Figuring out what to pack in your carry-on luggage is not always an easy task. Now that I have been slowly increasing the number of flights that I’ve been on, and I’ve come to realize what I deem essential to have a relaxing flight! On trips I often pack light and prefer to travel with only a carry-on, which is seen below when Ru and I had a month long travel trip to Europe. I hope you find this list of “must-haves” helpful as you begin to pack your carry-on luggage!
1. Toiletry Travel Bottles
If you are anything like me, you always want to travel prepared with some basic hygienic necessities. Purchasing travel bottles is a great way to do just that and it’s really easy and cheap (yahoo!). Although you can purchase plastic travel bottles at the dollar store, I have found that they will crack after a short period of time, and thus I have switched to rubber travel bottles for long-term use! They are awesome because they can be reused again and again without the wear and tear of the traditional travel bottles.
Extra Tip 1: Please note that as these bottles are in your carry on, they must be put in a small plastic see-through bag, and the bottles can only be up to 100ml in volume. When you go through airport security, you must take the bag out of your main carry-on luggage and placed in one of the bins!
Extra Tip 2: If you commonly use conditioner, be sure to fill up one of your travel bottles with it! Many hotels/hostels only give you shampoo and body wash, so this has come in really handy for me!
2. Jacket On Board!
I find that when I travel on airlines, I often feel chilly. Bringing your jacket on board with you is a great option to ensure that you’ll stay warm! On long haul flights you’ll likely be given a pillow and a blanket to use, however on some short haul flights the airline usually doesn’t provide these items. On one particular chilly short haul flight I asked the flight attendant for a blanket, but unfortunately they were out! Since then, my jacket comes on board with me!
3. Packing Cubes
These have forever changed the way I pack my carry on. This are so versatile and can be used for anything! An easy way to stay organized and reach different items in a hurry!
4. Extra Clothing
Bringing 1-2 days clothes in your carry-on is always a good idea! The first reason for that is because in the event that your checked luggage gets lost, you’ll still have some clothes to work with while you wait for the arrival of your belongings. This unfortunate scenario has happened to friends of mine and luckily they had been prepared for this incident as they had extra clothes in their carry on! Another reason for taking extra clothes with you is to have a clean set to change into if you have a long layover! During a recent layover I was able to book a airport hotel room for a short time. It was great to have a quick shower, change of clothes, and rest before catching my next flight!
5. Buying Groceries Before Your Flight
Buying snacks prior to heading to the airport is a great way to save a few $$. In the past, after walking through security I would usually grab a bit while waiting for my flight. You can bring your own food from outside (obviously food that is appropriate to fly to a new country with) and take it through security. Food at the airport is often overpriced, and so I’ve started buying snacks ahead of time, and instead, ate this food while I wait for my flight to arrive.
6. Food Bag
Going along with this food theme, I recently purchased a small compact backpack to cart around my snacks in. I paid 2 Euro for this bag at my new favourite store called “Decathlon”. It’s awesome as it folds into itself when you no longer need it and weighs next to nothing! Overall I find it to be super handy and you can really use it for anything!
7. Empty Water bottle
Although its common knowledge that you can’t take a full water bottle through airport security, you can certainly take an empty one! Once you are through security, head to a restaurant or fountain and fill up your water bottle for free!
8. TV/Movie Download
Did you know that some TV/Movie apps have the ability to download shows? I use Netflix, and on this app you have the ability to pre-download many TV series and movies! Not all titles have the ability to be downloaded, but many do! This has been a great way to stay occupied on the flight! Before travelling I download new many TV series that I haven’t binge watched yet, and some old favourite flicks as well! During the flight after takeoff, you have the ability to pull down your tray. I usually set up my iPad on the tray and watch away! On long haul flights you’ll usually have a mini TV in front for you to watch something, however on low-cost carriers for short-haul flights they don’t have the screens.
9. Earphone Splitter
Travelling with a friend? Having an earphone splitter has been my go-to! It is awesome that my partner and I can listen and watch the same thing at once! Best of all, the earphone splitter can be found at the dollar store!
10. Pen
A simple yet important thing to keep handy in your carry on! By having a pen with you, you’ll be able to fill out your customs forms on the plane and not have to waste time in the airport filling them out on arrival! And of course, for those times you just want to play good ol’ game of tic tac toe.
BONUS
I always struggle with keeping my cables organized, and now that I document my travels regularly, I bring plenty of adapters and cables for all of my equipment. Having the Grid-it helped me save time of trying to locate these items quickly, and it is a great tool to have everything organized in one place.
I hope that these Carry-on Essentials are useful for you next flight! Drop a line in the comments and let me know if you have any other essentials that you use to prepare for your next flight!
