In a poll hosted on the flight search engine’s site, “a good book” received 24% of the vote, followed by an MP3 player with 22%, perfume or deodorant with 14% and a laptop or PDA with 10%. Other items voted in were magazines, earplugs, a mobile phone, camera, insect repellent and even hair straighteners. In the era of the iPod, the result may come as a surprise, but despite the rise in popularity of new electronic gadgetry, it seems that one of the oldest forms of entertainment remains the best.

Rob Innes, head of marketing, commented: “The humble paperback is the ultimate travel accessory. It’s a low cost, no-tech form of entertainment that you can take anywhere – from the beach to the bar. You don’t need to worry about books getting lost, stolen or damaged, or that your battery will die mid-flight.

“Books can also be exchanged with fellow travellers giving you some entertainment currency. iPods and laptops are great for music and films but their high value means they can also be more of a burden when travelling” added Innes.

In future more travellers may begin to adopt E-book readers - electronic reading devices such as Amazon’s Kindle or the Sony Reader - which can store hundreds of books at once, although their high value produces the same issues for travellers as any other expensive electronic device.

Skyscanner’s staff recently compiled a list of their most essential travel items, which included hair straighteners, hoodies and oversized headphones.