A travel expert who flies 150,000 miles a year shares the one item he always packs, even though he's rarely used it

It's likely tucked distant in a drawer, stashed in your array or nightstand, below chargers, stray cords, and pieces of document you don't think you're expected to throw out but likely volition never need again.

You likely haven't idea concerning it since you put it there.

But Zach Griff's old phone is in his carry-on backpack.

Griff, a travel expert and author of the journey newsletter From the Tray Table, estimates that he flies an average of 150,000 miles a year. And for the former 11 years, he said, he's carried his former cellphone alongside him about the world.

Why you should continually journey alongside 2 phones

Your old phone won't obtain up much area in your carry-on, and if item happens to your current one, it may be the most crucial item you pack.

"Your phone is the one item you need to remain connected," Griff told Business Insider. "And the final item I need whenever I'm traveling is to try to discover a new phone."

Griff stated he came to this realization in 2015 during on a safari in the Serengeti alongside his wife, Jill. They were staying at a distant lodge whenever Jill cracked her phone and damaged the camera. In the existence of elephants, giraffes, and lions, Jill couldn't break a sole picture.

Right concerning now, you may be thinking, "Why not fair bring a camera?" I say go for it, but it won't fit as effortlessly in your carry-on. And it won't assistance you if your phone gets misplaced or breaks.

"That was the period whenever I was like, 'From now on, I'm bringing a spare phone all sole time,'" Griff stated concerning the safari trip.

In complete a decade of travel, Griff has lone used his backup phone as a replacement once.

"We were in Paris, and I was strolling near the Eiffel Tower, taking pictures at among the overlooks," Griff said. "It was so crowded, I was concerned concerning pickpockets, so I was fumbling things around, and afterward it happened."

While attempting to glide it rear in his pocket, Griff dropped his phone on the ground. A expert ran throughout the top of the screen, disabling Face ID, but the phone was alternatively functioning fair fine, he said. He decided to toggle to the backup phone anyhow to create the remainder of his trip easier.

So far, Griff hasn't needed his backup phone to keep communication during traveling. But if he always does, he won't remain detached for long.