There is one item that I swear by whenever we are on the road.  The Sarong. We always bring 4 with us when traveling. Two for Dave and two for Me.  Why you ask? Well they are the most useful piece of clothing that you could possibly pack.

Here is a list to show you just how versatile a sarong can be and how you to can use a sarong in many different ways on your travels.

1. Sheets – Some Places don’t supply sheets believe it or not. And other places, well let’s just say that I would rather have something between me and the sheets.  Put two sarongs down on the mattress, voila, instant sheets.

2. Towel - You are traveling in a hot climate. Do you really need to bring a thick and heavy towel with you? Use a sarong instead, it works great to dry yourself off and it dries quickly.

3. Visit To Temples – Be prepared to visit any temple no matter what you are wearing. Always carry a sarong with you for a quick cover up. If you happen to be in shorts and spaghetti straps, you can use a sarong as a shawl to cover your shoulders or wrap it around your waste to cover your bare legs. It is very versatile.

4. Headscarf – in Countries that Require a lady to have her head covered, you don’t have to go out and buy a headscarf, use your sarong. If you have a neutral colour, it will look almost like the real deal. You will be showing respect for the culture without having to buy a new piece of clothing.

5. Use for Shower - If you are staying in a place with a shared shower, you don’t have to walk to the bathroom fully clothed, just wear your sarong.  You not only use it as a towel, but a robe as well.

6. Sunburn Protection – There have been times when my sunburn has been so bad, that I can’t get anything on. Sarongs are soft and comfortable and I can wear a couple of them as clothing until I heal. Twisting it around my neck turns it into a halter top and as usual, wrapping it around my waste to use it as a skirt. I can use another as a shawl to drape over my shoulders and I am instantly covered to visit temples.

7. Privacy - You may need this more than you think, but if you are ever in a place where you have to go to the bathroom in a public area, you can have your friend or loved one hold up the sarong to use as a wall to shield you while you are doing your business.  Or if you have to change in a not so private area, it can be used for the same thing.

8. Skirt – buy a sarong with a nice neutral pattern or better yet, one solid colour and you can wrap it around and wear it as a nice skirt for an evening out.

9.  Shawl – Nights can sometimes get a bit breezy in tropical climates, but you don’t want to be packing sweaters. Wear your Sarong as around your shoulders as a shawl. You will instantly warm yourself up in the night air. Or like I said earlier, use it to cover your bare shoulders when visiting a temple or to be more conservative.

10. Beach – Put a couple of sarongs down on the sand and you can lay comfortably on the beach. Give it a shake after use, and it is instantly clean.  What you just used as a beach towel is now your wardrobe back to your bungalow.

So there you have it. There are our many uses of this simple piece of fabric called a sarong.  This is why I make sure to bring sarongs with me whenever I go away. You can buy them at any market for cheap, cheap, cheap. I have several sarongs and I buy them wherever I go.  I use them for anything I can imagine and I am always finding new ways to use my beloved sarong.

Do you have some other uses? I would love to hear them.  How have you used a sarong on your travels?