The One Thing Travel Pros Always Pack on International Flights — And It’s Not a Neck Pillow
A tiny tool that saves major headaches
Before you zip up your carry on for an international trip, tuck in one low tech essential that can spare you stress at the border. A simple ballpoint pen. It weighs nothing, costs almost nothing and can be the difference between breezing through arrivals or stalling in a long immigration line while you hunt for something to write with.
Why a pen matters more than you think
Plenty of airports still ask travelers to complete paper immigration and customs forms. Pens are not guaranteed at counters, and when several plane loads of passengers land at once, any shared pens tend to vanish or run dry. Late night and early morning arrivals make it even harder to find one, and borrowing from strangers is not always practical when everyone is trying to move quickly.
A real world lesson in Dar es Salaam
Georgia Fowkes, a travel advisor with tour operator Altezza Travel, learned this the hard way on a trip to Tanzania. After an overnight flight to Dar es Salaam, she reached immigration to find every pen gone, including the one chained to the desk. She and a small crowd of equally unprepared passengers wound up waiting to borrow a pen, clogging the line at exactly the wrong moment. Since then, she always carries her own and keeps a spare to lend. At 35,000 feet, she jokes, a pen becomes social currency.
What kind of pen to pack
Keep it basic. Choose a cheap, plastic, nonmetal ballpoint with blue or black ink. Fancy metal pens and fountain pens can cause hiccups at security, and bright ink colors may lead officials to ask you to rewrite a form. A few lightweight ballpoints slip into any pocket, passport wallet or seatback organizer and take up less space than a travel size hand sanitizer.
More than immigration: smart ways a pen helps on the road
A pen proves its value well beyond the arrivals hall. Erin Carey, founder of the travel and lifestyle PR agency Roam Generation, never boards without one. If your phone dies, you can jot down an address, a confirmation number or a new contact’s email. You can handwrite a destination in the local language to show a taxi driver. If a bag goes missing, you will be ready to complete the claim form on the spot. From room service door hangers to quick notes for your travel companion, a pen turns little problems into non events.
Pro tips for keeping one handy
Slip a pen into your passport sleeve so it shows up right when you reach the form. Stash another in your personal item with your headphones and charger. If you are traveling with family or friends, make sure at least two people carry one. Offer your spare to a seatmate who needs it and you might make a new airport ally before you even land.
The bottom line
Neck pillows and noise canceling headphones get all the attention, but a basic ballpoint pen quietly does more to smooth your trip. It keeps you moving through immigration, helps when technology fails and handles the small tasks that pop up in real life travel. Pack one, add a backup and you will be ready for whatever the journey throws at you.
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This article was written by Hunter and edited with AI Assistance
