50 - Sunday, December 24, 1989 - Nortis Shore News Everything you wanted to know about travel but you forgot to ask SOME PEOPLE make a living out of writing How-To books. Unfortunately, a lot of the things they want to teach me I never wanted to do in the first place. Others make their careers out of providing gadgets. If you check your kitchen drawers or your suit- cases you'll see what I mean. Doesn’t every cook need a com- bination garlic press and sugar cuber? Or every traveller rely on a gizmo that tells the exact time of sunset in Bongo Bongo, every third leap y-2ar? Like everything else, travel tips are only good if: (a) they wosk, (b) you’re going someplace, and (c) the product fits in a suitcase. travel wise Barbara McCreadie _ I’ve been collecting travel hints and gadgets for years. Here is a pared-down list of hints and gadgets that both work and fit if you’re going someplace. © Photocopies: Copy essential documents. Include lists of numbers: credit cards, traveller’s cheques and file numbers relating to tickets and reservations. Carry a set with you, give another to your companion and leave a set at home. Copy a list of everything you’re packing or carrying. It’s a big help in collecting your belongings from hotel rcoms — and handy if you need to explain your losses to police or airlines. Instead of carrying an assoit- ment of travel guides, copy the few pages that you'll want to refer to. © Gummed address labels: Buy a roll of these and type out names aru addresses of people you want to write to while you’re away. They save time and are easy to read by foreign postal clerks. * “Trial-sized" cosmetics: Keep your baggage weight down by buy- ing mini-sized items such as ‘oothpaste, hand cream, shampoo, vonditioner and shaving cream. . Especially favor anything that comes in a tube: bottles, especially shampoo, have been known to leak. * Zip-Loc bags: There’s nothing better for packing damp wash cloths, bathing suits and laundry. Tiny ones keep earrings together, big ones handle gritty shoes. Have extras — you'll need them. © Plastic tape: Great for emergen- cy hem repairs and reinforcing bottle caps. In an emergency it will hold a bit of cotton over a blister. Buy the top-quality flexible stuff. AAO BA FADIA IAS ‘AN *® Cornstarch and baking soda: Carry in plastic pill bottles. The starch is handy to sprinkle on grease stains. The soda freshens shoes, eases stings and soothes sore feet. © Safety pins: t pin a number of these to the linings of my suitcase and handbag. © A string bag: Mine is used for shopping — many foreign shops don’t wrap. It is also used to carry picnics, especially when travelling on trains. e Plastic bottle caps: Mineral water rarely comes with a replace- able cap. It is essential to have a supply of drinking water in many places, but you’ve got to be able to cap your supply. © Bottle opener/corkscrew/ penknife csaibo: You'll probably not need z fc}! Swiss Army com- bination, dui those three are essen- tial. © Small scissors: If you don't have them, you'll wish you did. © Multi-vitamins: You may never take these at home, but with the erratic dining and fatigue that may accompany travel, one a day pays dividends. e A telephone calling card: This can be a real money saver if you can bypass telephone switchboards in hotels. They often charge huge sums for “service.” You'll also appreciate the convenience if you’re making a call from a telephone exchange — often done by cruise passengers at ports of call. Visitors to foreign countries find that it’s impossible to make a call home from anywhere else — !an- guage problems. You probably can’t cope with a regular pay phone as you can’t read the in- structions. © Converter plugs: Dual voltage appliances are great, but you must be able to plug them into the sockets. These vary from country to country. Inexpensive to buy, essential to carry. ® !nflataole clothes hangers: If you stay in the kind of hotels I stay in, you'll know how useful they can be. eae Two clothing items that make life easy: © A K-Way type jacket. lt fits into its own pocket, has an elastic car- rying strap and weighs just a few ounces, It’s rain and wind-proof and has a hood. © Reversible cotton skirts. Wrap style, they are print on one side, plain on the other. With a few matching blouses you can triple your wardrobe. wae And, a few things I’ve learned: Plastic clotheslines with rubber suction cups rarely work. The fastest way to dry smail items is over table lamps. Do rot look at hotel mattresses — and don’t even consider press- ing your pants under one. Don't rely on wake-up calls in any but luxury hotels. Don’: uadertip until you’re on your way out the door. Don’t wear white pants on foreign trains. Double check and _ reconfirm flights hours before you feave for the airport. Don’t bring or buy anything you can't carry 1 mile and up three flights of stairs. Don’t wear tight shoes or a gir- dle. Do your own hair. Don’t leave anything of value in your hotel room. Don’t carry large amounts o7 cash. Get rid of coins before leaving any country. And, don’t worry about what’s going on at home. You’re too far away to do anything about it. Escape to Nature Relax your cares away. Tired of the busy lifestyle? — this package is designed for you! Only a ferry ride away gets you to a place where hature is at your doorstep and there is peace. 2 nights accommodation 2 breakfasts and 1 dinner. § Starting at $88 double occupancy and $119 for suites double occupancy. Packages run throughout the winter. i ea RESORT For reservations or further information Call 1-800-663-7327 or in Vancouver call 266-2213 3600 Yellowpoint Road, RR3 Ladysmith, B.C. VOR 3E0 > 33333 3339352- E FOF EN Nl When was the last time you even thought | about your transmission oil filter? The fact is, a litt!e preventive maintenance now could save your vehicle from having serious transrnission troubie later. Here’s why. Heat causes transmission fiuid to brciak down, which means that it can no longer lubricate and coo! the transmission effectively. Also, a clogged filter can cut the flow of fluid to the transmission and eventually damage it. Why invite trouble? Bring your vehicle to Canadian Tire today. Our expert technicians will change the transmission oil and install a brand-new filter for you. @ Do you drive more than 25,000 km per year? © Do you scmetimes tow a traiter or boat? * Do you drive in temperatures over 30°C? © Do you drive on snow and ice or in dust and diri? * Do you drive across hilly or mountainous terrain? * Does your vehicle's transmission fluid smell burnt? Has its color darkened? ‘f you said “yes” to any of those questions, it may be time for you to remember that “forgotten filter”! And don't forget Canadian Tire! ASSOCIATE STORE Wed., Dec. OFF. Regular. Includes replace- ment of filter, pon, gasket & fluid. See your service manager. shaved go 1988 “shunt corepenitent sutaeyy Olt stare ala Mace 12 alo SerACE CENT ES lar em mage LerwCes DE ROMS Mares BASIC iCanadar inc Sun., Dec. 24th: 27th to Sat., Dec. 30th 27 See ee a an eats ene SE460-25