Bug spray—packed.

Tweezers—check.

Storm-proof matches—just in case! They’re in the suitcase.

Knowing what unexpected items to take on a trip can be a true lifesaver. That expression about being up a creek with no paddle? The travel equivalent is being in a foreign country without a cellphone charger and outlet adapter. Or in Seattle without a rain poncho.

To help you avoid wasting precious vacation time shopping for such things, consider these travel packing hacks. This list of clever, must-pack items—from scented to sensible—courtesy of some well-seasoned travelers, can guide you.

Sole Mates

When I was part of a NextTribe group hiking the Inca Trail, where you have to take everything—no stores along the way—and we were climbing up and down mountains, I was with a friend, and the sole of one of her hiking boots started peeling away. Since I’m the type who likes to be prepared, I pulled out this mini roll of duct tape I’d brought with me. We literally duct-taped her footwear back together. I’m packing for a trip to Norway right now and will also pack a mini container of Shoe Goo. In Peru, I also carried SaltSticks—flavored chews for when you are dehydrated. That helped when a fellow hiker was feeling some pain. They called me MacGyver.

Another time, eight of us rented a big house in Vermont, and one of my friends had a travel-size Poo-Pourri. So now I take it on trips and stick it on the back of the toilet. Ideal for a shared bath.

—Christine S. Foley, Chicago, IL

Everything in the Right Place

The main thing that makes it possible for my husband and me to travel together is packing cubes, so everything doesn’t end up strewn all over a tiny hotel room; we can even share a suitcase. But more importantly, we can find an item without unpacking everything. Our other marriage-saver is each of us having our own little pouch with charging cords. Mine is always within easy reach. Don’t ask me where he puts his.

—Lisa Redburn, Plymouth, MA

Travel Packing Hack: Snack Attack Smarts

Before a trip, I go to Trader Joe’s and get those multipacks with 10 little individual bags of trail mix or salted cashews. I carry a couple of those in my backpack because invariably I find myself passing out from hunger, either in Spain, where everything is closed from 2 pm to 8 pm for siesta, or on some godforsaken backroad in Upstate New York where there isn’t food for miles. These snack packs are also great for flight delays when you’re starving at the airport and don’t want to spend a fortune on a candy bar.

—Janet Siroto, New York, NY

Bright Ideas

A headlamp [like what cave explorers wear] is great for unexpected power failures, navigating dark streets to get back to your Airbnb, or reading in bed if there’s no bedside lamp. I also bring a plastic fork and Tupperware, in case I want to stash leftovers or a snack to enjoy back in my room.

—Alexis Arieff, Washington, DC

Cash Is King

I always have $100 in local currency, much in small bills for easy tipping. Photocopies of my passport and credit card (front and back) and prescription info, stored separately from the originals in case of theft. And before I take off, I see if I can buy a local mass-transit pass online—senior discount included!—so I don’t have to deal with this when jet-
lagged.

—Ellen Szita, New York City

Gimme Shelter

I travel with a silver solar umbrella [these umbrellas offer sun protection]. It’s also good for rain and for fending off unfriendly stray dogs on country lanes. I was once offered $1,000 for it in Rome on a broiling hot day. Now that our summers are getting crazy hot, it’s even more valuable

—Susan Schulman, New York, NY

Spritz Strategies

I pack a very small bottle of orange blossom water to revive a tired face; it smells great. A hotel once gave me a little bottle of lavender spray for the sheets. I carry that around because it’s a nice way to relax at night!  And one last one: I always pack a patch of moleskin for shoe emergencies.

—Susan Halliday, Washington, DC

Rx Routine

I keep my prescription medications in a folio of individually marked, snack-size baggies, assembled in something less slippery. Handy for a carry-on bag; you don’t want to check that. In my suitcase, I stash a Covid test kit. I also like to bring a novel that takes place in the city or country I’m visiting—sets the mood and you can read it on the plane.

—Helaine Kaplan Prentice, Berkeley, CA

The Oddest Pack-It Award Goes To….

I pack a rolling pin. No, I don’t do baking on vacation, but I often wake up with leg cramps and sleep with a rolling pin at my bedside. It isn’t especially heavy and doesn’t take up that much room in my suitcase. Although I bet housekeeping folks at hotels wonder…

—Nina Malkin, Oceanside, NY

Fresh Thinking

May I finish with my own advice? I never travel without a nightlight. Not since walking right into a door one dark night and spending the rest of our vacation wondering when I could show my face again in public. And along with a net bag for dirty laundry, I’ve been known to pack a small container of laundry soap—these days you can find detergent sheets—and a clothesline with hooks to hang over the tub. You would do this too if you’d been with me that time a broken washing machine in a rural French laundromat tried to eat my precious clothes. Not that I would have minded buying new ones. We were in France, after all.