packing

When traveling now-a-days, carrying money is about as necessary as eating. Luckily people haven’t started charging for air yet.

In the previous SimplyLeave.com article we went over how to transport your money in such a way that it vanishes, now let’s look at three money-toting methods that encourage it’s persistence.

Creative Commons picture by infomatique.

3) Money Belt

Your crotch is pretty high on the list of “areas of your body that you instinctively protect.” Why not use your instincts to your advantage? When you carry money near your genitals, you will be surprised how fast you react to someone try to grab it.

Don’t use if:

You put ALL your money in there. It is embarrassing to have to root around in your crotch when you want to buy that candy bar in the airport. You can get arrested for that in some places.

Even beyond your pride, reach into your money belt all the time sacrifices one of it’s main advantages: that people don’t know you are keeping your money by the baby maker.

You are usually better off if you carry the things you will need frequently somewhere else.

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Having the only pint of ice cream on the bus tour of death valley is a rare situation. It is a circumstance where people want to steal a possession from you that isn’t money. For all those other times here is a look at the three least secure ways to carry your money. [The three most secure ways to travel with money is the next article.]

Creative Commons picture by gruntzooki.

3) In An Open Purse, in Cash

A big wad of cash loosely stuck in an open purse is like a big red button with a sign that says “do not push.” Previously honest people will be tempted. Those who have spent the last few years working at a boring job will wonder if they could get away from it. Even a devout monk would get a rush of adrenaline looking at it. It is just so easy.

Extra points if:

You only hold one side of the purse, so gravity seductively pulls it open.
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It is a hassle to travel with pepper spray. You are not allowed to have it in your carry-on or to take it into many countries. However, flashlights are rarely considered contraband and can be bright enough to temporarily disorient an attacker while you run away.

Creative Commons picture by gadl.

If you plan on camping in an area with bears, or other almost-as-tough-as-chuck-norris animals, pepper spray can be a nice “just in case” tool. It can also be used for self defense when you don’t trust all the humans around you. That said, it is illegal in places like Canada, Belgum, Hong Kong, an many others. Even in locales where it is legal, it can be a bad travel companion.

The solution: flashlights. Airport security usually doesn’t care about them and they can be bright enough to temporarily disorient an assailant. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are some ultra-portable laptops presently on the market. They are cheap, love to travel, and allow you to actually type things rather than having to laboriously write an e-mail with your thumbs alone. Even better, this recent wave of “let’s make our computers cheap and just big enough for a keyboard” seems to be just beginning.

All these computers have wifi cards. I think they might get striped of their “netbook” title and expelled from the kingdom if they didn’t. That is just wild speculation though, as I don’t know of any company that has dared to release a netbook without built in wifi.

Asus eee PC 701 - around $320 on ebay

This was the computer that is thought to have started the recent ultra portable laptop craze. Sure there were previous really small laptops, including the OLPC’s innovative XO. However, this model was was designed with your normal internet-addicted consumer in mind.

One thing that rightly earned it some attention was it’s software. This software allows the computer to boot in 15 seconds and is incredibly easy to use. Turns out, that is just what people wanted.

Creative Commons picture by roland.
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A computer can make traveling a little easier. Not only does it let you easily keep in touch with friends and family back home, but it also allow you to quickly make reservations and do research. It would be a perfect travel accessory if only laptops weren’t normally so expensive and annoying to lug around. Luckily the present vogue thing for computer manufacturers is to build tiny, cheap, and highly portable laptops. Here is a quick run down of what you need to know to score yourself a good one.

These new wee hunks of computing plastic tend to share an emphasis on internet use and a small form factor (generally about 2lbs and roughly the size of a hardback book). They pretty much all have wifi cards. Depending on the model you can also get one with a webcam and microphone built in so that you can easily video chat (or even record videos) from the road.

As you might expect, not all ittsy bittsy laptops are created equal. Here are things you will want to look at before purchasing:

Price

I don’t want to spend a lot of money on these things. I figure others are like me. Netbook prices range from $200-$600.

Keyboard ease of use

Having a “condensed” keyboard is pretty common with these ultra-portable laptops. If you plan on using the keyboard at some point, make sure it isn’t so small that it hurts your hands.

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If you travel a lot, you might as well accept it. At some point your bags will get delayed, and possibly lost altogether. Now that you have come to peace with this fact, you can focus on lessening the sinking feeling of standing by an empty luggage carousel. Before you leave, put some of your essential stuff in the bags of your traveling companions. The stuff you put in friend’s bags will help you last until the airlines find your bag.

Creative Commons picture by mel e mo.

If your bag gets on that airport conveyor belt enough, it will eventually not return on time. It is one of those unavoidable risks of air travel. However, airlines rarely simultaneously lose two people’s bags, and they are even less likely to lose four people’s bags at once. If you have a set of underwear in all four bags, the chances are pretty good that you will not have to immediately go shopping.

If you are traveling with some buddies, cross-packing is one of the best way to avoid those embarrassing “I have no clothes” situations. Before you head to the airport just swap some of your essential stuff with your friends. As an addend benefit, it will probably make them more sympathetic when your suitcase doesn’t show up in the baggage claim.
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