Tips 'n Bits

Stay Organized

Stone home in Tuscany available through airbnb.com.

When making airline, hotel and car reservations, travelers can receive a ton of emailed confirmations, depending on the length and breath of their trip. Wouldn't it be convenient to have all that information in one place? One way is to use TripIt.com which gathers it all when you set up an account and forward all those reservation confirmations. Another way is to create an itinerary in Word where you can also indicate whether you paid in advance, put down a deposit or still owe the full payment - and whether it's being paid in cash or a credit card. One of our readers suggested using a binder with plastic sleeves to keep all your trip documents.

Crisp Bills
A number of countries are getting fussy about the dollar bills they accept. So make a couple of trips to your local bank before you go and get as many crisp new bills as they can spare. Crumpled or even folded bills may not be accepted when changing currencies abroad.

Vacation Rentals

Home with a view of the Alps in Provence available through airbnb.com.

Renting a villa, house or apartment can be a real money-saver when you travel. Some of the best include homeaway.com, airbnb.com, vrbo.com and flipkey.com. These four sites list over 750,000 rentals, primarily in North America, Latin America and Europe. Many offer free apps for smartphones too.

First Aid Kit
In a recent issue of AARP's newsletter, they recommend the following items to put together for a first aid kit when traveling, or even an emergency at home:

1. Prescription medications.
2. Sterile gloves
3. Sterile dressings
4. Multipurpose pocket knife
5. Soap
6. Antibiotic ointment
7. Burn ointment
8. Eyewash for flushing contaminants
9. Thermometer
10. Aspirin/Pain reliever
11. Antacid
12. Anti-diarrhea medication
13. Laxative
14. Hand sanitizer
15. Toothbrushes/toothpaste
16. Hearing aids with extra batteries
17. Spare glasses, contact lenses

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