Most airports have a vast supply of those little plastic bags available before you go through security, and if you happen to accidentally take a couple of extra ones with you, do not throw them out!! Here are some great things that they are extremely useful for!

1. Food Smuggling

   These bags are also very useful for carrying food around with you. If you’re staying half-board, you can make the most of the breakfast buffet by snaffling some pastries or making up some sandwiches. If you put one of these bags inside your handbag you can swipe as much as possible without your handbag getting filled with crumbs.

   

2. Toothbrush/Razor Quarantine

   So you’re packing up your suitcase ready to head home. You brush your teeth, then realise that the wet toothbrush is going to have to go in to your sponge bag and get everything else wet (or if you don’t have a sponge bag it is just going to have to roll about in your suitcase). So the airport bag fits in a toothbrush perfectly. The same thing goes for your razor.

3. Prep for Next Flight

   Make sure you take at least one bag back home with you for the next time you fly. Then you can completely avoid the worry that you’ll have too many liquids to fit in the bag, and you can pack it before you even leave home. Then you can just breeze through security and whip out your pre-packed bag and nothing will have to get thrown away! (Each liquid should be in a container of no more than 100ml, and the bag has to be able to seal). If you’re lucky enough to frequently go on mini-breaks, you could leave a pre-packed plastic airport bag in your holiday bag.

   

4. Kids Toys

   If you are with a child who likes to carry a lot of toys about, or likes to get them from the toy machines, then you stuff loads in your airport bag, and they can carry it themselves using the little handle!

5.  Carrying Dog Treats

   When you are training your dog, you don’t want her to be distracted by the rustling of treat bags. You can buy expensive silent treat bags, however, I find the airport bags work just as well! They are big enough to hold a good variety of treats, you can see what’s in there, and you can easily carry it with you on your walk. Also – perfect if you don’t want to carry a slobbery tennis ball, you can just shove it in there too!

   

6. Leaky Bottles

   If you’re packing something you don’t quite trust, just stick it in the airport bag, then if it leaks there is much less mess to sort out!

7. Tiny Bits & Bobs

   Hair clips, hair bobbles, earrings, necklaces, rings… put all of your important little bits and bobs in here to keep them safe and stop them getting lost in your suitcase.

8. Travel Documents

   This is so sensible, and I feel like it is the sort of organised thing a parent would do. When you are packing your hand luggage ready to set off on your travels, put your boarding passes, insurance docs, passports e.t.c into the plastic bag and seal it. This way, even if something leaks in your bag, your important docs will be safe! Not that anything should leak, because anything potentially leaky should already be bagged – see number 6!

   

So I suppose you can tell that I really love the little airport bags! Have you got any other uses for them? I’d love to know if there is anyone else out there who loves them as much as me! The main thing I want to share from this is do not throw away your plastic airport bags – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! 

If this has got you feeling inspired to travel, why not check out this interview about what its like living in Queenstown!