'I'm a travel agent – here's the £1.50 item I tell holidaymakers to always pack'

There is one common household item you should never travel without, according to an experienced travel agent. After helping hundreds of clients plan trips all around the world, agent Lucy Hart says this item - available for less than £2 - is the smartest thing to pack for your next trip.

Lucy says a basiczip-seal bag is her top must-have item to pack. Teaming up with Naturetrek, which organises the largest selection of expert-led wildlife holidays, she recommends zip-seal bags for every type of travel adventure. Whether you’retravelling by plane, train or automobile, a resealable plastic bag will come in hand more often than you think.

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Especially when traversing rainy skies and strict airport security while trying to keep all your essentials like passportsand headphones together and intact.

“I’ve seen clients panic over soaked passports, tangled charging cables, or leaking shampoo ruining electronics,” says Lucy. “A Ziplock bag solves all of that — it keeps essentials dry, visible, and in one place, especially in hand luggage or daypacks.”

Resealable plastic bags are also a smart and secure way to keep important travel documents (passports, prescriptions, boarding passes), currency, receipts and travel insurance paperwork together when moving through busy airports.

Lucy says she also keeps a Ziploc bag in her seat pocket during flights to store convenient items like lip balm, paracetamol, earphonesand hand sanitiser — “so I don’t have to rummage under the seat mid-flight.”

“When you’re out at sea spotting dolphins, hiking through Scottish rain, or crossing rivers in tropical climates, having something that keeps your essentials dry makes a huge difference,” Lucy says. “It’s a small item that prevents big problems.”

They also come in handy in hot and sandy environments. “If you’re in the Sahara or on a 4x4 desert trip, fine sand can get into charging ports and headphone jacks. A Ziplock bag is the easiest protection.” Lucy adds that resealable bags are incredibly versatile and can be used during your trip - beyond just travel days.

“On safari or countryside walks, they’re great for storing first aid items, separating clean and usedface masks, or holding small change and local SIM cards,” she says. “I’ve used them to keep souvenirs safe, hold extra batteries, or keep a travel log and pen dry when journaling on the move.”

She also recommends using a resealable plastic bag as a makeshift phone case if rain hits unexpectedly, or to hold motion sickness tablets, mints, and a spare hair tie on coach rides and boat transfers.

While you can always purchase more luxe travel organisers and pouches, standard-size zip-seal bags are lightweight, reusable, and easy enough to find wherever you’re travelling. “You don’t need to spend £30 on fancy travel gear when a simple kitchen item does the job better,” Lucy says.

She advises clients to bring a mix of sizes — small for tech, medium for documents or toiletries, and large for snacks or swimwear — and to label them with sticky tabs or marker pens. She even keeps one pre-packed as a “grab bag” for connecting flights.

“At the heart of every smooth trip is good preparation,” a spokesperson from Naturetrek says. “And sometimes, it’s the smallest, cheapest items that offer the greatest peace of mind.”