Travel Tip Tuesday : Ziploc Bags – The Perfect Travel Accessory

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Ziploc bags are to travel, what duct tape is to, well, pretty much everything else. They are reusable, recyclable, come in many strengths and sizes and handy as all get-out, which makes them the perfect travel accessory.

Ziploc bags have become increasingly popular, due to their quart-sized bag becoming the publicized standard for meeting TSA carry-on restrictions for liquids in quantities of three ounces or less.

Hey, if they recommend the sophisticated Ziploc, it must be good!

Here are a some of the many other uses discovered for using Ziploc bags for travel.

Spa facial. Put a clean washcloth in a Ziploc bag, carry it on the plane. When you get near your destination, ask the flight attendant for some hot water, poor it in – put the washcloth over your face!! (Budget Travel Mag)

Pack Leftovers. Bring a Ziploc to breakfast and pack leftover bread, pastries or fruit to take along for an afternoon picnic. (Vicki, Jacksonville, FL)

Organize Accessories. Put a complete outfit together on a hanger, pack all the accessories to go with that outfit (jewlery, scarf) in the Ziploc bag, poke a tiny hole in the bag and place it over the hanger.

Beach Protector. Bring a few Ziploc bags to the beach. Place your camera and cell-phone in the bag to avoid getting them wet or sandy. Use another to hold your wet bathing suit, so you don’t get everything else in your bag soaked.

Inflate it! Use your own hot air to blow up a Ziploc bag. Use as a make-shift travel pillow, lumbar support or put some in your luggage to fill up empty space and keep loose items from rolling around!

X-ray vision. Keep film, digital memory cards and camera batteries in a Ziploc bag. It’s easy to remove from your bag and have a TSA clerk hand check your film, rather than putting it through the x-ray machines and face the possibility of damage.

Secret hiding place. Make a large Ziploc your go-to place for your passport, airline tickets, and any other special events tickets or itinerary items you may have for your trip. You’ll always know where to find them, and the bag protects them from getting wet, dog-eared or torn.

Laundry Kit. Pour in some detergent, add water, place your delicates in, close and swish. Voila!! A mini washing machine.

I am sure there are many, many more ways to use Ziploc bags for traveling. Please feel free to share your clever uses in the comments!

Now hop on over to Cherrye’s to see her favorite Travel Tips from Budget Travel Mag.

Cherrye at My Bella Vita
August 19th, 2008
Love these, Robin!!
Would you believe my Ziploc bags (in gallon and quart-size) were part of the things taken from my suitcases? Sadness…

City Girl
August 19th, 2008
Hi — I have been lurking for a long time, so am finally delurking — those ziploc tips are AWESOME. My mom (who considers herself very well-versed in ziploc use for traveling) would certainly feel like those tips give her a run for her money She was a flight attendant in the late 60s for Swissair (now Swiss) and has told me how she wishes ziploc were widely available then

My Mélange
August 19th, 2008
Cherrye~ Those Sons-of-Beeochs- Not the Ziplocs!!!!!
City Girl~ Welcome and thanks for coming out of the shadows!!!! That is awesome that your Mom was a Flight Attendant. Does she get lifelong perks, I hope? *Delurking* Love that

erin :: the olive notes
August 19th, 2008
love the spa facial idea

kenju
August 19th, 2008
I’ve done all those except the laundry kit – and next trip – I’ll do that one too. I also take along a giant ziplock for dirty clothes. In my cosmetic bag, I use small ones to segragate like items, such as toothpaste, perio-brushes, floss and to make a mini-first-aid kit, with bandaids, antiseptic cream, etc. You can find everything you need in a hurry!

stephanie
August 19th, 2008
Great ideas!! Also, keep those traveling art supplies handy…

Rob Williams
August 19th, 2008
Great tips! I loved the mini washing machine one, that was great. So was the cloth and hot water. Very cool stuff, I do a lot of traveling so tips like these come in very handy, haha. I’m an ambassador for Hampton Inns, I had some info that it seems like you’d be interested in, I thought I’d let you know about it.
Hampton Inn is offering 10% off the best available rate until September 1st. We’re also giving away bikes, vacations and a lot of other stuff for the Olympic Games!
Check it out here: http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/ en/hp/promotions/hx_su mmerpromo08/index.jhtm l?cid=OM,HX,Dreams,Specials&it=Specials,Dreams
Check out this video also and let me know what you think! Hope I didn’t bother or cross any boundaries by contacting you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=D2Y0jf-BKpI
Best,
Rob Williams
Official Hampton Inn Ambassador
naturalhouse302@gmail.com

My Mélange
August 19th, 2008
Erin~ I know, Isn’t that one great. Especially for us girlie girls
Kenju~ Great tips from you as well!! They are useful little suckers, those ziplocs
Steph~ Yes, for the artists of the world…Thank You!!
Rob~ Thanks for stopping by. No problem at all…hopefully one of my readers will be a lucky winner!!

anne
August 26th, 2008
Love these Ziplock ideas, so went to look for some today, can;t find any, will look in another supermarket. Great tips.

Erica
September 1st, 2011
I will be using some ziploc this weekend to fly from Genoa, Italy (home of pesto) to Paris and bringing pesto with me for my Frenchie friends. It is the perfect use of a ziploc! Buon viaggio!

I can’t think of a tastier way to use them Erica!

Ann Marie Leveille
September 1st, 2011
I love the laundry tip!! Much better than trying to plug up the hotel/hostel sink and do handwash!

I like to use them too as “space bags” (so much cheaper!)–put your clothes in, roll up from bottom to push all the air out, seal and you have vacuum-sealed packets that save suitcase room!
I always carry extra to help transport goodies home–bottles of beer, wine, jars of nutella…all get sealed in ziplocks when packed. that way, if they get broken or burst with the pressure changes, your clothes are safe!
When I was in eastern Europe this summer, I brought home a jar of honey from Croatia…good this it was in a baggie! The jar wasn’t leak-proof! I would’ve had a stick mess!

I am also *delurking*!

Welcome Ann Marie! So happy that you delurked. *clapping* Great tip about packing the food in ziplocs. Looks like a crisis was averted thanks to a ziploc!