I’ve already written about plastic shopping bags, which can come in handy during a flight for various purposes. Now I’m going to tell you about another plastic bag which is an invaluable packing tool - the humble ziploc bag.

Zip lock bags are great for: keeping clothing separate stopping any leaking bottle from ruining your clothes keeping dirty shoes from sullying your clothing compressing your clothing to take up less space in your bag

Keeping Clothing Separate - if you use zip lock (or the larger sliding lock) bags to separate your clothing into different types (eg underwear) or different people (eg baby) then it will make it easier to find in your suitcase

Stop leaks from spreading - put your shampoo bottles, roll-on deodorant and any liquid toiletries into individual zip lock bags within your toiletry bag/case. This will help prevent any leaks from spreading onto your clothing. It will also stop leaks from ruining your toiletry bag. Always put your roll-on deodorant into a bag - it has a tendency to leak under pressure and there is nothing worse than going to brush your teeth only to find that the deodorant has leaked onto your toothbrush!

Store dirty (or not so dirty) shoes - even if you have just cleaned your shoes they can still mark your clothes, so put them in a bag.

Compress your clothing - save space, put your clothes into zip lock bags and seal the lock leaving a small gap. Then roll the bag to push out any excess air and seal. The resulting flat package is almost like a vacuum pack and takes up a lot less space!

Store snacks for the flight - use individual zip lock bags to store snacks for the flight in your carry-on luggage

Separate toys and art supplies for flight - use zip lock bags to categorize small toys or art supplies (like crayons) for babies and kids on the plane. If you have more than one kid then label the bags with their names to avoid confusion (and fights!).

Author: FWB