1. In the USA we have Trusted traveler or GOES program that costs $100 for 5 years. It gets you in the fast lane coming home, called Global Entry.  If you travel out of the country one time a year it is worth it. Trusted travelers have to go down to the airport and be interviewed and your records checked.

Trusted travelers get to avoid the long line of people coming back into the country. When you are coming back to your airport you get to go off to the left and place your passport in the machines and enter the country with no lines. The other choice is standing in line with 200 other people awaiting an exit with interview. It also allows you to get in the pre- check line when leaving the country too. Well worth the cost of a nice top.

2.  What is your plan if you phone is lost or stolen on the very first Day?  I always print out important phone numbers and my whole Itinerary and keep in my wallet.  I also  bring an I-pad.  What would you do??? Have a list of important phone numbers in your wallet. 

3.  The day of your flight after your morning shower put lotion all over your body .  This will help conserve the moisture you are about to loose. Then After a long flight make sure that when you get to your destination you dip your whole body in a bath tub.  You lose so much moisture from your skin when you fly and this trick just helps nourish it quickly.  If you worry about germs than do it in a bathing suit.  Just HYDRATE your whole body.

4. Orthotic shoes can be cute. Quit buying cheap shoes.  Your need good feet to travel.  See my post about a woman and her shoes Oh my!

5. Panty liners are not just for women who leak. They also help keep your underwear fresher on a long flight. They can be used as toilet paper if there is not any available. If you have ever gotten food poisoning they can help save you embarrassment if you have to travel.  I always carry several panty liners and a few Poise pads for bigger problems.

6. Are you a dreamy brunette or a Pepe Le Pew? I have to color my hair every 21 days, or my brunette hair looks like a skunk. If you cannot get your hair colored than dab brown eye shadow on the roots line to help camouflage it. This really works and stays until you wash it out.  If it is safe for your eyes, it should be safe for your scalp. Just remember to touch up the crown (or back) of the head too. Even though you cannot see it everyone else can see it. It is a temporary fix, but it works.   Also, you can use a magic root cover up spray by Loreal.   

7. Take pictures of yourself wearing different outfits and then decide what clothes to pack. Sometimes you think you look so good in an outfit. Then you see a picture of yourself and say what was I thinking? A picture ahead of time will tell you how you really look. I loved this outfit in the store, but when I got home I thought it made me look very boxy.

8.  A scarf can do so many things.  It can keep you warm, it can be used as a tourniquet, a sling and it can cover a smelly pillow and makes a good zipper pull too.  I always have one large scarf with me when I travel.

9. MAGIC PANTS These Lisette pant-alon black pants are magic!  No zippers or pockets to help keep your lines smooth.  Washes and dries overnight.  They are not leggings but real pants that make you look thinner and trimmer in photos but also are very comfortable for travel.  This is my very best tip for looking good while traveling.   10. I was flying in Argentina and opened a bottle of Coca Cola. I had carried it from one side of the airport to the other, not realizing I was shaking it the whole time. I had a glass of ice in one hand and opened the Coke to have it spray all over my top and face. This was at the beginning of a flight and a long day of traveling. This was the top I was wearing.  If I had been wearing my white top I would have been embarrassed for the whole trip that day, yet no one could really tell. Wear multi colored tops so if you spill it won’t be as noticeable. Especially while you are in a plane.

11. Double layer clothing helps hide body imperfections. Double layer blouses help if you have a little back fat or a belly.  Try and have your clothing skim away from your body. Look for blouses that have two layers or wear a Cami underneath to give a better silhouette.  A cami helps smooth you out and keep you warm. It can also help with a low-cut blouse.

12.  I love Oil of Olay face wipes when I travel. You can cut them in half or even quarters and just add water. You can use these on the plane right before you land and wherever they do not have wash cloths.  These are the dry kind that are activated when you give it water.

13. 12x magnifying mirror a must for the older eyes. Even if you do not wear makeup, this will help you if you get something in your eye. It will also help if you need to pluck your brows and chin hairs. I love this mirror and bought it at Publix grocery store. You do not want to be one of those old ladies whose make up is too severe because she cannot see that well anymore, nor one that has little goobies around her eyes. Hang this up on a sunny window and you will see just fine.

14. Fix a dent for crowns. If you ever have been on a flight and a crown comes off in your mouth and you still have the nerve underneath you will be in pain every time you breathe through your mouth. I always keep a little tube of fix a dent for that reason.

15. Place your cell phone number on the back of your passport and driver’s license. I use a label maker.  This way if it is lost while traveling there will be a direct way to call you and get it back faster.

16. I always travel with a small power strip that plugs into one adapter and a small travel pillow .

17. Luggage tags for when you are going to several countries these tags can be on the outside or inside and holds your itinerary in its pocket. If your luggage is lost if helps the workers to find you quicker.

18. Have you ever had a zipper pull break off on a trip? Keys rings to the rescue. I keep these in my luggage to help. You can use them for a zipper pull or attach keys to your belt loop. They take up very little space yet if you break a zipper you will have an instant fix.

19. Small jars of lip Vaseline. These are great for so many ills that you can have on a trip. If you are traveling to a high altitude and your nose is bleeding, just rub this on the inside of your nose every day. Of course it is made for all cracked skin too. You do not need that big jar. This one is the perfect size. My husband even needed this one time when traveling to Sweden. The toilet paper was like brown paper towels. His rear end was raw and he asked me if I had any lotion he could use. I gave him this little jar and told him he did not need to give it back. No more raw bum.  My dermatologist also recommends that everyone have a small jar of Vaseline.  He does not recommend a big jar that is shared by the whole family.  I like the pink tinted lip Vaseline so i only use that on my lips.

20. I love 2 gallon baggies for many reasons. One is for putting together a whole outfit to just pull out and go. Two for organizing gifts for schools. I also like the fabric organizers called packing cubes.  I think of them like my dresser drawers at home. One is for pants, one is for shirts, one is for undies and night gowns, one is for medicine, etc.  If you move 6 places in 18 days and you have no organization in your suitcase, your clothes will just be a pile of soup and you can’t find anything. Stay organized. Baggies and cloth packing cubes really help and add no weight or space.

21. Label Maker–  Use this on all make up, sunscreen, cords for electronics and file folders.  I will also put dates on sunscreens and make up.

22.  Good screw top bottles.  You can get these at REI.  These stay closed. Do not get the cheap push top bottles.

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23.  Google translator on your phone- you don’t need internet and you can talk into it and it will type out in English or any language what you said.  We used this a lot in Argentina, especially with the taxi drivers.

24.  Bring an empty water bottle and fill up after security.  Always board the plane with water.  Many times turbulence will prevent the flight attendants from making their rounds.  Sometimes for over an hour!  Also bring wet ones on the plane.  I recently traveled and the planes soap dispensers fell out.  That entire flight no on washed their hands and everyone touched that door handle on the way out!

25.  Always visit your Travel health clinic in your county before going out of the country.  Typhoid shots are every 2 years.  Have you gotten your tetanus shot every 5-10 years?  Yellow fever shot, flu shot, Pneumonia shot, Shingrix shot, measles, Hep c and Hep A?  Do not leave this country for a third world country without your shots,  malaria medicine and something for bad diarrhea.  

26. Need a place to store your toothbrush that is not on the counter? This is a cool little trick.

27. We always carry a couple of these clips. Good for so many things like keeping the drapes closed tightly. Use as a chip clip for food for the car. You can use them to hold your earbuds together. You can use it for pants on a hanger. You can use on the toothpaste to get more out. We use the bigger ones.