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. 

AllUNeed4 now offers rewards through RecycleBank

In some parts of the country the local authority has teamed up with Recyclebank to give you points for the weight of your recycling collected every week. You can then spend the points on rewards - usually money off or free gifts etc.

We are proud to be part of this scheme and offer the reward of a free compact luggage scale for every sale on the website over £10.00. You just use up 75 reward points to do this.

There is lots of other advice on how to reuse products better and to get just that little bit greener.

Go HERE to see how it works.

We're a new ILA personal alarms stockist!

We've been busy loading the ILA security range onto the site and are now a recognised supplier for these great products.

Look out for the following items on the website:

ILA Wedge for alarming doors

ILA Sport pedometer - a great looking pedometer with in built personal alarm

ILA Dusk - a great personal alarm that shrieks like a womnan's scream - very loud!

ILA Pebble - a keyring alarm for attaching to your keyring or travel bag

Go here to see our personal security alarms at great prices.

Busy Times

We have been to the Spring Fair Trade Show and found lots of new stuff that is really exciting- our very small office is bursting with fascinating boxes all ready for sale on the website... watch this space for loads of info on Ila Security - fab range of personal security for ladies- I have already used the pedometer & alarm. Have the pebble as my key ring and made sure my teens have one too! Also packed in my travel bag the Ila wedge - a clever alarm thas wedges underneath hotel doors & if the door is opened makes a loud sound to scare off bad people ( must tell you about the Premier Inn in Brum and why a wedge would have made me feel much safer) -Definitely going to give an Ila Wedge to Rosie & her mates for Uni - and need to send one to my god daughter Vics who is studying Medicine in Soton. So loads to report for Alluneed4 in the coming days. Home life as ever is complicated, reassured by old friends who I only see rarely ,that my complications are actually not so unusual or rare- my conclusion is we all need to talk more- yes even men- so promise to write more regularly now especially as I have so much to tell.

Just what is the TSA and what is a TSA lock?

We sometimes get asked what a "TSA lock" is. Well it's the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) which is an agency of the US Department of Homeland Security responsible for security in all modes of transportation in the United States.

The TSA is allowed to open and search air passengers' luggage for security screening in the US. It is allowed to cut open, destroy, or otherwise disable locks during a search. This is obviously a bit inconvenient if its your baggage that they chop up!

Therefore, the agency has sanctioned two companies to make padlocks, lockable straps, and luggage with built-in locks that can be opened and relocked by tools and information supplied by the lock manufacturers.

TSA agents have these tools, as do certain authorized security agencies such as UK Customs (so not just important if you are going to the US). This means that your locks can be opened, the contents checked and the whole thing reclosed without them having to resort to slicing through your favourite bag and leaving your undies exposed on the luggage carousel!

We sell a range of TSA sanctioned products including the straps and locks.

 
Go here to see more  http://www.alluneed4travel.co.uk/shop/category_LUGSEC/Luggage-Security.html?sessid=RpxDX8LVEo6i3ROBRQ0mgGMdhZBRLxlV6PCWGaZt2pQKL4vkcmUUMiX78Mk7j7LO&shop_param=cid%3D%26

TravelBlue products are here!

We are very excited to be able to offer the TravelBlue range of travel accessories. This includes locks, straps, name tags, backpacks and much more.

 

TravelBlue accessories come with a free lost and found service. Simply register your item on the website http://www.free-lost-found.com/

Watch this space for more details as we add the products. This is a good starting place.... http://www.alluneed4travel.co.uk/shop/category_LUGSEC/Luggage-Security.html?shop_param=cid%3D%26

A busy period and then it snowed - twice!

It's been an incredibly busy time here at AllUNeed4 but it looks like the Xmas rush is abating as we get closer to the big day and the cut off for postage looms.

The weather has hit with a double whammy, first the supplies couldn't get here, then we couldn't get out to the post office! Hopefully all the customers will receive their parcels in time for Santa to deliver.

This was the view from the office this morning!

Merry Xmas everyone..

No more breathalysers

The market has now exploded for breathalysers and the big boys in retail have been buying them by the trillion meaning that they can offer them for a very, very low price. Sadly this means that the distributors are no longer interested in us small fish so they won't supply us. Therefore, sadly we aren't able to offer them any more. Still we've got lots of other goodies that are much more interesting than gadgets for smelling your beer breath! Support us today by visiting our site http://www.alluneed4travel.co.uk/

Thanks
Chris

Wine aeration works!

We've found some useful information on the free article site http://www.z-articles.com/ about wine aeration.

Do Wine Aerators Work?

Pour-through wine aerators are a relatively new addition to the wine accessory world, and the reviews are unanimous: they work!

They are especially useful for the average wine drinker who buys wine off the shelf, for consumption within a few weeks or months.

Most retail wine sellers don't stock ripe vintages, opting instead for more affordable reds and whites from the previous 5-10 years. These wines are wonderful, high-quality options if you follow the cardinal rule of wine: Let it breathe!

Have you noticed that the last glass poured from a bottle tastes better than the first? That's not the alcohol confusing your tastebuds, it's the oxygen improving the wine over time. Amazing wines can be ruined by drinking them too soon out of the bottle, your £10-£15 bottle needs a little TLC to live up to its price.
New reds especially need air to ripen and allow the flavours to meld. As oxygen flows through the wine, the harshest elements are burned off, leaving a smoother, well-rounded taste.
Young whites also benefit from air, as they can come out of the bottle tart or overly tangy.

There are two preferred ways to allow your wine to breathe - decant or aerate.

Decanting -
Decanting was originally introduced to allow wine sediment to settle to the bottom of a vessel, and is largely used for deep, complex reds. Today, sediment is hardly an issue with wines, normally you can see through the bottle if decanting is necessary. The average rich red wine needs a minimum of an hour to breathe in a wide vessel. Many wine lovers don't have this kind of time, especially when entertaining and serving several bottles over the course of a dinner or party.

Aerating -
For wine drinkers who like to enjoy single glasses, or a number of different wines in an evening, a wine aerator is the must-have gadget to ensure maximum enjoyment. Available in single glass or bottle sizes, (some wine aerators are versatile enough to do both) aerators sit between the glass or vessel, separating wine as it's poured from the bottle into streams to allow maximum airflow in seconds, not hours.

Great for Parties
As well as being practical, wine aerators are fun to show off to guests. The next time you throw a party, make a point of pouring a glass through an aerator, and let your guests try both the oxygenated wine and the wine straight from the bottle. Most average drinkers can't believe the difference in taste. You'll be the host of the season, and establish yourself as a true aficionado.

So if you want one of these you have a choice - the VinOair which aerates as you pour, and the Rouge O2 which aerates a whole bottle at a time automatically in one minute.

Get hold of these at: http://www.alluneed4travel.co.uk/shop/category_Wine%2520Aerators/VinOair-Rouge-O2.html?shop_param=cid%3D%26

Beanie Hats -with head phones

This will be the teen age hit for Christmas- a trendy beanie hat with built in head phones to plug you MP3 player into - Loving the gray ribbed on with tassles.

High spec headphones: Freq Range: 20-20KHz Impedance: 32 ohms Mean SPL: 112 dB/mW Input Power: 40 mW Plug: 3.5 mm standard Cable Length: 48 inches



http://www.alluneed4travel.co.uk/shop/article_Beanie001n/Beanie-Hat-with-built-in-headphones.html?shop_param=cid%3D9%26aid%3DBeanie001n%26

Flo Atomiser

This is a fantastic invention - using the Flo you can decant perfume or aftershave even from a spray bottle so you can carry an aircraft acceptable amount in your hand luggage.

I also use the Flo in my hand bag all the time as it means I don't carry a big bottle of perfume with me .

The special filler nozzle means you can use a spray perfume or a more traditional bottle - the latest version of this contains 6ml of perfume. The versatility & capacity of Flo is better than any of the other atomisers on the market

They will make great Christmas presents for all my girl friends this year. The black one is great for guys that fly and want to take thier aftershave with them .

The Flo comes in 3 colours pink black and silver - if you want one of these visit the link below with discounts available on multiple purchases

http://www.alluneed4travel.co.uk/shop/category_HEABEAUTY/4.-Health-and-Beauty.html?sessid=kzuYtj1Z5M4f61UZpFZi5QTy6tjzx1EpAGkUywlpPYqlyP7uibFZkEZuVZfuRioQ&shop_param=cid%3D%26

Apprentice Cuuli versus the Wicked Wedge

It was with interest that I watched tonight's Apprentice as the task involved them creating a new beach product.

I wondered if they were going to come up with some fab gadget that would be a bestseller. Seems they didn't (even though Boots showed interest in the book-stand-thingy that the girls screwed up by not accepting an exclusive deal!).

The boys (and Stella) came up with a beach towel with an attached container that was supposed to keep things cool and store your stuff. From a distance and if you squinted a bit, you could probably be forgiven for thinking you'd seen a Wicked Wedge.

Personally I think the Wedge is best because it packs flatter and lets you sit against it rather than just resting your head on it - I really suspect that the storage bit is probably uncomfortable on your neck after a few minutes.

But you never know, maybe some company that is much better organised than this year's Apprentice rabble will take it up and iron out the wrinkles. Until that day I'm sticking with the Wedge!

To see more about the Wedge visit:

http://www.alluneed4travel.co.uk/shop/article_WWBL001/Wicked-Wedge-Blue.html?shop_param=cid%3D2%26aid%3DWWBL001%26

New Products the VinOair

It's always exciting when you find a new product that you love , then you put it on your website and it sells! This week's big hit is the VinOair- it's a red wine aerator that is said to make a £5 bottle of wine taste like one that cost £25. You use it our straight from bottle to glass- its compact size makes it easy to use and ideal for travel- also would make an excellent Chrissie present for the men in your life that are so difficult to buy for.... definitely one for my Dad !

Not going on holiday? Beat the winter blues with a Daylight Pod!

It's very sad that the nights are drawing in and the weather has turned distinctly autumnal (almost wintery in some places). It's the time when we start to feel a bit miserable and down. The lack of daylight has been attributed to making us feel depressed and when we go to work in the dark and come home in the dark it's no surprise we get fed up.

There is of course a recognised disorder caused by lack of daylight. Wikipedia has the following to say:

"Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer,^[1] spring or autumn, repeatedly, year after year. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), SAD is not a unique mood disorder, but is "a specifier of major depression".

There are many different treatments for classic (winter-based) seasonal affective disorder, including light therapy with sunlight or bright lights, antidepressant medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy, ionized-air administration,^[8] and carefully timed supplementation of the hormone melatonin.^[9]

Well we can't offer the drugs but we can offer the Light Pod to help brighten your home and working space.

This simple to use portable light box has two brightness levels.

It uses blue spectrum light tubes to simulate natural daylight.

Brings near daylight inside whilst you work or relax.

Small and portable for use anywhere a mains plug is available.

Much more convenient than large tube units and better than LED versions as it does not create "spotting" in the eyes.

Supplied with Digital Switching Power Supply for worldwide use.

If you want one of these please go to:  http://www.alluneed4travel.co.uk/shop/article_lightpod1/Light-Pod---natural-daylight.html?shop_param=cid%3D10%26aid%3Dlightpod1%26