12 Travel Hacks to Make Your Hotel Room More Comfortable and What to pack for your next trip.

I am a professional speaker and have been traveling every week for over 25 years. 

1. I use potato chip bag clips to clip curtains, (They are much better than clothes pins) I also carry duct tape to tape the right and left edges of the curtains to the walls. I also use it to go over the clock and other little white lights that seem to be on the light switches, floor plugs, lamps and all over hotel rooms these days. Hate them.
2. I carry a hot pink velour tract suit jacket to keep warm and to put over the bed side lamp to keep the horrible blue light bulb light from keeping me awake and to give my hotel room a nice soft pink glow. It's lovely. I may also carry the red piece of plastic from Wal Mart to tape over other blue lights.
3. www.walmart.com/ip/American-DJ-CGS-9A-9x9-Gel-Sheet-Packet-A/24672214?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1193&adid=22222222227018333929&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=75836275714&wl4=pla-176138869234&wl5=9010772&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112561658&wl11=online&wl12=24672214&wl13=&veh=sem 
4. Even though I ask that my hotel room bill NOT be put under my door as it wakes me up!!! Hotels still do it. So I tape a note on the bottom of the door outside my hotel room. With a drawing of the bill under door with a circle with a cross through it. By the way, they still untape the sign and sometimes and ram the bill through!!!
5. Sometimes the hotel room air is very, very dry and hard on my voice as I am a professional speaker, There are too many germs in the shower to run the shower steam and that wastes water, so I take a wash cloth and soak it in hot water and breathe that steam and hot water in and sometimes lay it on my face and lay down for a moment, so it's also calming.
6. I work out when I travel and if I strain anything I either use the dry cleaning bag and fill it with ice or my shower cap to wrap say a strained knee.
7. The ice bucket liner, the dry cleaning bag in the closet or my shower cap can also be used to pack a wet bathing suit or spilled make up or shampoo.
8. Because I have hacked the ice bag trick so many times I also pack a few gallon zip locked freezer bags. Freezer bags or the ice bucket lining can be used to go over the channel changer so you don’t have to touch that germy device. I don’t typically watch TV when I travel, but sometimes I need to comment on the body language of some public figure so I have it ready.
9. I carry a pumice stone it can take off magic marker and other stains from your hands if you are very gentle in a pinch so can a cardboard nail file. 
10. I have a little photo of me with my family taped to a bent piece of cardboard that I put on my bedside table in the hotel room. It's wonderfully comforting. 
11. I ask the bellman to unplug the mini fridge for me as the sound drives me crazy, but I have figured out how to get behind almost any cabinet to unplug it myself. 
12. I take the sheet from the second bed or get a sheet from house keeping to lay on top of the bedspread as the bedspread my be germy and I want to be able to pull it up and use it. 

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

10 Tips For Looking Young In a Job Interview!!!

I just got a media request for ways to look young in a job interview. Here are some tips I rewrote  from my book, "People Savvy."

·         Think up and move up: Practice walking so your whole body lifts up. When you walk into a room hold your shoulders back and your head up.This communicates youth, power and confidence. Nose down or you'll look like a snob!

·         Smile and shake hands: Make eye contact right away, smile and put out your hand for a handshake. Make full contact with your palm to their palm, pump with extra energy.

·         Say it strong: During personal interactions, make sure your voice shows your energy and enthusiasm, stresses Wood. Hold the strength and volume of your voice all the way to the end of a sentence. Speak with energy and lots of joy to sound young.

·         No repeats: Get your hearing and eyesight checked professionally. If you squint, have trouble reading, and have dated eye wear, you look old. If you ask for things to be repeated because you are hard of hearing, you look old and out of touch. I have coached clients who bent over and arched forward as they walked and or interacted looking much older than they were, because they were straining to see and or hear.

·         Fashion flair: Dress current in colors, style and jewelry, including your watches (Young people don’t wear watches, the carry cell phones). Peruse high-end stores to get ideas -- then buy something similar at Winners or Marshalls.

·         Take a seat. Research reveals that women tend to perch on the edge of their seats, while men tend to slouch. But perching the entire time will make you look less powerful. "Sit back in the chair, use lots of space, and put you arms on the armrest to look confident." And sit up straight, guys! Slouching makes people look old and tired rather than vital and energetic. "Sit forward slowly as you share certain information your confident in."

·         No purse: "Your purse not only sends a strong female signal, it gives you one more thing to worry about and fuss over. When woman sit down they usually have over 16 separate movements. Men have three and look much more together and organized." If you can't go empty handed, consider a high end leather folder. If a purse is a must, be sure your purse is the newest hippest purse. Fashion forward. streamlined and small!!!!  in black, brown or tan It should not necessarily match your shoes as being matchy matchy is old school and dates your look.

·         Go for color. Accessorize with a flattering color around your face. You want to wear hip, hot colors that make your skin glow and make you feel good."

·         Don't wear your glasses down on your nose. Glasses that come down on your nose, even a little bit make you look much older. Keep your glasses tightened and high on your face. Again, think up."

·         Press shirt and jacket collars to perfection and, whenever you can, wear them so they go "up" to create lift around you

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.