on it.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Workspace of the Week: A car’s glove box
This week’s Workspace of the Week is Toffer’s glove box modification:
Toffer explains what is featured in the photograph:
I shoved my spare hipster PDA into the tissue dispenser of my glove box, took some pens and put them in the slot to load napkins and then taped a pad of re-stickable post-it notes to the side.
Repurposing a car’s glove box as an uncluttered, personal workspace is a brilliant idea! Thank you, Toffer, for the creative suggestion.
Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.
Popularity: 17% [?]
Streamline your security check point routine
If you travel quite a bit you have probably adjusted to the security screening process in the airport. The annoying routine has to get on one’s nerves, but if you prepare yourself in advance the whole process can be less of a headache. Here are some tips to make your security check easier:
Wear slip on shoes. Although I have been able to walk through some security screenings without removing my shoes, more often than not you must remove your shoes. Wearing shoes that easily slip off saves you time.
Follow the 3-1-1 guide. If you are traveling with a carry-on make sure to check out the TSA’s 3-1-1 for liquids and aerosols.
Prepare before entering. Rather than getting everything prepared while you snake through the line, get everything in order and then enter the roped labyrinth. Turn on your laptop, have your ID and boarding pass ready, throw unauthorized liquids away, etc.
Give yourself time. Rather than stressing about catching your flight while you wait in the security line, show up early if possible and don’t lose your cool.
Feel free to add your own tips in the comments section.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Popout maps
If you are traveling to a city which you are not familiar you probably have to take a map. Most maps are not very user friendly and they are a pain to fold back into their original configuration. A friend of mine recently travelled to San Francisco used a San Francisco Popout Map for the duration of his trip.
The Popout map is about the size of a postcard. It folds out and, as the name suggests, it pops out with two separate maps. One side is a detailed view of the downtown area and the other is an overview of the surrounding area. It is a very sleek alternative to a traditional map and it may help you hide the fact that you are a lost tourist.
Other available U.S. locations include:
Popularity: 10% [?]
Luggage: Uncluttered and quality solutions
When I was in college, I used my hard-sided luggage as a dust-free storage system under my bed. I kept out-of-season clothing, extra sheets and towels, and some other random items stored inside the three pieces. This was a great system, except for when I traveled and needed to use my luggage.
After college, I had more storage space in my one-bedroom apartment than I had possessed in my dorm room. I no longer needed to use my luggage to store things, plus I was traveling for my job and used my luggage more often.
Since the pieces were no longer doing double duty, I felt that they were cumbersome and a waste of space. Their biggest flaw, in my opinion, was that they didn’t nest inside one another. Also, they didn’t have wheels, which were starting to appear on luggage around that time. They had been an eighth grade graduation gift from my then-deceased maternal grandparents, however, and I didn’t feel right about replacing them since they still worked. Plus, luggage is expensive and I wasn’t exactly rolling in the dough. So, they sat side-by-side on the floor of my hall closet and wasted space when they weren’t in use.
When my husband and I consolidated our households, I instantly fell in love with his luggage. It had wheels! It nested! And, although I didn’t know it at the time, it had a lifetime warranty regardless of how it suffered damage! I said goodbye to my luggage and donated it to a local charity. Memories or not, I knew that his was the superior set.
I believe that nesting pieces are a must-have quality with luggage. Otherwise, they waste valuable storage space in your home. Good nesting pieces also have enough space to allow you to put additional backpacks and bags inside of them, in addition to your traditional luggage. The lifetime, no-questions-asked warranty offered by some companies is valuable, too, especially with the amount of handling a piece experiences in modern airports. We took advantage of ours after a gear on a conveyor belt at Chicago’s O’Hare airport had its way with one of our piece’s exterior pockets.
Popularity: 13% [?]
Child’s beach bag can help contain beach toy clutter
On a recent trip to the beach I passed the time by watching people lug their stuff to and from the beach. Many people had a surprisingly trim assortment of gear for their beach visit, but a lot of people (most with children in tow) had tons of stuff that they hulled through the sand and sun.
The most obvious culprit were children’s toys. Out of all the beach and water toys the Water Noodle was the absolute worst offender. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the Water Noodle, it is a foam polymer log that floats in the water. They are roughly five feet long and are unforgiving when it comes to storage and transportation.
I watched a beach dad struggle while unloading his SUV. The poor guy looked like he was wrestling an octopus. He ended up throwing the noodles on the ground as he unpacked his cooler, umbrella, chairs, and beach cart. The whole process was painstakingly slow and he still had to lumber to the beach. The guy ended up near me on the beach and his kids never even touched the Water Noodles. They were too busy digging a hole to China.
Buckets were next on the list. I think buckets out numbered children by 3-to-1. Yeah, they are a necessity for children at the beach, but try to keep the number of buckets to one per kid.
Limit the kid’s toys to what they can carry in their own, relatively small, beach bag. It gives the child a choice of what to bring, but it also limits how much they can bring. Having the child carry their own toys lets them help out and it saves your back from strain.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Packing tips
I’m heading out for a summer vacation, but I’m not doing the packing. My more organized better half takes care of those duties. I’m always amazed at the amount of stuff she fits into a modest-size bag for the both of us. I picked her brain so she could enlighten us on how to pack.
- Make a list. First and foremost you must make a list. Otherwise, you are likely to forget something or pack too much.
- Check the weather. Make sure you know the forecast for where you are headed and pack accordingly.
- Pack less, but be versatile. Pack clothing that can be worn in just about any combination and don’t fret about wearing the same item more than once.
- Folding is key. My wife is great at smashing things into our luggage, but she also folds everything into a meticulously small size.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Switch purses often? Don’t miss a thing
Sister site Paperclippy.com brings our attention to this very cool purse organizer. Writes the clipster:
Switch purses often? Then you have no doubt been faced with the problem of missing items that results from switching the contents of your handbag in a hurry. Well, here’s the solution. The Container Store’s very clever Purse Organizer ($15) has six pockets large enough for cell phones, a notepad, sunglasses, lipstick, or just about anything else. Just switch out the organizer and you’re good to go.
How cool is that? I’ll often ask my girlfriend for something she keeps in her bag, and inevitably she’s left it in her other purse. This can be frustrating. Even more frustrating, though, when your girlfriend is the woman behind Paperclippy. The site that brought this solution to your attention. Sigh. ;o)
Popularity: 11% [?]
Travel tip: Mail items home
In Connie Cox and Cris Evatt’s book 30 Days to a Simpler Life, the authors make a travel suggestion that is so obvious and pro-Unclutterer that I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it on my own:
Midway through your trip … mail home museum brochures, menus, small souvenirs, postcards, tax receipts, and used maps. Bring a few manila envelopes for this purpose. Why carry maps of Italy to Sweden by train?
Sending home no-longer needed items as your travels progress is a great way to keep your luggage clutter free.
Popularity: 9% [?]
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