The Perfect Place To Toss Your In-Flight Meal Scraps Without Bothering The Attendants

When you hop on a plane, you give up almost all your control. It's not just because you're thousands of feet in the air, unable to touch the ground. If you're not in the aisle seat, for example, you have to bother the person beside you when you need to get up to go to the bathroom. Plus, if the flight is at full capacity, you might not be able to choose which overhead bin your bags go in. It's especially a problem if you're a serial snacker, since you can't throw your trash away without bothering the flight attendant. It's enough to make you self-conscious, and perhaps end up on a first-name basis with your flight attendant. What you can do instead is use the sick bag, which you find in the pocket on the back of the seat in front of you (where you find travel-related magazines and extra info on safety).

The sick bag is perfect for candy wrappers, plastic condiment packets, tetra packs, foil wraps, used gum, and even messier stuff such as mango peel. After all, it can handle someone's lunch when the airplane's turbulence is tough; there's a big chance it can store drippy foods, too. Maximizing sick bags is one of the smartest in-flight food and beverage hacks that can easily turn you into a travel pro. With a little more imagination, you can use them for other purposes, too.

Packing a snack is a smart choice — it's one of the tips you should know to save money on food when traveling. A bag of nuts is a TSA-approved option; with its pleasant crunch, you can eat them when you're bored, which happens a lot on the plane. But it can also be messy to eat, so use a sick bag as a placemat and just shove the crumbs inside after for a spotless space your flight attendant would thank you for. There are also similar snacks, such as sunflower seeds, which are messier because you only eat the kernel. You can throw the shell into the sick bag, too, as well as the other debris, but make sure you know how to eat sunflower seeds without ruining your teeth.

Aside from being a trash bag, you can use it for storage for any leftover food. Perhaps you ordered an in-flight meal but you're too full to make your way all the way through dessert. Rather than having it thrown out, store it in a sick bag for later; your future self might thank you for it. Otherwise, the sick bag can double as a wipe before and after eating to ensure your tray table isn't dirty: Just spray alcohol and wipe it down. While it might not be the perfect rug, it still helps you tidy up a bit.