Stash a simple item in your carry-on to avoid travel delays and stress, experts advise

For problems ranging from dealing with long immigration lines to dead phones, a simple, lightweight item might be the most overlookedairport essential,according to travel experts.

It’s not a charger, neck pillow or noise-canceling headphones, just a simple pen with blue or black ink.

Travelers who assume pens will be available at the airport risk unnecessary delays and frustration because many destinations still require paper immigration and customs forms, and writing utensils can be in short supply,Travel + Leisurerecently reported.

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One travel expert learned that lesson the hard way while arriving in Tanzania after a red-eye flight.

“I landed in Dar es Salaam after a red-eye, [with the] immigration hall packed and buzzing, all of us funneling off the plane, and by the time I reached the counter, every pen was gone — dry, vanished, even the chained-up one,” Georgia Fowkes, a Pennsylvania travel adviser for tour operator Altezza Travel, told Travel + Leisure.

Travel experts say carrying a basic blue or black ink pen can prevent delays.(iStock)

“There I was, holding up the line, with the rest of the no-pen folks, waiting for my turn to borrow one,” Fowkes added.“Not my finest travel moment.”

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She noted thatlate-night arrivalscan be especially challenging since there are fewer travelers around to borrow a pen from.

“Pull a spare pen out of your pocket at 35,000 feet, and people look at you like you’ve just invented fire,” Fowkes said.“In that moment, a pen is social currency.”

Many destinations still require handwritten forms, making a pen an essential part of any carry-on.(Carl Juste/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Even as some countries move toward digital systems, travelers may still be required to complete paper forms, sometimes before the plane even lands.

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“Depending on your country of citizenship or origin, you might still be required to fill out a paper form when arriving,” Eric Rosen, a Los Angeles-based director of content at The Points Guy, toldReader’s Digestin October.

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Rosen said he travels with several pens so he can fill out paperwork on board or while waiting in line, saving time and stress.

A forgotten pen can slow down an entire immigration line when travelers scramble to borrow one in crowded arrival halls.(Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu)

Erin Carey, founder of travel public relations agency Roam Generation in Australia, told Travel + Leisure she always carries a pen in case her phone dies.

lose your luggageand want to fill out a form for that.”

A pen can also come in handy when technology fails.

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The low-tech travel tip even has celebrity support.

Kelly Ripa recently revealed that she never travels without multiple pens, admitting she often takes them from hotel rooms.

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“I travel with an armada of pens,” Ripa said on a November episode of “Live with Kelly and Mark,”according to People.“There’s 800 people making a mad dash to the three chained pens” at the customs desk, she said.

A pen can also come in handy when a phone battery dies, allowing travelers to jot down directions, phone numbers or notes.(iStock)

Ripa added that pens also double asin-flight entertainmentwhen in-flight Wi-Fi fails, allowing her to write, work or doodle without relying on screens.

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Other small, unexpected items, including duct tape and binder clips, can be travel lifesavers, according to travel blogs and reports.They can help fix cracked suitcases, prevent leaks, secure snacks, block outhotel room lightsand keep cords organized on the go.