Rick Steves Swears By This Handy, Lesser-Known Piece Of Travel Tech You Can Get At Walmart

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About to embark on a trip? Even if you may not be going on a beach-centric getaway, chances are high you're bringing a swimsuit with you. While summer holidays in a hot climate make it easy to dry your swimsuit outside, traveling in the city, or in winter conditions, means you're trying to find ways to pack and travel with wet suits. For quick drying, Rick Steves swears by this handy, lesser-known piece of travel technology, which can be found at Walmart.

"Many aquatic attractions — such as the world-class thermal baths in Hungary, and Iceland's Blue Lagoon and thermal swimming pools — provide the perfect solution: a small centrifuge," Steves says in a blog post. "Just stick in your suit, press down on the lid, feel it go for a super-spin-cycle lasting a few seconds, and pull out a suit that's barely damp."

The centrifuge essentially works like a dryer without heat, spinning the clothes at high speed to wick water out of the material. Steves mentions that a centrifuge may be hidden in the corner of your room, or in a place where you may not immediately spot it. Always do a sweep of the changing room, or ask an employee working if they have a dryer available to use.

Of course, every destination may not have a centrifuge available for you to use, or perhaps you aren't able to find one before your vacation. In that instance, many stores carry portable dryers, some of which are small enough to be brought with you on your travels. 

Currently, Walmart has a variety of portable dryers on sale, ranging in price from around $25 to up to around $250. Items on the more expensive end of the scale do tend to be a bit larger, even for "portable" dryers; however, they have several small and cheap options that make drying a few items of clothing on the go simple. One portable clothes dryer is currently available online for $24.99, only weighs 1.1 pounds, and measures 6.5 inches by 3.35 inches.

While many of these locations have ways to dry your swimsuit, they may just not always be apparent. If you're unable to find a dryer, you only need to wait until you're back in your hotel room to dry your suit and pack it away. If you do need to transport a wet swimsuit, this budget-friendly accessory from IKEA is a waterproof treasure perfect for the job.