For problems ranging from dealing with long immigration lines to dead phones, a simple, lightweight item might be the most overlooked airport essential, according to travel experts.
It's not a charger, neck pillow or noise-canceling headphones — just a simple pen with blue or black ink.
Travelers who assume pens will be available at the airport risk unnecessary delays and frustration because many destinations still require paper immigration and customs forms and writing utensils can be in short supply, Travel + Leisure recently reported.
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One travel expert learned that lesson the hard way while arriving in Tanzania after a red-eye flight.
"I landed in Dar es Salaam after a red-eye, [with the] immigration hall packed and buzzing, all of us funneling off the plane, and by the time I reached the counter every pen was gone — dry, vanished, even the chained-up one," Georgia Fowkes, a Pennsylvania travel advisor for tour operator Altezza Travel, told Travel + Leisure.
"There I was, holding up the line, with the rest of the no-pen folks, waiting for my turn to borrow one," Fowkes added. "Not my finest travel moment."
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She noted that late-night arrivals can be especially challenging, since there are fewer travelers around to borrow a pen from.
"Pull a spare pen out of your pocket at 35,000 feet and people look at you like you've just invented fire," Fowkes said. "In that moment, a pen is social currency."
Even as some countries move toward digital systems, travelers may still be required to complete paper forms, sometimes before the plane even lands.
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"Depending on your country of citizenship or origin, you might still be required to fill out a paper form when arriving," Eric Rosen, a Los Angeles-based director of content at The Points Guy, told Reader's Digest in October.
Rosen said he travels with several pens so he can fill out paperwork on board or while waiting in line, saving time and stress.
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Experts say pen choice matters too. Basic, nonmetal ballpoint or gel pens with blue or black ink are best because fountain pens and rollerballs can leak due to cabin pressure, and travelers who fill out forms in unconventional ink colors may be asked to redo them.
Beyond immigration, a pen can also come in handy when technology fails.
Erin Carey, founder of travel public relations agency Roam Generation in Australia, told Travel + Leisure that she always carries a pen in case her phone dies.
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"What if your phone goes flat, and you need to jot down an address or a phone number, or you meet someone you'd like to reach out to again, and you need to get their email address?" Carey said. "Maybe you need to have something written in a local language to show a taxi driver, or you lose your luggage and want to fill out a form for that."
The low-tech travel tip even has celebrity support.
Kelly Ripa recently revealed that she never travels without multiple pens, admitting that she often takes them from hotel rooms.
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"I travel with an armada of pens," Ripa said on a November episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, according to People. "There's 800 people making a mad dash to the three chained pens" at the customs desk, she said.
Ripa added that pens also double as in-flight entertainment when in-flight Wi-Fi fails, allowing her to write, work or doodle without relying on screens.
Other small, unexpected items, including duct tape and binder clips, can be travel lifesavers, according to travel blogs and reports, helping fix cracked suitcases, prevent leaks, secure snacks, block out hotel room lights and keep cords organized on the go.
