I had no idea. None. Dental floss has about a thousand uses for the backpackin’, hostel-stayin’, clever-like-MacGyver traveler. To save you a scroll through the comments, here are a few of the most ingenious ones.

I’ve used it as a clothes line. Seriously. - Anna

Plain floss is excellent for things like cutting cheese. - Shanna

Joining my sandals back together after they broke one hour in to a 15 hour bus trip.

Holding a fan’s electrical up out of a pool of rising water on the floor in the monsoon in East Timor…. - Louise

Two things and now very clear to me. One, I need to add about 100 yards of floss to my travel kit. And two, I have got to interview Louise. Because she has been to East Timor. And, hello, do I even know where East Timor is?

Further proof I’d die without Google.

Friday, April 11, 2008 | travel tips