Little things I like

[Big John]

Not sure if this has been posted previously. I took this photo on a train in Taiwan. Not only does the sign tell you who can sit there, the seat cushion also tells you the same thing. LTIL.

 

[Scarlett]

In Uruguay, when you tap (or insert) a foreign card the system knows you’re a foreigner and automatically charges you a lesser taxed amount!
It is effectively giving you the tax refund at point of sale.

Case in point: coffee and croissant UYU320 at the till. On my receipt I have:
Importe $320
Descuento Ley 17934 -$23.61
TOTAL $296.39

It was even smart enough to do it when being charged in USD. Accom USD106, but USD98 charged to the card. Game of golf USD115; charged to card USD106.

LTIL

 

[Scarlett]

 

[drron]

A really little thing amused me yesterday. Pulled up at the first set of traffic lights behind a Toyota and the last 3 things on the number plate were Mi5.
Second st of lights a Tesla Mi6.
So at the third the BMW didn;t get the message. It was MU7. missed it by just alittle.

 

[anat0l]

LTIL... picked up this carry-on roller in Guangzhou for just a bit over AUD 25. I needed more space than my small checked bag could give (and it was just space, not weight). It's the standard carry-on roller dimensions (when wheels and handles are counted), but it looked rather small from first perception. You can't turn a corner without seeing a Chinese tourist sporting this style of luggage (carry-on, checked or both).

Main feature it has is that it has no zippers and is a pretty tough shell. Sure, it hasn't been put through its paces yet (especially if I were to check it in). Empty, it weighs about 2.3 kg. Spins smoothly, handle is pretty solid.

Main disadvantages then are that you can't easily slip things in or pull stuff out of it, and the hard shell fully constrains how much one can stuff into it, though this one has a little bit of give. Some of these kinds of luggage have a front pocket for fast access to things like laptop and passport; this one doesn't. Also, the wheels stick out from the case itself rather than being embedded within the body; maybe this is a paranoid point, but I think that would increase the risk that the wheels could be damaged (again, especially if I were to check in the bag).

Still, at a mere AUD 25, I think both the convenience and the overall utility of this stylish bag is worth some of the disadvantages. It might not replace my backpack as my main carry-on, but it makes a good companion bag for longer HLO trips.

Another LTIL... I managed to take this on as a carry-on on my return flight home recently, along with my backpack (and CPAP, but the latter always carries for free). I moved most of the bulky things in my backpack into the roller, leaving just my laptop, documents, charger and foreign cash in my backpack (i.e. very thin looking). I know I have status with the airline in question, but I'm still glad I managed to carry all those, and I know that it is not expected that I should get away with that (let alone always get away with that).