Travel item-unexpected favorite
 

Ever buy something you weren't sure you'd need and found that you were using it again and again?
Mine's a hiking stick- bought as suggested for a Turkey hiking trip and used now whenever I travel anywhere (or hike anywhere). It's really helpful on those endless marble steps without rails found outside mosques and temples, and on those terrible broken pavements.(last used in Greece, India, Nepal and Turkey Run State Park in Indiana :) )
My stick's by Trekkers, collapses to @ 16", is easily adjusted, and fits into a backpack.
What's something you bought for travel that you found to be much more useful than you thought it would be?

The book of "paper" sheets of soap from REI. I carry-on only and carrying a small bar of soap is messy. I don't like the body wash because I go through it too fast.

less than 1 ounce size spray hand sanitizer pen ... flu season last year made me much more aware. People cough and sneeze into their hand, then touch everything around them. In hospitals use of hand sanitizers cuts transmission of infections by 90% - seems like good enough reason to try it.

Rubber shower shoes. I brought them along once to wear to wear in HI. With some duct tape and the shoes they were perfect padding to bring home a bottle of something. I use them for padding, plus they're handy as slippers and they don't take up much room.
I knew that the duct tape rolled around a pen would come in handy but I've found many uses for it.

I bought a bandana on a whim. Since then I've used it (this list is not in chronological order):
over my mouth to screen out sand/dust in a wind storm,
over my hair in an open jeep,
around my neck in the supermarket's freezer section (to stay warm),
around my neck in the boat (wetted down, to stay cool),
tied around a handful of seeds I poached from a botanical garden,
tied around my forehead to keep sweat out of my eyes when working on the boat,
tied around my dog's neck as an impromptu collar when I forget the real one,
as a snot rag when I was allergic to something unknown on a field trip and caught unawares without kleenex,
as a way to hold ice on an impending bruise,
as a napkin to wrap around a roll I took from a breakfast buffet;
as a rag to wipe my hands when I slipped and accidentally touched dog poop;
as a rag to wipe off my camera/lens when it got rained on,
and finally to lay out in the hotel room to put my rings/watch on bed so I would have a visual clue to remember them when I got up early the next day for a flight.

I'm sure there's other things I don't remember, but I'd say I got my $3 worth out of this acquisition. It's cotton, and a khaki color. It always seems to wash clean - even after all this it doesn't look stained. Won't go anywhere without it now!

Another thing that lives in my suitcase- clean bandana. Priceless.

I always travel with a couple sarongs... can be used not only as beachwear, but also a table cloth, dresser scarf, pool towel, curtain, etc.

Don't laugh- I have an inflatable ice bucket. You just blow it up and it's really well insulated. We used it again recently in Italy. We bought our own wine at the store, had the hotel fill the bucket with ice and sat outside in the garden. We have also used it on trains to keep sodas, beer, and wine cold. You don't need to put ice in it to keep it insulated. It folds to a very small size. It's not a necessity but it gets a lot of use.

Lynn - where did you acquire this wonderful sounding item? Is it actually an ice bucket or is it something else that you use for an ice bucket. I think that sounds like a cool gadget.

I would like to know where to locate one also??

It is actually an ice bucket. I purchased it in the wine section of an upscale grocery store in California. I have also seen it in wine shops.

I actually just googled this and saw a similiar one at Amazon. They call it a " pop up inflatable wine cooler" in the Home and Garden section for $8.95.

Many thanks for getting back to us on this. I think I must have one of these now!

I tried those inflatable travel hangers, but they didn't work out so well. But I think the ice bucket sounds like a GREAT idea!!

The first time it happened accidentally, but now I always look for a great scarf at our first stop and tie it around my handbag strap. It's a great souvenir, a cool accessory that I get lots of compliments on plus I use it for (many of) the above bandanna uses, but since it's larger, it has also serves as a tablecloth on picnics, protection for my white crops while sitting on cathedral steps, mopping a sweaty brow on those hot summer days, covering my shoulders on visits to cathedrals when I wore strappy tops on those hot summer days (I really much prefer the winter trips!). And when I get home, it becomes part of my decor as a table cover. Love them all.

A couple of plastic hanger with clips works for me.

LSky, I planned on taking that over to Egypt with me to wash in my room. I mentioned it to my travel agent and she said "oh yeah, what a good idea".

MissGreen, I used to have the clothes line but it stretched out and after that it just makes more sense to me to have something that's stable. I can hang the hanger almost anywhere and the little clips(that were left over from the clothesline)do double duty else where. You can use them to clip a curtain closed if there's a gap, hold papers together...

I'm also not a fan of a lot of things that have been made for travel. It's cute in the store but much of it is only one purpose on the road.

Strictly my opinion, I notice that other people make this thing work. I don't like the accessory holders that have 2-3 plastic pockets for the little stuff.
Instead I use give away make up bags from Clinique. They are in different colors and I pack them according to how I would use that product at home. For instance, a yellow waterproof one is the "shower bag". Another will be the grooming bag it holds things that my husband and I share in the bathroom etc.
This way when I'm packing these bags can fit in the empty spaces in my suitcase, instead of taking up space. They are different from each other so we know what bag is what. They are easy to spot in the room while I do my final walk through so I haven't left one yet. :)

When I come home, I refill most of the stuff when I put my suitcase away. Shampoo isn't going expire before my next trip.

I always travel with 2-3 plastic hangers in the bottom of my suitcase. they always get used. (and i leave them behind my last stop)

Balloons . . . blow up, put inside shirt or pants you just washed and hung up, and it cuts drying time considerably. Plus, they take up no room . . . are cheap . . . can be presents for kids.

That's my best travel hint and I learned it here on Fodor's.

Sandy (in Denton)

Wow, what a concept! Thanks sandy-b.

One of my favorite travel hints that I learned on Fodor's is the Ziplock washing machine. Take a large ziplock put in the clothes and squirt of soap (or shampoo) Shake it, dump water, shake it, dump water, add water and shake again. Easy.

Lsky, I quite agree with you that "I'm also not a fan of a lot of things that have been made for travel. It's cute in the store but much of it is only one purpose on the road."

My surprize item in the suitcase is... FOOD. Not that I don't enjoy trying new things (I do!) or that I didn't look forward to other tastes when I lived in a little mapdot (I did!) but packing my own really helps with breakdowns--mine or my son's. We've used it
when we arrived in Chicago and he was all keyed up from sleeping on the plane but I needed a nap from keeping him on the seat
when I got a flu in Boston and didn't want to move
when we were surprized by sore closures on Sunday in Tahiti and couldn't get groceries
tones of other times.

We usually take pretty prosaic stuff--pb, if we can get it through sec'y, mac&cheese mix, baby carrots or broccoli to steam in the room...

I always pack an extra duffel bag. My husband and I love to shop when we travel, and I got tired of trying to make twice the stuff fit into the same bags we came with, or paying to ship items home. Now that we have kids, the extra bag often serves as a laundry hamper when we don't have time or access for laundry.

My husband has a "man purse" for the plane that unfolds to be a duffle bag. It's come in handy and useful on the plane for those little things; book, passport, vit c powder and earplanes.

So many good ideas! Mine is not a necessity, but it always keeps me happy when I travel, especially if any hotel or experience does not live up to my expectations. The Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum in New York sells a package of two plastic flower vases. They fold flat as a Ziploc bag, weigh nothing, and can accommodate a small bouquet. I always take one along in my luggage and treat myself and my companion to inexpensive blooms from the nearest flower stall or market.

I loved the Cooper-Hewitt! The museum and the gift shop. Sorry for the off topic reply, I couldn't help myself :)

Found them!

http://www.cooperhewittshop.org/?pat...d=3&itemid=181

That wouldn't do anything for me, but you've given me a fantastic gift idea for a friend who really hates to be without flowers. Thanks poetess for mentioning this item.

My all time favorite, can't go on any trip without item is a beach towel. Not one of the super sized ones or super fluffy, just an over sized towel. I carry it on the plane. I use it as a neck roll, a pillow, a blanket,cover for my head, back support, a towel, a ooh "I'm not laying on this bedspread" protector, extra pillow booster, etc., etc.
The towel has hundreds of uses in cars and on long bus trips too.

I have a towel that lives in my car. You just never know when it will come in handy.

Unexpected- because I am not a girlie girl and don't bring many toiletries, but my indispensible item is a cosmetic bag from Mary Kay. It has 4 quart sized clear pouches that velcro onto the case, which rolls up and can be stashed anywhere, or hung with a hook in the bath.

What I like is the 4 removable pouches...I fill one with the gels/liquids, the pouch is conveniently quart sized and clear, since I always carry on. (I always sail through security with it, but have a regular quart bag in there in case security insists I use an "official" quart bag) I seperate this and carry this on on top for quick inspection.
Another pouch is my first aid/medical kit and the other pouch is non liquid toiletries and the last is for a hair brush, toothbrush and other stuff you wouldn't want leaked on!

Once I am at my destination the pouches to pull off and I leave one in the bath and one at the vanity/desk (I usually share a bath with 1-3 other, so this allows me to get some things done and free up the bath)and I put the medical kit in my day pack. It's one area where I don't want to spend a lot of time getting ready and carrying stuff around, and this little bag is packed and always ready to go!

About the extra duffle bag. We always used to have one that folded into itself and it went in the bottom of our suitcase. Then used it for coming home, or as stated above, for dirty laundry. BUT, now we would have to pay as much as $50 as extra luggage to get it home! We may go back to shipping things home. When we did that in Vienna it was only $40 for a nice sized box. 'Course that was 6 years ago!

I always buy flowers for my hotel room. I just use an empty plastic water bottle or beer or wine bottle.

imodium

Toilet roll, universal sink plug, ear plugs and sleep mask, duct tape (wound onto a pen), hand cleanser.

Well there's a few things I always pack, but not really in the "unexpected" category:
Small flashlight, corkscrew/knife, ear plugs, bandaids, safety pins have all come in very handy at one time or another.

I always pack enough medicine to last the whole trip, tylenol, benadryl, cough drops, immodium, advil, cold medicine,mylanta, tissues, antibacterial wipes, mouthwash, etc.. It came in really handy when I traveled to Italy and Egypt while my fellow travelers were running to the nearest pharmacy!!

1) 1 simple molded plastic hanger
2) fold flat vase
3) bandanna
4) a roll of 2" clear packing tape in simple dispenser
5) Mole skin sheet (not the foam style)
6) GOOD blunt point scissors (Gingher craft 5" my fave)
7) a couple spring clips ( called bull dogs, I think)
8) flat sink stopper
9) pashmina

These items never come out of my suitcase when I get home - I may have to replenish but they are always ready to go. They take up virtually no space - vase and hanger flat in luggage lid, pashmina in my handbag and all else in a zip-top plastic sandwich bag.

A suggestion (from experience) re the bandanna: make it a red one. If it necessary to use it for an injury, blood doesn't make a scary statement and is less frightening for children.

A suggestion re beach towel mentioned earlier: Currently Target has 100% cotton almost beach sized towels in the "Dollar Spot". Solids and bright stripes, light weight but absorbent, $2.50. Dries relatively quickly. Takes up very little space.

Solid shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, perfume etc. (www.lush.co.uk have a great range.) They are much smaller and lighter than the bottled versions and last much longer. (I only take carry on when I travel so they make life much easier.)

love the idea of the balloons. That will be on my list for our next travel. Duct tape is always in my suitcase - it even fixed a tear in your clothes.....