But while the soap made suds and the cord worked as a clothes line, the rubber ball often failed miserably as a universal fits-all sink stopper. It made for a poor seal and I was always knocking it out of place, sending my precious sudsy water down the drain.

But while doing laundry today in Belize, I stumbled upon a solution: The Dry Bag.

A dry bag is simply a waterproof bag with a roll-up top. You put in the items you want to keep dry, roll-up and lock the top and presto: your stuff is protected.

I have a couple of dry bags in my travel kit. A smaller one for things like portable electronics (never worry again about taking your point-and-shoot camera on a canoe trip) and a larger one for bigger things like DSLR cameras and lenses.

Which brings me back to my discovery: rather than using a dry bag to keep water out, I used it to keep water in! I filled my large dry bag (about 10 litres) with a couple of dirty bits of clothing, a couple of capfuls of biodegradable detergent and tap water. I squeezed the clothes until they were soapy, sealed the bag, shook it for a few minutes and let it sit.

An hour or so later I repeated squeezing process (fun!) and then poured out the soapy water. I found that by rolling and kneading the dry bag I was able to squeeze out most of the soapy water. I refilled the bag with clean water to rinse out any remaining soap.

After squeezing most of the water out a second (or third) time, I removed the clothes and hung them in the sun to dry.

The beauty of the dry bag is that you use much less water and you can let your clothes soak overnight — meaning less work. And if they’re not dry before you have to hit the road, you can use the dry bag for damp stuff. That is, if you don’t need it for something else.

I will now carry a dry bag just for laundry… and then use it to carry containers of liquid (like tanning lotion) when I’m flying.

And in the spirit of multi-use, I reckon you could also use a dry bag as a portable aquarium. Or to mix a large batch of Sangria!

[DCM

Do you have any other travel tips? Tell us about them. Comments below.

If you travel, you know that getting connected can be difficult. Whether it’s a Cyrillic keyboard or a sketchy connection, going online can be a royal pain in the arse.

An example of this is happening as I type this post. I have a tenuous WiFi connection and my MacBook will only recognize the connection when I boot it up in Windows XP. What is THAT about?

Luckily, I have a backup.

It’s a device I mentioned in an earlier post as a multi-purpose tool that helps lighten the load: The iPod Touch.

When I first saw the Touch, it was at the Apple store in Seattle. I was about to jet off to Ukraine and I was looking for something to replace my laptop as a way of getting online. Having learned my lesson the hard way, I can tell you that a roaming mobile phone is no option. I could have bought a half-dozen iPods with what I’d foolishly spent on outrageous (and often hidden) roaming fees.

When I first saw the Touch in the Apple showroom, I was impressed. Big screen. No moving parts. And lots of games with which to kill time in the airport. I was taken aback when I discovered it could connect, via WiFi, to the outside world. If an open network is nearby, the Touch gives you truly portable email and web browsing capabilities. And because it’s WiFi, it’s generally free (unless you pay to access someone’s network). No roaming fees. No surprises.

At the time, however, I was also in the market for a tool to back up memory cards from my digital camera. You could do this with earlier iPod iterations, but not very well. And, disappointingly, not with the Touch. My dream of having a media player, communicator and storage device all in one unit remained elusive. And, last spring, it was a deal breaker.

Fast forward to this Fall. I was about to embark on a journey to Central America, a place where I have no real desire to bring my laptop. Granted, I did bring it — but it will be staying in Belize as I chicken-bus it across Guatemala.

I decided to give the Touch another try. I ordered up the 16GB version from Apple’s website — and in the interest of saving a few bucks, I picked up a reconditioned unit. Same warranty, same product; lower price.


After several weeks on the road, I must say that iLove my iPod Touch. In one small and incredibly flat unit, I can carry with me thousands of music tracks, hours of films and television and some games. But most importantly, I can connect to the outside world. I can scan the web, check blogs, instant message and email to my hearts content. And it costs me NOTHING. NOTHING!!

And, it works very, very well. I can lie in bed in my Caye Caulker cabana and follow the pennant races, email my mom, post to my blog and then watch a TV show or listen to some music.

The only drawback is writing long-winded posts and emails is tiring with the touchscreen keyboard. Note to inventors: how about a wireless keyboard/cradle for the Touch?

With the exception of the aforementioned long-winded posts, my laptop has become redundant. With my Touch I can connect to the world for free. I can’t call anyone on it, but hell, that’s what my mobile phone is for. And who calls anymore, anyway?

[DCM]

Where have you found the best (and the worst) WiFi on your travels? Tell us about it. Comments below.

Strategy

I have my own method, but I’m sure there are variations that work just as well. First I set a fare that I’m willing to accept. That keeps me from spending hours and hours online trying to shave another nickel off the fare.

Then the work begins. My first stop is Travelocity because, for most flights, they allow you to search for the best fare on a flight over a wide timeframe. In other words, tell them where you want to go, they’ll tell you the best fare. If you’re lucky, you can actually find that fare and go at that time.

After finding a fare on Travelocity, I check similar dates on Expedia, Kayak and ITA Software (for ITA just click on the ’Log In As A Guest’ link). Then I double check my choices on the individual airlines website. I’ll check some alternate dates as well, but if I’ve met or come close to my acceptable fare, then I book it.

Location, Location, Location

Do you have another airport nearby that you can depart from? Try searching for fares from there. For example, I live in Vancouver but I also can fly out of Seattle (airport shuttles connect the two cities). Some fares are cheaper in Vancouver. Many are cheaper out of Seattle. For example: Seattle (SEA) to Belize (BZE) in Central America is about $1000 out of Vancouver. Often you can get a return fight from Seattle for under $500, and the difference in the dollar exchange these days is almost negligible.


Points

Did you know that many airline rewards programs allow you to do a stopover? Say a return fare from Seattle to New York is 25,000 points. But you also want to visit your family in Minneapolis. That’s another 25,000 points, right? Not if you do a stopover! Book that flight to NYC via Minneapolis and then fly NYC back to Seattle. Cost? 25,000! And the 25,000 points you save can be used to go somewhere else. And you can do another stopover! It’s like getting two rewards flights for the price of one.

[DCM]

What’s the best travel deal you ever received? Tell us about it. Comments below.

This free service is very, very useful. Basically K7 assigns you a telephone number in the Seattle area code. When people call it, they can hear your outgoing message and can leave you a voice mail or send you a fax. K7 will forward the voice mail message as a sound file to your email inbox. If it’s a fax, they’ll forward it as a TIFF file.

For zero cost you can have a U.S. based phone number and pick up your messages at any Internet café around the planet.

Goin’ Mobile

In my experience, international cell phone roaming charges from your home provider are more expensive than filling an Escalade with premium. But there is a simple solution: go local. Depending on where you’re headed, you can take your phone with you and drop in a local carrier’s SIM card. And then you have a local number at very little cost. If you’re taking a phone with you, you need to know what mobile system and frequencies are used at your destination. You also need to get it unlocked – meaning it can operate with foreign carriers.

A better alternative is to buy a cheap mobile once you arrive. When I traveled to the West African nation of Ghana last year, I bought an old skool Nokia for about $10. A SIM card on a local network was about $2. And then I bought time credits as needed. It was cheaper for me to call North America than it was for my family to call Ghana! Plus I was able to call in country for very little. A great resource is: GSM World

Skype is another great tool. It’s free software that turns your computer into a virtual phone. You can talk with other Skype users around the world for free and use your computer to call standard phones around the world at discount rates.

Skype-In allows you to set up a number in your home country that people can call. That call is then routed to your computer or any number you specify anywhere in the world. Callers pay little or no long distance charges, although you pay for the long distance fees from the country of your Skype-in number to your local number. But, these charges are usually much less than those you would get anywhere else. It’s an easy way to get Grandma to call you in Turkmenistan, but by dialing a regular North American number.


I Touch Myself

If you’re in the market for a new iPod and you travel a lot, take a serious look at the iPod Touch. Sure, it can play your favorite tunes and movies, but it can also connect to the Internet via WiFi. That means you can check and respond to email anywhere you can access WiFi – and these days that’s practically everywhere. The Touch is a great example of one item doing many things. Which helps you pack less.

[DCM]

Have you experienced any ‘mobile’ travel horror stories or know someone who has? Tell us about it. Comments below.

1. Headlamp

They’re not very expensive (about $30) but they can be a lifesaver, especially if you’re traveling to the developing world where power cuts are regular. A headlamp is great for reading on dark and stormy nights – just slap it on your noggin’ and dive into that trashy novel. It also does dual duty as a hand held flashlight. And the batteries last forever. Get one. Now.

2. Multitool

No, not your father’s Swiss Army Knife. Multi-tools are much more useful (but like Swiss Army Knives, must be packed in your checked luggage). They perform multiple functions as knives, pliers, screwdrivers and much more – all in one slick little package. Leatherman has various versions in various sizes. And, of course, there are hundreds of cheaper knockoffs. Don’t leave home without one.

3. Sarong

If you’ve got a sarong on hand, you’ve got: a towel, a skirt, a beach towel, a head wrap, a tourniquet, an instant satchel, a bed sheet (above or below) and even an emergency curtain. And that’s just what I’ve used mine for, Lightweight, cheap, multi-use – sarongs are a must-have travel item.

4. Trouble Brewing?

Love coffee? Hate instant? That’s a real problem when you’re traveling off the beaten path. Luckily, there are all sorts of portable coffee presses that are no bigger than a water bottle. Unfortunately they add bulk and weight, something you likely want to avoid.

But there is an option that not only works, it’s also cheap and small: the Cup.Pour.Ri One-Cup Coffee Steeper. For less than six bucks, this spoon-sized steeper lets you make good coffee or tea easily, anywhere. All you need is some ground coffee (or tea leaves) and boiling water. Fill the Cup.pour.ri with your favorite grind, place in a cup, pour in boiling water and let steep. Voila! A tasty alternative to Nescafe!

[DCM]

What do you consider absolutely essential when traveling? Tell us about it. Comments below.