My youngest son has literally traveled around the globe and I’ve been amazed at how little he packs as he travels. He only takes a backpack as his luggage that has a zip-off day-pack attached. As holiday weekends approach he often searches for exceptional air fares for a quick get-away trip on a budget. He found a ticket recently from Charlotte NC to Philadelphia PA for $37 but there was a catch… this airline required passengers to pay a fee for any carry-on or check-in luggage that exceeded the air fare price!

In many cases travel by plane can be a financial challenge, especially in an emergency situation. It may be necessary to think in terms of minimalism when dealing with a limited budget. The question is “what do you really need to carry with you during your flight?” and “what is the purpose of your trip?”. That will determine your luggage requirements.

I have heard stories of folks who at the check-in counter had encountered over-weight luggage fees. They stepped away from the registration desk and returned soon afterwards wearing some extra clothing that had been packed in their luggage resulting in a now lighter luggage weight that avoided the higher fees. That caused me to think that a person could wear items normally packed in carry-on luggage and avoid added fees.

I looked up the fees from the budget airlines that had this restriction and found that they allowed a “personal item” for free. They must be no larger than 14” x 18” x 8” in size and must fit under the seat in front of you on the airplane. That personal item could carry a second set of clothes that would allow you to wash one set while wearing the other and one set may be more formal for any occasion where it was appropriate. If I chose to wear the extra set of clothes I would also carry a compact folding ruck sack so that once I landed at my destination I could remove the extra clothes and carry them separately along with any sundries that I might purchase along the way.

Smaller items such as electronics, hygiene items, snacks, and personal items can be carried in coat pockets. Plastic bags are useful to keep all of the small items together and your pockets dry. It is a simple thing to lay the loaded coat into the TSA tray on your way through inspection. Extra needed items might be purchased upon arrival to your destination.

You may enjoy these links to other travel tips.

More recently while hanging in my hammock I was seeking the same slumber destination. To get comfortable I use some type of support under my neck and have used an inflatable collar pillow but I have used items of clothing like a jacket to accomplish the same support. I got to thinking that a hoodie could be used to support my neck while the hood portion could be used over my head instead of a hat to diminish the light and sound so I set out to give it a try.

The hoodie can be folded in different ways to accommodate different resting positions, namely whether you are vertical or horizontal. Essentially I spread the hoodie out face-down and start to roll the bottom hem upward toward the shoulder. When the rolled material reaches the out-stretched sleeves you can strategically leave the sleeves outstretched to be used to loosely tie the hoodie collar pillow around your neck to keep it in place while sitting upright. This helps when it is used in a seated position like when riding in a train or plane. If used in a hammock where the stabilization is not critical you can fold the sleeves across the back instead and continue to roll up the material to achieve a slightly thicker neck support and in each configuration the hood can be used to cover you head.

On a slightly different topic of hoodies I would like to offer some thoughts on their colors. Whereas I like to blend with my environments I would use a neutral/subdued color while in urban areas but I would choose an ODC or earthtone when in outdoor situations. If that’s not your concern then color doesn’t really matter. In any event a hoodie makes a good “layer” of clothing to help regulate your comfort while in variable temperature scenarios as well as a sleeping aid while traveling abroad.

– UPDATE –

Recently I took a plane trip abroad and decided that I wanted to try out the hoodie configuration that used the sleeves to tie around my neck to keep it in place while seated in the passenger seat. It worked very well but I ran into a complication. The hoodie that I used was a zippered model and when rolled up it created a bulge in the middle. I tried to place my neck on either side of the bulge but decided to take a different approach to folding it. I unrolled the hoodie and stretched out the zipper diagonally, then rolled the material straight up so that in effect the zipper created a spiral that evened out the previous bulge.

Wearing the hoodie for the flight worked great and enabled me to “Z-Out” quite easily. It was a light duty cotton garment but I may want to progress to a heavier material hoodie for colder weather with the added benefit of a more cushioned support for my neck.

In a previous article (No hook… no problem…) I shared the use of an “S”biner as a hook for my bags on a restroom stall wall. On a recent trip I discovered another use. By connecting each of the luggage straps together with the “S”biner on my back side I was able to create a harness that kept them from sliding off of my shoulders while I controlled the front side with my hands.

This may seem simple but it made a huge difference. It not only helped my transit between terminals but continued to help after my arrival where I traveled a distance by train and then walked for a mile to my final destination.

I highly recommend acquiring an “S”biner for your “Bug-Out-Bag”, “Go-Bag”, or travel gear. It is very versatile and you will be glad it’s there when you need it.

Years ago I needed to catch a “red eye” flight to a trade show and I asked a world-traveling friend for some tips that worked for him. As far as sleep goes he mentioned two essentials that he kept with him as he traveled, namely a sleep mask and ear plugs. Although I appreciate the darkened effect over my eyes I tend not to use ear plugs or head phones as a rule because I like to be aware of my environment for safety reasons.

Later, on a long train trip I learned to use a hat over my face as a “zone” to slightly muffle sound, darken my closed eyes, and let others know that I was “off limits” for interaction. In lieu of wearing a hat I discovered a new darkening device… my wallet! It’s something that I always carry with me that is compact, can unfold, and has a ridge line in the middle that allows it to cover the bridge of my nose and follow the contour over my eyes and does a remarkable job of darkening.

This works well in a safe/secure environment like inside your car or private room but perhaps a folding note pad or pocket calendar would be safer to use in a Public place such as a terminal or park bench. In any event it’s great to have a portable device that helps you get the quick recharge that you might need to carry on your day, enabling you to have a brighter outlook with better focus for your ongoing journey or task.

I decided to create a “travel” BOB vs. an all-purpose BOB. Knowing that I would be traveling through various airports I had envisioned the need to keep my BOB or carry-on luggage off of the lavatory floor (for obvious reasons). I had purchased an “S” carabiner (S-biner) that would be large enough to use as a hook from which to hang my BOB on the stall wall. Generally there are hooks installed inside the stalls but not always. Sometimes they have been broken off.

When I entered the restroom all of the stalls were occupied, so I chose an alternate fixture for use. Without shelves for luggage I was delighted to have my S-biner with which to hang up my carry-on bag on the outside of the stall wall while my BOB had a sling so I kept over my shoulder. Problem solved to my relief.

This of course is only one application for an S-biner. I will also use it to attach both pieces of luggage while sitting in the terminal so it would complicate a potential theft attempt. Beyond that it could also be used to attach other items such as umbrellas, cups, bottles, coats, etc. I found that the S-biner should have a one inch gap in order to be large enough to fit over the stall wall or perhaps hang on a table or counter edge.

It occurred to me while “wiping down” after a shower that even though I had just bathed I certainly wasn’t sterile and repeated use of my towel could expose me to discrepancies in bathing to other parts of my body. Would any smudge from my feet end up in my hair the next time that I used the towel? I came up with a process to minimize this possibility.

Almost every towel on the market has a tag that states the type of fabric and usually includes washing instructions. I use the tag as an index for reference when orienting the towel for use. I hold my towel with the tag on the upward edge facing me, that way the pattern of use is repeatable. If there is no tag you can color a corner with a permanent marker as an index or perhaps sew a spot with contrasting thread.

Here’s the pattern: I use the top portion for my head and hair, the upper middle portion for my chest and arms, the lower middle for my personal areas and legs, and the bottom portion for my feet. I can alternate sides on alternate days or change sides after a set number of days.

This may not be a concern for the rugged outdoors folk but it’s nice to have an approach for those who are a little more fastidious in their hygiene practices.

The mechanical alarm is a fisherman’s clip-on bell that conventionally is attached to the end of a fishing pole to alert a fisherman that a fish has been caught on his staked-out fishing pole. My application is that I attach it to the B.O.B. so that when I set the B.O.B. down, for instance at a lobby, terminal, or restaurant, I can be notified if it gets moved or lifted.

The electronic alarm is a simple magnetic switch device purchased at a “dollar-store” that conventionally is mounted on a door or window frame with double sided tape. I use it unmounted, usually on the floor by a door so that when it is opened the alarm is shifted away from the magnet which then activates the shrill siren. This arrangement could be modified in the field by attaching some fishing line to the magnet and used as a trip-line. A trip-line can also be used on a mechanical device such as a mouse trap to trigger a loud sound.

I used to carry a motion detection alarm but have since switched to the small (and less expensive) magnetic alarm instead. An alternative to carrying alarms is to stack items like soda cans that will topple over if it is set in a pathway, by a door, or triggered by a trip-line.

For a creative mind there are many solutions for alarm systems but having a few reliable items on hand can make it a much easier task to achieve.

You can make your own cache by removing the cap of the lip balm and elevating the wax out completely. The cylinder of wax will have a plastic cup at the end and you can gently remove it. Then, fold your currency in half lengthwise. A hair pin can be slipped over the bill’s midpoint and rotated like a spindle to create a small tube which in turn can be placed into the empty lip balm container. When the cap is replaced, no one will see the contents or suspect your lip balm of being a cache of currency. For an even more hidden appearance you can cut off the wax just above it’s plastic cup and replace it in the tube over the currency so that it appears completely normal when the cap is removed.

In regards to the wax, in a hot environment it might melt and moisten the contents that are hidden, but it doesn’t invalidate the currency. It can also be used in a number of other ways such as for it’s original purpose, or to float an improvised needle compass, to enhance kindling for making a fire, or for any number of other things.

So consider taking that extra step of monetary backup. It takes very little space and could just save the day in an emergency.

It was a rainy day so they had to use an umbrella to keep the tinder dry and they decided to run the engine to support their battery during the pencil heating process. The time from clamping the pencil to producing a flame took less than 1 1/2 minutes. They transported the initial flame over to the campfire ring where they proceeded to build their campfire for the day.

I am proud of their achievement and was delighted that they captured it by video using a cell phone for our enjoyment. Click on the photo to watch the video… it’s amazing!

In my case, my wife taught me this trick when I couldn’t read the numbers on my old cell phone. I was truly amazed and now I’m eager to pass this trick on to all the newbies in the reading glasses crowd.

If you use reading glasses and haven’t tried this method yet, you need to give it a try… you too will find it amazing!