Traveling internationally with toilet paper? Good, but toss the tube

Regarding the recent tip about bringing along a roll of toilet paper when traveling internationally: The roll will compress even more if the inner tube is removed — an old backpacking trick!

Audrey Kopp

Marina del Rey

Before I go to amusement parks with wet rides, I purchase ponchos at dollar stores so everyone can stay dry. When I exit the ride, I pass the ponchos on to people in line. They are usually very appreciative, and it saves you from purchasing a poncho or towel at the park or spending $5 for the dryer booth.

Iris Hostetler

Orange

If you put the address of your destination on your luggage, it will usually wind up where you are, not at your home. To help in this process, I type up a little tag with the addresses of everywhere I will be going, folding it over as the legs of my journey progress, and also include my home info so I can be tracked down en route. Thankfully, I have not had to prove its effectiveness — yet!

Lynne Buckie Baker

Huntington Beach

Remember that U.S. holidays may be observed by government offices abroad — especially the U.S. Embassy. If you lose your passport on a Thursday before a three-day weekend (as I did in Paris a few years ago), be aware that the Embassy may be closed: The holiday observance is not restricted to the U.S.

Ruth Kramer Ziony

Los Feliz

Buy a road map book of the country or city you’re driving in. We recently drove two weeks through Ireland and Northern Ireland. We tossed the GPS and did much better following the highway road maps. You get a better sense of how long you will be driving and what highways and roads intersect.

Wendy Mathis

Hermosa Beach

Get a cheap photo album with plastic sleeves that hold 3-by-5 pictures. Insert 3-by-5 cards — one for each day of the trip and one for the overall calendar of the trip. At the top of each page, put the day/date and then what that day includes, such as all the confirmation numbers, addresses, emails and phone numbers associated with your plans. If there are several sightseeing possibilities that are not yet in stone, those possibilities can be listed on that card. Generally, I also include extra pages because there’s always new info you want to keep track of — new acquaintances, restaurant finds, shops, interesting info — and having those extra pages is helpful. The album is also an easy place to stick business cards and postcards collected during the trip.

Julia Halperin

Los Angeles

How do you make travel more fun and less stressful? Send your tips to travel@latimes.com, including your full name and city of residence. To see previous reader tips, go to latimes.com/readertips.