I was recently reminded of this when watching an episode of this season's Amazing Race. One of the teams crashed their car into a curb, damaging the front end and wheel area. A panel was rubbing against the wheel, making the car's road worthiness questionable. Then the father on team remembered the item that his wife had insisted they pack: duct tape. They used it to fix the panel and were back on the road in no time.

Duct tape can find many other uses when traveling. I've used it to keep the curtains held together in hotel rooms, blocking out the bright street lights outside; to tape down a rattling air conditioning unit; and to secure small items together in a piece of paper.

What's your must-pack item for traveling?