A Bread Clip In Your Wallet: Safety When Traveling Solo

There is an online claim that travellers should always keep a plastic bread bag clip in their wallet. However, this is misleading clickbait. The only use for a bread clip suggested by the article was to fix a plug on the bottom of a flip-flop or sandal. While it is possible that a bread clip kept in a wallet could be useful in some situations, there is no evidence to suggest that travellers should always keep one with them.

To fix a broken flip-flop

It is a well-known fact that advertisements claiming travellers should "always keep a bread clip in their wallet" are misleading and clickbait. However, one of the reasons cited in these articles for carrying a bread clip is to fix a broken flip-flop. So, if you are travelling alone and your favourite pair of flip-flops break, a bread clip could be a handy temporary fix.

First, push the strap back through the hole. If the hole is too small, widen it with a pair of scissors. You should be able to get the plastic strap back through with a little effort. Ensure that the base is still around the toe post.

Now, attach the bread clip as shown in the image below:

[Insert image of the bread clip attached to the flip-flop]

The slit of the bread clip should be oriented downward about the toe post. This will create more resistance, preventing the toe post from pulling through the hole again. If you don't have a bread clip, a safety pin can also do the trick.

So, while you don't need to carry a bread clip in your wallet at all times, it could be useful in certain situations, like fixing a broken flip-flop when you are out and about.

As a makeshift bookmark

Bread clips can be used as makeshift bookmarks. If you're worried about losing your place in a book, simply lay the bread clip down on the page, peeking out from the top of the book, and close the cover. This will ensure you can easily find your place again.

You can also use bread clips to mark your place in a book by attaching them to a specific page and allowing the clip to protrude from the side, making it easy to locate the desired page. This method is especially useful if you need to refer back to multiple pages in a book.

Additionally, bread clips can be used as bookmarks in other contexts, such as marking a specific page in a notebook or journal, or even a magazine or newspaper.

While bread clips can be useful in these ways, it is worth noting that there is no compelling reason to carry one in your wallet at all times, especially when travelling. This idea originated from misleading online advertisements and articles that claimed travellers should "always keep a bread clip in their wallet." However, these sources often provided little to no useful information to support this claim.

To label cables

Bread clips are a handy, low-cost solution for labelling cables. They are especially useful when you have a lot of cords in one place, such as behind your computer desk, and you need to identify which cord belongs to which appliance.

The small plastic clips used to keep bread bags closed can be repurposed as cable labels. Simply grab a permanent marker and label the clip with the name of the appliance or gadget. Then, using the slit in the middle of the clip, attach it to the designated cord. This way, you can easily identify which appliance is plugged in at a glance.

You can also colour-code your system for even faster identification. Bread clips typically come in five different colours, each representing a different day of the week the bread was baked. For example, you could use red clips for cords you never want to unplug and green clips for cords you're okay with unplugging to make space for another appliance.

If you don't want to use bread clips, there are other cable labelling options available, such as heat-shrink sleeves, wrap-around cable labels, self-laminating labels, flags, and rigid tags. However, these options may require purchasing additional materials, whereas bread clips are a readily available and free option.

As a guitar pick

While the idea of carrying a bread clip in your wallet when travelling alone is mostly clickbait, there are some potential reasons to do so. One source suggests that a bread clip can be used as a guitar pick in a pinch. If you want to play your guitar while travelling but forgot to pack an extra guitar pick, you can use the corner of a bread clip to keep strumming.

You can also use a coin, an old memory card, or make homemade guitar picks by drawing out a pick shape on old credit cards and other pieces of plastic.

Other reasons to carry a bread clip in your wallet include using it as a clothespin while camping, a label for cables, a makeshift bookmark, a temporary zipper pull, or to fix a broken flip-flop.

To hold earphones when travelling

There are many reasons why you might want to keep a bread clip in your wallet when travelling alone, and one of the most useful is to keep your earphones tangle-free.

If you have earbud cords in your luggage or pocket, they can easily get in the way or become tangled. This is where a bread clip comes in handy. Simply wrap your earphone cords around the bread clip to keep them bound together. You can also attach a bread clip around the base of your earbuds as a DIY adjuster when working out. This will allow you to adjust the cord's length and prevent your earphones from bouncing around or falling off while jogging or running.

Additionally, bread clips can help you keep your earphones neat and tidy on your desk or computer, preventing them from cluttering up your workspace.

So, if you're hitting the road solo, consider tossing a bread clip into your wallet. It might just come in handy for keeping your earphones under control!

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