Pack With Me: Carry-On Essentials

Tomorrow I start my adventure where I’ll be on 6 flights within a 2.5 week span and have been mentally planning my packing process since a couple of weeks ago. Even though I despise packing, when people find out how much I travel, they always ask me these questions: 

“What are your carry on essentials?” 

“What’s the best way to pack?” 

“Do you have any packing tips?”

“What’s the best way to fold clothes?”

“How can I avoid checking a bag in?”

So, I decided to put another series together: Pack With Me! I’ll be sharing what I pack for different trips, how I pack, what travel items I’m loving, packing hacks, etc! I say ‘another’ since I started “L.A Locals Love..” where I introduce awesome places in and near Los Angeles – click here for the latest one!

Today I wanted to share with you the basic items that are in my carry-on 99.9% of the time whether I’m going to Chicago in December or Guam in August.

Bag:I’ve experimented with several bags but the conclusion that was reached is that backpacks are the best for traveling. I currently use the Herschel Supply Co. Little America Backpack. I swear by it because it’s light, roomy and has a built-in, padded laptop sleeve.

Electronics:I always carry my laptop, iPhone 6, headphones (Beats by Dr. Dre) and an external charger. The external charger I use is cheero Power Plus, how cute is it? It charges my iPhone completely, 4 times!

Toiletries: We can all agree that the airport is full of germs and that the airplane is super dry! That’s why I always carry a moisturizing lip balm, hand cream and sanitizer. I always end up feeling gross after the flight so I love having these pink grapefruit wipes to refresh my face, Colgate Wisps (a mini toothbrush) and a travel-size bottle of perfume to spritz as I exit. Something perhaps unique to me, is that I’m prone to migraines when I travel, so I always bring a pack of Tylenol.

Snacks:A Luna Bar (Lemon Zest is my favorite!) and some mints! There’s nothing more I hate than overpaying for a snack just because I’m at the airport. Pack your own!

Accessories: Glasses, sunglasses, neck pillow – all for obvious reasons. A cardigan/sweater is one of those “Mom’s always right” items! It gets so cold in planes! My Mom always forced me to bring a cardigan with me and now I appreciate it so much more than I did when I was going through teen angst.

Identification: Even if it’s a domestic flight, I always bring my passport. This comes from being a former airline employee. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people losing their identification during their trip – it’s always a good idea to carry more than one. Little known fact: TSA will let you get through without an identification but it takes hours since they have to conduct a verification of your identity.

What are some of your must-haves when packing your carry-on bag? Do you love the process of packing or dislike it like I do?

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Linking up with the lovely ladies over at Monday Escapes!