My $17 portable clothesline saved me over $200 in laundry fees across Europe

I was backpacking through Italy for 3 weeks and hit 9 different cities. Hotels and hostels were charging like 5-8 euros just to wash a few pairs of socks and underwear (which adds up fast). So I grabbed this cheap retractable clothesline from a camping store before I left, it was only 17 bucks. I just hang it across the shower rod or between two trees at a campsite and hand wash stuff in the sink with bar soap. Has anyone else found a random cheap item that ended up saving them a ton of money on the road?

2 comments

2 Comments

margareto261mo ago

My travel buddy Sarah swore by one of those flat pack hangers that folds down into a little square. She hung her damp shirt in a hostel in Rome and it fell off, landed in some random dudes spaghetti dinner. He was not happy lol. Still, that clothesline is genius, I spent way too much on laundry just tossing stuff in a sink and hoping it dries by morning.

rowan9691mo ago

My buddy Dave bought one of those tiny travel drying racks in Barcelona. He hung his swim trunks off it in a hostel bathroom and some guy walked in, tripped on the cord, and snapped the whole thing in half. So at least you didn't have that happen.