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Luggage…What Kind Do You Want?

What type of luggage do you like? If you’re shopping for new luggage, do you know what you’re looking for? What are your requirements?

You’re probably looking for something that’s durable…especially if you travel a bunch. Do you want a hard shell? Are you concerned it may crack if some airline baggage handler is having a bad day and tosses the luggage onto the belt?

Many new companies who make hard sided luggage have started using polycarbonate. This is a softer material that will flex a little when dropped on hard surfaces. In fact, contact lenses are made from this. It’s also scratch-resistant and lighter than some softer bags.

It doesn’t expand like a soft piece will, so don’t expect to overstuff it.

What about the wheels? Do you want four or two? Four are easier to maneuver. They also roll downhill if left unattended.

How about color? You’ll probably notice more color choices, prints, and patterns in hard luggage. Think about it getting dirty. It will. Is it easy to clean? Is it important to you to find your bag quickly on the carousel? If so, you may not want black.

What are your must-haves when purchasing new luggage?

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Update on Travel App

Since I wrote the previous post regarding Google Trips as an app I use, I have been informed this app will no longer work after August 5.

With that in mind, I am trying a new travel app. Tripit is an app I downloaded and am trying out this weekend. There are two versions; a free one and a paid one. First, I am trying the free one.

I’ll report back and let you know how it works.

Stay tuned!

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What Toothpaste Is In Your Carry-on?

Toothpaste…we all travel with it. Do you buy the little tubes to put in your carry on? If so, how long do they last and what do you do with the leftover tube?

If you are like me, you throw them away. I mean…what else are you going to do with the worn-out tubes? Right?

Did you know that over 1 Billion tubes are thrown out every year? That’s a lot of toothpaste tubes. But, we need the toothpaste.

How can we rethink our travel toothpaste? That’s what one entrepreneur asked herself. Since she’s also concerned about unnecessary waste in our landfills…she had two reasons to develop a solution.

So, she did something about it.

And, recently I discovered what her solution is. It’s a different kind of toothpaste, delivered in a different kind of container. The company is called Bite and the toothpaste is called Bits.

I ordered it…I tried it…I’m a believer and it will be the only toothpaste I travel with from now on.

When I interviewed Lindsay McCormick, the CEO and founder of the company, I learned how she decided to do something about saving our planet from the waste of the discarded tubes of toothpaste. Not only did she want to do something about the tubes, but she was also concerned about the ingredients in the toothpaste. She talked to dentists, she got feedback from travelers, she experimented with tastes, and she wanted high quality ingredients and materials.

Keeping with the sustainable mindset, the Bits come in a glass bottle. They are shipped in recycled boxes and everything is compostable. When you reorder, your Bits come in recycled envelopes and you add them to the original bottle. They’re made in the US, with the lab in southern California.

Her company is working to get ADA accreditation for a fluoride line sometime in 2019.

Like I said…this will be the toothpaste I travel going forward. You’ll have to try it for yourself.

To learn more about Bite, go to https://bitetoothpastebits.com/.

The company did not pay me to try them, nor give me any products.