You never know where you’re going to find a good travel tip.

This one is from a woman who’s been dispensing tips for a life time – I refer of course, to Heloise – the proprietor of “Hints from Heloise”. One of her readers says, use your cell phone when renting a car:

“Take a few quick photos of your rental car, the license plate and the brand/model logo. It might help you prove the car’s condition upon returning it.” — Hints from Heloise

It’ll also make it easier to find the vehicle in a crowded parking lot.

Now let me add this – take some pictures of any bags you check, too - just in case they come out looking like something from that old “Ape vs. American Tourister” commercial (here’s the video).

This will also come in handy should your bag get lost – take a few pictures of your bag before you check it – this will be helpful later when you’re filling out the paperwork, trying desperately to remember exactly what your missing bag looked like.

A hat tip to our sister blog, StandardUprightPosition.com.