Dear Heloise: Here are a few more traveling hints:

Make copies of your passport to leave at home, to have with you, to put in each bag or suitcase and to give to a traveling companion. If the original is lost, you have a copy to help when getting a replacement.

Put the customer-service numbers for your credit cards, insurance company and travel agency in your cell phone. You might not be able to call from your phone, but at least you will have the numbers with you.

Wear no jewelry. You will probably find something on the trip you want to buy.

So often, we buy “new” for a trip. Instead, wear older clothes you don’t mind parting with. No one knows that it isn’t your best, and no one cares. As shirts and slacks get dirty, leave them behind in the hotel room. Throw away undergarments after you have worn them. You’ll have less laundry when you get home and more room for souvenirs.—Terri, Jennings, Kan.

Terri, many of my readers do this, and I wonder what the hotel staff thinks about finding old clothes and dirty underwear in the trash.—Heloise



SEND A GREAT HINT TO:

Heloise

P.O. Box 795000

San Antonio, TX 78279-5000

Fax: 210-HELOISE

E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com



NEWSPAPER BAGS

Dear Heloise: I read your hints in the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser. The plastic bags that newspapers come in are useful for many things.

Use a plastic wrapper for a wet umbrella to prevent drippings when entering a building. The little plastic bag is easy to stick a collapsible umbrella into a pocket or purse. I pick up my paper as I walk to my car before going to work, so the plastic bag is already there.—Alice Handlang, Montgomery, Ala.



EASY GROCERY LIST

Dear Heloise: I usually shop once a week and make my list on an envelope. As I think of an item, I look for the appropriate coupon for the item and place it in the envelope. My list can get quite long by the end of the week. So, before going to the store, I place a number beside the items to coincide with the way the rows of the store are laid out.—Loyce, via e-mail



COFFEE FILTERS

Dear Heloise: I found another use for coffee filters: Use as bowls for chips, popcorn, nuts, etc. They are inexpensive.—Sue Barnett, Bellows Falls, Vt.