How To Use Your Travel Accessories At Home

Although most of us aren’t getting on flights, taking road trips or checking into hotels for the time being, we can still make use of all of the travel accessories we’ve collected to make our lives easier on our journeys.

Two weeks ago, our friends at The Points Guy recommended specific travel accessories to purchase and use at home, but there’s no need to buy specific items when you can use products you already own. If you have any of the stuff below rolling around in your otherwise empty suitcase, pull it out of storage and put it to use now.

Get your blood flowing with compression socks

Compression socks apply a gentle pressure to your legs and ankles, which helps promote blood flow. They’re great for when you’re sitting on a plane for hours on end; when you’re working from home (and especially while you have to limit your trips outside), they’re just as useful for long periods of sitting at your desk.

Reroute your wifi—outdoors

If you’re working from home, you’re probably getting tired staring at the same four walls during the day—but what if your wifi doesn’t extend to the outdoor space you may be lucky enough to have?

One solution that’s second nature to busy travellers is to use your mobile phone as a wireless hotspot. By connecting your phone to your laptop, you will have a connection no matter where you go. Another option is use a travel router—a hand-held device that allows you to connect to an existing signal to extend your wireless reach.

Pack up your workstation with packing cubes

Working from home can be as messy as it is stressful. By the end of the day, your home office (or kitchen counter, dining table or bed) can end up looking like a tsunami hit it. One solution: packing cubes. Traditionally used to organise your luggage, packing cubes can be put to use at home when you need the same level of organisation for your myriad work items.Consider:

• Designating a packing cube specifically for your electronics and power cords. This will keep your cords from getting tangled and your electronics protected.

• Organise important documents into a separate cube.

• Use smaller cubes for pens/pencils, paper clips and other office supplies and accessories you use throughout your work day.

• Stack your cubes on one corner of a table or desk to keep the area clear and reduce clutter.

Everything will be all set for use the next day, and you can transport them easily if your workspace is a constantly moving target.

Lather up those locks (of hair)

If you’re anything like me and like to collect hotel shampoo/conditioner and lotions (you know, the good-smelling ones), now is the time to put them to use. The likelihood that you’ll be getting on a plane or going to a spa soon is pretty low, but you can certainly treat yourself to toiletry spa of your own.

As all of our hairdos are rapidly growing into don’ts, using your stow-away stash of shampoos and conditioners may give you the exhale moment you need at the end of the day or the week. And when you’re all done, grabbing a dollop of hand lotion you had been saving because it’s small enough for airport security will rejuvenate your over-washed hands.