Vagarious Wanderer contains affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
On Monday I asked you all what you wanted to see on the blog over the next few weeks. First of all, thank you so much to everyone that responded! I won’t lie, I was pretty convinced no one would…Second, I was shocked at how many of you requested travel related things! Does that mean we’re all starting to pass the depressing and slightly dramatic We’ll-Never-Be-Able-To-Travel-Again Phase and starting to enter the Dusting-Off-My-Passport Phase???
First up from your requests: My travel bag essentials.
My carry-on has been packed the same way for every trip for about 6 years now, and I truly consider it an art form at this point. I love flying in general, but I only fly coach/economy and the quality of those seats can vary greatly from one airline to the next. Because of this, I’ve perfected what goes into my carry-on to ensure that I am comfortable and adequately entertained no matter what flight I am on.
Let me start off by defining what a carry-on bag is. For the sake of this article, a carry-on is the bag that goes under the seat in front of me. For trips that are 7 days or less I try to only travel with that and one carry-on sized suitcase in the overhead, but how to pack for an entire trip with only carry-on luggage is a post for another day.
I pack a lot into this seemingly little bag. I wasn’t kidding when I said it was an art! So, to help you out, I’ve also included a video of how I fit everything into a carry-on bag.
What Carry-On Bag Do I Use
I recently upgraded to a “real” carry-on bag when I purchased The Everywhere Bag by Away Luggage. It’s pretty pricey, ranging from $195 for the nylon version up to $325 for the limited edition leather versions, but I was feeling bougie and decided to buy it for myself for Christmas. I’ve only been able to use it a couple times at this point, but so far no regrets!
Prior to splurging, I used my Kate Spade Call to Action Terry Tote. This baby went with me on every single flight, cruise, and road trip from the time I was 17 up to this past January. It honestly broke my heart a little bit to retire it!
I don’t think they make this exact style tote anymore, but there are plenty of great alternatives! I tend to look for bags made of canvas because I think they hold up really well and have just enough stretch to give you a little bit more space when you’re trying to squeeze in one more item that you almost left home without.
- Vineyard Vines makes really durable totes that have a clean and classic look to them. I love their Scalloped Edge Vineyard Tote that is about the same size as my Kate Spade tote.
- Another classic option is the Boat and Tote by LL Bean. I love that these come in a variety of colors that never go out of style and you can choose an extra long strap or get it monogrammed if you want some extra personalization. These are already pretty cheap, ranging from $34.95 to $49.95, but if you’re always looking for a deal (like me) see if there is an LL Bean Outlet Store near you. I see these at my local outlet store all the time! In terms of what size Boat and Tote bag to get, I would say the large makes the perfect carry-on size.
Boring, But Necessary Things I Always Have In My Carry-On
I started becoming a bit of a germaphobe when it came to planes about five years ago when the amount of time I spent in the air significantly increased. I noticed that the more time I spent on planes, the more frequently I got sick. If you’ve ever watched an episode of the Today Show or Good Morning America, then you probably know that planes are basically tin cans in the sky filled with germs so this should be no surprise.
So what did I do to help prevent myself from getting sick?
I started carrying around the following items:
- Clorox Wipes
- I wipe down everything before I even sit down, literally everything, and I do it in the following order:
- First up, the seat. Wipe down everything from where your butt will be planted for the next few hours, to the head rest, to all sides of both armrests.
- Next, I wipe down the entire seat belt. I will not touch that thing with my bare hands until I have fully scrubbed it.
- Third depends on whether or not the window is already open. I’m a window-seat kinda gal and love nothing more than having it open throughout the entire flight. If it is closed when I reach my seat, I wipe down the window and the entire wall because I tend to rest my head against it. If it is open, I wipe down the air vents first. You never know what those things are blowing out at you, so it’s best to get it wiped down pretty quickly.
- After I’ve wiped down both the wall and air vents, I wipe down the fold down table and the screen in front of me (if there is one). Every knob, button, indentation for your drink…get it all.
- I realize this may sound a little crazy, but I hate coming back from a trip sick so I’ll do whatever I can to avoid it.
- I wipe down everything before I even sit down, literally everything, and I do it in the following order:
- Hand Sanitizer – by the time this carry-on packing list can be put to use, we will all be living in a post-coronavirus world. Please tell me I don’t need to tell you why you should have hand sanitizer with you…
- Zinc Tablets
- People swear by Vitamin C tablets to support your immune system. That’s all fine and dandy, but as someone who went to school for nutrition and kinesiology, I am here to tell you to swap that Vitamin C for Zinc.
Science Lesson: Yes, Vitamin C does support your immune system, but your body can only absorb so much, and once it has had enough it will release any extra through your urine. It is just not capable of storing over a certain amount. Zinc, on the other hand, is a powerhouse of an immune supporter. I take it daily leading up to trips and continue taking it daily throughout the duration. If I forget to take it towards the end of my trip, I almost always end up sick by the time I’m home.
- People swear by Vitamin C tablets to support your immune system. That’s all fine and dandy, but as someone who went to school for nutrition and kinesiology, I am here to tell you to swap that Vitamin C for Zinc.
- Vitamins or any medication – The last thing you want to happen is to have your meds in your checked luggage and then have your luggage get lost. Do yourself a favor and just pack your meds or your vitamins in your carry-on. It’s a lot less stressful knowing where they are at all times, and if you get motion sickness or anxious while flying you’ll want to have the medication you need close by.
Toiletries
Depending on the length of my trip and where I’m going, sometimes the toiletries in my carry-on fluctuate a bit between all of them and just a handful of essentials. The following are what I have in my carry-on on every single trip, no matter what:
- Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask
- The recycled air in planes will zap your skin of any moisture, so as soon as I’m situated I throw on this mask. It comes in a tube, and a little goes a long way, but it is super moisturizing! If my flight is over six hours I’ll even reapply it a couple hours before landing. It just helps me feel refreshed, and you can leave it on without people looking at you like you’re an alien because it absorbs into your skin and doesn’t need to be rinsed off.
- Deodorant – Because who wants to risk being smelly for the duration of your trip?
- Reef-safe sunscreen
- I’ll be honest, I’m not the best at wearing sunscreen daily. But, if I’m going somewhere warm or if I know I’ll be outside for an extended period of time, I always pack my sunscreen in my carry-on because you can’t always find reef-safe sunscreen. (If you want to read more about why you should only be using reef-safe sunscreen, you can check out the post I did about it here.)
- Shampoo Bar – Okay, okay…there are two reasons why I bring a shampoo bar specifically. The first reason is that it is significantly better for the environment by being plastic free! But the second reason is because I like to reserve my liquid limit for something a little more fun…like nips. Hey man, liquor can be expensive in some places!
Comfy Things
- Neck Pillow
- I personally use this J Pillow because it is designed specifically for people who sleep with their head tilted to the side or against the window (aka moi). Prior to the J Pillow I used this one because I loved how it was able to roll up into its little bag.
- Hot Tip: This list seems like an awful lot of stuff to fit into a single bag, and we’re not even all the way through it yet. When looking for a neck pillow, find one that comes in a carrying bag that you can attach to the outside of your carry-on bag! It saves you space and you don’t have to look like a groggy teenager walking around with it around your neck at all times.
- Another great alternative, that I somehow have not purchased yet, is the Sleeper Scarf. This is an infinity scarf that has a neck pillow built in for you to blow up when you’re ready to use it. Stylish, practical, and a great way to save space!
- Blanket Scarf
- The name says it all! Use this as a blanket or a scarf! Or, if I don’t need the extra warmth, sometimes I roll it up to use as a lumbar pillow (shoutout to 20 years of dance that have given me the lower back and hip pain of an 80 year old!) It doesn’t matter where in the world I’m going, I always have a blanket scarf with me!
- Socks
- For short flights, I always bring a pair of fuzzy socks (but I’m almostttt ready to pull the plug and invest in a cashmere pair…) For long flights, I still bring my fuzzy socks, but I also bring a pair of compression socks to help with circulation and prevent my ankles from swelling.
- Extra Sweatshirt or Sweater
- This serves two purposes:
1.) If the plane is particularly cold, I have an extra layer to throw on.
2.) If my checked luggage gets lost, I have an extra layer to make it look like I have at least two outfits with me instead of just the one I wore on the plane.
- This serves two purposes:
- Eye Mask – This is for when you’re desperate for a nap but the person next to you or in front of you wants to continue reading with their light on. I have the Sleeper Mask (by the same company that makes the Sleeper Scarf) and I’m obsessed with it! It’s super soft and has an equal width all the way around to prevent any light from getting in. Depending on how you position it, it can also block out some extra noise if you put it around your ears.
Electronics
- Ipad (or if I’m going on a work trip I’ll substitute this with my laptop, but I very rarely bring both)
- Camera + any extra lenses, batteries, or other accessories.
- My camera is basically my baby and I would be devastated if anything ever happened to it!
- Spider Tripod
- Not technically an electronic, and it’s technically a camera accessory, but I felt it deserved its own mention because my spider tripod comes with me everywhere. My regular tripod is too big to fit in my carry-on, and sometimes I just don’t feel like lugging it around. That’s where Spidey comes in. This little guy has bendy legs that can wrap around a fence/sign/whatever and hold your camera steady. It is also small enough to fit into the water bottle pocket on the side of a backpack. You can normally find one pretty cheap and I highly recommend picking one up before your next trip, even if you don’t have a fancy camera. Some come with attachments that will hold your phone, or you can always buy the attachment separately.
- Portable Battery (fully charged)
- There’s nothing worse than getting to your destination and not being able to call an Uber because you used your phone the entire flight to re-watch The Office for the millionth time and now the battery is dead. Don’t let that happen to you. Invest in a quality portable battery!
- TravelWifi
- This little gadget is my latest and greatest investment! Rather than buying a new SIM card every time you get to a new country, this little device will give you wifi almost anywhere in the world! The first time I ever used it was when I took my trip to the Baltics, and I’m pretty sure I would still be stuck in Finland if I hadn’t had it. As soon as I got back I ordered one. My favorite thing about TravelWifi is that you don’t actually need to buy it. If you only travel out of the country occasionally, you can rent it for the duration of your trip!
- Noise-Cancelling Headphones
- People swear by the Bose noise-cancelling headphones, but I’m too cheap to put out hundreds on something I’ve never tried before. Instead I bought a pair for about $45 on Amazon, and I love them! Noise has never really been a huge issue for me on planes, but when you’re desperate to get some solid sleep on your redeye or the baby two rows up won’t stop screaming, you’re going to want to have a pair of these handy.
- Charging cables for everything – Don’t forget!
- Plug Adaptor (if you’re leaving the country)
Entertainment + Other Necessities
- Book – I always have at least one book with me, as well as multiple books loaded into my Kindle account so I can read on my iPad when I inevitably finish the book I brought.
- Travel Journal
- Pens – I weirdly only write in purple ink when I travel. I don’t know why, or how it happened, but I have to have purple pens with me.
- Bathing Suit – If I’m going somewhere warm or I think I’ll be in the water at some point
- Extra Underwear – If you don’t pack your entire underwear drawer for a 5 day trip, I’m not sure we can be friends. Do I often pee my pants on vacation? No. Will I if I don’t over-prepare and bring 933856239 pairs? Honestly, at this point…probably.
- Sunglasses
- Passport + your wallet
- Some words of advice on these two things:
- Always have copies of your passport tucked into various places. I usually bring about five copies and normally have one stuck in my shoe so I always know where it is.
- When it comes to cash, I would recommend carrying both the currency of the country you’re going to and some from your own home country. I always order currency from my bank because it is free and is based off the most current exchange rate, but if your bank doesn’t offer that then don’t use the exchange counter at the airport unless you absolutely have to! You will get the most current exchange rate by using an ATM.
- But, on the ATM note, try not to use one of the ones that is on a street on the side of a building. Those are the ones that are most likely to have been tampered with.
- Some words of advice on these two things:
- Reusable water bottle – Because Mother Earth is awesome and we should all do our part to reduce our use of single-use plastic.
- Protein bars
- I get hungry at weird times. Sometimes I get hungry in between the snack runs on planes. I’ve also been to countries where nothing is open before 8am and there I am at 7am gnawing off my finger because I’m starving and don’t have anything to eat. Save yourself the headache, pack a few protein bars, and thank me later when you’re lost on a mountain.
Free Downloadable Packing Checklist
Vagarious Wanderer is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Bisa says
I love your list. I probably wouldn’t forget to bring so many things when I travel if I had dedicated carryon back.
JZollo says
Thanks, Bisa! I try to leave to have as many “travel versions” of things as possible so I can just leave them in my bag at all times. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve forgotten deodorant or a toothbrush!