Packing list for holiday: Travellers share items most may not pack

Travellers from a New Zealand group on Facebook have revealed the key items they always pack in their luggage that others may not.

A recent post on New Zealand Travel Tips (NZTT), a private Facebook group with more than 60,000 members, asked people to share an item they packed that others may not think of.

Suggestions ranged from functional to indulgent and all addressed needs that arise during travel. Many items, including medication, packing cubes, wet wipes and portable phone chargers were useful but not particularly unusual.

Several people recommended plastic or reusable shopping bags but for different reasons. Some used them to separate dirty laundry from clean clothes in a suitcase, while others used them to avoid buying plastic bags overseas.

Other items would seem out of place in a suitcase unless you knew their use, such as silica gel packets, which can prevent water damage if a device gets wet and a magnifying glass, to help remove splinters.

Some suggestions related to items that could be missing or poor quality in accommodation.

One traveller said a universal sink plug “weighs next to nothing, and reduces water use”, if the bathroom, kitchen or campsite sink does not have one.

Another always packed a small sharp knife because hotel ones tended to be blunt, but warned people to check restrictions if travelling on a train or plane.

Several people attested to the value of a ziplock bag as it can serve many purposes but, unlike plastic bags, aren’t typically offered for free while travelling.

Duct tape was another must-pack item for many people, as it could fix “loads of things” including hiking boots, bags or gadgets.

Similarly, a paracord was recommended: “Great for makeshift laundry lines, tying things together, belts (when you forget one), and basically anything else,” one person wrote.

To avoid bulky toiletries, one traveller packed a solid bar of shampoo, conditioner or facewash, which “will last for months but fits into the palm of your hand”.

Other handy items included clothes pegs, which could clip hotel curtains closed for better sleep, and old prescription glasses in case something happens to a current pair.

“I was so relieved to have a spare pair when mine got broken on a flight to UK from NZ,” wrote one traveller, who said they wouldn’t have had time to buy new ones and were “almost blind” without them.

Entertainment was also covered with typical items like books and i-Pads but also a sleep machine, which one traveller said they couldn’t sleep without.

“It’s tiny, lays flat in a suitcase, and runs on batteries. I take it everywhere I go overnight!” they said.