Ten DIY travel hacks MacGyver would be proud of

Travel can be tough, especially if you have a long flight ahead or will be spending extensive time away from home. There is only so much you can fit into your suitcase, and considering the costs of checking in additional baggage and the difficulty of lugging it around, most travellers stick with one bag.

One of great things about travelling (and sometimes one of its drawbacks) is that you never know what type of situation you will find yourself in or what you may find yourself needing when you are thousands of kilometres away from home.

To help you be as prepared as possible for your next trip, here is a list of common items you may find at home that can double as travel hacks:

1. Have trouble organizing your suitcase? Use a mesh laundry bag to group your clothing and better organize your items. It comes in particularly handy when you need to start separating your clean clothes from the dirty ones after a few days.
2. Love to iron your clothes? What if your hotel room doesn’t have an iron? You probably didn’t think to pack one, and you probably didn’t have room for one in your suitcase. A hair straightener can do the job! For buttoned-down shirts, place a belt inside the collar to keep the shirt crisp.
3. Want to protect your phone as you travel? Rather than buying an expensive travel case, consider a plastic soap container to do the job. It could also work for most compact cameras and other small electronic devices.
4. Hate how your clothes get wrinkled in your suitcase? Place tissue paper between layers of clothing to reduce wrinkling.
5. Strapped for space in your suitcase? Roll up your clothing rather than folding it to create more space and fit more in your luggage.
6. Worried you are going to lose your phone charger? Place your phone charger in a case for glasses. It will be protected, and you will always know where it is. You can also place other items in the case if you are worried about losing them.
7. Want to save money on travel supplies? Rather than buying new travel-sized supplies each time you need them, keep your travel-sized shampoo and other containers, and simply refill them with what you already have at home.
8. Always seem to lose jewellery and other small items? Use a pill organizer to pack smaller travel items that are easy to lose.
9. Ever have something leak in your suitcase? There is a simple solution for this! Pack all liquids in a freezer bag and then wrap it with plastic wrap. Make sure the lids are closed tightly.
10. Travelling with breakables? Use some of the clothing you are travelling with to wrap delicate items and prevent them from breaking.

These DIY travel hacks should help you avoid common travel issues. Avoid other, larger travel issues by getting a reliable travel insurance plan for your next trip.