- Three ways that gaffer tape eases the traveller’s life
To read in bed with light directed onto your book, just tape a small torch to the wall above your pillow (but not onto wallpaper). If you want to be able to come and go without the door locking behind you every time you step out, place a small strip of tape across the bolt. Do you prefer to sleep past dawn? Tape ill-fitting curtains shut to keep out the light.
- Put toilet-paper tubes to good use
You’ll find plenty of uses for cardboard toilet-paper tubes in a hotel room — so save a few at home to take on your trip. Or, in the hotel, you could hoard some empty tubes before the cleaner has a chance to discard them. Here are more ways to use them:
- If your laptop computer power cord is unruly or takes up too much space on your desk, loop the cord in a loose coil and stuff it inside the tube to keep it under control.
- Pamphlets, small prints and other fragile paper mementoes almost never make it back home without a crease or two — so roll them carefully and insert them into the tube for safekeeping. For larger papers, you might need to tape two tubes together or bring along a tube from a roll of paper towel.
- Mosquitoes are annoying roommates. If they appear unexpectedly and you’re unprepared with spray or other repellants, make your own ‘flypaper’. Just wrap some adhesive tape around the tube, sticky side out and set it upright on a flat surface.
- Buffer sore backsides
Long car rides can take their toll on your rear end and lower back. So why not turn a bit of bubble wrap into a comfy cushion? Just place a long double layer of bubble wrap, bubble side out, against the back and bottom of your car seat. Your body will conform comfortably to this handy padding. And if you go shopping along the way and come across a fragile item that you just can’t resist buying, you’ll have some packing material right at hand!
- Aromatherapy at 35,000ft
We all know how stressful air travel can be, so take along some relaxants that you can sniff. Before you leave home, drip some lavender or clary sage oil onto cotton wool balls. (Herbalists have long prescribed both for their calming properties.) Pack the cotton wool balls into a small, self-sealing plastic bag or pill bottle and take them out for a good whiff when you want to unwind or doze off. You might also want to dab some of these oils onto your skin as you would perfume so that you arrive at your destination smelling and feeling fresh.
- Cap your camera
When shooting a picture in the rain, slip a disposable shower cap (often provided in hotel rooms) over the body of your camera so that the lens pokes out of the cap opening. You’ll be able to press any buttons you need to, thanks to the thinness of the plastic.
- A beanbag camera steadier
If you want to shoot pictures from a moving car, train or boat, you’ll find it almost impossible to keep your camera steady. The answer is a makeshift beanbag. Just pop into a supermarket and buy some dried beans or rice, pour them into the foot of a stocking leg, tie it closed and rest your camera on the beanbag to keep it from vibrating as you snap your picture.
Credit: Reader’s Digest
Picture Credit: Google
