Travel Tips and Tricks by Mary Hunt on Creators.com

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Travel Tips and Tricks

With increased security rules and higher costs, traveling is not as easy as it once was. Because I travel quite a bit, mostly by air, I love the clever tips and tricks that readers send in to make air travel easier and cheaper.

BREAKFAST IN A JAR. When you are traveling, carry 1/3 cup of powdered milk in a jar. For a cheap breakfast in your hotel room, just add 1 cup of ice water, and voilà! You'll have milk for your dry cereal and no mess in your suitcase. — Lucy K., Tennessee

WRANGLING WRINKLES. I have been in the garment industry for years, so I've learned how to pack clothes for a trip. Place each item on a wire hanger. Place one of the plastic bags you get from the dry cleaner over each piece of clothing. Gather the hangers together, and then fold the clothing in half and place it in your suitcase. When you get to your hotel, hang everything up in the closet. You'll have plenty of wrinkle-free clothing to wear. — Judy F., California

TRAVEL LIGHT. If you are traveling to a relative's or friend's house with a lot of luggage, it can be cheaper to ship your luggage to your destination. Most hotels also accept packages if you contact them first and label your boxes with your arrival date. You won't have to worry about carrying bags, extra charges or restrictions on personal products when you travel. When you get ready to leave, just ship it all home. — Peg M., e-mail

PERFECT PEN. My daughter and I just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime tour of France.

The item that came in the handiest was my Tide to Go pen. It fit in my purse and helped us combat stains until we could wash our clothes. Just about everyone in our travel group used it at least once on the trip! — Joanne H., California

BEAUTY BAR. Instead of packing shampoo, detergent and bath soap when I travel, I pack one bar of Kirk's Original Coco Castile soap. As a shampoo, the pure olive oil-based soap leaves my hair clean and shiny. The soap isn't oily, so it cleans my clothes. And it is in the form of a bar, so it won't spill or cause problems going through security at the airport. — Marie M., e-mail

SMART WATER. It always bugs me to give up my bottled water before going through airport security, only to have to pay the high price for another bottle at the gate. A friend told me she brings an empty water bottle and fills it from the water fountain at the gate. — Kathe S., Florida

DISNEY DEALS. If you are planning a trip to Disneyland or Walt Disney World, the best place to go for deals is MouseSavers.com. Subscribing to this free newsletter will give you additional exclusive discounts. MouseSavers.com has access to Undercover Tourist, which I have found offers the cheapest tickets for Disney attractions. — Sheila, e-mail

Would you like to send a tip to Mary? You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Include your first and last name and state. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including "Debt-Proof Living" and "Tiptionary 2." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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