New DEET based insect repellent

It might feel like we're back in the middle of winter but those nasty insects are still out there at travel destinations around the world. We've got a new range of insect protection products from Care Plus to help protect you against the beasties

So what is this DEET stuff?

Deet is suitable for both tropical destinations (with the associated risks of malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever) and for European countries. The active constituent DEET is effective against stinging insects as well as ticks. DEET provides the most effective protection against (malaria) mosquitoes, gadflies, ticks and bloodsuckers, and is reasonably effective against large horseflies and midges..

Care Plus® recommends a DEET percentage of between 30% and 50%. An insect repellent with a DEET percentage of less than 30% may not be effective, and a percentage above 50% has no added value. The percentage of DEET in the repellent is the decisive factor in how long the repellent remains active on the skin. We now stock the 50% spray to give maximum effect.

Let me buy some DEET to stop bad things biting me!

We've been a bit neglectful of the blog recently as we've built the business in the last year but we're back to tell you about all the latest and greatest items we've added to the shop. 

One of the most innovative things we've seen are Pop & Go Knickers for ladies travelling and at concerts. No more tricky moments trying to change into new pants in cramped toilets or tiny tents.

Pop & Go Knickers offer hygiene and comfort – you can change these knickers without having to undress.  With Pop & Go you will never have to worry again about not feeling fresh and clean at your destination.  There is no need to remove trousers, tights or shoes, and Pop & Go Knickers can be changed in 40 seconds whether standing up, sitting or lying down.

Pop & Go Knickers are available in two styles, Briefs and High-Leg Briefs.  Each comes in a pack of two and comes with a pop-and go bag for storage of the spare pair.

Let me buy these

Protect your stuff with the Alarmio

Much as I don't really like the name (sounds a bit like a rubbish Harry Potter spell!), the Alarmio is a great product for protecting all sorts of things are are traditionally very difficult to protect.

Alarmio comprises a high tensile cable with combination lock and motion sensor. Wrap the cable around your bike, door, laptop, tent, bags, suitcases and anything else and if someone moves it it starts to bleep to warn them that it's there and if the movement continues it shrieks out at 100 decibels (very loud!). If the cable is cut it does the same thing.
If you'd like more details on this go here - Alarmio Link.

The cost of taking "Baby" on a plane!

Now we all want to keep our travel costs down and avoid paying for children for as long as possible but this really is a little bit ridiculous!!

Teabags, Toilet Paper and Marmite!

According to a new survey (and we all know how reliable those are!), some of the most important travel essentials packed by Brits are teabags and Marmite.

Other home comforts finding their way into our bags are bacon and toilet tissues. Unfortunately, a growing number are also packing their work phones - hurrah for the rise of the smartphone, not!

 

The survey from www.lowcostholidays.com also shows that we have varied ways of doing our packing with 40% of respondents claiming to be "pretty organised" whilst 17% just chuck everything in at the last minute. The saddest fact that comes out of this is that 6% had the time to be very meticulous, wrapping their clothes, layer by layer, in tissue paper. (I'm absolutely not in that category)!


What are your travel essentials and just how do you do your packing?

Send us a comment please........

Great new cabin-sized rucksack - Pack to the Max!

Budget airlines are now extremely strict on the size of the baggage we are all allowed to take on the plane. They are not so worried these days about the actual weight so long as you can actually lift it into the overhead lockers.

For example, the easyjet rules say that you can take one piece of hand baggage into the cabin with you; maximum dimensions are 56 x 45 x 25cm.  Hand bags, briefcases, laptops and laptop bags are all counted as one piece so if you have a hand bag and a laptop bag for example, you need to put one inside the other because they will take one of them off you and charge you for putting it in the hold. And the later they catch you the more it costs, so at check-in desk it's £25.00 and if you manage to sneak it past them until you get to the boarding gate, it will cost £40.00. I've sat at the boarding gate watching desperate ladies trying to squeeze their handbag into their luggage and gents trying to talk their way out of having to force their laptop into their case but getting nowhere.

Apart from not wanting to pay for a baggage in the hold, the other thing, of course, is that who wants to wait at the carousel when you arrive at your destination. A decent bag suitable for the cabin avoids both of these. 

So it's important to try to make the most of the limited allowance. The Cabin-Zero backpack meets the size restrictions and  gives 44 litres of useful packing space. (It's actually purposely designed to be just a little bit smallet than the allowed dimensions so that if you really jam it full it will still fit the allowance). This ultra-lightweight (630g) is strong and made from water resistant materials with padded shoulder straps, carrying handle and additional side compression straps.

I've used one and it takes loads of stuff - easily enough shirts, socks, pants, toiletries for several days away. The multiple pockets are great for keeping things sorted and the padded straps are comfortable even when it is full to the max!

To see more details click here.

Luggage carousels - it makes you think

We've just got back from a few days abroad and the baggage carousel at both ends of the trip made me seriously think about luggage identification and protection.

Watching the bags go round is obviously a wonderfully fulfilling experience (not!) but it was clear that the vast majority (90%+) of bags have little or no additional identification on them other than their own colour/shape and the airline tags, which are of course all the same.

Standing back from the crowd it was clear that most people were having trouble identifying their bags. Ok, you might think that's their problem and just why don't they strap it or tag it boldly? Well actually as I watched it dawned on me that the fact that others couldn't identify their bags was also my problem if I hadn't marked my bag. Why? Well so many people took the wrong bag off the conveyor only to realise that the bag wasn't their's and they had to put it back on again. It was then that it became clear how others could quite easily take the wrong bag by mistake, or at the very least remove it from the carousel on the opposite side from you and not bother to put it back on again!

Marking your bag with a bright tag or strap is not only for you to easily pick it out but it's to let others know very clearly that it's NOT their bag!

To see a selection of straps and tags visit HERE.