S Hooks:

When you travel light, it usually means you end up carrying most of your belongings near or on your person. A side effect of this is that during the course of your excursion, you’ll need to create hanging space where none exists. For my money, the best way to do this is with an s hook. You can get large ones at the hardware store, but the ones with the wider curves tend to be thicker and heavier than necessary. I like to pick mine up at Ikea in the kitchen section. They’re thinner, still sturdy, and have a wide enough s curve to accommodate shower poles, restroom stalls, door knobs and the cross bars on a Southeast Asian tuk tuk. They also have the flat versus the round variety, which provides greater flexibility in my opinion.

Electrical Adapters:

Speaking of travel gear you can buy at hardware stores, electrical adapters are another extremely flexible vacation or business travel item. While the adapters that allow you to switch from a European plug to a North American one are helpful, what I’m talking about here are the adapters that allow you extend a single outlet into one that allows you to charge three or more items. This comes in handy during an airport layover when outlets are scarce. If all the outlets are taken, it’s no big deal to ask someone to unplug their machine for a second while you expand the power access.

Bandanas:

Thin, quick-drying and easy to pack, the travel uses for bandanas are many. Use one for a small picnic surface, to wash your dishes and even as a wash cloth. Of course, they also make great napkins for inexpensive street food purchases. If you have room, consider packing several. You’ll be surprised how often you’ll need them once you get used to having them around.

Lip Balm:

Aside from its obvious use, lip balm can serve a number of uses on the road, saving you money and luggage space in the toiletry department. The key is to purchase an unscented balm with no color tinting. Once you do, you can use it for a variety of skin care tasks. Rub some on your finger to treat dry spots on your heels and elbows. Your balm will remain sanitary for lip use, and you’ll have fewer cosmetic items to pack. The same idea applies if you need to moisturize the inside of your nostrils in dry weather conditions such as high-altitude villages or desert climates. Another great idea is to use your lip balm as a cuticle treatment. It saves having to pack nail oil, and doesn’t need to be included in your one-quart bag of liquids required by airport security.

Bobby Pins:

Sure, bobby pins can help you have great hair for less. French twists, bang management and more can all be accomplished with hair pins in a color that coordinates with your natural shade. But have you considered allowing them to do double duty as bookmarks, emergency zipper pulls and on-the-fly paper clips? All these things are possible with bobby pins. They can also help you securely close bags of food in your hotel room, and are much more space efficient than chip clips.

When trying to travel light, packing multipurpose items that don’t take up a great deal of space is crucial. These five items are among my favorites. What do you use to create a more streamlined life on the road?

Photo Credit: Lastonein

Glass:

The Chrysler Museum’s glass collection and state-of-the art glass blowing studio have literally made the venue a center of learning for the craft. For those with even a casual interest, be prepared to be blown away. The collection itself is every bit as expansive as the erotic pottery collection on display in Lima, Peru and includes everything from Tiffany lamps and stained glass windows to art nouveau pieces and items from ancient Egypt. There are some wonderful modern pieces as well.

The glass-blowing studio, located in an entirely separate building from the original Chrysler Museum, is state of the art. Students pursuing their Masters of Fine Arts degrees, renowned glass artists, families, tourists and local school groups can all benefit from the program. Freed from the budget constraints similar programs might experience, the studio offers free daily demonstrations to the public and a chance for visiting master artists to mentor the student interns participating in the program. For those who would like a more intimate, hands-on experience with the glass, the studio offers paid classes and workshops with limited class sizes focusing on everything from decorative beads, cold work, inclusions and even fusion.

Diversity:

In addition to the Chrysler Museum of Art’s extensive glass collection, you’ll find roughly 30,000 objets d’art spanning 5,000 years of human history. Examples are on display of European and American painting and sculpture, art nouveau furniture and pre-Columbian art as well as Islamic, African, Asian and numerous ancient Egyptian pieces. There’s even a notable photography program.

One that struck me in particular about the Chrysler Museum is the number of interactive opportunities there were for a museum that focuses mainly on older, more traditional art forms. In addition to the expected reflection benches in various gallery spaces, paintings of importance have soft couch seating in front of them. This invites longer, more introspective analysis of the works and makes a struggling art student’s life just a bit more comfortable. Also, in the neoclassical sculpture exhibit, there’s a place for youngsters to sit with sketch chalkboards and try their hand at capturing the essence of a variety of classical pieces.

Rotating Exhibits:

For those who visit regularly, fresh viewing opportunities are worked into the schedule at the Chrysler Museum of Art. At the time of my visit, the big draw was the 30 Americans show, featuring works from 30 different African American artists using a variety of styles. There was also an interesting black and white photo show featuring images from the deep south. Other works of note featured on a rotating basis include items by such artists as Norman Rockwell, Rembrandt, Andy Warhol and more.

Historic Homes:

Within walking distance of the Chrysler Museum, and part of its overall program are two period homes of note. First, the Moses Myers House. Built by one of Norfolk’s prominent families after the Revolutionary War, the home contains an extensive collection of the family’s personal belongings over several generations, as well as a number of art works owned by the Myers.

Additionally, the Willoughby-Baylor House is also affiliated with the Chrysler Museum and is currently home to the Norfolk History Museum. The building contains several private works of the Chrysler family as well as a number of other items donated by private citizens to represent an accurate picture of the history of Norfolk. The garden was specifically designed to represent the most specific understanding available today regarding the look and feel of Colonial architecture.

The Chrysler Museum of Art if free to enjoy for all who would like to visit, although memberships are available for those who would like to provide additional support for the venue’s mission. When you are done sampling all of the food adventures the city of Norfolk has to offer, then this museum is a great way to incorporate a bit of culture into your vacation itinerary.

Photo Credits: Trek Hound

Many people include hiking in their travel agendas when they come to New England.  Because of a National Park, a National Forest, several state parks and other preserved land, there are a lot of hiking trails in the 5-state area. What people may not know is how many of those trails include waterfalls. Over 400 of them!  A waterfall is always a treasured find on a hike.  No matter how big or how small, a waterfall holds a certain mystique to most of us.  We watch them; we listen to them; we photograph them a lot.

Most New England falls are not right off the road. A small hike, at least, is required. The reward is worth it, though. The trick is usually finding the way to your destination. If you’re in any of the New England sites and you’re planning a hike, before you head out, visit New England Waterfalls (which is a companion to the book of the same name) to find which hiking trails have a waterfall as an attraction.  It conveniently breaks down the destinations by state, offers photographs and the authors’ opinions.

Don’t forget to take your camera.

Photo credit: sskennel

Feet: A network of national walking trails already exists to tempt fitness-minded tourists in search of the perfect photo op. However, the completion of the Wales Coast Path – scheduled for May 2012 – will make it the only country in the world with an entirely walkable coastline. Vacationers interested in exploring the new path, 85 percent of which is within the national parks, will enjoy roughly 70 sweeping beach vistas, 15 picture-worthy ports and a number of secret coves. Also of note is the Cistercian Way, a long-distance trail which takes travelers on walking tours through a network of abbeys and churches located in the Welsh interior.

Festivals: Who doesn’t love a good party? Fun-loving travelers have a number of options when visiting this part of the UK, including the National Eisteddfod of Wales. With origins traced back to the year 1176, it is the oldest cultural festival of competitive music and poetry in Europe. With thousands of registered competitors and hundreds of scheduled performances, it is arguably the country’s premier artistic event. Additionally, the Hay Festival offers merriment in the form of music, comedy, gastronomy and more. The event celebrates its 25^th year in 2012, and is scheduled to take place in early June.

Food: One of the simplest ways to experience frugal fare in Wales is by ordering the fixed price lunch option. It’s a common practice at many of the pubs and eateries, allowing to you affordably taste test home-spun traditional favorites such as Welsh cakes, toffee waffles, Cawl Cennin – a leek soup – and Gower lamb. ( See also: Fun Picnic Lunch Ideas for Travelers )

Frugality: Priced as low as $21, the Cadw pass provides pay-once access to sought-after tourist sites, including the castles of Conwy, Caernarfon, Harlech and Beaumaris. Is free more your speed? National Museum Cardiff, and the National Coal Museum both offer complimentary entry.  Regarding accommodations, various camping options are available in the national parks, along with numerous boutique hotels if you’re interested in an affordable splurge. Examples include the cliff-top St. Brides Hotel Spa in Pembrokeshire, and the Parc Hotel in Cardiff, located within walking distance to both Millennium Stadium and Cardiff Castle.

Photo Credit: Duncan

All eyes will soon be turning to England for the 2012 Summer Olympics. For the budget conscious, reducing accommodation costs and looking for other ways to keep expenses low while planning to visit the Olympics will help make a visit memorable but not bank busting.

Photo courtesy Andy Roberts Photos

Sushi: Chic, sophisticated and downright sexy, sushi bars represent a remarkably affordable culinary indulgence. One example? The Buddha Sky Bar in Delray Beach, Florida. The hip urban atmosphere makes a fabulous backdrop for enjoying their $6 dim sum and their $13 blue crab California rolls. Haru Sushi has a number of rolls priced at less than $20, and hosts nightly happy hours at several of their locations in New York City, including Wall Street, Broadway and Park Avenue. Reduced-price items range from $4 cocktails and $6 tempura to $5 spring rolls and basic vegetable sushi starting at $3.50. Haru also has several Boston locations.

Chefs: If you’re staying at the same vacation rental for a period of time and don’t want to be bogged down with cooking responsibilities, consider arranging for a personal chef to deliver healthy meals for you and your traveling companions. Depending on your menu items, the cost can easily be less than dinner out at a mid-range restaurant. Personalchefsearch.com is a great place to start.

Sipping: Avoiding quickly-consumed cocktails and beverages in favor of those intended for slow sipping is a great way to enjoy the finer things for less. Don’t get me wrong. I’m perfectly capable of slamming down a pitcher of margaritas at lightning speed. It just usually results in an outrageous bar tab. Two alternatives are whiskey and red wine. Each can be enjoyed at a rate per glass that easily costs less than a couple of rounds of cocktails made with other top-shelf spirits. At the Mirbeau Inn and Spa’s wine bar in Skaneateles, New York, you can experience higher-end bourbons and wines individually, or sample entire flights at bargain rates.

Sugar: Frugal foodies know that some of the best deals on gourmet goodies can be found at designer bakeries and candy shops. I’ve selected sugary samples of decadent fudge, hand-dipped chocolates and buttery baked goods around the world, with prices typically ringing in at less than $5 per treat. One such sweet shop is called Cupcake. Located on King Street in Charleston, South Carolina, this baked goods establishment sells an array of artisan cupcakes baked fresh daily. Toppings include homemade cream cheese frosting, fresh fruit and other fun yummies, with a per cake price of $2.75 a pop.

Photo Credits: Zigazou76 (cupcakes), Isante Magazine (wine) and Cool Mikeol (sushi)

Food:

Happy hour deals offer a source of cheap eats for Vegas visitors. Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina features several $7 bite-sized bar food items in a happy hour menu that lasts all day long. Snacks of note include baked polenta with sausage and peppers, grilled pork belly and a chilled mushroom antipasto plate. Matt Reider of Canuck Abroad, a Canadian travel Web site, favors late night dining for the best deals. Many restaurants and buffets offer steep discounts between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., advises Reider, providing penny-pinching meal opportunities for night owls and early birds alike.

Transportation:

If your desired destination is a little too far away to find your way to on foot, Reider also recommends the Deuce – a popular double-decker bus – to travelers looking to save money. This bus services the Vegas strip around the clock, with 24-hour passes ringing in an only $7. For affordable site-to-site transportation without all of the stops and starts that come along with bus travel, consider the Las Vegas Monorail. The $12 one-day pass allows unlimited transportation between all of the major stations along the strip, with climate-controlled cars that are clean and comfortable.

Accommodation:

Room rates in Vegas are frequently priced to entice. Travelzoo.com for example, currently lists affordable accommodation options for less than $100! While costs fluctuate with availability, the site provides real-time pricing options for vacationers in search of the ultimate Vegas deal. Condo rentals also offer significant savings. This was recently evidenced on a site called Flip Key, where I found a two-bedroom, two-bath condo listed for $149 per night which was connected to the MGM Grand by a moving walkway.

Experiences:

To get a sense of Las Vegas on foot, try a downloadable walking tour and scavenger hunt you can participate in from your cell phone. Strayboots.com has family-friendly options available for as little as $9 per person, providing an interactive tourism experience. Prefer something a bit more posh? Book any treatment at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas and receive complimentary same-day access to common-area amenities, including heated relaxation chairs, vitality pools and personal experience showers. With face and foot treatments priced below $100, this can be an affordable spa strategy to spend the day in decadence.

Photo Credit: Http2007

Storage:

Even with a copilot, the ability to easily reach your road food is important. One organizational strategy is to fill canning jars with nuts, dried fruit and other vegan road trip items and store them in a sectioned wine bag. This keeps the jars upright and snack items orderly. Seat covers with storage pockets on the back and sides provide easy-to-reach spots for things like packages sunflower seeds, wet wipes and zero waste lunch kits.

Supplies:

Your road trip supply list is a personal choice. Those traveling with food allergies may need to avoid things like peanut packs and string cheese, while the hard core carnivores might prefer road eats like beef jerky and hard boiled eggs in the cooler.

Hot dog rolls:

Hot dog rolls are a great resource for creating meals that travel well, because only one side is susceptible to leaks, compared with the four sides of a standard sandwich.  With the roll’s opening facing straight up, it’s possible to easily grip your sandwich from all sides. Try out a few different sandwich ideas for a meal is easier to eat, with fewer dry cleaning bills.

Pullovers with purpose:

Road trips with time crunches are stressful. When you must stop, make it count. Rest areas are perfect for pet travel and family road trips alike.  Make sure you remember to give your pet a romp session and make time to enjoy some road trip snacks. Pulling over for gas? Make sure to hit the restroom and recaffeinate. On multi-day road trips, look for gas station signs from the highway that are posted with numerous other resources. This is a good indication of a more populated area, with a high probability of finding a grocery store. Stocking up on healthy grocery items during a mid-day gas stop will save you having to deal with it at the end of the day, when you’re tired and hungry.

Tailgating:

Use the grill boxes at rest areas and camp grounds to whip up some kabobs and explore other tailgating menus if you’re on a longer journey. Some stations also come with electrical access, which means you can make sandwiches with a press, fire up a hot pot for flavored rice and boil water for tea and coffee.

Picnics:

There are plenty of picnic lunch ideas suitable for eating on the road. Take advantage of scenic turnoffs and urban parks with convenient parking to grab a fast lunch before hopping back on the highway. You’ll skip the time it takes to get seated at a restaurant, wait for your order and stand in line to pay your bill. Bonus? You’ll probably be eating healthier too.

Picture Credit: Kfoodaddict

Discounts: Hannon celebrates her seniority by enjoying all of the discounts it brings her way. A major source of these discounts is her AARP membership. That’s right, folks. Retirement discounts aren’t just for Denny’s anymore. Hannon leverages the senior savings allowed with her AARP card to receive reduced pricing on everything from trains, hotels and even hostels. Another area of vacation savings this journey woman leverages heavily is the flexibility that comes with no longer having to work for a boss. She gets more bang for her buck by selecting off-peak travel vacations and flying on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when fares are generally lower.

Fitness: Pounding the pavement for the perfect travel photography opportunity might be frugal, but it’s still hard work for any traveler. Hannon gets ready for adventure in advance by increasing her daily walking schedule for several few weeks before she departs. That way, she knows she’ll be ready for all of the extra sightseeing on her travel itinerary. When traveling to Asia however, she recommends throwing in some extra thigh muscle exercises stating, “You’ll need them for all of the squat toilets you’ll encounter.” Concerned about lifting that luggage? Packing light is Hannon’s solution. “I travel to observe rather than to be observed. That means packing a very small, simple wardrobe in neutral colors.” She also favors using a small suitcase on wheels over lugging a huge backpack.

Activities: Rather than using her vacation dollars to stay at expensive resorts only to lounge by the pool and eat huge meals every night, this traveling granny enjoys putting her talents to use helping others. Many areas of need are in countries where travel costs are quite cheap, enabling you to stay a bit longer. Says Evelyn, “An older adult who has practiced medicine, nursing or engineering all of their working life can bring those precious skills to a volunteer organization like Cross Cultural Solutions or Habitat for Humanity in developing countries around the world.” When asked why she doesn’t choose vacations her peers would consider more age appropriate, Hannon responds, “In travel, age is just a number and not important unless you are cheese.” Well said, Evelyn. Well said.

Photo Courtesy of JourneyWoman.com.

Food: Breakfast is one of the most affordable meals to enjoy while traveling. When possible, consider choosing an eco option. Locally-supplied restaurants offer travelers a chance to vote green with their pocketbooks while still experiencing a relaxing vacation. For example, Max’s Harvest in Delray Beach, Florida is a farm-to-forks venue offering surprisingly reasonable Sunday brunch selections. Sustainable snack options include hand-cut rosemary chips and gourmet deviled eggs, both available for $5.

Supplies: Cosmetics, sunscreen and other personal care products are available in reasonably-priced eco versions suitable for travel. HandSan, an organic spray-on hand cleaner from Bio Green Crystals is packaged for easily tucking into your messenger bag or day pack and rings in at roughly $6 per travel-sized bottle. Similarly, Badger, an all-natural body care company sells $3 tubes of USDA – certified organic lip balms in flavors such as Madagascar vanilla, highland mint and tangerine breeze.

Accommodations: Researching your chosen hotel’s green efforts in advance is a great way to stay informed. I try to pay particular attention to linen-laundering procedures and the venue’s selection of personal care products. Does the hotel encourage you to be more conscientious in your requests for fresh towels or drop off more than you would reasonably need? What types of soaps and shampoos are stocked in your room? On a recent visit to the Plantation at Crystal River along Florida’s nature coast, I enjoyed cruelty-free shower and hand soaps with sustainable packaging as well as paraben-free shampoo and conditioner.

Activities: The venue also offers legally-guided manatee snorkeling tours for less than $50 per person, along with low-impact kayaking tours, bird watching and a variety of other ecological activities. Interacting with nature is one of the most inexpensive ways a traveler can keep it green on the road. Parks, nature trails and more can be accessed for free around the world. For those who want to take it up a notch, volunteering is an affordable way to have a higher-end experience for less. Govoluntouring.com provides a variety of international eco packages, including marmot conservation in the French Alps, low-carbon desert living in southern Spain and lion encounters in Zambia.

Photo Credit: Pictures of Travel Places