GIRLFRIEND GETAWAYS

20 Tips

Girlfriend Getaways 2006 issue  |  Subscribe to the magazine

12. Discuss a meeting spot before you leave the hotel. Pick a central place at which to meet in case you become separated from your traveling companion or group. Having a plan can save both precious time and needless anxiety. --Marian Moss, Stone Mountain, Ga.

13. Forget expensive video equipment. My daughter and I bought a few disposable digital camcorders at a CVS pharmacy before heading to Europe. It was a nice way to document our trip--each camera stored about 20 minutes of video and had a small color screen so we could play back and edit footage as we went along. Once home, we dropped the cameras off at the pharmacy, and the next day our DVD was ready. We were very pleased with the quality and the cost: $30 for the camera and $12.95 for each DVD. --Maria B. Murad, Apple Valley, Minn.

14. Rejuvenate after an overnight flight. Put a clean, dry washcloth in a Ziploc bag and pack it in your carry-on. Right before landing, ask the flight attendant for a cup of hot (not boiling) water. Very carefully pour the water into the Ziploc bag, and then wipe your face and hands with the steaming cloth. It's almost like having a portable sauna! --Henrietta Scarlett Ober, Rexford, N.Y.

15. Treat yourself to a golf-ball foot massage. During a long flight, or afterward in your hotel room, take off your shoes, put a golf ball on the floor, and roll it under your foot. It's a great stress reliever. Practice a bit before you try it on a plane, so that your ball doesn't go rolling down the cabin, tripping other passengers. --Dawn Yadlosky, Centerville, Ohio

16. Accidentally reformat a camera's memory card? As long as you don't overwrite the disk by taking more photos, those original pictures are still stored there. Buy another card to use in the meantime, and then, when you get home, either purchase a file-recovery software program at a computer store (about $35) or take the card to a camera shop and see if they can help. --Julie Mancini, Dunnellon, Fla.

17. A Frisbee makes a wonderful cosmetics tray. You'll be able to quickly and easily move frequently used makeup items from the hotel bedroom dresser to the bathroom vanity and back again. It sure beats digging around in a cosmetics bag for that lipstick which always seems to be hiding at the bottom. --Brenda Riggins, Dunedin, Fla.

18. Keep your accessories organized. When I go on a trip that requires me to accessorize a number of outfits, I buy sandwich-size Ziploc bags and place the appropriate jewelry/scarf/ panty hose in each one. Then I punch a hole just big enough to slide the bag over the outfit's hanger. This way, my panty hose stay snag-free, and my jewelry never gets lost. --Gina Beyer, New York, N.Y.

19. Pamper yourself on long flights. Create your own comfort kit--the kind that a few international airlines still give their first- and business-class passengers. Fill a Ziploc bag with some lip balm, a travel toothbrush and toothpaste, a small bottle of hand lotion, a sleep mask, a pair of socks, and some eyedrops. Don't forget to bring a bottle of water, too. --Carolyn Whitman, Gulf Breeze, Fla.

20. Banish those stale hotel-room odors. I always pack several tea lights, a small vial of essential oils, and some matches. Tea lights (when set in a water glass for extra safety) will get rid of any unpleasant smells in hotel rooms. The essential oils work wonders when a drop is placed on a warm lightbulb. --Stephanie Hartselle, Chicago, Ill.

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