As you might know from our travelling post, we both really like to travel and have visited several places so far. And normally we travel three or four times per year by plane. So we would like to show you what we think are essentials to have in your carry-on luggage.
Phone
A phone is just always a good thing to have. What if the plane crashes and you have to call someone to tell them you love them? Also, you can play stupid apps, listen to music or prepare texts and emails on it. It is just a good thing to make time pass.
Laptop/iPad
We both always take our laptops and/or iPad on the plane. We like to use all this spare time to work for school or blog a little. Also, we find watching films on the laptop way more convenient that on the phone and they often have a better quality than the movies on the plane.
Charger
Especially for long flights this is a must. Most airplanes nowadays have at least USB-outlets to charge either iPad or phones.
Socks and scarfs
We often get cold on flights, especially when you have been on the plane for a long time, have not eaten a lot or only strange food and your circulation just crashes. So we like to take warm socks and huge scarfs that can be used as blankets on the plane. And they make you feel way more comfortable and cosy.
Book/eReader
One of the best ways to make time pass faster on the plane is to read a good book (often we take our eReaders because it is handier for travelling). We always carry a book with us since we both love to read. To see our favourite books, check out our post about books.
Pencil and paper
I (Caroline) really like to draw (not that I’m any good at it, but that’s not the point), so I always take paper and a pencil on long flights. Sometimes when I am too tired to read and all the films bore me, listening to music and drawing is a great way to spend time. Also real paper is great for quick to-do-lists etc.
Appropriate clothing to change into when you arrive at your destination
When we travel somewhere, where the temperature is completely different from Switzerland we like to bring some appropriate clothing that we can change into when we arrive at our destination. This can be a jumper and scarf or shorts and a T-shirt. For example, when I (Caroline) go to Florida in December I usually pack some shorts in my carry on luggage. Because in Florida it is just 30 degrees warmer than here in Switzerland.
Sleeping mask
On long flights it is so nice if you can sleep. You won’t be too tired at the arrival and time passes so fast. To be sure that I (Helena) can sleep, I usually take a sleeping mask with me. Just in case the person next to me wants to read or needs light and it disturbs me. I really like this one because it is cute and not one of those terrible sleeping masks from the airplanes that start to smell really quickly. With this one you also get a cooling gel in a plastic thing that can be put in the sleeping mask. This gel feels really cooling on your eyes and helps against swollen eyes and under eyes.
Small bag for everything
We both always have a small pouch in our bags and love it because just everything that is small is in there, so we don’t lose them in our bags. All the liquid items are put in a transparent pouch (as it is not allowed otherwise) and we put the rest into our normal small bags. In there are several important things:
Some beauty stuff
I (Helena) know that you should not wear makeup during flights. But I am too lazy to take it off and put it on again, so I just let it on. In the transparent small bag I just take concealer and a mascara. Another important thing is deodorant. I often don’t feel very fresh on the plane and like to apply some deodorant to feel better (we forgot it on the photo).
Antibacterial gel
I (Caroline) always carry an antibacterial gel with me. I often want to clean my hands. And when there is no bathroom, near this is great. On planes I often feel a bit gross so I like to disinfect my hands even more than normally and the antibacterial gel makes me feel cleaner and fresher. This one also needs to be in the transparent one.
Lip balm/ Hand lotion
The air on planes is so dry and our lips and hands get easily chapped and dry so I (Helena) always have a lip balm and hand lotion in my bag, especially when travelling. In winter it’s even worse and I panic if I can’t find my lip balm and hand lotion anymore.
I (Caroline) am not very fond of lip balms, I prefer Bepanthen Salve (see the winter favourites post), because I think that lip balms don’t help and I am convinced that Bepanthen Salve always helps. We like to put this in transparent bag too, because we don’t know as it is counted as a liquid.
Chewing gum
We both often have problems with the quick change of air pressure during take-off and landing. And chewing gum always helps. It is also not pleasant to not brush your teeth for up to 14 hours. I (Helena) also get a strange feeling in my mouth on airplanes so I just need chewing gums on planes (in fact I always have some in my bag).
Headphones (if possible with airplane adapter)
There are often headphones on planes, but they are not comfortable and the sound quality is not that good. So we like to take our personal headphones and if possible some that have an airplane adapter since you can also use them to watch movies. We carry them in this small pouch because they always tangle and we hate that…
Hairbands and a brush
We both always lose our hairbands and like to have some in our bags when travelling. An dee also always have a brush in our bags.
Tissues
I (Helena) always have a running nose in winter so tissues are a must. I am always scared to lose them so I will have some in my bag, suitcases and even in my jacket pockets. I hate the feeling of a running nose and not having tissues is not very pleasant.
Wallet and passport
Of course you will need your wallet with your passport. Without them travelling will be difficult… In your wallet, you will need money (often in a different currency too) as well as a credit card and your boarding pass. Those are the most important things, but depending on your situation you might need a train card, gift cards or other stuff like that. Another very important item is your passport. We think it is quite clear why you will need this.
Food
Most of us don’t like airplane food so some cereal bars are a must. They give you some energy and are delicious. To know which ones we like check out our winter favourites.
Clothing
I (Caroline) like to wear comfortable clothes on planes especially on long-haul flights. Usually I go for a warm hoodie, leggings and trainers. Since this is warm enough (it is often quite chilly on planes) and still more appropriate than wearing joggers. I (Helena) don’t like to wear leggings in public so I often take them in my bag and as soon as I get on the plane, I will go to the bathroom and change into joggers. I don’t like wearing them outside planes in public places so I will again change into my normal clothes just before arriving at the destination.
We hope you enjoyed reading this post and maybe we could show you an essential you hadn’t thought of before :).
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