Last updated on December 28th, 2020
Photo credit: Casey / Adobe Stock
As you travel the world carrying only your backpack or other small bags you want to be prepared for as many eventualities as possible. Since you can’t possibly carry all the things you might need, I counsel you to stock up on bandanas instead. With a supply of these, you can get by in at least 40 different situations.
It’s a headband, etc…
Use as a dishcloth
Use as a headband
It’s a picnic napkin
It’s a first-aid tourniquet
Tie a ponytail
Use as a hankie
Carry your lunch
It’s a pillow cover
Play tug of war with new travel friends
Stay cool – just wet and tie around your neck.
It’s a bracelet, etc…
Connect with travel partners in a crowd
Clean your camera lens
It becomes a placemat
Shine your shoes
Tie extra stuff to your knapsack
Polish your fruit
Wear as a funky bracelet
Collect shells on the beach, berries in the woods
Cover your nose in a dust storm
Wipe away sweat or .. (hopefully not)..tears
It’s a blindfold, etc…
Use as a belt
Use as a bandage
Use as a washcloth
It serves as a sling
Wear as a “sleep” blindfold
Shoo away bugs
Cover your nose or mouth from foul smells
Stay clean sitting on dusty surfaces
Wrap a gift
Protect your head from the sun
It’s a necklace, etc…
Disguise your voice on the phone
Wear as a necklace
Fill with ice and use as a compress
Clean your sunglasses
Mark a trail
Cheer at a concert or sporting event
Wipe the windshield of your rental car
Unveil a surprise
Wrap breakable gifts in your knapsack
Bandana Tips from Journeykiddies…
I am a grade one teacher in Corbell Elementary School in Frisco, Texas, a suburb northwest of Dallas. We were planning for a camping trip this year and wanted you to know we used your Journeywoman website for ways to use a bandana. My students came up with some ideas that they’d like to add to your article. It will make them very proud to see them posted. Our tips are: using a bandana for (1) a fan (2) a glove (3) write on it to make a message (4) clean a dirty toilet (5) cover your head at night to keep warm and (6) cover your face to keep bugs out of your mouth. Thank you; we enjoyed your site!
Michele, Frisco, USA
And finally, always carry a supply of new bandanas in your backpack. They’re inexpensive, they take up no room at all and they make fabulous gifts and icebreakers for those other travellers you meet along the way. Tell them about this “bandana” list. See if together you can dream up new uses. When you get home click here and share your new list with Journeywoman. We’ll publish the best as we receive them.
Happy travelling!
Tara Wilkinson is a travellin’ female with a lovely light sense of humour. In this contribution, she advises other JourneyWomen preparing for a trip to “pack light but always carry lots of bandanas.”
JourneyWoman Staff
Follow JourneyWoman for curated articles, tips, news and content from our community and our partners.
Thank you so much for the 40 ways to use a bandana and I will pass on the information to my loved ones and friends!
I keep bright orange or yellow bandanas in my day pack for signaling for help if necessary. Those two colors are easiest for search and rescue to see.