I always carry a back pack as my personal item. It can double as a day pack during the trip and can comfortably fit underneath the seat in front of me (and acts as my foot rest since I have such short legs). It leaves my hands free to roll my carry on, drink my water, or look at my phone. It distributes the weight so I don’t end up with sore shoulders. I have found that having a good backpack is essential for a comfortable, stress-free trip. As much as I would love to carry a vintage looking canvas and leather one, I have yet to find one that is comfortable when full and carried for a long time. I use a North Face backpack that has padded, curved straps and a back that is padded with air vents. There is also a waist strap that helps distribute the weight when I’m coming home with a fully loaded backpack. I also need a backpack that has a space for a water bottle on the side, a padded lap top compartment, and several compartments to help me keep things organized.
No matter what the trip, these things are always in my backpack:
- laptop and charger
- kindle and charger
- phone charger
- wallet with strap or small purse with cash, credit cards, passport and phone
- make up
- basic travel sized toiletries (sample packs of shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, deodarant, toothbrush, daily moisturizer and night moisturizer (I’m particular about what I use and what I like isn’t sold in travel sizes so I have the little plastic cases where I put some of mine), eye cream, cleanser, razor, hand cream)
- sleeping mask
- ear plugs
- head set (and Apple air pods do not connect to airline tv’s so plan on having an old school pair that can plug in)
- extra battery pack for charging
- snacks – for me it’s things like Kind bars or nuts
- gum
- a little bag with a few Ibuprofen, Dramamine, Pepto tablets, bandaids, nail clippers, mini folding scissors, breath spray, stain stick, lip balm
- my scarf that doubles as a wrap or blanket
- water bottle (make sure it is empty before you go through security but fill it up before you get on the plane)
- travel neck pillow that I attach to the outside of the backpack
- Playing cards
- A few magazines that I’ll discard once I’ve read them
Although it’s rare for me, if I am checking a bag instead of having my rolling carry on, I’ll typically have a clean shirt and undies just in case my bag gets lost. The Importance of Packing Light for Flights shares why I think it is so important to only have a personal item and carry-on when you fly whether it’s for a weekend or two weeks in Europe.