Conquering the Carry-On
For the last 30 + long haul flights I’ve prioritized the organization and musts for my carry-on bag. You need to include everything for your comfort and care, especially for those super-long flights but, you need to keep it compact and manageable.
Wheels are the way! A small, wheeled carry on will allow you to walk around the airport more easily than one that you hang on your shoulder or hand carry. You can also piggyback a backpack or purse on the handle for a better solution to your bags. There are a few airlines around the world that don’t have sufficient overhead bin space, think PNG and Little Cayman flights, for roller bags but they are few and far between. Inside the roller bag I use items to keep my “in flight” access organized.
A diaper bag???
Most airlines will allow travelers a carry-on bag plus a personal item (backpack or purse). I highly recommend a diaper bag for your personal carry-on item as it has so many pockets, interior and exterior, and some even have containers for wet wipes. Exterior pockets hold water bottles and sunglass cases while inner pockets are good for medications, reading glasses, passport, etc. I keep anti-bacterial wipes in the diaper wipe container and use the changing pad as a clean surface in the bathroom, for the sink area, when I change my clothes mid-flight.
After clearing the TSA check point take a moment and repack your carry-on bag. At that point your liquid items, and everything else in your carry-on, can be organized into categories and placed into Ziploc bags or other specialty cases. If you are not using a see through bag, consider small colorful or different texture organizers. In a dark cabin midway over the Pacific, you don’t want to be trying something in your large tote. Use brightly colored bags for each category…like medication in a red bag, eye drops or moisturizer in a burlap or fabric case.
Here are my essentials and their categories for packing on long flights (anything over 4 hours)
Medications – cold medicine, eye drops, prescriptions, miniature sized Kleenex, Afrin
Bedtime – make up remover, moisturizer, eye mask, contact lens case if you wear contacts.
Before landing – toothbrush/toothpaste, hairbrush
Change of clothes – lightweight & comfortable lounge wear to sleep in…sweats, yoga pants, etc
My carry-on always includes…
Passport and travel documents
Wallet with cash (USD and local although I usually get local when I arrive) and credit cards.
Change of clothes (warm/comfortable, many airlines don’t have blankets and cabins are COLD and comfortable for sleeping). Sometimes it’s nice to have a change of clothes for your arrival in the tropics, especially if it’s a different climate than when you departed.
Medication (if prescription keep it in the originally filled bottle from the pharmacy)
iPad or Kindle (plus the plugs to charge them)
Water bottle so you can refill it in flight and use during the trip.
Toothbrush and toothpaste, the ones the airlines supply aren’t great.
Hairbrush, collapsible is preferred.
Baseball cap or straw hat
Compression socks or yoga pants
Snack (store packaging, not fresh fruit or homemade)
Scarf or blanket (an oversized scarf can double as a blanket on the plane)
Mask and antibacterial wipes
Bon Voyage!!!!