7 alternative uses for a selfie stick

From Time magazine’s ‘Gadget of the Year’ in 2014 to international pariah in 2015, it seems the world is turning against the selfie stick. You can’t use one in Paris’s Palace of Versailles, the National Gallery in London, any of the Smithsonians in the USA, or anywhere at all in South Korea. And the list of places where selfie sticks are banned is growing longer every day.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of other things travellers can use their selfie sticks for. With due care and caution, of course.

Not only can you fight off would-be assailants with a selfie-stick, you can also take a photo of the offender to show the police after. Be warned, a selfie stick should only be used as a weapon in self defence. Authorities will not look kindly upon people who use them to ward off persistent salesmen and traffic wardens.

Perhaps the most obvious alternative use for a selfie stick, with the telescopic arm allowing you to adjust it to the perfect length. Just make sure to disable the Bluetooth connection before setting off on your hike otherwise you’ll activate every Bluetooth-enabled device within 5 metres each time the stick hits the ground.

Looking for somewhere to hang the socks you just washed in your hotel bathroom’s sink? Use a selfie stick. Again, the telescopic arm will allow you to adjust the length to stretch perfectly between the walls of your shower.

Unless you’re staying in a Presidential Suite, of course. But then why would you be washing your own smalls in the sink?

Not sure if that local dog skulking around your table has rabies? Or that cute-looking raccoon has acquired a taste for human fingers? Simply attach your animal snack of choice to the end of your selfie stick and pass it directly to the hungry beast in front of you, keeping yourself, and your fingers, out of the way.

Remember, no selfie stick is long enough to feed the lions you see on safari.

Don’t you hate it when you’re staying in a hostel and a couple of your fellow dormmates decide that 3am on a Sunday morning is the perfect time – and place – to consummate a love that began a few hours before? A fully-extended selfie stick allows you to prod the offending couple apart without leaving your bed – and without becoming intimately involved.

Why buy a single-purpose knee protector when, with a little imagination, your selfie stick can stop the person in front of you reclining their seat just as well?

Simply extend the selfie stick from the headrest of your seat to the back of the chair in front of you, and – hey presto! – the seat can not be reclined. Sure, the passengers sitting next to you will have to limbo under the selfie stick to get out, but at least you’ll retain your personal space.

Telescoped into place at shin-height across a doorway, or simply rested precariously atop a door, a selfie stick not only acts as a hindrance to any thief trying to break into your hotel room, it can deliver swift and painful retribution as well. Just remember to disarm it before you attempt to use the same doorway.

Can you think of any other uses for a selfie stick? Tell us in the comments below. And remember, keep it clean!

Main image: Backpackers using a selfie stick (Shutterstock)