Travel with Blue Tape

Indispensable in Blue

If you travel with kids, toss in some blue painters’ tape regardless of your final destination. It can do so much more than frame art nicely on any surface. The number one use of blue tape when I’m traveling with young kids? I use it to cover electrical outlets. It isn’t foolproof, but the amount of time my kid will spend trying to get the tape off gives me enough time to get to them before they get electrocuted. Plus, it doesn’t leave behind any evidence or harm the walls where we stay.

I also throw in a bit for entertainment during the journey. It will stick to almost anything without leaving a residue, and can make an impromptu toy during unexpected delays. I’ve run it around other toys to make them into a swing and basically hypnotize a baby, or to create roads or boxes on tray tables or floors to entertain older kids.

You can use a bit to help identify your suitcases on the baggage carousel, or pick out your stroller from a sea in popular tourist attractions. A bit rolled up onto itself weighs next to nothing and takes up very little space, but it can seal a bag to contain messes after opening liquid snacks and drinks.

You can write your name or phone number on it in a pinch to label almost any item when you discover you haven’t gotten around to labeling that jacket, hat, or sippy cup yet. (I should start packing labels with me but haven’t learned my lesson yet.) You can also use it to mark containers for mixing formula on the go.

I also use it to tape garbage bags over the windows and create shade even in the middle of the day when we travel across multiple time zones and my kids desperately need a nap. It works great for jury-rigging jackets or blankets over windows during road trips, too, without leaving behind a sticky residue.