The Unexpected Item Rick Steves' Protege Won't Go Without While Traveling Europe

Each traveler should have their own pre-travel checklist, or at least one that covers the fundamentals, according to travel pro Rick Steves. Travel documents? Check. Ticket and accommodation plan? Check. When it comes to packing your bags, however, choosing what to bring is personal. Whether you are a super-efficient carry-on only pack master or always hip to the latest in trendy travel items (banana travel toothbrush? Check!), only you can decide what items always make it into your luggage.

But duct tape? Seasoned travel writer for Rick Steves' Europe, Cameron Hewitt, has learned from personal experience that two rolls of sticky tape are indispensable for his travels: a roll of black electrical tape and white duct tape. "I've narrowed my MacGyver bag of tricks down to items that are practical, useful, and light enough that even if I don't wind up needing them, they're still worth packing along," he wrote on CameronHewitt.com.

Is he planning to do a little repair work on the road? Tinkering with those pesky European electric plugs? Not at all. Each roll has its own uses. Sensitive sleepers like Hewitt are vigilantly against electrical appliances with tiny lights that persist in glowing in the dark, even when turned off. "This laser beam pierces deeply into your soul and jolts you awake just as you're drifting off," is how Hewitt describes it on his website. For this, he whips out the black electrical tape. A small strip of tape extinguishes the light for a good night's sleep.

Tape is amazingly useful for all kinds of travel emergencies, Hewitt claims: It can temporarily patch up a fraying cable or fasten a wobbly plug to an adapter (which is also an effective reminder not to leave the adapter behind). When hotel curtains don't quite close, allowing a slice of sunlight to cut through the dark, duct tape can keep them securely shut. The white duct tape, Hewitt says, is especially handy for sealing up that cardboard box of souvenirs you want to ship home. Hewitt has plenty more in his bag of tricks, including using airplane barf bags, the overlooked item he always snags from the seat pocket, for countless other purposes.

If you want to level up your tape game, combining the benefits of black electrical tape and white duct tape, go for gaffer tape. Named after the chief lighting technician on a film set, gaffer tape is designed to be torn into smaller pieces with your fingers; no need for scissors. Its adhesive is strong but won't leave a residue, and you can get it in a variety of colors, including matte black. Use it to stick your phone on a wall or lamp post without any damage for the perfect no-hands selfie; patch up your hiking boot in an emergency; or just keep your overstuffed suitcase closed. There's an industry saying for it: "If you can't fix it with gaffer tape, you're not using enough."