• MISC

    Things You Don’t Need to Pack Before Traveling

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    Travelers are often so worried about under-packing that they wind up over-packing. Truthfully, though, have you ever gone on a trip and used every single thing you stashed in your suitcase? Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wish I brought more clothes!” Probably not. Leave the following items at home. You won’t need them and they’ll save you both time and weight.

    1. Neck Pillow
    First of all, the airline will give you a neck pillow if you ask for it. Even if they won’t, they may give you a regular pillow or a blanket, which you can then use as a neck support. Second of all, neck pillows can be heavy and they can take up a lot of room in your luggage.

    2. Detergent
    Unless you know for sure that you’re going to a hotel that doesn’t have any type of laundry service, leave the detergent at home. If you’re only going away for a week, you can probably pack enough clothing to get you through without having to do laundry at all. Either way, there’s really no need for detergent unless you’re going to have to hand wash clothing during a month-long trip. Find the best deals for staying in Orlando and ask the hotels if they have self-service laundry areas.

    3. Money Belt
    Okay, if you’re traveling to a risky part of the world, you may want to use a money belt just in case you get robbed. However, pulling $3 out of your money belt to pay for a cup of coffee actually makes you more of a target. If you’re traveling in the U.S., don’t bother with a money belt at all. The same goes for theft-proof pants, which have hidden pockets.

    4. Travel Wallet
    This is some clever marketing, since a travel wallet is pretty much the same thing as a normal wallet. Travel wallets are a little bigger so that they can hold all of your documents. However, they’re really not that convenient and they’re pretty cumbersome. Plus, today you can store most of your important documents online and then just keep a backup tucked in your luggage.

    5. Seat Enhancer
    Yes, air travel can be uncomfortable. Bulky equipment, though, is going to be more of a nuisance than a help. For example, you can get a gadget that fits between the seats to create a platform to put your arm on. This seems needless, especially when you’re talking about taking up extra space in your luggage. Also, you’ll probably annoy your seat mate. There’s also something called a Knee Defender, which locks the seat in front of you so that they can’t recline. This is pretty rude, since your fellow traveler paid the same amount of money you did for their seat and they should be able to recline as they please. Plus, knee defenders are banned on a lot of major airlines.

    10723731_808639142533836_1116653415_nYes, there are some travel accessories that are totally worth bringing along. The rest of them, though, can stay safely at home while you’re toting around your light-as-a-feather luggage.

    This article was contributed by Fiona Moriarty of Hipmunk, a travel website that offers customers a fast and easy way to find the best travel deals.