TimBuk2 Bag Giveaway: And the Best Travel Tips Are...
It turns out you all have tons of great packing and travel tips to share! We received nearly 170 tips in our TimBuk2 Bag Giveaway Contest, from how to save space in your luggage, to what gadgets are good to bring on trips, to how to be a more thoughtful traveler. Though there were a lot of helpful and original hints, we eventually chose two winners to win the TimBuk2 bags, listed below. We also chose ten runner-ups (after the jump) that provided hints that we thought were too good not to share, and they will all receive an Away.com t-shirt! If you are one of the winners or honorable mentions, please email press-relations@away.com so we can give you your prize. Thank you to everyone who entered! Even though the contest is now over, keep checking our Facebook Fan Page for more good travel tips, travel news, and new features on Away.com. And check back on our blog for more opportunities to win free stuff from Away!
2009 TimBuk2 Bag Giveaway Winners
Preventing wrinkles
I always pack a small plastic misting bottle in my bag. Each night I decide what I'm going to wear the next day, and spritz the wrinkled clothes. By morning, the clothes are dry and free of wrinkles! I also use it to freshen up my hairdo if I don't have time to wash it. (Submitted by Cheri Jantzen)
Update packing lists
Create a checklist of items you should pack for various types of trips and add to it every time you wish you had something—my husband and I share a Google Document. That way you won't find yourself without your phone charger, the mesh bag for seashell collecting, your hat, allergy medicine, membership cards, etc. (Submitted by Penny Alley)
2009 TimBuk2 Bag Giveaway Honorable Mentions
- Traveling light (one bag), staying organized, being ready for last minute trips, and keeping track of everything while traveling has led me to the use of modular internal bags, a.k.a. “packing cubes,” available from companies like Eagle Creek and eBags.com. Most are designed to fit into carry-on sized luggage. I keep travel items packed in them and ready to go. (Submitted by David Harju)
- My tips: roll clothes and put them inside shoes/boots and to fill space gaps, and use plastic dry cleaner bags to line hanging clothes to keep them wrinkle-free. Lastly, duffel bags and soft-sided luggage are MUCH easier to pack a lot of stuff into and also then fit into small/oddly-shaped overhead bins! (Submitted by Lisa Kavanaugh)
- Know your aircraft! My monster backpack is fantastic on international flights, but just too *husky* for domestic regional jets. Time for a pack-diet! (Submitted by Charley Miller)
- On business trips, I make like Johnny Cash and bring all black clothes (or sometimes all brown, all gray, or all navy). That way everything coordinates, and you can bring fewer items. You can punch things up with colored accessories. (Submitted by June Fletcher)
- When I'm going to travel for an extended amount of time and I don't want to deal with too much stuff at the airport, I box the excess and send it FedEx or UPS a few days before my departure. You will do the same on your return or donate them to a good will organization and save the shipping on return. (Submitted by Darrell Ellena)
- One of the best travel gadgets I have is a multi-port USB charger; I can then charge my iPod, phone, Kindle, etc. by just packing the USB charging cord and ONE charger. (Submitted by Carley Zepeda)
- String necklaces through drinking straws. This keeps them from becoming a tangled mess and they are small enough to be tucked anywhere. (Submitted by Micaela Nofsinger)
- I hate having to fork out for a new water bottle every time I pass through TSA security, so now I carry a one liter "Platypus" collapsible water bottle everywhere I go. This empties out and folds flat. Then after I've done my security check, I simply head to the water fountain and fill it up and it pops open to a liter bottle size again. I'm good to go for hydration on the plane. (Submitted by Merle Brockhoff)
- Never, ever forget your Leatherman knife. It has saved me countless times—from having to make chopsticks (forget silverware) to being used as a temporary tent stake in a storm. Just make sure it is in a checked bag, or you'll have some explaining to do. (Submitted by Dan Wald)
- Haiku packing tips:
Resealable bags
can make your trip a delight.
Keeps things organized.
Pack only your needs,
should take out everything else.
Can always buy there.
Toothbrush and toothpaste,
are never, ever, a waste,
of carry-on space.
Always pack a spare,
(that is) pair of underwear,
in your carry-on.
Memories are special,
click your camera, click often.
Can edit later.
(Submitted by Amy Shelley)
To see all the other entries, check the Away.com Facebook Fan Page.
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