Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/626125
Ilovetotravel,which was one of the best un- intended consequences of found- ing Debt- Proof Liv- ing quite a few years ago. Travel al- ways in- volves chal- lenges. That's why I have ad- opted an attitude that assumes no matter how well I've planned, if something can go wrong, it probably will. And if it doesn't? I consider that a travel bonus. Over the years, I've collected a bunch of re- ally great travel tips — some fun, some crazy, but all of them very use- ful if only to avoid a headache or two. 1 Before you leave, scan the front and back of every item in your wal- let, including your pass- port. Email the images to yourself. Now you'll al- ways have a digital copy handy in case you lose something. This will not substitute for your pass- port, ID or credit card, but you'll have all of the pertinent information you need to keep going. 2 Instead of folding your clothes, roll them tightly. They'll take up less space in your lug- gage, and that can save having to pay extra bag- gage fees. 3 Bring along an empty water bottle. Once you clear security, fill it up and you won't have to pay $3.95 for a bot- tle of water. Refill as nec- essary during your trip. Just make sure it's empty before you pass through security on your return trip. 4 If you should happen to forget (or lose) the wall plug for your phone charger, check the back of the TV in your hotel room. Most these days have a USB port where you can recharge your phone or other device. 5 If you lost or forgot the charger for your computer or phone, go to the front desk. They will have a huge assortment that others have left be- hind. You should be able to borrow the one you need. 6 Need to wash out underwear or other clothing items? Shampoo is the perfect substitute for hand wash detergent. It's great for getting out a grease spot, too. After all, that's what shampoo is made to do — remove grease from hair. 7 A travel mug makes a great travel "safe." If you must leave small valuables in your hotel room, pop them into the mug then apply the lid. It will be fairly inconspicu- ous and an unlikely tar- get for thieves. 8 When you leave your hotel room, even if for only a few minutes to get something to eat, place the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. Now it appears to housekeeping and others that you are in the room for as long as the sign remains. This adds a layer of security should you have to leave your computer or other valuables in the room for a short time. 9 Have you ever no- ticed that every time you go back to check the price of a flight, the price has gone up? That's be- cause your Internet his- tory is traced. When the website you're check- ing realizes you want that flight, they start up- ping the price — espe- cially if it's the tenth time this week you've checked. Sneaky, I know. The solution is to clear your Internet browsing history so you're essen- tially starting again from scratch. (Google it if you don't know how to do this. It varies slightly de- pending on the browser you're using.) 10 When booking air travel, always use a flight or travel compar- ison website. There are several, such as Skyscan- ner and Kayak. These sites help you find the best airline and cheap- est price for your dates and routes. But DO NOT BOOK your flights through these compar- ison sites. Instead, de- lete your browsing his- tory and then book di- rectly with the airline. This way, if you have a flight cancellation or other problem, you can rebook right there at the airport (or train station, etc.) through customer service. If you've booked your tickets with third parties (like travel agents or Internet travel sites) and you have a problem, good luck. You're going to need it. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE Traveltricks, tips and hacks Many people use the same sign-on and password over and over for online ac- counts. That's why phishing scams, which often seek password information, are so successful. Once a crim- inal has your password for one account, it's highly likely you've used the same sign-on information for other accounts. The IRS, state revenue departments and the tax industry have teamed up to combat identity theft in the tax arena. All have agreed to new stronger standards that you will see when you access your tax software products for 2016 and file your taxes. These include: A password that has eight or more char- acters, including upper case and lower case letters as well as numbers and a spe- cial character; new features include a timed lockout and limits on unsuccessful log- in attempts; you must com- plete three security ques- tions; and tax software partners must verify e-mail addresses. In many cases, this means a PIN will be sent to your eimail or text that you must use to verify your address before you can proceed with your tax soft- ware. These are just a few of the new protections that will be in place for the 2016 tax season to protect you from identity thieves. Most of the protections may not be visible to you, but they will add layers of protec- tion nonetheless, adding new and stronger protec- tions during tax time. This is a good time for you to think about the pass- words you use for other ac- counts. You should always use strong passwords with a mix of letters, numbers and special characters. Do not use the same pass- word for multiple accounts. The longer, the better. And change your passwords reg- ularly. To learn additional steps you can take to protect your personal and financial data, visit https://www.irs.gov/ Individuals/Taxes-Security- Together. Also read Publica- tion 4524, Security Aware- ness for Taxpayers. Each and every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights they should be aware of when dealing with the IRS. These are your Tax- payer Bill of Rights. Ex- plore your rights and our obligations to protect them on IRS.gov. TAX TIP Whatyouneedtoknowtoprotectyourpasswords The Tehama County Solid Waste Management Agency recently announced 11 new locations for resi- dents to recycle household batteries and cellphones in Tehama County. The new program, estab- lished with funding from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, provides residents additional conve- nient recycling drop-off lo- cations including in retail stores and public libraries. The new locations were established through an innovative public-private partnership between Te- hama County Solid Waste, the Call2Recycle con- sumer battery steward- ship program, and local Te- hama County businesses. Through the program, res- idents and Tehama County businesses are now able to recycle single-use alkaline batteries, rechargeable bat- teries and cellphones at a single convenient location. For a full list of accept- able batteries, visit http:// www.co.tehama.ca.us/tox- ics/batteries. Residents should note that batteries must be prepared for de- posit by bagging each bat- tery using bags provided at the host location or taping the battery terminals before placing into the box to pre- vent the risk of sparking. The new retail recycling program supplements Te- hama County Solid Waste's successful "Orange Bag" curbside battery recycling program. The curbside bat- tery recycling program al- lows residents receiving service from GreenWaste of Tehama to recycle their single-use alkaline batteries by placing the batteries in a designated orange bag and depositing the bag inside their curbside recycling bin for pick up. More informa- tion about the Orange Bag program is available on Te- hama County Solid Waste's website at www.tehama- countylandfill.com. "I'd like to thank the busi- ness host locations and Call- 2Recycle for participating in this unique public-pri- vate partnership. The new program makes recycling all types of household bat- teries and cellphones more convenient for residents. We are especially excited to add two new drop-off locations in the City of Corning," said Rachel Ross, interim agency manager of the Te- hama County Solid Waste Management Agency. "Spe- cial thanks to Call2Recycle for their partnership on this special project which allows for the collection of single- use alkalines in addition to the rechargeable batter- ies and cellphones that are normally accepted through their retail program." For more information on recycling household batter- ies, cellphones, and other products, visit the Tehama County Solid Waste Man- agement Agency website at www.tehamacountylandfill. com or call 528-1103. Locations: Alsco Inc., 535 Antelope Blvd., 527-4001; Corning Se- nior Center, 1015 4th Ave., Corning, 824-4727; Gott Country Store, 18371 Bow- man Road, Cottonwood, 347-9008; Lassen National Park — Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, 21820 Las- sen Peak Highway, Mineral, 595-4480; Latimer's Phar- macy, 7885 State Route 99E, Los Molinos. 384-2330; Mc- Coy's Ace Hardware, 2060 South Ave., Corning, 824- 2156; Nu Way Market, 8049 State Route 99E, Los Moli- nos, 384-1563; Sears Home- town Store, 570 S. Main St., 527-6640; Tehama County Library — Corning Branch, 740 3rd St., 824-7050; Te- hama County Library — Red Bluff Branch, 645 Madison St., 527-0604 and Z-Wireless Corning, 908 State Route 99W, Corning, 824-3300 RECYCLE New battery collection program SUSANVILLE Lassen Na- tional Forest plans to hire up to 50 temporary wild- land firefighters for the 2016 fire season. Duty stations include Chester, Forest Ranch, Min- eral, Susanville, Hat Creek, Old Station, Fall River Mills and Manzanita Lake. The positions to be filled include hotshot and hand- crew, helitack, engine and water tender, lookout, dis- patch and entry-level po- sitions. Details about spe- cific jobs and locations can be found at http:// www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/ FSE_DOCUMENTS/stel- prd3828187.pdf. The five-day vacancy an- nouncements opened on USA Jobs (www.usajobs. gov) Monday and close on Friday, Jan. 15. Applicants are encouraged to read the vacancy announcements thoroughly for specific in- formation about job re- quirements and how to ap- ply. Applicants will be re- quired to create a profile with a username and pass- word, then asked to de- scribe their work experi- ence and level of education. "When applying for a fed- eral job, you should be very detailed and precise in de- scribing your work expe- rience," said Civil Rights Officer Michael Green. "Remember that the per- son who will be reviewing your application cannot as- sume that you have specific knowledge; you must say it in writing." For more information, call Green at 252-6603. Lassen National Forest lies at the crossroads of California, where the gran- ite of the Sierra Nevada, the lava of the Cascades and the Modoc Plateau and the sagebrush of the Great Ba- sin meet. The forest is man- aged for recreational access as well as timber and fire- wood, forage for livestock, water, minerals and other natural resources. 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