What to Pack for Vacation in Your Carry-On

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I travel frequently and I thought I would share my guide about what to pack in your carry-on luggage bag.

I find that keeping these items in your carry-on makes you flight much more pleasant!  This guide works for both domestic and international trips.

What to pack for vacation in your carry-on luggage bag

Nº 1 // Noise canceling headphones – I *highly* recommend noise canceling headphones, especially for your 12 hour flights. I have them both.  I like the earbuds because they are less bulky (and the case is smaller too) and don’t mess up my hair. The over-the-ear noise canceling headphones work better than the earbuds, have nicer sound quality and are nicer for longer flights.  Either way, it is up to you and your preference!

Nº 2 // Hair brush – 12 hours is a long time for your hair to look bad, especially in the dry environment . You are guaranteed to get sleepyhead after trying to snooze sitting straight up.  

Nº 3  // Camera – you need to put your camera in your carry-on so it does not get lost or stolen in your checked bag. I have a GoPro camera and I cannot sing enough praise about it for a travel camera especially if you like to hike/do adventurous things. It is waterproof, you can take it surfing, snorkeling, swimming, hiking, biking.

Nº 4 // Hand cream – It’s really dry in the airplane. You will be wanting hand cream.

Nº 5  // Lip Balm – Your lips will get dry on the airplane.

Nº  6 // a Pen – You will need to fill out some customs papers at some point. Bring a pen!

Nº  7 // Granola bar – This is nice to have because you never know when you’ll need some sustenance. I am loving the Kind bars right now.

Nº  8 // Water bottle – I usually just buy one in the airport, that way if I’m desperate for space on the way home I can toss it.  However, you can also bring your own!

Nº  9 // iPad – The iPad has everything I need… books, movies, music, and a notepad to jot down thoughts.  I read my travel books on this on the way to the location I’m headed to.

Nº 10 // Keys – Don’t forget your house and car keys! Get this bluetooth key finder keychain if you tend to lose your keys like me!

Nº 11 // Make up bag – Trust me, you’ll want to do some touching on before landing so keep your make up organized in a chic make up bag.

Nº 12 // Hand sanitizer – Airplanes are full of germs. You’ll feel better after using this, even if you washed your hands in the loo.

Nº 13 // Charging Essentials For your Electronics! –  I recommend a portable power battery pack so that way your phone or smart device won’t die on long plane! Also, when you get to your hotel room you will probably only have about two plugs and so many things to charge.  We use this USB multi port charger – it has two USB ports that charge faster, and is foldable and compact for travel and has UK and EU adapters as well! It is the best.

Nº 14 // Ear plugs – You will wish you had these when the screaming baby or chatty neighbor sits behind you on your twelve hour flight!

Nº 15 // Mint gum – Gum helps your ears pop in ascent/descent and gives you some fresh breath!

Nº 16 // Munchies – You will need something to munch on, as I’m sure you’ll either get hungry or bored.  I like to bring dried fruit or popcorn as they fill the munchie need but don’t fill you with tons of extra calories.

Nº 17 // Blanket scarf – The temperature of the airplane varies too much. A blanket scarf is nice for those temperature fluctuations.

Nº 18 // Evian water spray – This Evian water spray is so nice and refreshing during a long flight!!

Nº 19 // Passport and wallet – If there’s one thing you *must* bring on international travel it is your passport. If you’re traveling overseas, you will want an anti RFID theft one because apparently over there in crowded spaces/subways/buses they will use little scanners and steal your credit card information from your chip credit card.

Nº  20 // Travel size perfume – You’ll want to reapply your perfume just before you get off of your flight.

Nº 21 // Travel bag – You need a bag big enough to fit all of this stuff in that fits under the seat in front of you! My FAVORITE bag is this expandable longchamp bag – I have both sizes this larger one and this smaller one. However I LOVE this non-expandable version too and actually will use it as my purse on travel!

Nº  22 // Eye mask – You will want this for when the person next to you leaves their reading light on the whole flight. I like this silk one or my favorite one here.

Nº  23 // Toothbrush and toothpaste – So, 10 hours into your international flight, it is now suddenly morning time where you land and you realized you haven’t brushed your teeth in approx 24 hours. You’ll be glad you brought this!

Nº  24 // Slipper socks – I always take off my shoes while sitting in my chair on international travel and put slipper socks on over my regular socks.  It keeps my toes warm… just make sure you put on your shoes before you start walking around the plane. You could take these foldable ballet flats which are super comfy and then you can wear them on your trip. They are so nice because they fold up perfectly into your carry on!

Nº  25 // Carry-on Suitcase – I personally travel an older version of this Tumi International Bag.  My Father used to travel all of the time (seriously, 500k miles!) and the Tumi bag has survived!  I seriously cannot sing enough praise about Tumi bags. They are expensive but worth the money.   If you are mainly a domestic traveler, then this Tumi Domestic Carry On bag is GREAT as well ( have that one too!).   The Rimowa Bags are extremely popular as well, but I don’t use them so I can’t give a review. Don’t know the difference between International and Domestic Bags? The international bags are slightly smaller and fit within the regulations of the European airlines!

Nº  26 // Jet Lag Mask – Since I’ve created this list, a brand new beauty mask came out this year and I cannot sing enough praises about it! It’s called the Jet Lag Mask and it is seriously FANTASTIC.  Like if you had to buy one beauty thing to travel with it is this mask!  It makes your dehydrated sorry looking airplane skin look amazing!  It seriously did wonders to my face.  The great part is you don’t have to rinse it off – you just wipe off the excess after 10 minutes.

Nº  27 // A Travel Pillow – On a really long flight it is nice to have an extra pillow besides the one they give you. There is this one that has 3000 reviews on Amazon, this one that is more like a scarf/wrap/pillow. My most recent trip I got these blocks that blow up – they seemed stupid at first but I LOVED them so much I am never going on an international flight again without them.

Shop the post below!

Miss any of my Paris Posts?? Check them out here!

Headed to Paris or London? Check out my What to Pack to Paris and London post here.

What to Pack for your Vacation in Your Carry-On

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1 Comment

  1. April 7, 2015 / 5:10 am

    Have a wonderful time in Paris. I think you have everything covered with your great carry on list. 😉

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