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Monday, February 8, 2021

Road Trip Safer with TP Kits

If you've been following me on Instagram, you know that I went on my first trip since the pandemic began. I took a road trip up to the San Juan Islands in Washington with my mom, the dog, and Eric. We packed our own snacks, used hand sanitizer after any interaction with people or objects outside of our car, and wore our masks even when we were the only people in an area. This is a very unusual time and TP Kits helped make our public restroom trips much safer and easier. 

TP Kits are individually packaged kits that you can keep in your car or purse for restroom stops. We stopped at a handful of rest stops, because nature calls and you can't use the facilities at restaurants and fast food joints anymore. Luckily, most places we stopped at had very clean bathrooms and were well stocked, but it could also be that there just aren't that many travelers right now, because at the most, we shared a bathroom with two other people. 


TP Kits contain 5 2-ply tissues and 2 wet wipes in their own packets. Right now, you may just not want to touch anything, because you never know. That's fine. Take your kit with you, use the included tissues for toilet paper, use one of the wet wipes to wipe down anything that looks dirty, and use the other in case there no working sink. 



Your kit is resealable, so if you only use part of what's inside, you can throw those away and reseal what's left inside to use later. I have resorted before to using tissues that I've crammed in my purse when I've found that the stall I've entered had no toilet paper. That's not ideal. At all. These tissue squares are plush and large, so 5 should be plenty for almost any business you need to get down to in the potty. 



Each wet wipe is individually-sealed and is a perfect size. They aren't those large wet wipes that are good for 2 people. In fact, this is the size I wish all wet wipes were. Big enough to clean both of your hands, clean faces or wipe down gross surfaces, but not overly large that you feel like you wasted using it. They are fresh smelling, too. 


Your TP Kits are waterproof, so if you accidentally spill in your bag, you won't have soggy tissues. You can still open these up and use everything inside. And when you're done, toss it in the trash with a clear conscience, because everything is 100% biodegradable. I know that this is usually a deterrence for me when purchasing single-use products, but TP Kits makes me feel good about my impact on the environment and also make me feel safer and cleaner while traveling. In fact, they give me the peace of mind to take more socially-responsible trips in the future. 

Look at all these possibly very germy surfaces.


Are you looking to make your trips, even if it's just to the grocery store or the park, a little less stressful? then pick up your own box of TP Kits before heading out. In fact, if you sign up for their mailing list, you can get 10% off your order. 

Other uses: camping, hiking, sporting events, clubs, bars, and anything involving pets or children. You never know when you're going to need some spare tissues/toilet paper or wet wipes.

Other details:
Where can I buy it? On the TP Kits website
How much is it? $2 per single packs | $10 for a 10/pack
More info: 2-ply tissues (7.625″ x 7.125″), wet wipes (1.8125″ x 3.5″), lightweight, both tissues and wipes are made from a cotton blend fiber. 

If you like what TP Kits is doing, follow them on social media:

Where are you headed on your next trip, road trip or otherwise?


Disclaimer: I received a box of TP Kits to take on my trip for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own. 

Saturday, February 6, 2021

10 Ways to Save on Travel Meals

Food isn’t like souvenirs. No one goes on vacation without buying it. You have to make room in your travel budget to eat, but there are many ways you can make that part of your expenses smaller. Just because you are trying to save money doesn’t mean that you have to eat fast food or sandwiches for every meal or can’t experience the best cuisine a place has to offer. Below is my top 10 list of ways to stretch your food funds.

Ask the locals where they eat

Odds are, people who live where you’re traveling don’t eat at the fanciest restaurant in town. You know who eats there? Tourists and people celebrating their anniversaries. The “normal” people eat at affordable dining establishments that are also delicious and serve food from the local area. They are going to want to point you towards some of the city’s gems and impress you because, unlike hotel staff, they don’t get paid for recommending the crazy expensive steakhouse down the street.

Look forward to lunch

You probably aren’t always frugal. While on vacation, it’s okay to splurge sometimes. If that includes going to a top-rated restaurant that you know is spendy, make reservations for lunch instead of dinner. The food will be just as tasty, but cheaper than at dinnertime.

Split an entrée

Most restaurants serve you at least twice as much food as you can eat. Don’t be weighted down having to carry around leftovers or feel bad about food left on your plate. Share a main dish with your travel companion. Most hotels will split an entrée for no fee, but even if you have to pay for an extra plate, it only costs a few dollars, which is cheaper than paying for a whole other meal.  

Order an appetizer for a meal

Most appetizers can be plenty to fill you up and can be as little as a third of the price of an entrée. This is also a great option for you if you like to try many different dishes. Order two to three for the same price as a meal.

Hit up the food carts

Food carts can offer a huge variety of different local and international foods, but can be half the price of (or less) than dining at a sit-down restaurant. With this kind of savings, you can try fare from several carts with no regrets.

Shop the farmers market

There’s no better way to experience local cuisine and interacting with residents than a visit to the closest farmers market. You will find a variety of food, including meats, fruits, vegetables and cheeses. Purchase enough for lunch and enjoy the afternoon having a picnic in a nearby park.

Rent a vacation home or stay in a hotel with a kitchen(ette)

This is my favorite way to stretch my food budget, because there are so many options. Renting can be a great value over hotel stays if you’ll be visiting for a week or more, plus it gives you the chance to check out the local grocery store. Make many of your own meals and save considerably. I don’t often like to spend money on eating breakfast out, so I love to buy new cereals and pastries I can enjoy in my room.

Stay at a hotel that offers free breakfast

You don’t realize how much dining out can cost until you go on vacation. A reasonable breakfast can cost between $8-15 per person. If you multiply that by the number of people you’re traveling with and the number of days you’ll be staying, that number can be huge. If you find a hotel in your price range that offers free breakfast, you’ve hit a jackpot of savings.

Sign up for Groupon

If you haven't been using Groupon, what are you even waiting for? Save 40-90% off food and more, meaning you can eat for way less than you originally planned, meaning you can splurge on a fancy meal, spend that money elsewhere, or actually just stay on budget. Sign up at Groupon for the destination of your next vacation (they cover many international locations as well as the United States) and eat for less!

Don’t order off the kids’ menu

If you travel with children, you’ll notice that most kids’ menus seem to have the same small rotation of foods. Obviously, little ones don’t just live on hot dogs, pizza, chicken nuggets and PB&J sandwiches. Not only do they charge an outrageous amount for these “staples” that cost hardly anything to make, but they offer hardly any nutritional value and your kids are likely to eat only half of it before declaring they’re full. Instead, order a meal that you both will eat and share. This saves you money and might get them to eat a vegetable or two.

While there are other ways to save on dining, these have proven to be the most useful for my travels and are my first suggestions to anyone asking how to cut costs on their trip. They are easy to do and will enable you to try a bigger variety of foods, too. You’ll experience more of the city and its people, giving you a greater vacation experience.

How do you save money on dining out when you travel?

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Essential Norway Overview

Last week we "traveled" to Norway to view the fjords, eat some tasty seafood and other local delicacies, and generally immerse ourselves in the beauty of the country. I'm working on a longer post about what to do there, but I wanted to share a quick overview of a country that might not be on your radar. When I think of Scandinavia, I usually think of Sweden...and then Iceland. We were actually supposed to travel to Iceland this year, but it looks like it'll be put off for another year or so. 

photo credit

If Norway has been on your list, or you've never considered it, this infographic shows all the basics and is a great starting point for planning a trip to this beautiful country. 

Whether to go in the winter or the summer (or any other season), there are so many things to see and do, and it appears to be small enough to drive around the entire country in just a week or so, if you want to do more than just explore Oslo. It is especially great for those of you that like to hike and do other outdoorsy activities, but there's still plenty to do if you don't enjoy those things.  

Is Norway or any other Scandinavian country on your travel wish list? 
 

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