Although packing liquids is out (3-1-1 rule), you aren’t stuck with using shampoo or bar soap from a hotel. 

Just toss in a pack of A Fresh Pair from Ebrace, and you’ll have a gentle leaf of soap that’s perfect for hand washing your most delicate items.  The soap leaf dissolves quickly in water, rinses easily, and has a slight aroma of fresh pear.  Perfect for lingerie, hose, or anything that needs a little laundry TLC.

Comes packaged in a sleeve of 20 soap sleeves, and priced at $7.50 CAD.  That’s a lot cheaper than paying checked bag fees.

Photo credit:  Embrace

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A Fresh Pair Travel Soap

Just as we might grab an energy bar when traveling, Grrr-nola Bars are designed to be the same go-to health and energy only for dogs.  And they’ll come in handy at any stage of your journey.

Grrr-nola Bars come in 4 ounce bars, and 4 cleverly named, dog-tasty flavors:  Grrr-nola Natural (protein and fiber), Fido Flakes (protein and fiber), Chewa Bunga (mixed berry), and Chompians (bacon and egg).  You can find the bars at stores carrying upscale pet food and products, and at some veterinarian offices.

Would you take a long a granola bar for your dog when traveling?

Photo credit: All American Pet Brands

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Travel Granola Bars for Pets

If you need to get some rest while you travel, or anytime that you’re sitting upright, the TravelRest pillow from HiGear Design may be just what you’re looking for.

The TravelRest pillow is an inflatable travel pillow, with a patented ergonomic shape and tethered design.  Tethered means that it can be either tethered to a seat back (for in the car use) or to the user, messenger bag-style.  Nestle it up against your shoulders and neck, tuck it between you and the armrest, drape it across your chest, or just cuddle up with it.

Works in any airline seat, automobile, train, bus, chair or sofa, or even when sitting against a wall, allowing you to sleep anywhere, anytime in comfort and with support.

Although I haven’t personally tried out this travel pillow, and my favorite way to sleep while flying in on a lay-flat seat in Business Class, this looks like it might just do the trick for all those times that Plan A doesn’t work out.

Photo credit: HiGear Design

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Cuddly Travel Pillow Provides Support

As a writer in the travel and beauty industries, I’ve literally road tested almost every kind of hair, makeup and moisturizing product you can imagine. Every once in a while I find something so magic that I’m compelled to tell everyone – from the guy sitting next to me on the plane, to the lady ringing me up at grocery store.

Here’s my current short list of “must have” products for every trip, from a weekend at the beach to a month in Europe.

1. Mini flat iron.  You can have shiny, pretty hair on vacation, without bringing along every hair tool in your bathroom! Just stash this sweet, petite, beauty necessity into a corner of your bag and forget about it … until you need to smooth away some flight induced frizzies. It works just as well as a big one – you might even use it at home! There are several on the market, and some are crazy expensive, but I’m a fan of the BaByliss Pro, with dual voltage, for just $19.95 from BeautyChoice.com.
2. Dry Shampoo.  Rushing to make your early morning flight, but your hair is a greasy mess? Don’t fret, just spray it fresh with a little dry shampoo! You can get well known brands like Oscar Blandi or Ojon come in convenient travel sizes. If you’re checking luggage, I recommend the T3 Refresh Volumizing, which comes in tints that match your hair color. This gives you the added benefit of extending your dye job/covering roots while on the go! Sadly it doesn’t come in a carry on size, but I’ve written to beg the company to get one on the market! Check out Sephora for:  T3 Refresh Volumizing Dry Shampoo, 3.3 oz, $25; Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser, 2 oz, $10; Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray, 1.4 oz, $11.
3. Nail polish pen in neutral shade.  Flying does a job on my nails, and inevitably I wind up with a chipped manicure on the first day of a two week vacation. Sally Hansen nail pens travel well – no scary threat of spills like regular bottles of nail polish – and they come in a decent range of colors. Touch up your tips, give them a second to dry, and you’re off to the pool or the pyramids!  Walgreens, $8.95.
4. Nail polish remover pads.  These individually wrapped felt pads take the nail polish off in seconds, and again you never have to worry about them spilling in your suitcase. I pick up whatever “house brand” non-acetone ones I find in Walgreens or Target. Keep one in a carry-on and a couple stashed in an outside pocket of your suitcase for manicure emergencies that are bigger than the nail polish pen can cover up. Not the greenest beauty product in my arsenal, but handy. Pack of 10 at Walgreens for $3.95.
5. TimeBalm Concealer.  The name hints at the truth: this tiny pot of potent under-eye cover-up is the bomb! Even after the most grisly red-eye flight, just a couple of dabs of TimeBalm concealer brightens up your face, making you look fresh and awake (in photo). It even has some kind of anti-wrinkle magic in it, and they swear you can sleep in it!  Note: it can go on a bit dry, so it helps to swipe on a little eye cream first. $18 at Sephora.

Cat Lincoln is a freelance writer and social media consultant based in San Francisco, where she and her husband are often mistaken for tourists because they always have such a good time. In addition to sharing her favorite travel tips on UpTake, she is a contributor to style and green sites including StyleList, GreenDaily, and Tonic News.  Cat is also the co-founder of humorous pop culture sites 40 Whatever and wishbone clover.

In her spare time Cat is an amateur photographer, and is always on the lookout for new and exciting restaurants, especially ones with good desserts.

Photo credits:  Sephora

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Top 5 Travel & Beauty Secrets

If you always seem to spill something, you probably already know about the Tide to Go Mini pen.  It great for quickly removing stains when you’re away from home, and it’s compact size make it perfect for traveling.  Pack it away in your checked bags, or slip it into your 3-1-1 bag of liquids if you’ll be carrying it on.  Once at your destination, transfer it to a purse or backpack, and you’ll be ready for any stain situation.

A bit of red wine slosh onto you?  A bit of barbecue sauce?  Or even ink, coffee, or any number of other stains that flock to the traveler in droves.  Tide to Go Mini pen has quickly become part of my routine packing list.

And now I can wear white to a beach party!

You can find the Tide to Go Mini pen at your local supermarket or drugstore.  It retails for about $6.50 for a package of two pens.  Discount coupons and sales appear to be plentiful.

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Tide to Go Mini Pen Cleans Up Travel Stains

Image: GearBuyer.com

High Gear Keychain Light
This nifty item features an LED flashlight, emergency strobe light, liquid compass and detatchable key ring. It’s a great product for hiking or camping. You can get it from a variety of retailers for $15.

Multi-Purpose Lint Brush
This is more than just a lint brush. It also features a mirror, comb, shoe horn and even a sewing kit. It’s small enough to slip into your pocket at just 4 1/4-inch long when closed. At $6, how could beat it?

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Multi-Purpose Travel Products

Studies show that to be effective,hand sanitizers much contain a minimum of 60% alcohol, the concentration deemed to be necessary to kill most harmful bacteria and viruses.  You’ll need to look closely at the label for the list of ingredients, looking for this percentage of alcohol.  It may be listed as ethyl alcohol, ethanol, isopropanol or some other variation.  Just make sure that the concentration is between 60-95%.  Less than that just isn’t effective.

You can get sanitizer in a few different ways:

• Gel. Think basic Purell or other brand.  Nothing fancy, just the basics.  I have carried this with me in my bag long before the recent swine flu scare.  You just never know when you’ll need it.
• Scented Gel.  A twist on the basic, with the addition of scent (often times organic)  Does the job and adds a little fragrance, too.  I have some cucumber scented gel, and  love the clean fresh way that it smells.
• Wipes.  Individually packaged so you don’t need to worry about leakage in your pocket or purse.  Double check the alcohol content, as many wipes are simply wipes not sanitizers.
• Foam.  Works like gel, just in a different format.  It’s like hair mousse, only for your hands.  This might be a great formula for home, but I’ve never thought that it travels well.
• Spray.  I looked around and couldn’t find a lot of sprays that had a sufficient alcohol content.  Still, friends tell me they’re available.

The delivery method doesn’t matter – just be sure to CHECK THE ALCOHOL CONTENT.  You need over 60% to be effective.

Photo credit: Drugstore.com

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Hand Sanitizers Keep Germs at Bay When Soap & Water Isn’t Available

Image: Neiman Marcus

Originally priced at $28 each, these leather luggage tugs are on sale right for 30% off. Neiman Marcus is having a sale on select travel products now through April 26, 2009 at 11:59pm CT. The sale items are only available online and the discount will automatically be applied at check out.

Other sale items include croc-embossed luggage, passport covers, laptop bags, camera cases and other travel goods.

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Embossed Leather Luggage Tags on Sale

While the bottles may be tough on the outside, the inside is just as tough with a liner made of a proprietary coating.  You can carry water, fruit juice, alcohol, nearly any potable beverage, and it won’t harm the bottle liner.  Nor will your cranberry juice today taste like the cola you splurged on yesterday.  There are no lingering smells or tastes from previous beverages.

SIGG is an ecologically-friendly company, and the bottles are 100% recyclable.  Since the bottles are so durable, however, it’s going to take a long time before they are ready to be recycled.  The company is also a member of 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that commit 1% of all sales to environmental causes.

Using a SIGG is not just about environmentally friendly practicality.  With over 100 eye-catching designs, provided by artists around the world, new styles are introduce every year.  The leak-proof caps are interchangeable, so you can pair up your favorite bottle with your favorite cap (screw top and sports cap available) for a completely individual look.  So fashionable are the SIGG designs, they have been added to the permanent design collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

You’ll see SIGG bottles strapped to the backpacks of hikers, stowed in the carry on bag of a frequent flyer, and popped into the tote bag of busy women on the go.  With so many fun and fashionable designs to choose from, there’s sure to be one to appeal to your sense of practicality. . . or whimsy!

SIGG bottles are priced around $20-30, and can be purchased online or at your local outdoor equipment store.

Photo credit:  SIGG

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Take Your Water Along in a SIGG

A relatively new product here in the U.S. (it was originally developed in 1958 in Canada), Jig-a-loo is a lubripellent – meaning that it both lubricates and repels water.  The company claims to be the only product of this type that is water repellent.  Now you can get your roll aboard wheeling smoothly, without worrying about the weather setting back your efforts.

I had a chance to give Jig-a-loo a try, and as much as I use my luggage, I can say that I really put it through its paces.  In the course of a month I roll my bag over many, many miles through airports, up and down curbs, across carpet hallways, gravely driveways, and bumpy sidewalks.  My wheels take a beating.  And every once in awhile I pick up a rocky or get a little moisture into the system, and it makes a really annoying sound.  A little squirt of Jig-a-loo, annoying sound gone.

There are lots of additional uses for Jig-a-loo, both for travelers and at home, and the website has a long list of suggestions.  This would also be handy for the cabin in the woods or kept in the car.  The company has a long list of suggested uses as well.

In other words, it’s one of those simple and handy little products that is easy to take for granted.  Until you have annoying sounding luggage wheel!

Jig-a-loo is priced around $4.99 per can, and is available nationwide at hardware and discount stores.

Photo credit:  Jig-a-loo

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Jig-a-loo & Keeps Travelers Rolling Along