The Travelite® FAQ

In case you hadn’t heard, the Clear Pass system (which I’ve mentioned before) is going bye-bye. If you go to FlyClear.com right now, you see the following message:

Clear Lanes Are No Longer Available.

At 11:00 p.m. PST on June 22, 2009, Clear will cease operations. Clear’s parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. has been unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations.

Although some people weren’t comfortable with giving up so much personal data, a lot of frequent flyers liked the ease that the Clear pass provided.

If you’ve served in the military or know anyone who does, you’re probably familiar with military dog tags. They are 2-inch-long thin pieces of oval metal that have important information embossed onto them, which you wear on a bead chain around your neck.

There are companies that will make these dog tags for civilians, and these days you can even order them online. One company, however, has come up with a clever way to market them: As luggage tags.

TravelDogTags.com is a very simple site, and they don’t sell a lot of different products. In fact, they really only sell the dog tags, plus the accoutrements that you use the dog tags with.

In my view, the real clever part of what they sell is their “luggage wires.” They are 6-inch-long plastic-coated stainless steel-stranded wire. The ends come together with a little metal twist connector, making these very difficult to accidentally remove.

A Travel Dog Tag in the center is surrounded by a long and short bead chain, luggage wire, and three plastic silencers.

In addition to the luggage wires, you can order your luggage tag sets to include plastic silencers in your choice of color, as well as bead chains. The silencers are rubbery, and you pull them around the edge of the dog tags so that they don’t clang together. The bead chains they sell are like the type you get with a military dog tag (that is, you string the shorter chain through the dog tag, then you string the long chain through the loop you just made with the shorter chain).

You can easily hang your dog tag anywhere on your bag, including on zippers.

There’s a couple of reasons I really like this idea:

Durable – These things are extremely durable. Made of stainless steel, they don’t rust, stain, or corrode, and the letters don’t fade in the sun and you don’t have to worry about the ink running if it gets wet.

Subtle – If you want to avoid the big and bright luggage tags, or the smaller leather ones that scream “I’m traveling!” then this is unusual enough that I think it’s a really good option. Most people wouldn’t look at these and immediately assume they are your luggage tag.

Double-duty – My favorite reason to use this is that it also serves as a regular dog tag when you aren’t traveling. Consider wearing it with the bead chain around your neck (or secured on a shoe string) when you go out for a jog or go out on a hike. If you are in an accident and you can’t easily communicate, they will quickly be able to find out who you are.

The same dog tag that served as a luggage tag a moment ago, is now a regular dog tag on a neck chain.

By the way, the size is small enough that it would work pretty nicely as a real dog tag for dogs, too.

There are a couple of caveats:

Due to the size of the block letters and the size of the dog tags, you are restricted to about 15 characters per line. You can get up to 5 lines, but if you have a long name or long address, you need to figure out how you can shorten things and still have the information be understandable. Although it can handle the “@” sign, most email addresses will be too long to get on a single line.

Also, because the letters are embossed right onto the metal tag, the information is permanent. If you move or change phone numbers, you will need to order a new one.

That said, a luggage tag set is only $5.95. A bargain in this day and age. You can buy kits for everyone in your family and have change to spare.

Product Web site: TravelDogTags.com

If you read travel guru Christopher Elliott’s writings as I do, you would think that the entire travel-related industry is going to hell in a handbasket when it comes to customer service, be it airlines that routinely institute new fees, or hotels that regularly overbook and then send unwary customers to lower-grade motels (if at all).

You would think that in these tough times, businesses would be bending over backwards to provide good customer service, to maintain a good reputation, retain loyalty, and reap long-term benefits, yes?

Well, it turns out that there are some bag/luggage manufacturers that fall into this category. Today, let me showcase Tom Bihn Bags.

Tom Bihn Bags

Based out of Seattle, Washington, this small bag manufacturer still makes all of its products in the USA. If you’re American and you prefer to purchase products that are made in-country, Tom Bihn bags are a keeper. All of the products they make are heavy duty and hold up well to everyday use.

What makes them a standout in the customer service realm, however, is their direct interactivity with customers:

• Blog: You can expect new blog entries on an almost daily basis, and they include everything from reader-submitted videos to information about new inventory. If you use an RSS feed reader like Bloglines or Google Reader, it’s a great way to see what’s going on in the world of Tom Bihn.
• Twitter: These days it feels like every company (and celebrity) has a Twitter account, and Tom Bihn is no exception. You’ll get updates when they post a blog, but they also follow their own subscribers, and they will actually respond to your queries on Twitter! Talk about feedback.
• Forums: Finally, they have a active discussion board at their Web site. They use vBulletin, a bulletin board system familiar to many. Here, people can post photos of their own Tom Bihn bags, ask questions, discuss the merits or problems with products, and so on. The membership hovers just below 3,000, which, while not huge, means there is a very loyal core following that has direct input into product design and redesign.

What’s impressive is how much direct feedback the people at Tom Bihn actually take into account in this interactive environment. It is not uncommon for company staff to post a teaser about an upcoming product or ask people for opinions about specific features about upcoming items, with a photo or two. At that point, the loyal readers respond with honest feedback, and there can be a lively exchange over the merits of various features, until the designs are tweaked to better meet customer requests.

A good example of this is in the board thread entitled, “TriStar day!!!!” where a reader was disappointed that the photos of this new pre-production travel bag indicated zipper pulls that were cords instead of metal tabs. After some back-and-forth exchange, company rep Darcy announced a change to metal tabs, with a package of cord pulls for people who prefer the latter. How many companies do you know that work so closely with their customers to hone their product design, and actually respond to them?

Many manufacturers simply hire out marketing researchers or leave it to their own staff for opinions, but by listening to their own customers, the folks at Tom Bihn can introduce new products that actually fit the bill for their market. What a concept!

For a small company, they are constantly working on research and development, coming up with new products or tweaking their existing line. They are adding new colors and new sizes and so on, and they try to coordinate products, so that small internal packs fit in large bags, colors match, and whatnot.

Listening to customer feedback? Seems like it!

Regular readers of my site may already be familiar with the basics of traveling light, but if you’re new and happen to find this place, you may be wondering where you can find all that information.

The stuff is all stashed away in the link labeled “ARCHIVE SITE” above. It’s there because the information, for the most part, is pre-9/11; many articles are a decade old!

Instead of trying to comb through and revising each article, I thought it would be easier to freeze them in time and properly label them so you would see that the articles are not current. That said, there’s a lot of good stuff in there worth sharing still today. So periodically, I’ll run one of my older articles, revised where appropriate. I’ll make sure to let you know it originally ran in the past. Good, yes? So let’s get started!

[The following is an all-new updated blast from the past from the Travelite archives.]

Must-Have Resources for Every Traveliter

“If you don’t read any further at this Web site, just go to the following sites and you’ll be a smarter traveler and travel shopper.”

Since I originally published this article a decade ago, the Internet has exploded. Any store or company worth its salt seems to have a Web site, and many of them have gone from plain-looking sites (many without the ability to purchase items online) to really fancy, with tools like wish lists and customer support live chat, that make Internet shopping as convenient as possible.

The sites I recommend here have been around for a while, and although there are other Web sites that sell similar items at similar (or even lower) cost, these sites are different, because I believe they are travelers who sell travel-related products, and not just business people who happen to sell travel-related products among their vast inventory. What that means is that the stuff they sell have been tried and tested; they aren’t just fancy, but practical. The products feel right.

I wholeheartedly recommend these sites, not only for their products, but for their customer service. These sites also understand our desire to travel lightly, and offer you most of what you’d want when packing your things for your trips.

The following are those that I feel all readers should at least take a look at. Disclaimer: I produce this FAQ for free. I have not been paid by any of the following for their inclusion here, nor do I get any commercial gain from this listing.

If you decide to contact any of these places, please do me a favor by mentioning that you read about them here on the Travelite FAQ! Thanks!

In the process of becoming a traveliter, I believe everyone should try to get their hands on the following:

Magellan’s: For More Comfortable, Safe and Rewarding Travel

Address: 110 W. Sola Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 U.S.A Voice: 800-962-4943; 805-568-5400 Fax: 800-962-4940; 805-568-5406 Email: sales@magellans.com URL: http://www.magellans.com

Originally a mail order catalog company, Magellan’s went online, secured its own domain web site (it’s hard to believe, looking back now, how many businesses didn’t have their own vanity name Web addreses!). They were relatively early in the orders shopping game, and their online catalog back then was as comprehensive as their print catalog. Those who like to pore over the print catalog and mark up items while daydreaming about their vacation trip will find a perfect harmony here; Magellan’s still maintains that balance of online and print catalog nicely.

You may have travel-related stores in your nearest mall, but Magellan’s, in my opinion, is the king of mail-order travel merchandise. I’ve never seen any other place with more or better travel “stuff” than these guys. They’ve got everything from money belts and travelpacks to collapsible water bottles and toiletry kits. They also specialize in electrical adapters and converters.

I have shopped with Magellan’s these last few years, and their customer service (both mail order and in person) are incredible (to a level I thought was basically non-existent in the ’90s). Drop by their store if you’re ever in Santa Barbara. I was a bit surprised at the small size of their store, but it made perfect sense since they specialize in minimal packing.

TravelSmith: Outfitting Guide and Catalog from TravelSmith

Address: 60 Leveroni Court, Novato, CA 94949 Voice: 800-950-1600 (US); 415-455-8050 (International) Fax: 415.455.0329 Email: service@travelsmith.com URL: http://www.travelsmith.com

What Magellan’s is to travel “stuff” TravelSmith is to travel clothing. The folks at TravelSmith call themselves “the Gurus of Travel Wear,” and I have to admit their products are both unique and impressive. For example, many of their outfits (for both women and men) are lightweight and wrinkle-resistant. Their prices are a bit on the higher side if you’re used to other mail order firms like L.L. Bean and Lands’ End, but TravelSmith outfits seem tailored for traveliters. Note that there is some merchandise overlap between Magellan’s and TravelSmith, although it is minimal.

The iconic product that Travelsmith sells is what they call “The Indispensable Black Travel Dress.” Originally introduced almost a decade ago, the simple dress was a combination of product development and marketing genius. Made of a soft and stretchy fabric that didn’t require ironing or dry cleaning, the dress had no zippers, buttons, or snaps. The high empress/princess waistline camouflaged belly pooch and gave an A-cup wearer the feel of having a more curvy figure on top. Travelsmith slowly began expanding their line by introducing various lengths, different sleeve lengths, necklines, and colors. Over the years they probably sold about 20 variations on this dress. The nice thing is that the basic product is still available today.

Most of the clothing they sell are their own brand. They regularly introduce new items, so if you see something you like, you might consider picking it up right away. Conversely, they also need to shed their older inventory regularly, which means you can find some incredible bargains in their sale section. If you live in Northern California, you can get on their mailing list so you can be notified when they have one of their huge warehouse sales. Great prices, but bring your comfy shoes, because you’ll need to scour the racks to find the right sizes and such.

In addition to these original two recommendations, let me also suggest the following:

Norm Thompson

Address: PO Box 126, Jessup, PA 18434 U.S.A Orders: 1-800-547-1160 (24 hours) Customer service toll free: 1-877-718-7899 Fax toll free: 1-800-821-1282 Email: Via online form (link) URL: http://www.normthompson.com

Norm Thompson offers travel-friendly products but is not completely travel-centric like Magellan’s and Travelsmith is. You’ll find some nice items there, but if you want to buy travel clothing, be very mindful that what you are buying will work for you. Check to see if an item is specifically marked as machine (or hand) washable, or that it resists wrinkles.

My general impression is that Norm Thompson sells a better, more stylish selection of menswear than the previous two, but so much of that is up to each individual taste.

If you are a fan of Baggallini purses, Norm Thompson is the place to go. They offer a very comprehensive line of their products.

Campmor

Address: 400 Corporate Dr, PO Box 680, Mahwah, NJ 07430 U.S.A. Store: 810 Route 17 North, Paramus, NJ 07652 Voice: (800) 525-4784 Fax: 800-962-4940; 805-568-5406 Email: Via online form (link). Live chat available. URL: http://www.campmor.com

Campmor gets a nod here for being the bargain hunter’s dream. If you are looking more for adventure travel gear, or you’re on a budget, take a look here before you go to some of the other retailers like REI. I usually look to Campmor for things like layers for winter travel.

The only thing to be mindful of is that they are usually limited in their inventory, so you need to see if they actually have things in your size. Most of the products there are on sale because they are a clearance house. But hey, it’s cheap cheap cheap, and if you’re minding your wallet, Campmor can be a great buddy!

Rick Steves

Address:130 4th Ave N, PO Box 2009, Edmonds, WA 98020-2009 U.S.A. Voice: 425-771-8303 Fax: 425-771-0833 Email: Via online form (link) URL: http://www.ricksteves.com

What can I say about Rick Steves? He is my personal travel role model, my travel guru. He originally introduced me to the carry-on-only concept in his “Europe Through the Back Door” TV series on PBS, and he continues to share his knowledge and nudge hesitant Americans to travel overseas.

Visit his Web site. It is a wonderful melange of stuff that often reminds me of a big train station, full of hustle and bustle. He continues to sell some really fine travel products, including his classic carry-on travelpack. He offers guided tours to a huge array of European destinations. He has free podcasts of his radio shows, as well as some walking tours (my husband and I listened to his Paris podcast and had a great time listening to him explain some things about the Notre Dame as we sat across the street and marveled at the great cathedral).

He has written hundreds of articles over the years, all available to read there. And then there is the Graffiti Wall. It’s not a typical bulletin board so much as a collection of advice from Europe Through the Back Door travelers, in the form of a huge long list. Find your topic of interest and click on its link. There, you will hear from other travelers about what pickpocket scams to look out for, or what walking shoes are the most comfortable to walk in all day.

Happy travel shopping!

Some fantastic news for fans of Ellington Leather’s original Sussex travel tote. Some years back, mail order retailer Norm Thompson used to carry a smaller version of Ellington’s Sussex travel tote:

The Ellington Stella tote. Image from Ellington Leather.

The beauty in this bag was its simplicity; it was a simple purse with straps that, when pulled outward, would cinch the top and convert the bag into a backpack. It was great as a smart purse that you could quickly convert to a backpack at the airport if you needed your hands free, or you needed to manage your kids on the go.

The only catch with this bag was that they did away with the popular small size, and only had the larger tote bag size for quite a while. The converted backpack was about the size of a bookpack instead of a smaller purse, and too large if you just wanted a regular-sized purse.

A simple diagram showing how to convert a purse to a backpack. Image from Lazar’s Luggage Superstore.

Ellington did sell a leather version in the smaller size, but the material meant it weighed more, and it was considerably more expensive (usually retailing for over $150.00).

For 2009, however, Ellington has introduced its new “Lightweight Travel” line, which includes a revamped version of this popular bag!

Ellington’s new Lightweight Travel Tote/Pack. Image from LuggageOnline.com.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the Lightweight Travel Tote/Pack has a straighter silhouette and is more angular. The center drops down a little more, to create a more flattering shape when you wear this as a backpack. They’ve also changed the fabric from nylon to microfiber, which while a bit stiffer and not as squishable as the nylon, is very travel-friendly and will stand up to a lot of wear. The smarter silhouette means you can probably use this for business travel as well.

Finally, they’ve fixed the main problem that plagued the original small Sussex bag: This newer version now has a zipper that runs the full length of the main opening, making this much more secure than its predecessor.

This new Lightweight Travel Tote/Pack is available in four travel-friendly colors (black, grey, red, and periwinkle). You can find it at a few online retailers such as LuggageOnline as well as from Ellington Leather directly, but your best deal right now is at eBags.com, where the retail price of $66 has been reduced to $52.80. Not sure how long that sale will be going on for (they are currently having a Spring sale), but even at $66 it’s not a bad deal.

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A quick note about the Timbuk2 Metro: Reader Tom left a comment in my previous entry, that he was told by Timbuk2 staff that they plan to phase out of the Metro altogether and replace it with the new Click. Both Tom and I agree that the Metro is a better deal; if you’d like a Metro but haven’t gotten one yet, now may be a good time. There are still plenty of inventory in a rainbow of colors; don’t wait too long!

Hey look, it’s Lani crawling out of her cave! [Is it spring yet?]

Just a heads-up that Campmor is having a slew of Jansport bags on sale, including a few items that I think Travelite readers may want to consider:

	Jansport Euro Sak Travel Conversion Pack Regular Price: $145.00 Campmor Price: $49.97 Savings: $95.03 This traditional convertible backpack bag is a maximum-sized carry-on with stowaway backpack straps and a removable shoulder strap.
	JanSport Half Pint Daypack Campmor price: $12.99 This is one of those small “backpacks” that are more like small purses. Nothing fancy here, except that they offer this model in an amazingly large assortment of colors and patterns. Plus, at $12.99 how can you go wrong?
	JanSport Fifth Ave. II Campmor price: $9.99 Available in black, navy, and lavender (shown here), this item is a no-frills belt bag/fanny pack. If you like to use one of these as your little day bag while you toodle around Disneyland or something, $9.99 is an amazing bargain.

They have a full page worth of bags at that URL, including a wheeled bag (just a tad too bit to carry on), computer cases, soft-sided briefcases, external frame backpacks and standard school backpacks. I’ll personally try to pick up one of those Half Pints. As soon as I can decide what pattern I like.

Timbuk2 Stowaway Update

Last month, I told you about the Timbuk2 Stowaway. Since then, I’ve been testing it out, and I can offer some comments for you:

Stiff fabric: Timbuk2 is known for really rugged fabric, and the Stowaway is no exception. It is definitely very rugged, and I’ll never have to worry about the hems coming apart. That said, one issue with such stiff fabric is that when you have this bag set up to fold in the center, the folded part tends not to lay flat… especially if you have more than the minimal amount of stuff in the bag. That is, the “flap” (the top half the bag) sticks out a bit. I found that wearing the flap part against my body helped a bit, but unless I run this through the wash several times I don’t think it will get floppy at all.

D-rings: I’m accustomed to D-shaped rings on my Timbuk2 Metro, so I was a little surprised to find that the metal rings on this bag are very shiny, very thick, and very angular. In fact, I wouldn’t even call them D-rings; I’d call them rectangles. Maybe they were trying to go for an angular look to match the cut of the bag, but personally I don’t think the look of those rectangles is very flattering, and the angles make the straps a little harder to put on and off.

Strap: Speaking of the strap, the buckle ends are also the same shiny metal as the rectangles. Plus, they are also very stiff, meaning it actually takes a bit of force to remove and latch them onto the rectangles. If you’re used to the easier snap-on/snap-off of their quick release straps, you’re in for a surprise.

Conclusion

The good: This bag is best when you latch your strap onto the top ends and unfold the middle, and use it like a bigger bag. You can fit quite a bit in there, and it manages not to stick out too far because of the way it’s cut. It’s a simple bag with no dividers on the inside, so you can pack whatever you want and still manage to look relatively stylish.

The bad: The buckles on the strap are a pain to change. The metal is way too shiny (matte would’ve been so much better… or a smaller version of the curved D-rings from the Metro would’ve been so much better). If you’re the type to put a lot of smaller stuff in your bag (oh, let’s say a couple of pocket Moleskine notebooks, some pens, sunglasses case, cell phone, an iPod, and so on), be prepared to have to spend time trying to figure out where things are by touch. Even if you are wearing the bag folded, you have to reach in from the tall opening and reach deeeep into the chasm of the bag. The yellow version of this bag may make that an easier task, but the fabric is so thick I’m not sure how much more light you’d have to work with.

If given another opportunity to obtain this bag, I think I’d give it a pass, personally.

Speaking of Timbuk2…

I checked out their newest little Metro cousin, the Click.

An updated version of their popular extra-small Metro bag. Image from Timbuk2.

The thing is adorably cute, but if you are a Metro fan like me, you need to be aware of a couple of things:

• The strap is nonremovable! This was a huge disappointment for me, because I am a huge fan of their quick-adjust shoulder strap. And the reason the strap doesn’t come off is because…
• There is no hand-carrying handle on the top of this bag, something you get in the Metro. And the reason you probably don’t get the hand handle is because…
• There is no buckle release on the flap. Instead, you get a little pull-tab and you close the bag with Velcro. And without the 100% security of a buckled in flap, that Velcro will not likely keep the flap shut should you try to carry this with a carrying handle that’s only attached to the flap.

Don’t get me wrong. This is definitely very streamlined. It’s the same size as the Metro, and it’s really quite cute. I actually ordered that same one in the photo and was all excited to use it, until I noticed that the strap was sewn on there tight.

I wound up returning mine. Oh well, ya can’t win ‘em all.

Well hallelujah. Timbuk2 now offers those nifty Stowaway bags is a more traveler-friendly black.

Time to order mine.

The Timbuk2 Stowaway in plain black. Image from Timbuk2.

While you’re there, you might want to look through their travel section. They’re selling all green bags for 25%. And no, not the green as in environmental, but as in St. Patrick’s Day green.

Popular messenger bag manufacturer Timbuk2 has recently begun selling products geared towards travel. You can see their travel-related products at their Web site here.

Nothing particularly revolutionary about their travel products, but they do now have a wheeled bag, as well as carry-ons that have that general Timbuk2 feel. They do have a few notable products, though, including what I think is their most travel-friendly product: the Timbuk2 Stowaway Ballistic Nylon bag.

The Stowaway Ballistic Nylon bag is a very streamlined shoulder bag with an adjustable strap that lets you wear it as an over-the-shoulder bag or as a cross-body bag.

The Timbuk2 Stowaway Ballistic Nylon bag. Image from Timbuk2.

The neat trick with this bag is that you can expand its height based on where you clip your strap. If you clip the strap to the center D-rings, you can fold the “flap” over and the bag looks like a purse or a streamlined messenger bag.

If you clip the strap on the D-rings near the edge of the flap, you unfold the flap and suddenly you go from landscape to portrait, and increase the height and capacity of your bag twofold.

The Timbuk2 Stowaway Ballistic Nylon bag with the strap clipped to the end D-rings turns the landscape-perspective messenger bag into a portrait perspective shoulder bag. Image by Timbuk2.

How simple is that? I love these clever little ideas that provide simple, yet elegant solutions.

The bag looks like it’s designed specifically to be travel-friendly as well. Take a look at the strap. It uses the same fabric as the bag itself, which means it’s pretty lightweight and lies flat. No fancy plastic snaps or clips here; everything is compact and flat.

The main opening has a zip closure, and I really like this feature when the bag is folded over. Thinking back to my Rome trip last year, I’m thinking that this bag will be much harder to pickpocket. If you zip the bag closed, fold the flap over, expand the strap to wear it across your body, and flip the bag so that the flap is on the inside facing you, a pickpocket has almost zero ability to get to the bag’s contents short of slicing off your strap or a slashing a hole on the bottom of your bag. The pickpocket would have to manage to unzip the edge of the flap (which is against your body), then extend his whole hand into the unzipped flap opening, reach up, then bend his wrist down to be able to access anthing. In the meantime, he would need to bring his elbow down so that he can try to gain access without lifting the flap up too much. Definitely an awkward position, and one that would be almost impossible to pull off quickly or without notice.

I also really like the simple solution for how this bag expands. A lot of expanding bags will hide the extra fabric under a zipper, where neither that zipper nor the expandable portion of the fabric is serving any purpose when not in use. The Stowaway, on the other hand, actually incorporates the expandable portion as part of the contracted form, in the use of a flap.

The Stowaway includes a smaller pocket compartment, which you can either hide altogether when you fold the flap over, or have it be easily accessible by folding the flap the other way. Image from Timbuk2.

The bag weighs just under a pound. And when emptied, the easiest way to pack this would be to simply line this along the side of your carry-on bag. You probably won’t even notice it.

The only drawback, if any, is that it is currently only offered in one color scheme: “silver/lemon.” It’s a  gender-neutral color combination, but I would love to see this bag made available in other travel-friendly colors like brown, khaki, tan, or black.

That said, there are technically four ways you can wear this bag, and two of them let you hide the yellow center front panel. In the following diagram from Timbuk2, you can see that the center panel is only on one side of the bag. You can choose to wear the reverse side outward so that the bag looks just gray. Doing so lets you access that smaller pocket directly as well.

This Timbuk2 diagram shows the four ways you can wear this bag. Image by Timbuk2.

I’d give this one a rating of 4.5 out of 5. And that half rating may go up to 5 when there are other, more travel-friendly colors available.

Details:

• Product Web page
• Price: $50, plus tax and shipping (can be ordered directly from manufacturer)
• Dimensions: 11.75″ by 9″ expanded, 2.25″ deep
• Weight: 0.9 pounds

I went on a weekend getaway to Pismo Beach—perfect little spot. In addition to an afternoon on a walking tour of Hearst Castle, one of the things I did was visit San Luis Obispo’s downtown area, with its little coffee shops and retail stores geared towards the college students from nearby Cal Poly SLO.

One of the shops I visited was Bath and Body Works. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a relatively common retail store in shopping malls, and they sell nothing but toiletries. I always assumed they were a Body Shop knock-off, but their prices are actually considerably more reasonable.

Near the cash register, they had a big stand filled with little two-ounce travel-sized bottles of their products. Shampoos, lotions, conditioners and what have you. The big sign above the stand said “$1.” A dollar for a bottle—what a deal!

According to the salesperson there, this great dollar sale was officially ending today (Sunday); however, she said there was a chance that they would be allowed to continue their dollar sales in the stores because the two-ounce bottles were being replaced by three-ounce versions.

A two-ounce bottle of shower gel from Bath and Body Works. All of their bottles have the signature “cinched waist” near the top. Pick up these 2-ouncers while they’re on sale, and before they’re replaced with the giganto 3-ouncers. Image from Bath and Body Works.

“Three ounces is what you can carry with you at the airport,” the salesperson told me proudly.

So… you can wait until Bath and Body Works starts carrying the three-ounce bottles, or if you have a chance, visit your nearby store to see if theys till have the dollar sale. A buck is actually a pretty good deal for two full ounces, and they usually carry quite a few different fragrances and styles. Once the three-ounce bottles are introduced in the stores, I suspect they will probably sell for about $5 each, which I think is a little too expensive for little bottles.

Right now if you go to their Web site, they have a “3 for $5 Travel Sized Signature Collection” sale. The price isn’t quite as good as a dollar, but that’s not a bad deal at all.

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Moleskine Volant notebooks hit store shelves in the U.S. Image from Moleskineus.com.

A few people have reminded me (and I have confirmed) that the colorful softcover Moleskine Volant notebooks have made it to the shelves of both Borders as well as Barnes & Noble in the US. If you were hoping to pick up these little notebooks, visit your nearest box book store!

Happy new year all!

If you had any travels over the holidays, I hope they were smooth and without any problems.

You probably noticed that my posts have been MIA recently; with the holidays, I’ve been pretty busy, and I’ve been sick these past few weeks.

Nothing to fret about, though. I still plan on posting more this year!

If you tried any travelite techniques that worked well, or you ran into any problems, do let me know.