Tips to smooth your journey and keep kids busy

Travel readers have lots of useful tips on things to take with you on your journeys.

Colin Brettell suggests that a good way to keep your baggage safe is to secure the fasteners with the electrical cable ties sold at hardware stores. They are acceptable for travel though the US and just the thing "to stop light-fingered baggage handlers in Asia".

When Len Smith goes overseas he always takes a crossword book. As well as doing the puzzles he uses the inside cover to write down "all the details of my passport, flight number, hotel and addresses, which saves me getting up and taking out my bag from the overhead locker when filling out immigration forms".

Judy says she never leaves home without her thin plastic chopping board, which can be bought at $2 shops. "They are so good to use if you are outside, or in some hotel rooms, when you don't quite trust the surface you need to use."

Viti Flanagan is a great fan of the large plastic sheets with towns printed on them made by Every Educaid from Christchurch. With a couple of favourite toy cars, they'll keep small children amused for hours. She also takes a packet of balloons - great to blow up and kick around at stopovers. And your destination. The kids can blow into them on a plane to help clear their ears. No popping them, though - it gets other passengers and the crew a bit twitchy.