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During the last year, I took the plunge and purchased a tablet device for travel and home use. Here are my top reasons for doing so, as well as my reasons for finally purchasing the one I did. (See also: 6 Ways to Save Money on iPads, iPhones, and Macs)

Avoid Eye Strain

If you make your living staring at computer screens and fine-print documents a great deal of the time like I do, you welcome any opportunity to avoid reading documents on tiny smartphone screens. Even with your favorite bargain eyeglasses, it can still be a daily ordeal for those permanently on the move. Granted, tablets are still much smaller than regular computers. But I don’t always have time to wait for a larger machine to fire up, or even to take it out of its packed hiding space between flights. A tablet device gives me a nice middle-of-the-road alternative.

Control Entertainment Costs

If I’m stuck waiting to check into my room or need to run a scan on my laptop, watching a show for free on Hulu or with subscriptions I’ve already purchased on Netflix or Amazon Prime keeps my entertainment costs stable when I’m on the road. There’s no need to track down the nearest movie theater while I wait or rack up the room tab with pay-per-view flicks when my tablet device will serve me just fine. In fact, paid in-room movies are one of the most easily avoided travel expenses if you travel with a tablet.

Social Media Work

While I find content creation on a tablet device to be an exercise in extreme frustration, I do find social media work to be somewhat doable, and the chances of me fat-fingering in the wrong characters are far less likely on my tablet device than on my smartphone. Granted, I prefer the apps I use on my laptop for this type of work, but even I have to admit it’s a thousand times easier than on the smaller screens of Blackberries and Androids.

News Consumption

Even if you’re used to relaxing in the comfort of Priority Pass lounges as opposed to the hard departure-gate seats, that doesn’t mean the television will be tuned to something you want to watch. Very often, it’s sports coverage, which really isn’t my thing. Or, if it is news, it isn’t on a news network I consider informative enough. With my chosen tablet device and a Wi-Fi connection, I can watch live-streaming international news from my favorite source. If there’s lots going on in the immediate area, plugging in a set of headphones helps me hear a bit better and keeps me from disturbing others.

Offline Research

If you need to get some extra work done during flight delays, a tablet lets you review work documents and research-related book titles regardless of whether or not you have internet access at the airport you’re stuck in. Another common irritation is when the hotel you’re staying at doesn’t have your room ready on time and doesn’t provide Wi-Fi in the lobby. At least I can review necessary items during that downtime from my device, even if there aren’t any electrical outlets available and a business center isn’t on the venue’s list of amenities.

Save Some Trees

One of the main travel supplies I purchase whenever I embark on an adventure vacation is a detailed guide book. Sometimes more than one. Lonely Planet is usually the first purchase, and if there are a fair number of archeological ruins and attractions to see where I’m going, then a Blue Guide also makes my short list. Since most guide books are available electronically now, there’s no need to purchase quite so much paper to carry along in my backpack. I like the fact that technology has finally become convenient enough to allow me this additional green perk.

Space Efficiency

If you prefer to travel light, then a tablet device is a great gear item to add to your packing list. You’ll take up less space than with the above-mentioned guide books, and tablets slide easily into the many flat pockets on various types of travel gear. You know, the kind that can only hold one item, and even that had better be flat? Even if you only skip one book, you’ll be ahead of the travel game space-wise.

While there are perks and quirks with any tablet device, there were several reasons why I purchased a Kindle Fire as my product of choice. One major point was content creation. It’s tricky from tablet devices in general, so I saw no need to pay the price of a fully functioning laptop for a tablet that would be nothing but annoying to develop and submit content from, even with a companion keyboard. I realize others have different travel needs than I do, though, so I welcome any comments about your personal tablet choices in the comment sections below. ShareThis

Affordably purchased in travel tins at places like Sally Beauty Supply, bobby pins are one of my go-to travel and household items. They serve a number of purposes, as this list of 25 demonstrates. (See also: 28 Innovative Uses for Binder Clips)

1. Bookmark

If you want to mark a page (or multiple pages) in a novel, cookbook, or research title, you can always use bobby pins. They are typically coated, which prevents any rusting. They also take up minimal pack space, which makes them one of my favorite pieces of travel gear when I’m on the road.

2. Paper Clip

Rather than pack extra paper clips on the road for projects, I’ve started using extra bobby pins to get the job done. Since I typically don’t work on anything that has thick stacks of paper while I’m on the road, they work out fine.

3. Hairstyling Aid

Obviously, bobby pins can help you have great hair for less. French twists, hair bumps, and more can all be crafted by having a few of these on hand.

4. Bodkin

If you need to thread a ribbon, drawstring, or small elastic through a hem or waist band, then a bodkin can make sure this happens as smoothly as possible. If you don’t have one on hand, there are many situations where a bobby pin will serve your purposes just fine. Depending on the thickness of what you’re trying to pull through, you may need to either tie on the end or simply push between the sides until it reaches the curve on the top.

5. Zipper Pull

Zipper pulls can break, particularly with the rougher handling that typically occurs during adventure travel. If you need to have a working zipper on your backpack or windbreaker, simply raid your travel stash of bobby pins and thread one on wherever needed. If you’re in a pinch, a key tag label or safety pin works too.

6. Hem Holder

Part of packing light for budget travel is limiting your wardrobe selection. So if a hem starts to unravel on a skirt or pair of dress pants during a day of walking tours and museum visits, dip into your tin of bobby pins again and use a couple of them to hold your hem in place until you can mend it. They won’t tear at your skin like straight pins or tear holes in your nylons. If you happen to wear a great deal of black like I do, then having a tin in that color (even if your hair isn’t) isn’t a bad idea.

7. Lock Pick

From what I understand, it’s typically a bit harder to do this with just one pin like we see all the time in TV shows and movies. Apparently, having two bobby pins at your disposal makes lock picking a bit easier. As with anything, practice makes perfect. Personally, I’ve never learned how to do this, but if you’re the type who locks yourself out of your apartment or vehicle often, then it’s probably a skill worth developing.

8. Mending Support

While I always bring along a selection of needles and a small supply of thread colors for simple sewing tasks when I travel, I tend to leave behind straight pins, as I mentioned above. If you need to hold together two pieces or thicknesses of fabric in order to get a mending job done, then you can also use bobby pins.

9. Chip Clip

One of my favorite kitchen hacks is using binder clips and bobby pins to close snack bags, coffee packages, and other things when they are not in use. You can also use bread ties, paper clips, or a bit of tape. However, most of these suggestions aren’t available to me on the road, and bobby pins are. They are a great way to help keep food fresh and contained in hotel rooms.

10. Impromptu Screwdriver

Granted, it can often take a larger, sturdier hair pin to make this happen. And while I certainly wouldn’t recommend it over a regular screwdriver for stocking your tool box, it’s nice to know you have option in a pinch. Straighten a hair pin and use the edge on the flat side to get you through your situation.

11. Pressing Tiny Reset Buttons

You mainly need to use the smaller bobby pins for this, but if you don’t have an eyeglass repair kit on hand with small screwdrivers, you can use one of the tips to get the job done.

12. Christmas Tree Ornament Clips

Threading bobby pins through the loops of your more elegant Christmas ornaments and then securing them to the tree branches is a great way to turn a beauty item into a multipurpose home supply. They also pack efficiently when you’re putting away your supplies after the holidays.

13. Opening Tough Food Seals

Overpriced hotel meals are one of several easily avoided travel expenses, provided you can access affordable food items and store them in your room. Since knives and multi-purpose tools are virtually impossible to fly with unless you check a bag, using bobby pins to poke through food safety seals is a strategy you might want to consider employing.

14. Avoid a Farmer’s Tan

I’m not saying that clipping up your tee shirt sleeves over the tops of your shoulders is a fashion statement I want to emulate, but if you are caught out in the sun with no access to shade or sunscreen and don’t want striped arms ruining the evening look you had planned with that little black dress, pulling a couple of bobby pins out of your pack to create a virtually sleeveless top is a decent way to adapt.

15. Clothespins for Light Laundry

There’s no way you can expect a handful of bobby pins to hold up a pair of damp jeans, but if you’re air-drying bandanas, sarongs, or even underclothing and hosiery, you can get by.

16. Getting Items Out of Floor Grooves

Older homes, bed and breakfast establishments, and hotels abroad have antique floors with grooves galore. If you drop a screw, earring, or other small object into one of them, then you’ll need something with a small tip to leverage it back out again. That’s where bobby pins can come to your rescue.

17. Curtain Tiebacks

Thin, cotton hotel room curtains in the developing world are often a simple nod to privacy as opposed to the heavier sun blockers we’re used to in North America. I’ve used bobby pins to clip back each curtain and attach them to the ropes or hooks near the walls for a more stable view that the wind can’t undo as easily.

18. Creating a Changing Room on a Hostel Bunk Bed

Sometimes the shared bathroom’s full, and the dorm bedroom is co-ed. It’s the price you pay for $2 accommodations on the independent travel circuit. Typically, when we have to sleep in those situations, my husband and I try to grab the same bunk bed so we can implement our changing closet system. We hang sarongs across the long and short ends of the top bunk underneath the mattress. Overlapping them at the corners and attaching them temporarily with bobby pins creates a place where we can change out of a swimsuit and into something more suitable for the next activity.

19. Pleat Holder for Ironing Skirts

I have to admit, I hadn’t thought of this before, which is why it caught my eye when I saw the pleat holder idea posted by the folks at Real Simple Magazine. I’m not a pleated skirt person myself, but if you are, you can iron them more efficiently at home or at the hotel if you use bobby pins to help hold the pleats in place as you iron.

20. Stitch Markers for Crochet Projects

Rather than buy a separate product for your crafts, why not use bobby pins as place holders while you work on crochet projects? It’s thrifty, multipurpose, and gives you one less thing to pack if you like to bring some hobby work along on family road trips.

21. Hidden Tie Clip

I’m not suggesting you use one on display where people can see it; that would be tacky. However, if you want a little extra support keeping your tie in place under a jacket or v-neck sweater, it isn’t the worst idea to borrow a bobby pin.

22. Wearing a Flower

If you want to tuck one in your hair, or even attach one to your clothing that you find on a walk, a bobby pin can make that happen without the need for a formal boutonniere. Great for those romantic beach getaways or a walk in a mountain meadow.

23. Attach Shoe or Pocketbook Ornaments

If you have some costume bling and want to use it to jazz up your outfit, take advantage of available loops and links to clip some baubles to your shoes or purse. Obviously, choosing the right pieces is key here, but knowing it’s an option can help you “wow” up an outfit when pennies are tight, giving you a fresh look you can feel confident about.

24. Secure a Head Scarf

Spend some time touring the Middle East, and it won’t take long before you find yourself in need of a head scarf that doesn’t immediately blow off in the wind. Using bobby pins can help you feel more secure when touring mosques, or souks in conservative areas.

25. Manicure Touch-ups

Business trips make it critical to stay spiffy on the road. While I prefer an orange stick with a bit of cotton ball wrapped around the tip to perform manicure touch-ups, they tend to be hit or miss with airport security. If mine get confiscated, I know I can always straighten a bobby pin to use instead.

If you’re got something really wild you can accomplish with this miniature fashion supply, feel free to share your idea in the comment section below.ShareThis