Louisiana Travel Tip – Put a crayon in your wallet. Here’s why

Tourism is big business in Louisiana. Millions of visitors come to Lake Charles and Shreveport each year for the casinos. They travel to Lafayette for the food. They come to New Orleans for the nightlife and crime statistics, and who but anyone else could pass up a visit to Alexandria?

Okay, we’re just making fun of CenLa and “Alex,” but Louisiana not only loves being a place that welcomes travelers, we also love getting out and exploring ourselves. With all that traveling comes experience and, to be honest, a travel tip that I neither believed nor wanted to believe. But apparently the whole crayon thing is real.

As humans, we’re fans of unique situations. That’s why we tune in to watch guys jump motorcycles over canyons, unknown singers wow the nation with their talent, or chubby yet incredibly talented guys slide rocks across ice to win a gold medal at the Olympics. We like to see people deviate as far from the norm as possible.

And you have to admit, based on the title of this article alone, that’s nowhere near what the vast majority of you would consider the “norm.” “Why would you put a crayon in your wallet?” isn’t the kind of question most of us ask our friends and family on a daily basis. Or even ask the question at all.

Believe it or not, after researching the answer to this question, I can tell you that there are two very valid reasons why you should actually consider this “unique” behavior. One of those reasons is a matter of composure, sanity, and peace of mind. The other reason could literally save the life of a child you’ve never even met before.

Where did you discover this travel tip?

Oddly enough, this “hack” was featured in an advertisement for travel goods and accessories. When I first read this tip, I thought it was a joke, a scam, or worse, an invitation to some shady side of the internet. But no, unlike the water bottle tied to your tires or the stuffed animal in your bathing suit, this somewhat questionable travel tip turned out to be unique. As for the other two stories, you can read them on Snopes if you need to.

What is the actual tip or hack?

The wording for the hack that I found on Distractify, a website that collects and investigates tips and stories like this one, describes the hack like this. It’s a good idea to put a crayon in your wallet every time you travel. The article on Distractify also mentions that you should wrap the crayon in a piece of paper. The reason for this will become clear in a moment.

Tell me about the serenity that comes from carrying a colored pencil in my wallet.

If you’ve ever traveled with a bored child, you know all about it. A crayon and a blank sheet of paper can provide hours of entertainment for that child. A busy child is a quiet child, and a quiet child is the only kind of child that should be allowed on a plane. If you only have to use the trick once for this reason, it’s already paid for itself.

But wait, there’s more

I mentioned a safety aspect of this tip and this one also has to do with children. As many of you know, there are countless children and young adults who are held against their will or feel in danger, yet they have no way to ask for help and are at risk of coming into conflict with their captor.

But why a colored pencil?

People give crayons to children all the time. You know, in restaurants, at fairs, and at dentists’ offices. So it wouldn’t be a cause for alarm if a random adult gave a child a crayon to play with.

On the piece of paper wrapped around the crayon, the child can write a note or simply the word “HELP.” Oh, and one more thing about crayons: They write all the time. Unlike a pencil, which can break the lead, or a ballpoint pen, which can dry out or require a lot of manual work to get the ink to flow, a crayon leaves a mark, even if it’s just a small blob.

But wait, there’s another reason to carry a colored pencil in your wallet

The crayon can help prevent your credit cards and business cards from taking the shape of your wallet. Remember that even though crayons are made of wax, they are still pretty rigid. They are also about the same length as a credit card. If you have ever had to deal with a warped plastic card that won’t fit into a card reader, then you know this trick is for you. Simply insert the paper-wrapped crayon into the card slot of your wallet. This will keep your cards straight and rigid

Now it’s up to you

If you were asked, “Do you think it’s a good idea to put a crayon in your wallet when traveling?”, what would you say? I already have my crayon with me and I’m ready to get on the bus. I have my crayon with me because I tend to attract noisy children on long flights. So I would say this is a tip that I can personally attest to being just weird enough to work.