Maine has a lot of outdoors for vacationers to enjoy.  Parks abound.  There is one National Park (Acadia), a piece of the White Mountain National Forest, and 31 or so parks managed by the Maine Bureau of Parks that charge fees. The Appalachian trail passes through or near several of these.

Day passes are completely reasonable to visit one of these parks.  Fees for adults range from $4 for residents to $6 for non-residents, depending on the park.  For children 11 and under, admission is $1.  Senior Maine residents go free; non-residents no more than $4.  If you’ll be in Maine for an extended period, like a summer, or live in Maine, consider an annual pass. $70 vehicle pass gets access to all 31 of the fee-charging parks for a year.

Maine’s natural entertainment is it’s biggest tourist asset. If you go to Maine, don’t limit your visit to the beaches. Look into one or more of Maine’s state parks.

Photo Credit: Chris Dag

Always on the lookout for affordable travel tips, I was thrilled to find these sturdy, zippered bags normally used by plumbers and other contractors to keep their gear organized.

I first found them when designing zero waste lunch kits for my husband and I that could literally be used from backpack to briefcase. I noticed in that online product reviews that several contractors had been using them to keep fittings and such organized on tool belts and in gear bags. Made by a company called Custom Leather Craft, they apparently held up to a serious amount of abuse.

So I decided to go for it. The result? These clip-on, zippered bags are going strong with no wear and tear in the corners and zippers that are still performing well. The cool thing about these? You get three of them per pack. So after I ordered two sets to have one of each at the size we needed for the lunch kits, we had four remaining pouches (two of each of the other sizes) to use in various ways to organize our travel gear, which we did on our recent jaunt to Ecuador. The sets of three are less than ten dollars regularly, and have been known to go on sale for between five and six USD.

Some other suggested uses for these include organizing eco-friendly feminine hygiene supplies, keeping security items such as padlocks, s-hooks and door jams organized, or using them to store travel-sized pharmaceuticals all in one place.

Related Reading:

• Gift Ideas for Adventure Travelers
• Travel Gear You Can Buy at the Hardware Store
• How to Travel  Light and Low Budget

Do you have a favorite piece of travel gear from a non-traditional source? Share your affordable equipment hack below.

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

While travel skills in general are likely too numerous to list efficiently, these ten are the ones Trek Hound consider to be universally helpful. What are they?

How to drive a stick shift.

In many parts of the world, automatic transmissions are the exception rather than the rule. If you don’t believe me, just ask a few of the folks who have gotten bitten in the butt by this on the Amazing Race.

Navigation.

It’s amazing how many people are uncomfortable with maps and their use. Particularly where automobile navigation is concerned. One of the main perks of having a travel partner, in addition to getting assistance with problem solving, is having someone available to tell you where to go while you drive. While it isn’t technically impossible to read the map and drive at the same time, it’s difficult under the best of circumstances and unsafe under the worst of them. Be sure to take a good navigator if possible. Another travel tip? Placing a map that needs to be re-used a great deal inside a page protector keeps it from getting unnecessarily tattered and water damaged.

CPR / first aid.

I’m no medical expert, and the first to admit I have more to learn. However, I’m more than capable of cleaning a wound and know when to use ibuprofen for pain and swelling. As I said, I know I have more to learn. But the point is, you never know when you might need to perform first aid on yourself or a travel companion. Having some basic working knowledge of the subject is a smart move.

How to drive a motorcycle.

I have to come clean. I have absolutely no skill in this area. However, it has bitten me in the tush enough times that I know I need to make learning this skill a priority. In many parts of the world, small motorbikes are the norm. Bonus? They are way less expensive to rent and fuel than automobiles.

How to cook on the fly.

One major way to save money while traveling is to prepare your own food. Trying to make your own meals in unfamiliar kitchens with unpredictable access to certain tools and appliances can be more than challenging. Having a repertoire of simple, low ingredient recipes and travel menus can help. A few specific ideas would be caprese kabobs, quesadillas and Polynesian chicken.

Patience.

Seriously, I mean it. The trials and tribulations of problem solving in a foreign language, unfamiliar city, or developing country can be as taxing as they are enjoyable and exciting. A good supply of patience will go a long way towards helping you make the most of your travel experience.

Driving on the left (or for some the right) side of the road.

While the need for this may be less prevalent in global travel than the manual shift capability suggested earlier, there are still a fair number of places in the world where you’ll require the know-how if you choose to rent a car or bike there. I’m a bit embarrassed to say I have not mastered this yet. However, it’s on my list and I intend to develop the skill as soon as my life situation permits it.

Deciphering international train and bus schedules / routes.

This might sound like a “well, duh” type of item to include here. But honestly, these things can get incredibly complicated, particularly in countries with highly developed mass transit systems. The more basic a route and schedule chart is, the more likely I am to roll with it. When we were in Italy though, there were some train charts that would have made anyone’s eyes cross. My husband is much more of a rock star when it comes to figuring things out. Even if you don’t have time to make yourself into a self-taught guru in this area, developing some basic skills will serve you well. Trust me.

Alternative communication.

Short of learning the language of every country you travel to before you hop on the plane, I highly suggest developing a comfort zone with the following:

• Sketching – no major artistic abilities are needed. Simple Pictionary skills will get you by. If you need something specific at the store or have a medical ailment you need to explain, a sketch pad and stick-man drawing can get you out of a jam more often than you might think.

• Charades – Again, no need to be a world champion. But basic pantomime ability when asking or directions or time to come back to a particular place is way more universal than a language that might only be spoken on a handful of islands in the entire world. Not that there’s anything wrong with learning those languages for education’s sake.

• Calculators – Finding room in your bag for a calculator or asking a salesperson or waiter for theirs is a great way to go. This comes in handy while shopping in souks or bargaining for a price on hired transportation. If you didn’t bring one with you, pantomime one. It’s a fairly international gesture.

Foreign language training.

Again, nobody has time to learn them all, and very few people have time to learn even a country-specific one before traveling to that particular destination. However, a few have a fairly broad reach. English, Spanish, Arabic and French come to mind. Also, if you happen to be growing up in a school system that still teaches Latin, consider signing up. It’s the basis for several languages and make deciphering them easier.

These are the top ten skills, at least in my humble traveler’s opinion, that will help you out most often, and in the greatest number of countries. Got another skill or tip you wish you’d known about before you hit the road?

Recommended Reading: Sight-Seeing Tips for Bolzano, Italy.

Photo Credit: TrekHound.Com