TRAVEL TIPS

Here you will be able to find (and share) travel tips that will make your travels complete!
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Here are some packing tips I got from Fodor's Travel Wire................

6 Tips for Wrinkle-Free Packing

Some helpful tips for keeping clothes from getting wrinkled or ruined....

1. Lighten your load. Jamming your suitcases as full as a subway at rush hour will leave your clothes as exhausted as a crushed commuter. Clothes become wrinkled almost as soon as you shove that last leaden item into your bag. The easiest things to jettison? Hairdryers and clothes irons. Almost every hotel room (and hostel) in the world has these items to lend.
2. One word: Plastic. If you remember only one word in
   your packing efforts, this is the one. And here's why: friction causes
   wrinkling, plastic reduces friction. It's that easy. The best way to
   utilize this basic plastic physics is with dry-cleaner bags. All hanger
   items should be packed in individual bags (one outfit per dry-cleaner
   bag). Clothes arrive in a perfectly preserved state. Really!
   Another great plastic tip: zip-top baggies. Use these for dirty shoes,
   shampoo bottles, or anything else you want to isolate from your good
   clothes.
3. Rolling, rolling, rolling. You have two options for
   items that you're not hanging: folding or rolling. Rolling is a great
   space-saving and wrinkle-reducing choice for jeans and T-shirts. Here's
   how you do it: take a pair of jeans and fold them lengthwise so that
   the legs are stacked on top of each other. Now, starting from the cuff,
   roll your way up. For T-shirts, place face down, fold arms back (you
   should now have a long rectangle), fold lengthwise, and roll up.
4. Fold it. For sweaters and other non-T tops, the
   square fold is the way to go. Here's a quick primer: button all buttons
   and lay shirts face down on a bed or flat surface. Smooth away
   wrinkles. Fold material in at the shoulders and lay arms flat along the
   body so that you create a roughly two-inch overlap of material on both
   sides. Now fold up a third of the material from the bottom and overlap
   a third from the top. You should now have a tidy package worthy of any
   chain retailer.
5. Delicate situation. What to do with your undies and
   lingerie? Buy inexpensive mesh laundry bags; they're made of nylon and
   are lightweight. Stow your delicates in here. An added bonus: if your
   bag is inspected, no one need touch your underwear since an inspector
   will be able to see into the bag. Socks, by the way, should be rolled
   up and placed inside shoes or used to fill gaps in your bag (see below).
6. Pack it away. Now take all your tidily arrayed
   garments and put them outside your bag. Your goal is to use them to
   create a clothing jigsaw puzzle where no empty spaces remain and items
   won't shift. Lay your bag flat and put folded clothes in piles down the
   center. Put your toiletries kit at what will be the bottom of your bag
   when it's standing (this should now be the heaviest item in your bag;
   in this position it won't crush other items). Rolled clothes fit into
   the spaces around the stacked clothes. Single shoes should be tucked
   into remaining openings (remember, shoes aren't friends; they don't
   need to travel right up next to each other). Socks fill in remaining
   holes. Voila! You are now a wrinkle-free savvy traveler!

--Melissa Klurman

TSA Recognized Baggage Locks

TSA screens every passenger's baggage before it is placed on an airplane. While their technology allows them to electronically screen bags, there are times when they need to physically inspect a piece of luggage. TSA has worked with several companies to develop locks that can be opened by security officers using universal "master" keys so that the locks may not have to be cut. These locks are available at airports and travel stores nationwide. The packaging on the locks indicates whether they can be opened by TSA.

Make Your Trip Better Using 3-1-1

3-1-1 for carry-ons = 3 ounce bottle or less (by volume) ; 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin. One-quart bag per person limits the total liquid volume each traveler can bring.  3 oz. container size is a security measure.

Consolidate bottles into one bag and X-ray separately to speed screening.

Be prepared.
Each time TSA searches a carry-on it slows down the line. Practicing
3-1-1 will ensure a faster and easier checkpoint experience.

3-1-1 is for short trips. If in doubt, put your liquids in checked luggage.

Declare larger liquids.
Medications, baby formula and food, breast milk, and juice are allowed
in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to
be in the zip-top bag. Declare these items for inspection at the
checkpoint.

Come early and be patient. Heavy travel volumes and the enhanced security process may mean longer lines at security checkpoints.

TSA working with our partners. TSA works with airlines and airports to anticipate peak traffic and be ready for the traveling public.