Monthly Archives: March 2023

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Road Trip Planning, Helpful Hints To Make Your Trip More Enjoyable

Road trip planning is easy if you have the information at hand. Whether it is by car or a RV road trip, planning ahead and knowing what to expect makes your travel much more enjoyable. Planning the Road Trip, whether for business or pleasure, can be a wonderful experience for you and your family. Unfortunately, most people just jump into their car, drive for hours with a occasional stop at a fast food restaurant for a quick bite to eat, and arrive at their destination exhausted and irritated by the heavy traffic, bad food, and other drivers. This does not have to happen to you.

With a little planning your road trip can be a joyful and memorable event. Need driving directions to your destination? Go on line and find free trip planners that will give you detailed information on how to get there, including driving time, mileage, road conditions, etc. If you are looking for more information such as lodging or camping locations, points of interest, and road pass elevations; you can’t miss if you check out Good Sam Club trip planner. When traveling, expect the unexpected. Allow sufficient time in case of travel delays such as construction, unfortunate mechanical trouble, or the discovery of an interesting site where you decide to spend some extra time exploring.

Traveling With Children: When traveling with children, give the kids a map and they can follow the route you are taking as you travel. Allow each child to bring his or her own travel pack filled with books, projects, and one special item brought from home. This will keep them occupied and make their travel time seem to go by faster. Remember, a road trip can take as much as 1/3 longer when traveling with children than without because of the frequent stops required, preparation time, and the extra organizing. If the children are young (under the age of 12 ) and it is time for a break, look for a place with a playground. This gives them the opportunity to exercise and release some of that pent up energy that has been building up during the long drive. State, county, and local city parks welcome the traveler, and most of the parks have picnic facilities available for a quick lunch or snack. These quick meals are faster, cheaper, and healthier than stopping a fast food restaurant.

Checklists and Printable Activities: If at all possible,you really don’t want to stop at a store along the way to purchase items you should have brought from home but forgot. An extensive packing check list for road trips will save you from this frustration. And keeping your children occupied while traveling can also be a major undertaking. There are web sites that have both extensive packing check lists for Road Trips as well as printable activities for the kids while traveling. Making sure that your vehicle is in good condition before starting on the trip seems obvious. However, by using a checklist for your car you will be assured that nothing has been overlooked.

Plan Your Stops: When you take that extended trip for vacation or business or to visit friends and family, break up the long journey by planning your stops before you start each day. Check out the trip planner you printed out to find points of interest. There will be plenty of signs along the way indicating these points of interest, picnic areas, lakes, state and county parks, historical markers, etc. It doesn’t have to be far from the highway exit and the time spent will refresh you for the balance of the day’s drive.

Have a Picnic Lunch: Pack a picnic lunch before you leave home and when it is time to eat, instead of getting off the road to find a coffee shop or fast food restaurant, pull into a rest stop and have your meal outdoors. Most rest areas along major interstates and highways have picnic tables conveniently located close to the parking area. Not only will you save money, but this break gives you the opportunity to stretch you legs, relax, and enjoy the surroundings. If you have the time (it will be time well spent) stop at one of the points of interest mentioned previously and have a special Road Trip Picnic. These stops do not have to have picnic facilities available if you carry a folding picnic table in the trunk of your car. With very little effort your picnic will become a mini vacation. Imagine getting off of that busy highway for a while and enjoying a picnic lunch along the banks of a river or lake. Even if your travels cover several days; with a cargo cooler and travel pack in your car you can visit a local market when you stop for the night and purchase the ingredients needed for the next day’s picnic.

I’m Thirsty: You know that when you get underway on your trip, sooner or later someone says, “I’m thirsty”. Here is a helpful hint that will keep you from having to stop and buy expensive and unhealthy sodas. The night before leaving, fill plastic water bottles half way with water or their favorite juice and place them into your freezer. Just before you leave, top them off and their drinks will remain cold for hours as the ice slowly melts.

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The Best Travel Accessories That A Backpacker Needs!

As a backpacker, you will need a few travel accessories that will make your life so much easier and pleasant while on the road. Read our tips and advice on the Top 5 Travel Accessories that backpackers need!

5. Sleep Sheet
When staying in dorm rooms at hostels sometimes the bedding (linen, mattress and pillow) can be too disgusting to sleep on. What you need is a sleep sheet to keep you clean.

A sleep sheet is also known as a travel sheet, sleeping bag liner or silk liner. They can be made from silk or cotton and their main purpose is to keep you clean from dirty linen or keep you from making your sleeping bag dirty. Some may include a pillow case section for your pillow or a folded up jumper.

A sleep sheet is perfect for staying in dorm rooms, camping, or even to cover yourself when sleeping out in an airport or train station. Once you have used one, you will never go back.

4. Travel Towel
Who wants to use a towel that has been used by hundreds of other backpackers before you? Most hostels will make you hire towels when you arrive if you do not have your own travel towel.

Travel towels come in all different shapes and sizes, but remember the smaller the towel the tougher the backpacker you are! They are basically made from a quick dry material that will wick moisture away from your skin. Remember to let it dry before putting it back into your backpack, otherwise they will start to stink and or grow mould.

Travel towels are perfect for use at hostels, camping or even as towels for the beach.

3. Backpack Cover
A backpack rain cover is what all backpackers will wish they had when it starts to rain while you are lost trying to find your hostel. A backpack cover will protect your backpack and belongings from the elements. Some backpackers even use them to protect their backpacks when they are own public transport.

Most backpacks should come with their own backpack cover, or you can buy them from most outdoor shops. Make sure you get the right size to match the size of your backpack. If your backpack is made from canvas, you won’t need a cover, as your pack should be waterproof.

2. Travel Cutlery and Bowl
The easiest way to save money when you are backpacking is to self-cater. Sure, it is good to try the local cuisine and culture, but not every meal should be eaten at a restaurant.

You should use a bowl, preferably a collapsible bowl, and lightweight travel cutlery when you are on the road. They are perfect for having a picnic in a park or just to use something clean when eating in a hostel kitchen. Make sure you pack your cutlery into your checked-in luggage when catching a plane, otherwise you may lose it when you go through customs.

Ask at the hostel where the local supermarket or a local produce market is and make sure you buy food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

1. International Travel Adapter
Last but not least is the travel adapter. It is the most important travel accessory for any backpacker or any traveller. Backpackers are taking more and more electronics with them when they go overseas, we have even seen backpackers with power-boards!

Make sure you buy the right adapter for the countries you will be travelling to, otherwise you will find yourself with a flat battery. You could always purchase a universal travel adapter, which has a number of connections on the one adapter.

There are many other travel accessories that will help you along the way, but these are the ones that the team at Trusty Travel Tips have found the most helpful!

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Important Tips to Avoid Bankruptcy

Here in this informative article on the 10 tips to avoid bankruptcy, we will see some of the smart things to do to avoid having to be one of those who end up in bankruptcy proceedings. Knowing the facts will help save you from many financial problems and probably give you much more peace of mind. Please read on to find out the ” 10 tips to avoid bankruptcy.”

The first tip is of course to have a budget. This first tip is fairly self-evident to most people. If you budget your money, you know exactly where your income is going and there is no confusion. There are no “leaks” in your money supply when a budget is strictly adhered to, and you have confidence from knowing what will happen, month after month. Those little “spending sprees” will probably have to be eliminated, but in the long run it is worth it. This is the probably the most important tip of the “10 tips to avoid bankruptcy.”

The second tip is to get a piece of paper and write down all your debts. Add up all your debts and then compare them to your income. This tip can go hand-in-hand with the first tip and give you an understanding of where you really are financially speaking. To avoid bankruptcy, you must of course have at least as much coming in as you do going out. If you are simply living off the credit in your credit cards, you will no doubt have a day where this will crash your finances and probably cause a bankruptcy to happen.

The third tip in the ” 10 tips to avoid bankruptcy ” is to get a second job. This really can work wonders. Having a second income, while your bills do not increase is a real boost, and is one of the best ways to avoid bankruptcy. Use step one and two and then if things look too negative, getting a second job is probably not just an option, but a necessity.

The fifth tip is; enroll in a debt management program with your creditors. This has the ability to consolidate your debts if your creditor will allow you to do so .

Next, ask your friends or family for a loan. If you can get one from them, see if they will do it for a zero percent interest. It may turn out to be a big help.

The seventh tip is to seek out some of that free government money that is being handed out these days. If this seems too good to be true, please note that many have done this. Its better to ask and get turned down than not to ask at all. This is probably the easiest of the “10 tips to avoid bankruptcy”.

The next tip is quite obvious; avoid going into debt at all. Pay cash for everything, and your mind will always be at ease. If you prevent yourself from entering debt you avoid bankruptcy completely. This option is seldom taken and because of it, we are having the problems in society we see today.

The ninth tip is to get rid of the credit card debt you have. The rates on those cards are some of the worst rates you have for buying on credit. If you can pay off the cards, your battle is nearly won and you can avoid bankruptcy much easier.

The last tip is called “debt settlement” and may be the last-ditch attempt to avoid bankruptcy. With this option you stop paying your creditors and put the money they would be getting into a savings account. Later, after all the creditors are breathing down your neck for payment and threatening to enter you into bankruptcy, you use the money in the savings account to “settle” with them. This is a desperate attempt, but again may end up being the tip out of all the “10 tips to avoid bankruptcy” that works for you.