A travel expert who flies 150,000 miles a year shares the one item he always packs, even though he's rarely used it

Flight expert Zach Griff shares why he always brings an extra phone in his carry-on backpack.

Courtesy of Zach Griff, Jaromir/Getty Images What would you do if you lost your phone on a trip abroad? It might never happen.

It's never happened to Zach Griff.

But if it ever does, he'll be prepared.

It's probably tucked away in a drawer, stashed in your desk or nightstand, beneath chargers, stray cords, and pieces of paper you don't think you're supposed to throw out but probably will never need again.

You probably haven't thought about it since you put it there.

But Zach Griff's old phone is in his carry-on backpack .

Griff, a travel expert and author of the travel newsletter From the Tray Table, estimates that he flies an average of 150,000 miles a year.

And for the past 11 years, he said, he's carried his retired cellphone with him around the world.

Why you should always travel with 2 phones When you upgrade your phone, put the old one in your backpack, Griff says.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider Your old phone won't take up much space in your carry-on, and if something happens to your current one, it may be the most important item you pack.

"Your phone is the one thing you need to stay connected," Griff told Business Insider.

"And the last thing I need when I'm traveling is to try to find a new phone." Griff said he came to this realization in 2015 while on a safari in the Serengeti with his wife, Jill.

They were staying at a remote lodge when Jill cracked her phone and damaged the camera.