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Pro tip: My carry-on broke mid-trip in Barcelona and I saved with a garbage bag
The zipper on my cheap duffel gave out at a metro station in Barcelona, so I grabbed a heavy-duty trash bag from a corner store for 1 euro and used it as a liner inside a tote bag I found at a secondhand shop. It held up for the rest of the trip through three more cities. Anyone else MacGyvered their luggage on the road?
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max_brown5d ago
Three years ago my backpack zipper blew out in a hostel in Krakow and I literally used a pillowcase and duct tape for the next two weeks. Honestly, I looked like a total hobo walking through the Milan airport with a pillowcase slung over my shoulder and tape peeling off everywhere. Tbh, your tote bag + garbage bag combo is way more elegant than my trashy setup, so props to you. Ngl, I also learned that a cheap plastic rain poncho from a souvenir shop can double as a makeshift bag liner if you're desperate enough. The best part was that the pillowcase had a cartoon cat on it, which made me feel even cooler when a customs agent asked me about it. Gotta love travel improvisation when you're broke and stubborn.
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gray_morgan5d agoTop Commenter
You're telling me you walked through an international airport with a pillowcase full of your stuff and a customs agent actually stopped you? That's wild, but honestly, what were they gonna do, arrest you for having bad fashion sense? @max_brown it sounds like you were living out some kind of budget travel comedy sketch, not a real problem. I mean, three years later and you're still bringing up the cartoon cat like it's a war story. It was a broken zipper, not a survival situation. Glad you made it work, but let's not pretend duct tape and a pillowcase is the same as being stranded in the wilderness.
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smith.nancy5d ago
That sad little cartoon cat on a pillowcase in Milan is honestly a legendary mental image, I love that you leaned into it instead of being embarrassed. With that rain poncho trick you mentioned, you could probably double-layer the liner for extra security if your duffel shreds in a downpour again.
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