Ah yes, how the humble pen can be your best travel companion anywhere in the world. I mean, it’s always needed (well mostly)…any shape, size, make or style but it needs to be of black ink. Yep, black ink is a key requirement to fill in those forms/cards, you know them. They come disguised as landing cards, departure forms, on-arrival visa forms, disembarkation cards etcetera etcetera etcetera! It still amazes me to see people’s reactions when the realisation of having to fill in a paper form sets in, the panic button is pressed and the flurry to find a pen starts…they start asking others around them (sorry, I need mine to fill in my form), cabin crew, airport staff, member of authority, hmmm who have I missed! All for a small handy object that takes up no room in your hand luggage.

Next time, unzip or is it unbutton or flip open, or whatever you do to open your bag, take out your pen and complete those forms in calmness whilst the immediate world around you sorts out their frenzy.

Mind you, there are plenty of other uses for our travel buddy…you could use it for sketching, oooh maybe to give an autograph (hey you might be famous), to exchange silly notes, write snippets for a book, jot down your thoughts, fill in a diary. Hey, anything that comes to your mind works.

Now that you have been tipped (I know)…keep that humble pen with you, at all times!