Travel Tip #8: Improvise
It’s next to impossible to plan for every travel experience. It’s even more difficult to pack for every contingency. That’s why sometimes you just have to become MacGyver and just use what you got.
A bunched up sweatshirt becomes a pillow. A Ziplock bag and some soap become a washing machine. And a few inches of snow become an excellent cooler.
What clever ideas have you had on the road? Have you ever channeled your inner Bear Grylls? Share your greatest stories of improvisation in the comments.
1. Stealing tiny cups and ice from continental breakfast with which to make jello shots in the hotel room fridge.
2. Duct tape as blister prevention.
3. Headlamp as underwear for really entertaining late night dancing on a backpacking trip.
The bar has been raised, people. Bring it on.
My husband discovered that empty beer cans can be filled with citronella oil and paper towels dipped into the oil. When the paper towel wick is ignited, these make excellent extra teekee torches. Good for light and bug control.
That’s an amazing idea! And as someone who gets eaten alive by mosquitoes, I thank you for sharing!
I fixed a toilet in Cuba with dental floss. Which sent me into a spiral of existential despair about grad school (which I was in at the time)–it was the most satisfying thing I’d done in years.
And in Egypt anyway, water bottle caps fit exactly in sink drains, to make a pretty decent plug.
2-liter bottles filled with water work great as light weights for keeping arms toned while on the road. Of course, if you need to travel to another destination, get new bottles at the next location. It would be totally stupid to drag two liter bottles filled with water around.