Traveling With My tugo

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When I pass through security I have a routine. While waiting for the Orlando Airport Shuttle to pull into the station to take me to my terminal I put on my belt, affix my blackberry, put my phone in my pocket and straighten my clothes out. I can now add one more step to that routine – attaching my tugo cup holder to my suitcase.

You may recall my post a week and a half ago where I introduced the tugo. Well, I’ve tested it out on the road for 3 one-way trips and will share my adventures with my new cup holder. You should know that the fine folks at tugo aren’t paying me to write this post…but they did generously give me two tugo cup holders. One was my tester, the second is for one of you lucky readers (see the tugo contest link at the top of this page).

When I met with Megan from tugo in Oregon she shared me the story of the beginnings of this innovative way to carry your drinks on the road. Her mom Karen, was sitting at an airport one day and noticed how very dirty it was. She had no place to put her drink until she looked up at the space in between her suitcase handles and thought that would be the perfect spot.

Don’t you wish you could have a moment like that, when you come up with a great idea with the simplest of solutions? From that dirty airport the rest is now history.

The tugo is made out of a flexible material (I think rubber, but I’m not sure). It is made without phthalates. What’s that you may be wondering (and probably some of you are still trying to say it)? Well phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are chemicals that cause all sorts of health problems. Not a good thing to have next to your drinking cup. So the tugo is made without them. That’s the good news. It’s also made in the U.S.A (shout out to my U.S. American readers) and the package it comes in is recyclable paperboard.

The tugo fits nicely in my front suitcase pouch. It’s flexible so no worries about it being crushed. I keep my toiletries bag in the same pouch so taking my tugo out after security is easy breezy since I’m already in there putting away my hijacked hotel amenities.

Connecting the tugo is simple too. Megan from tugo demonstrated it nicely in Oregon.

With my tugo attached, I waited in line to purchase my first beverage.

I hate coffee. I really do. I’ve tried it twice, and both times I couldn’t finish the cup. I don’t know if it’s an acquired taste thing, or my usual finickiness with foods, but coffee is gross. Plus it gives you bad breath. But the good news is, lots of drinks come in cups. I enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate before my plane trips. Or sometimes I have tea. Come Christmas it’s Apple Cider time. On this particular travel day, my hot chocolate arrived and it was quickly nestled into it’s new home, my tugo cup holder.

Once you start rolling your bag the tugo rotates and keeps your drink upright like magic.

As Megan instructed, I was careful to point the cup opening away from the suitcase. I forgot to take a drink from the cup first though. There was some spillage. In subsequent uses I took a sip first.

The tugo retails for $9.95 and is available online here. But why buy one, when you could win one here at adventureswithben.com. It would make a great stocking stuffer for the traveler in your life. The tugo is designed for cups. I was able to successfully put a water bottle in it, but it was a large water bottle. Smaller designs may slip through the hole. And the bottle I used actually fit in there just a bit tighter than it should. Nonetheless, you can view it here to see for yourself.

You may also want to measure your suitcase handle width before investing in the tugo. The space between my suitcase handles (i.e. the place where the tugo rests) is exactly 4 inches (about 10 cm). It’s probably the smallest space that the tugo can fit in. The cup holder needs a little breathing room in order to swing when the suitcase tips. I can make it work with mine, but any smaller space and you may encounter some difficulty.

The tugo is handy navigating through busy airports, frees up yours second hand to carry a bag or purse and looks spiffy. You’ll be the coolest jet setter in the terminal. When there is no table near your chair to rest your drink on, your tugo has the situation covered. I suppose you could even bring it with you into the bathroom, but seriously, why are you taking your coffee cup into the bathroom? Do I need to tell you about germs and communicable diseases?

For the frequent traveling drinker, the tugo is a handy accessory you’ll enjoy using.

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Remember to enter the the adventureswithben.com Tugo contest by visiting here.

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Don’t forget, Ben and Brian are applicants in the Ultimate Thailand Explorer Contest. Please follow us on twitter@benandbrianthaiand share our Ultimate Thailand Explorer Application Video to Puttaya, Thailand with your friends and family.

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