TexasAggie

A travel curling iron I insisted on purchasing for a high school trip to Israel in 1998.
The curling iron heated to an unbelievable temperature... I unknowlingly left it wrapped around my bangs for the normal 15 seconds and was HORRIFIED when the curling iron basically disintegrated my hair.

MissZiegfeld

those cases that hold passport, airline tickets, etc..

useless. i bought one once, and have about five others that people have given me for gifts because they know I'm a traveller. I've never used any of them.

Survivor

I used a money belt and love my travel pillow, but when I got them for my dad he hated them. Go figure!

missypie

Yeah, I bought a money belt fo my husband for our trip to Paris. He never wore it. I INSISTED he wear it in Rome, as I had read so many pick-pocketing threads. He wore it two days then refused to put it on again.

loisco

Ditto the two blow-up hangers and a clothes line with a suction cup on the end...we never could find a place to put it....

rapunzll

A currency calculator.

chicagolori

Put me in the club with the u shaped neckpillows.

chicagolori

Maybe we can all resell our unwanted stuff on EBAY and be that much closer to financing our next trip...

Graziella5b

Hi , this is fun.
I bought a money belt and use it. Gives me a great sense of security.
Otherwise I think I have not bought anything lately, as one gets older one gets wiser, my motto is BUY as little as you can.
(Except for airline tickets , books and good food) Good luck everygody.

europa

I always wear the money belt with cash and passport inside. I never even know it is there.

The u shaped neck pillow is a bit uncomfortable. What do you use instead?

LoveItaly

Hi missypie, my purchase which in a way is a waste of money is a very beautiful "Audrey Hepren" style black linen dress which was very expensive. Absolutely beautiful. But the problem is that it zips up the back and I didn't realize I cannot zip it up on my own. The shop owner in Veneto had it altered for me and when I next tried it on she zipped me up. Fabulous! Until I got home and tried to wear it, lol. So it hangs in my closet unworn, lol. I must remember to wear it when I have someone coming over to pick me up when we are going to dinner or whatever, lol.

TexasAggie

Hi LoveItaly,

I have a dress like that too. I loosely tie a piece of yarn through the zipper and use that to zip myself up. Works like a charm! The only difficulty is in getting UNzipped later on... it still works, but not as well

lincasanova

my husband was given a hard -sided tie case...
i thought it looked like a great idea but we never remember to use it.(and we have been "not remembering" for a loooong time now.

Maybe we will try it this summer!

StLSusan

I use and love the wallet type thing you hang around your neck at airport..(outside your clothes)it holds passport, tix, photo id without you having to dig in purse. Keeps it safe and so easy to return passport or whatever to safety. Once I am on plane, I remove and tuck into safe pocket in purse.
I was always parinoid about digging in and out of my purse with the passport needing to be shown over and over...this is better IMHO as it is always safe right at your neck I keep mine hanging about 1/2 way between waist and chin.
This is not the same thing as a "neck wallet meant to be used UNDER your clothes. I do usually use one of those also but wear it sideways under top.

Dallas

I've bought several things that fall in the category of "total waste of money" for travel.

1. Battery operated door stop to alert you if someone is trying to enter your door at night. It might work, but it is sooooooo heavy.

2. Travel pillow -- two of them. One, a U shaped, the other a sort of crescent (pretty expensive). I didn't like either one.

3. Money belt, then a money bag that was supposed to hang under your arm on a long cord. Haven't even tried either one and I've had them for years.

4. Travel hair dryer -- almost burned down the hotel in Shrewsbury once. After that, if there wasn't one in the room, I asked the manager for it. There has always been one available.

I'm sure there are many more; what can I tell you, I love to buy travel gadgets!

L84SKY

I received a Franklin translator for Xmas one year. It speaks a number of different languages and translates from English to German from Spanish to French etc. I have never used it for it's intended purpose but always take it. The thing has the best alarm clock and wieghs nothing. I just can't imagine having someone wait while I search through the options so my little electonic box can ask them where the toilette is. It's so much easier to make them listen to me destroy their language.

Sue_xx_yy

A 30 * 19 * 12 inch rolling suitcase. Yes, what were we thinking. After one trip, which needless to say was one too many, we sold it in a yard sale to someone who was moving.

Have to say though BTilke's electronic beer guide wins the prize so far, especially as a 'gift'.

Best purchase: a zipper repair kit (has saved us twice so far).

Sue_xx_yy

L84SKY - I think exactly two of those automatic translators were made and sold. My mother-in-law bought the other one as a gift for us, except ours didn't even have the useful alarm clock. It too (very quietly) went in the yard sale, for we thought the same thing you did.

stokebailey

I wish I knew what to do with my folding travel iron with fancy converter plugs, purchased when I was the kind of person who'd pack a linen skirt to go to Europe. If I give it to the deserving poor they won't have a clue what it is. Too useless to keep, but too good to throw away.

LoveItaly

OK everyone, it is obviously time to do a "Clean Sweep" of all our travel stuff, lol.

TexasAggie, yarn hmmm, I will try that but hopefully I won't have to sleep in the dress all night because I can't get it unzipped! I will have to somehow "find" a piece of yarn also.