Painter's Tape Is The Travel Essential You Didn't Know You Needed

A favorite tool for professional painters and everyday DIYs, painter's tape creates clean paint lines and keeps unwanted color off walls. It peels off relatively easily without leaving a sticky residue, making it a very popular and effective painting product. But painter's tape has more than one use, and it may just be the surprise travel essential you didn't know you needed.

Painter's tape is cheap, doesn't take up much room in a bag, and it's simple to find. For families traveling with little ones, it's a must-pack item. Traveling with young children can be challenging, but painter's tape makes the trip that much easier. From safety benefits like babyproofing hotel rooms to fun ways to burn off energy, like an indoor hopscotch grid, painter's tape is a lifesaver. But its benefits aren't solely aimed at kids: Adults traveling solo can also benefit from throwing a roll in their suitcases.

Traveling with kids isn't always easy, but one simple roll of painter's tape might just help. First and foremost, safety is at the top of parents' minds when staying in unfamiliar surroundings, especially places that aren't babyproofed. Hotel rooms, for example, can be accidents waiting to happen. But painter's tape is the ultimate travel babyproofer. It can be used to cover electrical sockets, hide dangerous dangling cords from curtains or blinds, layer over sharp furniture corners, and keep drawers on nightstands and dressers permanently closed so that little fingers don't accidentally get smooshed inside.

And painter's tape can do more than keep families safe on holiday. The inexpensive, handy item also provides hours of entertainment. Tape a pretend road to the hotel room floor and let kids' imaginations go wild as they drive little cars on it. Stick painter's tape to windows and time tykes as they remove each piece. Make name tags for stuffed animals, create a hopscotch grid to let little ones burn off some energy, or encourage painter's tape artistic masterpieces with one roll and a single piece of paper. And if any of the kids' beloved toys get broken on vacation? Painter's tape can save the day again!

Painter's tape isn't just for kids. Adults can benefit from this highly useful item as well. Buy any breakable souvenirs? One way to safely pack breakable items in checked luggage is to wrap them with painter's tape. Lose luggage tags? Create new ones with painter's tape and a pen. Are clothes full of lint? Wrap painter's tape around four fingers to create a circle and press gently on clothing to lift unwanted material away. Painter's tape can also keep snacks fresh, like bags of chips. Just close the bag and stick a piece of tape across the top to secure it shut.

And that's not all. For travelers sensitive to light, painter's tape can help provide a good night's sleep. If there are cracks in the curtains, use painter's tape to keep them together. If there are any bright lights in the room, like on an alarm clock or phone, cover the light with tape. There's even a travel hack to create blackout curtains using painter's tape and garbage bags. Whether traveling with families or solo — throw a roll of painter's tape in that bag. You never know when you might need it.