Surprising Uses for Cucumbers

It recently came to my attention that my life would be easier and less stressful if I carried a cucumber with me everywhere I go. Cucumbers can provide travelers with a quick fix for a number of common inconveniences, and I’ve compiled a cucumber travel guide below to give you more details. So, the next time you’re working on your travel gear list or thinking about what travel gear you need to buy when you land, don’t write off the cucumber!

1. Feeling tired? Cucumbers offer the perfect combination of B vitamins and carbohydrates to give you a natural afternoon lift that will last way longer than coffee, energy bars, or energy drinks. Plus, they’re way cheaper than a Starbucks latte (perfect for the frugal traveler).

2. Want to look hot in your bathing suit? If you’re going somewhere warm and know that you’ll be lounging by the pool or beach in your suit, rub a few cucumber slices along spots of cellulite on your skin to make the cellulite less visible. Cucumbers have a photochemical makeup that causes collagen in your skin to tighten, so it’s not only good for cellulite, but also for reducing eye puffiness and wrinkles. Forget luxury body creams; cucumbers are where it’s at for travel gear that’s sure to preserve your beauty while you’re on the go.

3. Sunburned? If you or your kids get scorched by the sun, rub some cucumber on the burn. It’s just as good as aloe and essential for any warm-weather traveler.

4. Party animal with a hangover? If that spring-break vacation, business meeting over cocktails, or carefree vacation lifestyle caused you to drink a little more than usual, grab a cucumber. If you eat just a few slices before going to bed, your hangover and headache will be gone in the morning! Why? The balance of sugar, B vitamins, and electrolytes in cucumbers replaces the nutrients your body lost and keeps you feeling good as new.

5. Snack attack? If a snack attack hits you in the afternoon and you’re still kicking yourself for consuming too many “I’m on vacation I can have another” desserts (or if you just want to satisfy your hunger because you’re on the go), cucumbers are the perfect solution. In fact, European trappers, traders, and explorers have used cukes for ages to fight off starvation.

6. Looking shabby on a business trip? Spiff up your shoes with a cucumber. Just rub a fresh slice over your shoe, and the chemicals will have the same effect as shoe polish and even repel water.

7. Bad breath? Fear not. If you place a cucumber slice against the roof of your mouth for thirty seconds, you can eliminate stinky breath instantly. Perfect after a meal on the go (can anyone say garlic?) for overnight travelers that wake up with plane breath. Gross.

8. Kids with crayons? Did your kids decide to decorate the hotel walls in crayon? Good thing you can erase the markings using the outside of a cucumber. Works well on pens and markers, too.