Ziploc bags

Along with the black garbage bags I wrote about previously, I packed Ziploc bags that were useful for a number of things. I have found two sizes worked well, the sandwich and gallon sized bags.

The sandwich bags are good to keep coins, littlesouvenirs, snacks, food leftovers, and cords packed nicely. While packing, I wrapped cords up and put them in separate bags with their power adapters. When you’re in a hurry while travelling, just pull out the desired bag and leave everything else undisturbed. No tangled mess of cords to untangle.

I keep a bag of quarters and pennies with me for the times when I come across a penny smashing machine. No loose change bouncing around the bottom of my backpack. A small bag keeps them together.

Small bags are great to store leftover food for later. They provide a clean barrier that you can handle with dirty hands, and can also keep your hands clean from sticky foods. Fill them with ice and you have great ice packs for injuries or the ice chest.

Gallon sized bags are more useful for organization. I use the gallon size bags mainly to keep brochures and papers I pick up together. For each city I went to, I placed the items stacked neatly in a bag. You can optionally label the outside with a pen with the city’s name. Or select one item (say a guide book) that has the name of the city large enough to be easilyread, and place that on the top of the stack. Here’s a bag from San Diego.

There are many other uses. Keepsmellyitems contained and separate. Wet paper towels in a small bag for times when you need to wipe your hands and you don’t have wet wipes or water nearby. A plastic bag over your hand can provide a sanitary barrier to pick items up (i.e. dog poop). A moisture barrier for cameras, though they are not water proof. Please, don’t go diving with a camera in a plastic bag. Conversely, they can also keep liquids in, like shampoo, which can leak due to changes inair pressure.

Plastic bags are very compact and can either lay flat or be rolled up into a stick shape for easier handling. They are disposable and inexpensive. Whatever you use them for, they can be handy while travelling.