Itineraries are in order. Hotel arrangements – sorted. You booked your flights, and got a stellar deal to boot. Your long-awaited holiday is almost here, so close you can almost taste the exotic food and feel the exhilaration of experiencing something different.
But before you get there, you need to pack. These five items don’t often make it into your suitcase, but they can make your life a whole lot easier while travelling:
1. Safety pins
Safety pins can add flexibility and resilience to your wardrobe.You’d be surprised how often a couple safety pins can save the day while you’re off on an adventure, whether it’s in Melbourne or Madrid. Aside from coming in handy if you have any wardrobe emergencies while travelling, they’re useful for other practical purposes such as making your purse or backpack harder to pickpocket.
Some people even use them to attach a ziplock bag with glasses inside to the fabric of a plane chair so they don’t lose them while snoozing on a flight.
2. Duct tape
Leaky shoes? Hole in your window screen or mosquito net? Torch won’t stay together? Suitcase tearing? Bet you wish you had an easy way to fix problems like these without wasting your holiday time. Bringing a small roll of duct tape could solve a wide range of issues that might otherwise put a damper on your good times.
3. Water bottle
Bring an empty water bottle so you can stay hydrated on the go.No, you can’t take a bottleful of liquid through security, but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to bring an empty thermos or water bottle.
Rather than buying water at sometimes outrageous prices (depending on your destination), you can simply refill a trusty, travel-safe container with your beverage of choice. Just be sure to look into the safety of drinking tap water if you’re travelling overseas.
4. Facial wipes
Not only can this cut down on the amount of liquid items you need to cram into that ziplock bag, a high-quality facial wipe can provide a really great clean while being gentle on your skin. In addition to keeping your complexion photo-ready for all those travel snaps, it also feels miraculous to freshen up during a hot, humid day or after an overnight flight.
5. Toilet paper
Add some toilet paper to your bag so you’re never without it when you need it.It’s never a good feeling to be without some TP when you need it. In some countries, such as Russia, the public loos aren’t always stocked with complementary paper, so you have to bring your own or go without. In any event, purchasing a to-go pack or folding up a bit of your own to keep in a plastic bag can be an unobtrusive addition to your purse or bag, providing major peace of mind.
